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Quickreferenceguide
- Name: Curriculum Innovation Modules (UOSMXXXX)
- Type: Optional module
- Level: Year 2 (Level 5)
- Semester: Semester 1 and 2, please see website for details. www.southampton.ac.uk/cip
- Points awarded: 15 CATS (7.5 ECTS)
- Registration: Via the online option system or change of option form
- Eligibility: See programme menu of choice at www.southampton.ac.uk/cip
- Caps on modules: Various, see page 6 of this document
- For more information and module profiles, visit www.southampton.ac.uk/cip
Glossaryofterms
- Menu of choice – the list of modules available to students on each programme
- Forward/backtracking – an agreement enabling students to take a module one year either side of their year group
- NQF – National Qualification Framework
- Curriculum Innovation module – an interdisciplinary module designed to broaden student learning
- ECTS/CATS – European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System/Credit Accumulation and Transfer Models. The
points awarded to students for each completed module
- CI – Curriculum Innovation
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Frequentlyaskedquestions
Modules and processes
1. How will students be told about the new
Curriculum Innovation modules?
Studentswillbeabletoseemoduleprofilesinthesameway
astheydoforotheroptionalmodulesviatheonlineoption
systemandtheCIwebsite.Theremayalsobemodulefair
events,whichhaveprovedapopularwayofinforming
studentsaboutthemodules.
2. Which programmes are taking part in Curriculum
Innovation?
Pleaseviewtheprogrammeinformationpageonthe
websiteforafulllistofparticipatingprogrammesandthe
modulemenus.
www.southampton.ac.uk/cip
3. Are there waiting lists for full modules and how
are the numbers managed?
NumberswillbemanagedwithintheBannercapping
system,andplaceswillbeallocatedona‘firstcome,first
served’basis.Therearenowaitinglistsforfullmodules
duetothenumberofeligiblestudents;itwouldbehardto
managethiseffectivelyandfairly.
Oneofthereasonsforofferingmenusofchoicetailored
tospecificprogrammesissothatthenumberofstudents
givenaccesstoamodulewillbemoremanageable.As
studentssignupforthemodulesforSemester2nextyear,
wewillbeabletostarttoassessdemand.Inthelonger-
term,moduleswillneedtobescalabletoallowforgreater
demand.Wewillaimtousetechnology-enhanceddelivery
toreducesomeoftheconstraints.
4. Why are the Curriculum Innovation modules
listed on the online option system where other
optional modules are not?
Themodulesarelistedontheonlineoptionsystemto
highlightthemtostudents.Althoughtheyaretreatedthe
sameasanyotheroptionalmodulewithregardstothe
administrationandenrolment,wefeelthesemodules
provideourstudentswithdistinctiveexperiencesandskills
whichtheymaynotobtainfromotherareasoftheirstudy.
Thereforewearekeentomakestudentsawareofthe
modules,andprovideasmuchinformationaspossible.
5. How will the timetable cope with the
interdisciplinary modules, given we already have
constraints on teaching space and teaching time?
TheUniversityalreadyteachesanumberofmoduleson
aninterdisciplinarybasis.Forcontinuingstudents,the
timetableisscheduledonanactualmodulechoice.Where
possible,activitiesarescheduledtoenablethemaximum
numberofstudentstostudytheirpreferredmodule.
As students are taking a Curriculum Innovation module
in place of an existing module, the demand for space will
be, to some extent, mitigated by the reduction in activity
sizes elsewhere.
6. Is the Curriculum Innovation primarily UG-
focussed or will it include PGT?
For now, Curriculum Innovation is focussed on UG
programmes. We are investigating incorporating PG
programmes in the longer-term, although it may not
be possible as it is more difficult to create space in the
intensive, 1-year courses.
7. How are these modules helping students
prepare for the future?
Students who have already taken a Curriculum Innovation
module tell us that they have gained skills and experiences
that they can articulate to potential employers, such as
communication skills gained by working with students
from different disciplines and with different perspectives.
These are the kinds of skills they will need in the future,
whether they go into work or further study.
8. What is the feedback from students who are
already taking a Curriculum Innovation module?
Overwhelmingly positive. They tell us that they
enjoy learning about a different subject and having
the opportunity to discuss and understand others’
perspectives. By working with other students from
different backgrounds, they get to learn much more
and discover how to work together. They also enjoy the
innovative delivery methods, such as small group work
and closer interaction with lecturers. For more student
views, visit the student views and opinions section of the
CI website www.southampton.ac.uk/cip
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9. Are the modules open to Erasmus and exchange
students?
Where the students already have available space on their
programme, then yes, the modules can be made available
to this cohort of students. The same regulations apply
as with our other students, such as only forward and
backtracking by 1 year, and following the programme
menu applicable to their studies. We are unable to hold
places on modules for students who may be choosing
their modules outside of the standard timescale.
General Curriculum Innovation
1. Are our comparators all doing the same as us or
are we setting ourselves out from the crowd?
We know that some of our comparators are considering
similar things, and some have been to visit us to see what
they can learn. We are ahead of the game in this area,
and aim to end up with something distinctive to us. The
University of Southampton co-hosted an international
network meeting in January 2011, attended by institutions
such as University of Hong Kong, University of Melbourne
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology who have
already implemented curriculum reform. Developing
Curriculum Innovation puts us in a world-leading group of
universities.
2. What will the effects be of the new funding
model and 2012/13 £9,000 fees?
In 2011 Senate agreed that student fees should be set
at a modular level. A percentage of the student fee
will be allocated to the home Faculty against core and
compulsory modules, the remainder of the fee will go
to the Faculties who own the additional modules the
student chooses. This will allow 50% of the modular fee
for each student taking a particular module to go to the
Faculty that is delivering it. This will remove the concept
of service teaching, where the fee does not necessarily
go to the Faculty of the staff member who is delivering
a module. The changes are being introduced in the
Academic Year 2012/13 against 1st years only; 2nd and 3rd
year fees will remain the same and the model will filter
through over the next two Academic Years.
The £9,000 fee and the loss of the HEFCE grant will
obviously have implications for all the fees we charge.
Assuming our student numbers remain in line with
our projections, our overall fee income should be
as expected. However, when fees are allocated at a
modular level instead of the current programme-level
allocation, internal fee distribution will be different. This
is something we will monitor closely as it is difficult to
predict the precise effect at this stage.
3. What do employers think about Curriculum
Innovation?
According to research carried out by the Confederation
of British Industry (CBI), the UK’s leading business
organisation, employers place a high importance on
employability attributes, such as communication skills
and the ability to work well in a team. Students need to
understand how to articulate the attributes they have
developed as part of their programme, as well as what
they have gained from extra-curricular activities and
part-time work. Curriculum Innovation will ensure that
our degree programmes provide the opportunity to
develop and articulate these skills. To find out more
view the employer views page of the CI website www.
southampton.ac.uk/cip.
4. How will Curriculum Innovation make our
students more employable?
The next generation of graduates will face future
challenges that we haven’t even imagined and take jobs
that may not even exist yet. It is our responsibility to
prepare them appropriately. The flexibility and ability
to view things from different perspectives which they
will gain from Curriculum Innovation modules will be
invaluable, as will the other graduate skills that have been
identified via Curriculum Innovation.
If you have a question which is not answered in this document or on the website, please email cip@soton.ac.uk
