The New Academic Teaching Year (NATY) is planned for 2020/21. This week Senior Project Lead for NATY Laura Powell talks about your curricula being NATY ready.
In terms of curricula under the New Academic Teaching Year (NATY), which is being implemented for all students from 2020/21, each undergraduate and postgraduate taught module will be delivered and assessed within a single semester. Additionally, the majority of modules will be worth 20 credits. There are some exceptions to the 20 credit norm – for example, dissertation/project modules and study abroad modules. Furthermore, in the first year of undergraduate programmes, there will be four 10 credit modules: two delivering material via small group personal academic tutoring (one in semester one, and one in semester two), and another 10 credit module in each semester to accompany these (enabling students to undertake 60 credits per semester). Finally, if colleagues are concerned that there is particular content which cannot be taught in ‘short/fat’ 20 credit modules (e.g. due to a need for longitudinal learning), then there is a process by which further exceptions can be approved, subject to the submission of a good, pedagogic rationale.
All programmes need to be ‘NATY-ready’ by June 2019, and significant support is available from within Academic Affairs (particularly up until the end of April 2019, as extra resource has been put in place during the period January to April 2019).
Colleagues are encouraged to contact naty@contacts.bham.ac.uk in relation to this, or Laura Powell, Senior Project Lead, Academic Affairs (Academic Services): l.j.powell@bham.ac.uk, ext. 48064.
Further information about the processes for making NATY-related changes to curricula is available at https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/registry/policy/programmemodule/NATY.aspx (internal link). The type of support available includes discussion to determine how your existing curriculum can be re-shaped to fit with the standard NATY programme structure, as well as assistance with the paperwork needed in order to formalise NATY-related changes to curricula. Also, Academic Affairs will be happy to share NATY-related good practice across the institution as they collaborate with colleagues.
Further Information
Further information on the New Academic Teaching Year, including the reasons behind it and FAQs is available at https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/university/naty/index.aspx (internal link).