Admissions, Recruitment and Widening Access
We have explicitly separated the function of recruitment from that of admissions. Our Student Recruitment Department undertake a broad range of activities, including outreach, open days, offer holder days and taster days to encourage prospective applicants to apply. Admissions, recruitment and widening access sets the tone of engagement for a student with their provider and the wider sector. Where an applicant believes there are valid reasons for complaining about how their application has been dealt with, or how the Student Protection Plan has been applied, the applicant should make a complaint to the Deputy Chief Operating Officer using the Admissions Complaint Form. The completed form should be emailed to [email protected]. The complaint must come from the applicant and must be submitted within three months of the conclusion of the admissions process against which the complaint relates.
Assessment
The assessment of learning is fundamental to Bloomsbury Institute's commitment to ensure demonstration of achievement with regards to learning outcomes, as articulated within our programme and module specifications. Our assessment function is an integral part of the Institution with regards to safeguarding both threshold Standards and Quality. This function sits within our Registry division.
Courses are designed so that curricula, learning outcomes and assessment are aligned with each other, enabling reliable assessment and an effective learning experience. Assessment measures accurately and consistently the extent to which students have achieved the learning outcomes for the course, and supports students' learning: it is designed to enable students to learn through preparing for and undertaking the assessment, and from feedback on their performance.
Concerns, Complaints and Appeals
Course Development and Design
Courses are well-designed, provide a high-quality academic experience for all students and enable a student's achievement to be reliably assessed. Feedback from key stakeholders/sources and multidisciplinary research allow developers to craft relevant and innovative courses of study. Sources of feedback for course design may include internal and external specialists, prospective, current and past students, employers and PSRBs. The incorporation of a systematic, relevant and stimulating assessment strategy, which enables course and module learning outcomes to be met, is also a key consideration for course design and development.
Bloomsbury Institute offers higher education degrees accredited by the University of Northampton. As such, the courses cannot be unilaterally approved or amended by Bloomsbury Institute.
Enabling Student Achievement
The Centre for Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Success (SEWS) is at the heart of Bloomsbury Institute's mission to assist students in achieving their full potential. This mission is deeply connected to our promotion of fair play, inclusivity, curiosity, hard work and courage as core values within our community of learning. The Centre seeks to deliver a range of services which place the holistic development of students as a multidimensional person at the heart of what they do.
Enabling student achievement encompasses a holistic approach to support throughout the entire student journey, from admission and transition into higher education, to completion and transition beyond. This does not comprise solely of academic support — it also makes clear reference to support that is accessible and inclusive of all students, but not the same for all students.
External Expertise
Bloomsbury Institute draws on the expertise of a number of individuals who, whilst not directly involved with a course, are able to provide independent and impartial advice on a range of activities and procedures in relation to provision of our courses. We use external expertise to provide input not only into the design and delivery of our courses, but also throughout the entire process of course monitoring, evaluation and review.
Individuals from a range of backgrounds — academics working in other higher education providers, those representing professional, statutory and regulatory bodies, employers, stakeholders, guest speakers with specific industry or subject expertise, and former and current students — together provide the external expertise we draw upon.
Learning and Teaching
Our academic staff are knowledgeable, skilled and engage with the wider academic community. We apply and maintain high academic standards across teaching, learning and assessment. Our inclusive curriculum and accessible campus enables all our students to participate fully. Staff are appropriately supported and developed, in turn, to support their students. Learning and teaching activity is inclusive in its approach, providing all students with parity of quality of learning opportunities.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Research
Design and deliver courses that are informed by research, and through which we develop and empower students to engage in their own research. Monitor and enhance the quality of our research outputs and their internal and/or external impact.
Develop, support and empower all our staff to achieve excellence in research that has considerable internal and/or external impact, reflected through direct relevance to the needs of commerce, industry, culture and society, and to the public and voluntary sectors.
Currently, Bloomsbury Institute is not providing or teaching Research Degrees. Notwithstanding this, Bloomsbury Institute is nevertheless very research active as well as involved in enterprise initiatives. This section demonstrates our own commitment to Research and Enterprise — our research activities cover the working paper series, research seminar series, widening participation forum, external conference presentations and publications in journals (including peer-reviewed).
Student Engagement
Courses are well designed, provide a high-quality academic experience for all students and enable a student's achievement to be reliably assessed. Learning is a partnership — the effort and engagement of students is an essential aspect of their achievement. Students provide an invaluable perspective on the conditions needed for a high-quality academic experience and how this can be continuously improved, providing feedback, working collaboratively with staff and other stakeholders, and acting as co-creators of the curriculum.