TC Minutes 27th June 2019

Teaching Committee Minutes for 27th June 2019.

Meeting Minutes

Informatics Teaching Committee Minutes

 

Present:  Stuart Anderson, Aurora Constantin, Stephen Gilmore, Volker Seeker, Sharon Goldwater, Paul Andersn, Paul Jackson, Chris Lucas, He Sun, Paul Patras, Michael Mistry, Alex Burford, Gillian Bell

In Attendance:  Sam Stewart (Administrator)

 

19.53 Apologies for absence:  John Lee, Maria Wolters, Christophe Dubach, Mary Cryan, Neil Heatley, Judy Robertson, Ajitha Rajan, Iain Murray, Cristina Alexandru

 

19.54 Minutes of Previous Meetings – Approved

 

19.55 Matters Arising

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18.59-01: Software Options for Coursework Submission

It was noted that the use of Submit is quite outdated and ‘buggy’ at times.  Learn Technologist held a session during Teaching Day on use of submission systems and a survey document has been produced.  The feasibility of continuing to use Submit with so many alternative methods of submission in use across the School was discussed.  Decided that Submit can be maintained for session 2019/20 on a case by case basis and for staff using this system to make plans for future years when Submit is retired.

NEW ACTION: Circulate the survey document put together by the computing and learning technology staff ‘Coursework submission, marking and feedback’ and discuss at strategy committee – Stuart AndersonCOMPLETED

NEW ACTION 2: Survey document to be shared on infweb if possible – ITO, Gillian Bell – COMPLETED see ‘Following TC’ section below

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18.59-02: Course Moderation Guidelines

There needs to be better guidance on moderation – a standardised process and possible examples of what marking looks like to ensure consistency across the board. 

OUTSTANDING ACTION: A guidance document to be produced by start of the next academic year – Stuart Anderson to work in collaboration with BoE Convenors.

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19.06: Proposal to limit MSc project report lengths - S.Goldwater

Discussion of basic training in support of page limit, and template – there are workshops that UG4 students have gone on which have produced high quality 20 page projects. 

ACTION 5: Decoupling of ECA/DI Masters Dissertations, and discussion on marking loadsCOMPLETED

ACTION 6:  Interim Report on the subject of English Language requirements – COMPLETED

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19.27: Exam Marking Policy - Director of Learning and Teaching

Minutes from 10 April 2019:

“The proposal is to set a policy that governs who can mark exam scripts, and where they can be marked. The DOLT’s initial take on the subject was:

  • If the academic who set the paper is going to mark it then they can take it out of the building provided they take full responsibility for any loss.
  • Otherwise the academic who set the paper is responsible for the security of the papers and to assist with this we require all marking to take place in the Forum or AT.

One member of staff asked whether staff should be allowed to take papers out of Edinburgh, as papers have been lost in the past during travel.

Another pointed out the need to define exactly who markers are in the policy, considering that PhDs mark papers”

OUTSTANDING ACTION: Revise and bring back to next TC – Stuart Anderson

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19.56: New Item: Alteration of all Exam Rubrics

There is no standardised open book or closed book rubric, therefore to this some course organisers are not setting exams as open book due to lack of rubric.  There should be clarification of each exam and a rubric/template available as to whether the exam is open or closed book.

NEW ACTION 1: Draft of rubric to be brought to meeting – Stuart Anderson

NEW ACTION 2: Advertise role of writing template (reinstate role?) – Stuart Anderson to speak to Iain Murray what role should be

NEW ACTION 3: Check how many exams have been open book in the last couple of year – ITO – COMPLETED for 2017/18 and 2018/19 exams.

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19.57: New Item: Information Only - Pre-registration of course choices for continuing students - G.Bell (ITO) and P.Jackson

In progress – currently open till end of July 2019; ITO will then enrol continuing students onto course choices which will hopefully assist personal tutors.

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19.58: New Item: Information Only - Teaching Support Staff Policy

New policy approved by strategy committee in May 2019.  This should make it easier for ITO to approve many bids by default without asking DoLT for approval (based on course size estimates).

ACTION: Categories on the form do not match what is in policy online – take to teaching executive meeting for confirmation of what is online (http://web.inf.ed.ac.uk/infweb/admin/policies/teaching-support-staff-policy) – Vicky MacTaggartCOMPLETED

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19.59: Date of next Teaching Committee: Wednesday 14th August 2019 (Wed 10th July cancelled)

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19.60: AOCB

19.60-01: 

Collaboration of items approved at TC in prior meetings that have not been addressed.

ACTION: ITO – Gillian Bell and Sam Stewart to make list - COMPLETED

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Following TC:

18.59-01: Decision that Submit can be maintained for session 2019/20 on a case by case basis and for staff using this system to make plans for future years when Submit is retired.  Stuart Anderson sent email to teaching staff with regard to this with action for teaching staff to inform ITO should they wish to use Submit for 2019/20 session.

ACTION 2: Retirement of Submit information and survey document added to Informatics Learning Technology Blog: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/ilts/

19.56, ACTION 3: 2017/18 – Total of 9 exam papers were set as open book (DMMR, INF1-FP, PI, CQI, INF1-OP, PMR (A4 page with notes front to back), RL, SAPM, ST)

2018/19 – Total of 6 exam papers were set as open book (DMMR, INF1A(FP), PI, INF1-OP, SAPM, ST)

19.60-01: COMPLETED from minutes starting from 10th January 2018 - 27th June 2019