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Please continue to check the FAQs, which outlines the advice and guidance from the Common Awards Team, as often as you are able. Please keep the Common Awards Team, and the National Ministry Team, up to date with your delivery plans for 2020/21. If you need to notify us of any changes please use the forms you originally submitted and indicate any updates using tracked changes.
All communications, updates and changes regarding Covid-19 will be communicated on this FAQ section and through emails to TEI Key Contacts and Principals. Please remember that the best way to contact the team is via the common.awards@durham.ac.uk email address. We continue to work from home and do not have access to the office phones.
Please note that the Common Awards No Detriment Policy is only approved for 2019-20 modules affected by Covid-19. It is hoped that the changes TEIs have made to delivery for 2020-21 will mitigate, proactively, for any future or continued effects of Covid-19. Students who were affected by the effects of Covid-19 in 2019-20 but who are not yet due to complete their programme will still be considered for their award under the No Detriment Policy.
We are aware that TEIs have contacted us regarding a No Detriment Policy for 2020-21 given the new national restrictions. This is being considered by the University and we will share information with TEIs as soon as we are able.
Please note, some members of the Common Awards Team have had to change their working patterns due to the need to provide care or home-school activities for children at home during the current national lockdown. Some members are also experiencing (or have recently recovered from) a period of ill health, which may also affect availability and the time taken to respond to queries. Please also note that Dr Eve Parker is now maternity leave. Please bear with us during these times and we will respond to all queries as quickly as we can. Please continue to contact the team on common.awards@durham.ac.uk to ensure that your query can be dealt with appropriately.
In the May 2020 Bulletin, TEIs were reminded that they can contact the Common Awards Team for information, advice, and guidance in relation to any aspects of the Common Awards partnership, programmes, processes, structures, or events. If your query relates to another professional service within the University (e.g. Legal Services or Student Registry), we will liaise with the relevant staff on your behalf.
When communicating with the Common Awards Team via email, please;
29th January - Deadline: TEIs to submit Curriculum Development documents for new programmes and modules
29th January - Deadline: TEIs to submit Common Awards Management Board (CAMB) Student Representative Nominations
5th February - Student Representative Information is published on Durham’s Common Awards website and the election opens
12th February - Deadline: TEIs to submit New Student Programme Registration data (late entrants)
26th February (approx.) - TEIs to receive Banner IDs for late entrants
If you have not already done to, please could TEIs provide us with your 2020-21 Board of Examiner Membership Lists at your earliest convenience. These need to be approved at the January meeting of the Common Awards Management Board.
TEIs are reminded to review their concessions data at their upcoming Management Committees. Results of these reviews, alongside a review at the University-level, will be considered at the May meeting of the Management Board.
TEIs are required to submit Curriculum Development documents for new programmes and modules by 29th January 2021.
The Common Awards Management Board (CAMB) is a committee with responsibility for and oversight of the quality and standards of the overarching Common Awards partnerships and programmes. The membership of the Board includes students from TEIs who represent the whole of the Common Awards student body. Student representatives are able to contribute to Common Awards decision-making, policy development and the ongoing monitoring and development of Common Awards on a national level.
TEIs have recently been sent a communication for students on how they can nominate themselves for a CAMB representative position. Please ensure all communications are circulated to students. The deadline for student nominations for 21/22 is January 29th.
We would be grateful if TEIs could forward the call for student feedback for the Management Board (sent to TEI key contacts on 18th January) onto all Common Awards Students.
Students should provide any feedback that they have to the elected Student Representatives for the Management Board by 25th January 2021. Further details are in the email sent to TEI key contacts.
TEIs are to submit New Student Programme Registration data for late entrants by the 12th February.
Detailed guidance on this process is available on the Common Awards website.
Following on from the success of online professional development opportunities for TEI staff, the Durham Centre for Academic Development has now streamlined their programme to enable Common Awards staff to gain accreditation as teachers in Higher Education without having to enrol as students at the University. The new programme will commence on February 1st 2021 and provide participants with the opportunity to work through interactive online content in their own time, to discuss their learning with colleagues across the UK and with facilitators from DCAD, and to submit an Account of Professional Practice for the award of Associate Fellow of the HEA.
An introductory session was held on December 4th. For those who are interested in pursuing the course, please follow the registration guidance. The deadline for registrations has been extended until January 21st.
The next TEI Forum will be held virtually on 22nd April 2021. Please complete the online form to register. Registrations will close on 15th April 2021.
TEIs were made aware of the following changes to the Winter Congregation 2021 ceremonies in November.
Due to the ongoing significant measures designed to manage the spread of Coronavirus and the latest advice available from Public Health England, the University has taken the decision to postpone Winter 2021 Congregation ceremonies. We acknowledge that this is very disappointing news. Many students and staff will have planned for these dates for some time. However, with the uncertain national situation, we feel that the health and safety of graduands and guests should be paramount.
These ceremonies will be rescheduled and are currently anticipated to take place in April 2021. Following the conferment ceremony on 7th January 2021, hard copy degree transcripts and parchments will be produced for students awarded at the Winter 2020 Board of Examiners and also those students eligible for Congregation who were awarded at the Summer 2020 Board. Degree documentation will be posted out to TEIs as soon as possible after the conferment, which may take around 8 weeks. Please note that Student Registry staff will be working under strict social distancing rules and will have to respond to any future government guidance. If the COVID19 circumstances cause any changes to this schedule, we will let you know.
In anticipation of the registration process, we would ask that TEIs re-confirm contact details with all students eligible to attend the Congregation ceremony. This will ensure that all students who are eligible to attend the rescheduled ceremony will receive notification of the registration process when it opens. Please note that the University does not hold contact details for Common Awards students and we will therefore need to rely on TEIs being able to contact their students to advise them of the formal registration process.
Please note, the processes for registering for Congregation for Common Awards students differ to those registered directly at Durham University. Therefore, we would ask TEIs and students to follow this process, rather than any other information shared by the wider University (e.g. on the University website).
Students who previously deferred their attendance to the January 2021 ceremonies (from previous ceremonies e.g. July 2020) should have been contacted directly by the University’s Ceremonies team with further information and guidance on how to register. Students who have been contacted by the Ceremonies team will be required to follow information communicated with them directly, and not follow the process explained above.
We would ask that TEIs distribute this information to their Common Awards students and ask that students confirm their contact details for the purposes of registering for Graduation.
We will contact TEIs in due course to confirm the registration process.
The Annual Conference for Theological Educators will be hosted virtually in 2021 and will take place between 5-7th July. TEIs are advised to make a note of the date, and further information will be provided in due course.
With thanks,
Mike, Frances, Eve, Alyson, Emma, Deborah, Rhianne and Adam
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