Supporting you in your Role
- Level leadership
As Level Leader, your role is to oversee a single level of a course and provide support to the Course Leader by managing level-specific issues. As this suggests, there may be slight variation in the role and expectations of the Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6 Leaders.
At the same time, there are some generic tasks we would expect all Level Leaders to fulfil. A good Level Leader will have a clear understanding of the various modules that comprise the level they are responsible for. They will also have a strong sense of the individual students that make up that particular year group. At Solent we pride ourselves on really knowing our students. In that sense, the Level Leader has an important part to play in tracking student progress and of identifying issues as they arise.
We want all our students to have a consistent, high-quality experience irrespective of level of study, so we are providing a broad outline of the responsibilities that come with level leadership. It is not a job descriptor, and it is not intended to be definitive.
The main business of level leadership- Work with the Course Leader and with Module Leaders to ensure that the student experience is as good as it can be on the Level that you are responsible for.
- Take responsibility for fostering a sense of community across the Level you are leading.
- Have a clear understanding of the modules that comprise the Level that you are responsible for.
- Be a point of contact for students, for staff and the Course Leader and be able to provide information on progression, attainment, participation and engagement (where this information is available).
- Identify at risk students (attainment & progression, health and wellbeing) and ensure these students are supported by the university, staff, and peers.
- Keep the conversation going with the Level you are responsible for.
- Take responsibility for appointing course reps. Liaise with them over the academic year and support them in their preparation for course committee. Ensure the feedback loop is closed after course committee.
- Work with the Course Leader to ensure that the Living CV initiative is implemented at Course Level and by all Module Leaders at each level of study.
Level Specific Responsibilities - Course leadership
The Course Leader (CL) role is a pivotal one. You are the person that students on the course look to for information and guidance, and you are responsible for the day-to-day running of the course and ensuring that academic standards are maintained. You are supported in this by your Level Leaders as well as by those colleagues who are leading the modules that make up the course curriculum.
The CL role is an opportunity to shape, develop and enhance a degree programme. While we want all our courses to provide a real-world, professional, employment-focused, inclusive and sustainable learning experience for our students, the course(s) you lead will bear your own personal imprint. The CL role is a key stage in your own career development. Most of the Heads of Subject and all the Faculty Deans at Solent have, at some point in their careers, been Course Leaders, as have the Vice-Chancellor and the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
CLs should feel able to effectively lead the courses they are responsible for. Your Head of Subject will support you in the requests that you make of colleagues, including taking on modules and leading activities. Experience teaches us that the most successful CLs are those who feel able to lead and are the most organised.
We want all our students to have a consistent, high-quality experience irrespective of their course of study, so we are providing a broad outline of the responsibilities that come with course leadership. It is not a job descriptor, and it is not intended to be definitive.
Five areas of CL responsibilities and expectations - Module leadership
Module Leaders should feel able to properly develop and deliver the modules they are responsible for. We know that a bad experience on a single module can have a disproportionate effect on how students feel about their course. We want the culture of Module Leaders (MLs) to be consistent across the University so that all our students have a similar experience in terms of how their modules run.
Your primary responsibility is to ensure that the module you are leading runs as smoothly as possible. This will mean managing module-specific issues as they arise. Students will view you as the main point of contact for any queries that they have about the module they are taking with you.
All modules have a descriptor, which serves as a governing document and which you should be familiar with. The descriptor affords a degree of flexibility on some things but not on others. For example, assessment should be as stated in the descriptor. If it says that students are to be assessed via a 2000 word written essay, then that is what needs to happen. On the other hand, there is rather more latitude around the different areas of study that students might undertake as part of the programme of study for the module you are leading. In that sense, the module(s) you lead can and will bear your own personal imprint.
We want all our students to have a consistent, high-quality experience irrespective of which Modules they take, so we are providing a broad outline of the responsibilities that come with Module leadership. It is not a job descriptor, and it is not intended to be definitive.
Responsibilities of the module leader - Academic calendars
These documents will help in your planning. The first provides some indication of how activities can be scheduled and managed for the course over the academic year.
There is also an empty version for you to customise as appropriate for your course.