Tim
Please see email below which relates to enrolment and ELQ students.
There are other emails in this series in which some HEIs say they are
just going to use HESA High qual data to assess ELQ. Mike
Milne-Picken below says he is going to re assess all students entry
quals including returners. I think this is over the top - I thought
ELQ only related to first years at present. What do you think? Did
you go to this seminar they are talking about?
Heather
-----Original Message-----
From: Academic, financial or space planning in UK universities
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Milne-Picken
Sent: 14 August 2008 10:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Assessment of ELQs
For those who weren't there, this was an extensive theme at the recent
HEFCE seminar and the Admin-ELQ list is available to discuss it
further.
The bottom line in my view is that ALL students on HEFCE-fundable
programmes should be assessed at enrolment this year (2008-09), as to
whether they are an ELQ student or not (even if they started their
course in earlier years and were fundable then). Some institutions,
including my own, intend to do this.
The issue was also raised at the seminar that institutions should
check
every student's entry qualifications every year anyway, as they may
have
changed. Some students are on multiple qualifications (the example
was
given of a student on an Open University humanities BA who also
enrolled
on a two year HND in a technical subject; at the end of year 1 they
completed their OU BA, so when they re-enrolled on year 2 of their HND
they were ELQ and non-fundable in the other institution; if you just
assume that the entry quals are the same as year 1 you would not pick
this up, though HEFCE would because the OU BA results come through to
HEFCE in the HESA return in year 1 and they would identify this when
they get the second institution's HESA return in year 2 and match the
student from the OU's return for year 1! I gave a more likely example
of a student who completed an NVQ 4 in year 1 of an HNC; in year 2 of
the HNC they are ELQ).
In terms of auditing student's 'claims' as to what they have for entry
qualifications, you can either invest in lie detectors, or carry out
"reasonable" checks - "reasonable" includes checking whether the
student
is one of your own graduates, back to the year dot.
I think the 300+ HEFCE funded institutions will have 300+ ways of
coping
with this additional burden.
Our own practice is that this year we are asking all enrolling
students
(in all years) to complete a box with their full qualifications
history.
This may be overkill, and will irritate both students and staff, but
we
cannot risk being pulled up by HEFCE in an audit and I am sure we are
all mindful of the position of a certain London University who
experienced clawback of funds.
I think many institutions who have streamlined their second and third
year student enrolment and do not ask for repeat information, will
struggle with this. But if all your students joined you as 18 year
olds
on three year undergraduate degrees, you are unlikely to have many
problems. Those institutions engaging in widening participation,
lifelong learning, part time study, credit transfer and articulation
agreements with other institutions for transfers, are likely to much
more seriously affected with this extra burden.
Hope that helps.
Mike Milne-Picken
University Centre Registrar
Bradford College
Admin-ELQ listowner
-----Original Message-----
From: Academic, financial or space planning in UK universities
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Julie Leeming
Sent: 13 August 2008 17:00
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Assessment of ELQs
Dear Collegues,
At their ELQ seminar in July HEFCE seemed to be suggesting that as
part
of their audit HEIs should be asking individual students enrolling
this
September whether or not they were ELQs.
I'm interested in knowing whether and to what extent you have this
organised.
Julie
****************************************
Dr Julie A. Leeming,
Planning Officer (Finance),
Queen Mary, University of London,
Mile End Road,
London E1 4NS
020 7882 7850
|