Academic Partnership Information
Learn more about
academic partnerships
Academic Partnership Information
Learn more about academic partnerships
Meet the team
Helping new and current academic partners
Chris Dancer
Head of Academic Partnerships
Chris Dancer has been Head of Academic Partnerships at the University of Chichester since December 2019, having previously led the University of Chichester Business School.
Within that role he acquired considerable experience of developing, leading, and enhancing collaborative partnerships.
Katie Akerman
Director of Education Policy, Quality and Partnerships
Katie is the University’s Director of Education Policy, Quality and Partnerships, and is responsible for approval, monitoring and review activities, external examining, the Academic Regulations and QAA.
Katie is also responsible for compliance with ESFA and Ofsted for apprenticeships, as well as for all academic partnerships.
Become a partner
Developing sustainable collaborations
We recognise that academic partnerships are an essential part of the ecosystem in which universities operate.
Our strategic focus is on developing sustainable collaborations where we can add significant value to our academic partners and their students, and where our partners will also add value to the wider University reputation and standing.
Please download and complete the form linked below to start the partnership assessment process. Once completed, please email the form to Chris Dancer (Head of Academic Partnerships) at c.dancer@chi.ac.uk.
Subcontracting (and other arrangements) Information Source
Find the information you need
Important
For existing Academic Partner queries, please contact either your Link Tutor or a member of the University’s Education Policy, Quality and Partnerships office at acpart@chi.ac.uk
Academic partner links
Information for staff and students of current partners
What we look for in our academic partnerships
We recognise that academic partnerships are an essential part of the ecosystem in which universities operate.
Our strategic focus is on developing sustainable collaborations where we can add significant value to our academic partners and their students, and where our partners will also add value to the wider university reputation and standing.
At the centre of our academic partnership mindset is the student experience and their outcomes. When considering a proposed partnership arrangement, we want to ensure that it will create a high-quality student experience, underpinned by our living and learning ethos.
Types of partnership
Our academic partnership activity is centred on two types of academic partnership arrangements:
Validation arrangements
The university, as an awarding institution, judges that a programme (or part thereof) developed and delivered by another institution or organisation is of an appropriate quality and standard to lead to its award.
Franchise arrangements
The university allows the whole or part of one or more of its own internally developed programmes to be delivered and assessed at a partner institution, leading to an award of the university.
Prospective partner programme offerings will need to be able to demonstrate the basis for excellent student progression and completion rates, and programmes that will help produce capable graduates with excellent subject-specific knowledge as well as employability skills.
If you are looking to explore a progression agreement or international student recruitment please contact global@chi.ac.uk.
Rationale
In deciding whether to embark upon a new partnership we will draw on our guiding principles. These are intended as a guide rather than as an exhaustive list and they are not presented in any order of weighting or priority.
It is not necessary for a partnership opportunity to satisfy all of the principles if it appears that there are strengths relating to some principles that compensate for others that might be less strong.
What we provide
We understand the importance to our academic partners of having an efficient and effective operational management interface as well as offering a high-quality service for students. Features of our academic partner provision include:
A named contact within our Admissions Team to support you with timely and efficient processing of your students’ applications.
Electronic library resources for your students and staff accessed direct through our ‘Partner Portal’.
Our online portal that links our student record management system and enables students to access their grades or amend aspects of their personal records.
A facility that enables students to log requests for password changes and problems with their account at any time, and to monitor the progress of their request.
A comprehensive range of support that enables efficient registration of students, facilities to enable direct tutor feedback to students and the provision of student grades.
Each partner has a nominated link tutor. This plays a key role in maintaining a supportive partnership as well as helping to ensure that the University is able to maintain oversight of academic standards.
Appointment of an external examiner to review student work. As a part of their role, external examiners will normally have the opportunity to visit the partner and meet their students at least once during their tenure. This is part of the process whereby the University seeks to encourage a close, mutually valuable, working relationship between academic partners and external examiners.
Partner staff teaching on our programmes have access to our professional development programme free of charge. Where a partner has an interest in doing so, we also seek to enable opportunities for partner staff to engage in our AdvanceHE accredited PgCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, conferring FHEA.
The payment structure for Academic Partnerships is straightforward and transparent. We will make clear the costings to you from the outset.
Governance
We assess the feasibility of any new arrangement, through an outline proposal and risk analysis considered by the relevant committee against our rationale for partnership arrangements and if accepted the proposal proceeds to due diligence, which is in two parts – a desk-based analysis (reviewing academic, legal, financial and reputational due diligence and conflicts of interest), presented to our Senior Leadership Team. If this is accepted, we then proceed to an approval activity hosted by the potential partner. These stages include full consideration of compliance with the OfS’s regulatory requirements, including conditions B1, B2, B3, B4 and B5; The visit enables us to provide assurance to both the Academic Board and Board of Governors of the capacity and resources necessary to meet the contractual obligations under the arrangement.
Alignment with the University’s admissions policies and processes are subject to scrutiny, including the use of recruitment agents, and admissions data including copies of entry qualifications are provided to the University.
Partners engage in annual monitoring and these alongside data, external examining reports and link tutor reports are used to inform annual reporting to both the Academic Board and Board of Governors. The academic partnership annual report RAG-rates all partners and actions is taken where appropriate up to and including withdrawal from an arrangement.
The University (and its partners located in the UK) are members of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator complaints scheme. Complaints should be made to the provider in the first instance with recourse to the University as appropriate.
Student work is sampled by both the link tutor and the external examiner. Academic malpractice is considered by the University’s Board of Examiners and addressed accordingly.
Current partners
Here are some of the high-quality partnerships we currently have in place both in the UK and across the world.
Are you a current partner?
See our information section for policies and statements, our quality handbook, academic regulations, and to view our regulatory status.
Academic Partnership Contact Details
For new Academic Partnership enquiries, please contact:
Chris Dancer - Head of Academic Partnerships
c.dancer@chi.ac.uk
For existing Academic Partners, please contact:
Your Link Tutor or a member of our Academic Quality and Standards Service (AQSS) at acpart@chi.ac.uk.
If your enquiry is in relation to a progression agreement or international student recruitment please contact global@chi.ac.uk.
