2. Welcome Communications
Project
• Aims to streamline information provided to new
undergraduate students to minimise duplication and
confusion.
• Has already resulted in the creation of the online
welcome pages for new students:
https://www.york.ac.uk/students/welcome/
• Currently in the phase of reviewing printed materials,
including departmental handbooks.
3. QAA Institutional Review 2012
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education highlighted these
goals for the next academic year (2013/14) :
• Co-ordinated, accurate and comprehensive information for
students.
• University-wide framework for core information in course and
departmental handbooks and websites
• All students receive accurate information on what they can
expect, what is expected of them and what to do if their
experience does not meet expected standards.
4. Workshop Aims
• To road-test a new template structure intended
to standardise the departmental handbooks
provided for undergraduate students.
• To encourage cross-departmental discussion on
authoring and compiling undergraduate
handbooks.
• To clarify the map of information distributed to
new students.
5. Project Objectives
To develop a new template structure for departmental
handbooks which promotes:
• Consistency in style, content and format,
• Minimal duplication,
• Easy to find information for all undergraduate students,
• Migration of central information to a new University handbook,
• A clear message on what is expected of a student and what they
should expect.
6. Exercise 1 : Evaluating
Handbooks
Handbooks
strengths
Would this
work in other
departmental
handbooks?
Handbook
difficulties
How could
this be better
supported?
7. Exercise 1 : Points to consider
Is your current departmental handbook...
• Provided online or in hard copy?
• Provided before term starts or after?
• A reference tool or an introductory guide?
• Covering the entire degree or just specific stages?
• Providing any course information separately? e.g.
Assessment guidelines
8. Exercise 2 : Discussion
Your thoughts on the template structure and
handbook vision:
• What works?
• What doesn’t?
• What should be included?
9. Project Objectives
To develop a new template structure for departmental
handbooks which promotes:
• Consistency in style, content and format,
• Minimal duplication,
• Easy to find information for all undergraduate students,
• Migration of central information to a new University handbook,
• A clear message on what is expected of a student and what they
should expect.
