Module specification guidance

This page is to help staff who are designing new modules as well as those who are updating existing module specifications.  It provides the regulations about how to complete module specifications. Module specification content is published to both applicants and current students in the Online Curriculum catalogue.

The University has endorsed seven principles for good curriculum design. Schools are asked to review the principles in the Curriculum design document as they design programmes. 

New Programme Design Principles

2.1.1 Title of module

• Titles cannot share the same name as another module. They must be short, accurately reflect the subject material contained in the syllabus, and be engaging. In cases where multiple versions of the same module exist, titles must be distinguished using brackets. For example ‘Accessing America (20 credits)’

2.1.2 Level

Module levels are typically aligned with the corresponding stage of a student’s degree.

There are five different levels of modules:

• Level 0 – Foundation year modules have a preparatory function providing a grounding in the subject, for example, when a student lacks the relevant A-level.
• Level 1 – Primarily for first year (Qualifying stage) students developing basic knowledge and introducing fundamental concepts and techniques. Any pre-requisites will normally be expressed in terms of relevant pre-University studies.
• Level 2 – Primarily for second year students (Part I stage), focusing on the next phase of a student's development, possibly with pre-requisites based on Level 1 which may cover more advanced concepts and introduce different study skills.
• Level 3 – Primarily for third year students (Part II), building on previous studies with specified pre-requisites. A wide range of study skills may be employed and developed, often with an emphasis on student-centred and student-initiated learning.
• Level 4 – Primarily for fourth year students (Part III stage)  or those with a first degree offering extended or advanced study with pre-requisites from lower-level modules.

2.1.3 Session 

• Specify the academic year in which the new module will first run.

2.1.4 Summary of content 

• Present information in a concise, informative and comprehensible style, such as starting a sentence like "This module considers..." followed by bullet points of major topics.

2.1.5 Content Note

• Use ‘Content note’ to highlight potentially challenging material for student awareness. 

Please consult the following guidance for mote information about Content Notes:  

Content Notes Guidance

Specify the number of credits.  A single credit is notionally intended to represent 10 hours of student input, whether in the form of teaching contact or private study. Credits indicate a quantity of assessed learning and are gained by satisfying the Board of Examiners. 

The notional equivalent hours of study may not be directly applicable to University of Nottingham apprenticeship programmes where work-based learners have additional contextual opportunities to embed and test learning. Programme approval processes will ensure teaching approaches meet required outcomes for the learners on apprenticeships.

 If, exceptionally, the assessment of a postgraduate module is not carried out by the end of the semester in which the module is offered, the credits will not in theory accrue to the student until assessment is completed in the following semester. 

All new modules must have a credit value of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 credits. For the MRes only, larger credit sizes of 80, 100, 120, 140 or 160 are permitted.  Regulations around limits on the total number of modules of particular sizes must be applied when designing new modules.

Any modules sizes outside of this range (including zero credit modules) or outside of the combination of modules permitted under the programme specification regulations are only permitted in exceptional circumstances (for instance where there is a PSRB requirement), and such modules require QSC approval.  Schools requiring this must submit a QSC exceptional case request via the Curriculum Approvals and Advisory Team.

2.3.1 Availability to exchange/subsidiary/first year students

• Indicate whether the module is available to exchange students, subsidiary and first year students and state if there are any restrictions, for example only students of a particular discipline or programme.

2.3.2 Availability to postgraduate students

• Indicate whether or not an undergraduate module can be taken by postgraduate students.

Specify the number of students expected to enrol on the module in the following academic session.

If there is a cap, please indicate this and provide a rationale for the cap (see below).

2.4.1 Rationale for Cap

Clearly explain the justification for imposing a limit on the numbers of students on the module

• Modules can be offered in the Autumn Semester, Spring Semester or as a "Full Year" (year long). A module can be offered in more than one of these periods, but one of them must be indicated as the default.
• Postgraduate (PG) modules can also be offered in the summer.
• Postgraduate dissertation/project (60 credit) modules are usually only offered as summer modules due to programme level restrictions on number of credits studied per term/semester.  

Specify whether the module will be taught every session or, for example, only in specific years (e.g. every other year effective from 2012).

Requisites should only be used where necessary to support student learning.

Pre-requisites for admission to the module (if any)

• Identify any conditions students must meet to enrol on the module such as passing specific modules or being registered on a particular programme
• Note that only certain requisites can be programmed in Campus Solutions; requirements such as ‘must have an A Level in…’ can only be entered as text for information and will not prevent system enrolment and must be checked by the School prior to commencement of the module. 

Co-requisites for the module (if any)

• Indicate any combinations of modules that students must take together. For example ‘students must take PHYS2022 and PHYS2023’.

Anti-requisites (if any)

• Indicate any combinations of modules that students cannot take together e.g. ‘students cannot take BUSI3010 if they have previously studied BUSI2020’.

Clearly state the School offering the module and any contributing Schools, along with the percentage split. 

List the Schools and Faculties consulted during the proposal, including information on their support for their proposal.

Provide a general statement explaining the purpose of the module, its benifits for students and its role in the broader subject context. It is expected that these will vary among the different modules contributing towards the same programme. Specify the knowledge and subject-specific skills which students are expected to aquire on completion of the module – for example, the aim of a module might be to teach computer-aided design skills, which would be different from the aim of a programme which might be to teach general IT skills.

This is a free text field in the module specification which musts be used to provide a clear indication to students about who can/cannot take the module and if there are any restrictions, for example:

Only available to Year 1 Undergraduate students on xxx degree programme. Not available to Exchange students.

Information in this section will not prevent a student enrolling on a module and must be checked by the school prior to commencement of the module

The Assessment Period indicates when formal assessment of the module concludes. It will typically align with the semester, but may vary in exceptional cases – for example, an autumn module may have a formal examination in the spring and therefore an Assessment Period of "Assessed by the end of Spring Semester."

Year-long modules which have summative assessment at the end of the academic year must also include a formative or summative assessment at the end of the Autumn Semester. For avoidance of doubt, the autumn assessment does not have to be the same format at the spring assessment. For example, summative 10% in autumn with summative 90% in spring; or formative (can be different format) in autumn with summative 100% in spring; or summative 60% autumn and summative 40% spring.

Where schools allow mobility for one semester of a year-long module, a new module for one/both semester(s) (as applicable) will need to be created to enable this. 

2.14.1 Module web links

• This section is being removed from the form, so if it is still present when a new module is created, this section can be left blank..

2.14.2 Learning outcomes

• It is reasonable to have  up to six learning outcomes for a module, with some variability depending on the credit value of the module (typically with less learning outcomes for smaller credit sizes). Some cases, may warrant additional learning outcomes, for example due to Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRB) requirements etc. 
• Module learning outcomes may be specific to the module, the programme, or a combination of module and programme learning outcomes.
• It is advisable to minimise the reoccurrence of the same learning outcome across multiple modules. This minimises the number of learning outcomes in each module and avoids assessing the same learning outcomes multiple times.
• Levels of assessment required to meet learning outcomes will be checked through the approval of the curriculum map. 
• Where learning outcomes for the module contribute to programme level learning outcomes these must be identified on the relevant programme’s curriculum map.

For further information please see the following:

Programme Specification information

2.14.3 Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) - for Apprentice programmes only

• Complete this section for modules in an apprentice programme, consulting with the Professional and Workbased Learning team.

2.14.4 Module activities

• Provide details about how the module will be delivered (e.g. lectures, seminars, workshops, laboratory sessions, supervision, field trips etc), including information about any teaching which is not face to face.  For example “you will be taught in a variety of ways which may include lectures and seminars”. 
• Please keep this section general and appropriate for applicants to read (more information, if needed, can be provided for current students in the module handbook).

Where the module in question is the dissertation, please indicate the minimum supervision arrangements. If appropriate, you would need to include a description of a range of different teaching methods..

Ensure that a named member of University staff is available for all module related queries. This individual, typically a permanent member of staff, must be easily accessible to students.

In cases, where a module is delivered in both the UK and on an international campus, appoint a module contact at the international campus who will:

• Facilitate communication with the UK-based module convenor
• Have delegated responsibility for the modules delivery at the international campus
• Be the primary contact  for students at the international campus.

You must describe each assessment element in detail, particularly the duration of examinations and the word-length of any essay, project or dissertation and if any element is non-compensable. A non-compensable module element is one which must be passed at the relevant level (40% for Honours degrees, 50% for masters' degrees, PG certificates and PG diplomas).

Examinations, whether remote or in person, must be either 1, 2 or 3 hours in duration or, for 'take home' exams, these could also be 24 hours in duration. These durations are required (unless there is a specific reason for another duration, e.g. PSRB requirement)

A student does have the opportunity to resit the module element for progression purposes (unless they are in their final year of study as an undergraduate), but they must achieve over the minimum level in one of their attempts to be awarded the credits associated with that module. The contribution of each assessment element to the overall module mark must be clearly specified (for example, one 1-hour examination (50%); one 1,500 word essay (50%)). 

In addition:

1. Assessment practices are expected to be informed by reflection, consideration of professional practice, as well as subject-specific and educational scholarship.
2. The volume, timing and nature of assessment enable students to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.
3. Where a 20-credit module is created from two 10-credit modules, the volume of assessment of the new module must be significantly less than the aggregate assessment of the two former modules.
4. The assessment for a module must only be the minimum necessary to test its learning outcomes, whilst still complying with the aforementioned exam duration limitations where the assessments are exams.
5. Where it is felt necessary to have more than one component of assessment to cover all the learning outcomes, assessing any given learning outcome more than once is expected to be avoided.
6. There must not be more than one timetabled examination for a module, except where it is necessary to have both a written and a practical examination.
7. Please note that either/or assessment options are not permitted where the assessment type and/or element weightings are different.

Where a student must repeat their enrolment in order to be reassessed in a specific module this must be stated in the module specification.

The form of reassessment of the module will be the same as the original assessment, unless stated to the contrary in this section. If the reassessment is different, it must consist of either a single examination or a single coursework assessment that replaces all the failed assessment components of the module for reassessment purposes. Where the different reassessment is an examination, then as above it must be either 1, 2 or 3 hours in duration or, for 'take home' exams, these could also be 24 hours in duration. These durations are required (unless there is a specific reason for another duration, e.g. PSRB requirement)

There are many ways of making assessments more inclusive to recognise individual students’ challenges and situations. One approach is to introduce an element of flexibility. If there is more than one way of meeting the learning outcomes, students can be given a degree of choice over how they do this, noting bullet 7 in section 2.16 above (i.e. that either/or assessment options are not permitted where the assessment type and/ or element weightings are different). The choice can be constrained appropriately by the options offered and managed by schools locally. 

The details of any flexibility available must be clearly stated in the guidance given to all students about the assessment. It is also recommended that a record of the student’s choice regarding the version of an assessment that a student selected is kept at least until 2 months after the relevant exam board. If the student’s choice is obvious by the format or nature of the submission via Moodle, then simply retaining the submission box on Moodle would satisfy this recommendation.  

For more information about setting inclusive or flexible assessment please see these examples

The University's Planning, Performance and Strategic Change Division (PPSC) compiles an annual student data return for the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). As part of this process, HeCOS, or 'subject' data codes for all modules taken by our students must be provided. This data is used to:

• identify 'strategically important and vulnerable subjects' which may lead to additional funding for certain subjects
• define the particularly sensitive subjects that international students and researchers must apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate
• decide on the subject grouping it is published in within performance metrics, such as the OfS student outcomes dashboard as well as publications such as league tables.

A HECoS code that is too vague or not reflective of a course content and relation to a broader subject group has the potential to have a profound impact.  Please consult the following for more information about HECoS codes:

Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) codes

For more information about the University of Nottingham Qualification Framework, please see:

University of Nottingham Qualification Framework

For Programme specifcation guidance, please see the following:

Programme specification guidance

For more information about intercampus programme types, please see:

University of Nottingham Qualification Framework

For information about Degree apprenticeships, please consult the following SharePoint

Degree apprenticeships

For queries about the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) return,  please contact PPSC:

Planning, performance and strategic change

For more information about setting inclusive or flexible assessment, please see these examples: 

Inclusive or flexible assessment examples

If you have any problems or queries relating to this page, please email: ss-curriculumadvice@nottingham.ac.uk 

Version control table

Version Number	Purpose/Change	Approving Committee	Date
1.0	Clarifications made as part of a review of this section of the Quality Manual.  Also reformatted to align with new University of Nottingham Policy Management Framework	QSC	August 2024