Periodic Review - Secretary Tasks

IMPORTANT – please first read the Guidelines for Periodic Review of Courses and if the review is to be held online, the Guidance for holding Virtual Validations/Periodic Review document

Identify review panel members/review date/review programme:
•	Identify and liaise with Course Management team (e.g. course director, programme support coordinator and key members of the teaching team) to find a range of dates and preferred location (i.e. HH or CT) if not being held virtually. If the course includes collaborative provision, ensure that external management/teaching individuals are also invited. If the course includes any placements or work-based learning, invite relevant individuals as appropriate.
•	TQC to appoint two internal academic members of staff for panel (one to act as Chair). If the course is large (e.g. BVetMed), more than two Internal Examiners may be appointed.
•	We should avoid a completely homogeneous panel, or one that may appear that way.
•	Course Management team to identify two external members for the panel. If the course is large (e.g. BVetMed), more than two External Examiners may be appointed. Chair of review panel approves them – invite and find suitable date for external panel members based upon availability of the above people.
•	Ask External Panel Members to forward a photocopy/scan of their passport to the Secretary in advance of the Periodic Review.  On day of Periodic Review, Secretary is to conduct a UKVI Right to Work check (RTW check involves confirming their ID, secretary signs, dates and files a copy). 
•	Draft a programme for the review. If the review is to take place on campus the duration is usually one day, two days for BVetMed with a dinner on first night, refer to previous programmes. If the review is being held virtually it will usually take place over two to three days. Discuss with Course Management team whether the review will include a tour of any teaching facilities, accommodation as this may need to be held in person or virtually.
•	Inform External Relations (Samantha Benson) of the date of the review and the need to invite relevant alumni to meet the panel. May also need to invite some alumni to lunch/dinner with the panel on the day of the review if being held on campus.

Logistics: (usually organised by the Academic Quality Administrator upon instruction from the Secretary)
On-campus
•	Book room(s) to hold the review and for catering (if a separate room is necessary) and raise any ‘Service Desk Portal’ requests for any special lay-out of furniture, partition removal etc. Will need a pc and projector (e.g. if you need to display any documentation, websites, VLE etc). Request a key for the room in case Panel wish to leave the room unattended with personal belongings inside.
•	Book holding room(s) for Course Management/ Teaching Teams for pre/post review meetings with the Panel.
•	Catering for the Panel – morning/afternoon refreshments and lunch (with
students/graduates/employers)
•	Book in visitors – how will they travel? If by car, give vehicle registration to security and ask them to hold a parking space(s).
•	You may need to ask a colleague to be available to meet and greet visitors (this is typically more of an issue at Camden than at HH).
•	Accommodation – do you need to book external/student panel members accommodation?
•	Travel – do you need to book external/student panel members travel?
•	Wi-Fi code – to give to Panel members on the day for checking their emails.
•	Table name plates - for the Panel, Course Management team and Teaching team.
•	Name badges - if felt necessary, e.g. for students/graduates and panel.
•	LEARN access – to be arranged for Panel.

Documentation:
•	Self-Evaluation Document (SED) – template to be completed by Course Director/Management and to have been approved by the Chair and Secretary of the review panel and relevant Course Management Committee prior to sending to the members of the review Panel.
•	Supporting documentation - to be collected and saved to password encrypted USB flash drive along with the SED or to be sent to Panel via online transfer (suggest using WeTransfer.com). Print one hardcopy of supporting documentation (but only if reasonable and necessary to do so) and any other material that needs to be available on the day.
•	A hardcopy of SED to be printed and bound for each Panel member (but only if reasonable and necessary to do so). SED (hardcopy) and supporting documents to be sent to the panel members at least 4 weeks prior to review date. Also send them a covering letter/email along with any other necessary documentation e.g. directions, etc.
•	Ensure that the Course Management/Teaching Teams have access to a copy of the SED and the confidential supporting documentation.
•	The Course Director should be prompted to consider how they will ensure that staff due to meet the Panel are ready to do so and have read the contents of the SED. 
•	Ensure that the Course Management/Teaching Teams are aware that they will be asked to respond to the initial comments of the Panel one week prior to the review and that their comments are to be fed back to the Panel in advance.

Panel:
•	Ensure that the panel know their role (e.g. terms of reference, process, payment etc).
•	Request key topics/themes from the panel members one week prior to the review. Collate their responses and circulate them to all panel members and the Course Management Team
•	Request any specific questions for students/graduates from the panel members one week prior to the review. Collate their responses and share them with the student/graduates attending the review.
•	Obtain evidence of external/student panellist ‘Right to Work’ and file with the rest of the secretary’s documentation for the review, confidentially of course, for audit purposes – photo/photocopy of their photo ID (passport/driver’s license) would be great. Just sign it somehow to confirm that you believe the photo is a true likeness of the individual.

Report and Payments:
•	Write a report (including required/recommended actions for the course team with deadlines for responses)
•	Ensure that all outstanding required/recommended actions are transferred into the action plan by the Course Director in the next Annual Quality Improvement Report.
•	Pay the external/student panel members their fee and expenses – the expense claim goes to finance in Camden and the fee is processed by Payroll, Hawkshead. 

Student panel members will be paid a flat rate fee of £120 per day/8 virtual hours. 

External panel members will be paid a fee for their attendance and input into the report: £250 for one day/8 virtual hours attendance (therefore £500 for two days attendance and so on)
Plus £250 for input into the report.

Reaccreditation Charges (e.g. if Periodic Review is combined with Reaccreditation)
Fee claim charge code: 2400.UGR.4747
Expense claim charge code: 2500.UGR.4747

IMPORTANT – if you have any suggestions on how to improve the content of this document, please amend using track changes and send to the Academic Quality Manager.  Thank you!