Collaborative Partnerships

Read this chapter if you are interested in any of the following procedures:

• New partner approval
• Partnership renewal
• Breaches of contract: Improvement action planning
• Templates and guidance notes

The procedures for negotiation, approval and management of collaborative partnerships therefore aim to ensure that:

• the selection of partners is based on clear criteria, and on thorough due diligence enquiries
• collaborative arrangements are fully costed and risk assessed; and consideration of the financial and business aspects of partnership proposals is separated from that of academic delivery and the quality of learning opportunities provided
• written agreements and related documentation clearly sets out the rights and responsibilities of the University and its partners in respect of the specified arrangements
• the University is able to ensure that the academic standards of any awards made in its name meet the expectations of the UK higher education sector, as articulated in the UK Quality Code, national or international qualifications frameworks, and any relevant subject/professional benchmarks
• the University can assure itself that the quality of learning opportunities offered by a partner organisation is of a high quality and enables students to achieve the standards (including, where relevant, the professional standards) required for the award to which the collaborative programme leads
• students receive accurate and comprehensive information about their programme of study and the award to which it leads

In the design of its procedures for the approval, monitoring and review of its collaborative partnerships and provision, the University recognises - and seeks to manage - the risks associated with the devolution of responsibilities for managing quality and standards to, or sharing these responsibilities with, a partner. However, while recognising the risks involved, the University also wishes to take advantage of the opportunities and benefits associated with entering into collaborative arrangements, such as widening participation in higher education, securing market advantages, and developing good relationships with other educational establishments, professional bodies, employers, etc, in the UK and internationally.