Plymouth University

Academic Partnerships

DUCHY COLLEGE

(Stoke Climsland)

Programme Quality Handbook

FdSc Agriculture

Academic Year 2016-2017

If you require any part of this Handbook in larger print, or an alternative format, please contact:

HE Operations

Tel: (01209 616256)

E-mail: (cornwallhea@cornwall.ac.uk)

Please note:

All the information in this Handbook is correct at the time of printing.

The Cornwall College Group is proud of its teaching and research and it undertakes all reasonable steps to provide educational services in the manner set out in this Handbook and in any documents referred to within it. It does not, however, guarantee the provision of such services. Should industrial action or circumstances beyond the control of the College interfere with its ability to provide educational services, the University undertakes to use all reasonable steps to minimise the resultant disruption to those services.

Contents1Welcome and Introduction to..42Programme Team43Personal Tutor63.1Plymouth Portal64Programme Details84.1Enhancement Activities84.2Progression through the programme84.3HE Careers Guidance Cornwall College94.4HE Careers Guidance Plymouth University95Employment Opportunities96Teaching, Learning and Assessment116.1Referencing Guides117Assessment Schedules and Feedback118Student Feedback228.1Student Representation and Enhancement228.2Student Perception Surveys228.3Closing the Feedback Loop238.4Programme Committee Meetings (PCM)238.5Complaints248.6Extenuating Circumstances249Appendix259.1Programme Specification25

Welcome and Introduction to FdSc Agriculture

Welcome to the Foundation Degree in Agriculture. The College is delighted that you have chosen to study with us. We are sure you are going to have a great time here and will get a great deal from the programme.

This programme has been specially developed since 2000 to allow students to progress to an honours degree in the Land based sector. The programme was mounted in response to the closure of agriculture courses at the famous Seale-Hayne and development of the programme was carried out through the consultation with land based industries and their needs were incorporated into the syllabus. It therefore integrates Work-Related Learning in most of its delivery and assessments whilst meeting the Foundation Degree Qualification Benchmark (FDQB).

This programme has been designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge base required to work in your chosen area/industry or to take up further graduate opportunities. It is also a platform from which you can undertake additional vocational and academic qualifications.

This programme is awarded by Plymouth University and benefits from a wide range of learning opportunities in terms of academic resources, social aspects and sporting opportunities.

Previous students have forged successful careers in farm management, consultancy, sales, corporate and civil service jobs, worked in agricultural development in the UK and overseas and taken on their own or tenanted farms.

This programme has been designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge base required to work in your chosen specialism or other graduate opportunities. It is also a platform from which you can undertake additional vocational and academic qualifications.

This Teaching, Learning and Assessment Handbook contains important information including:

Who will be teaching and supporting you

Details of your programme of study and assessment

This programme is written in accordance with the UK Quality Code for Higher Education. This ensures that all degree level programmes in the UK are delivered appropriately. External examiners play an important role in quality assurance of your programme and you will have the opportunity to discuss the programme with them as well as reading their annual reports which are available on the VLE for your programme.

Note: the information in this handbook should be read in conjunction with the current edition of the College Handbook which contains student support based information on issues such as finance and studying at HE along with the Universitys Student Handbook available here: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/governance/student-handbook.

Programme Team

Programme Leader Jo Vincent. Module Leader for Livestock Production, Analysis and Development of Livestock Enterprises

Jo holds a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture from Seale-Hayne after taking the practical route from school via Bicton College. Jos Agricultural experience ranges from working within the Dairy, Beef, Sheep and pig industries in the UK and Dairy in Switzerland. Jo is interested in behaviour and welfare of Dairy Cows and is completing a ResM, studying social behaviour of cows in and out of the parlour.

Contact details: jo.vincent@duchy.ac.uk; Tel. 01579 372277, Office location, College Farm/ 01579 372379 HE Office, Parsons Building

Sam Walker Module Leader for Crop Production, Farm Mechanisation, Plant Technology, Legislation and Marketing

Sam Walker graduated from Harper Adams Agricultural College with a BSc (Hons) in Land Management. Subsequently employed as an Assistant Farm Manager in Marondera, Zimbabwe, then Crop Manager in Papua New Guinea for the Commonwealth Development Corporation, Farm Manager on large scale arable farm in Cambridgeshire, Organic Arable Manager in Sussex and Farm Manager on large estate in North Devon. Sam currently runs his own arable and beef farm and teaches on the FdSc Agriculture programme.

Contact details: sam.walker@duchy.ac.uk; Tel. 01579 372379; Office location, HE Office, Parsons Building

Jurie Intachat. Module Leader for Research Skills

Jurie holds a BSc in Agricultural Sciences and has a DPhil in Conservation Biology. She leads the Higher Education team in the areas of Conservation, Countryside and Rural Business for the Rural Economy sector. She worked as Senior Researcher in Entomology for 10 years at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia before moving into higher education teaching in the UK 14 years ago. She supervises Research Masters (ResM) students for Plymouth University at Duchy College and is also involved in the review of academic publications. Her research interests focus on entomology (in particular moths) in relation to environmental changes. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Contact details: jurie.intachat@duchy.ac.uk; Tel. 01579 372 299, Office location, The Rural Business School

Paul Ward.

BSc MSc CBiol MIBiol - Paul's current role within the Rural Business School is as Manager of Healthy Livestock, an innovative Rural development Programme for England (RDPE) funded initiative to improve the profitability of livestock farmers across the South West. He initially joined Duchy College in 2003 to manage the Grassland Challenge Project a knowledge transfer project for Cornish grassland farmers in partnership with the Institute and Grassland & Environment Research and the Cornish Grassland Societies. He has managed a variety of projects including animal health, nutrient management, food chain linkages and the effects and mitigation of climate change on agriculture. As well as teaching business on Foundation Degree courses in Agriculture, he also edits the Rural Business School Newsletter and works with industry partners and funding agencies to develop new projects to benefit rural businesses across the south west. He has over twenty years experience of working in training, research and management of livestock projects in developing countries (Egypt, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Sudan) in addition to his work in the UK.

Contact details: paul.ward@duchy.ac.uk; Tel. 01579 372315 Office location, The Rural Business School

Peter Walker.

BSc Environmental Science Peter Walker is Team Lead Agriculture and Countryside. He entered the teaching profession in 1986 and has worked for the College for over 25 years. During that period, with colleagues, he has developed a range of land-based courses for learners at the Duchy sites in Agriculture, Countryside and Gamekeeping.

Contact details: peter.walker@duchy.ac.uk; Tel. 01579 372277 Office location, College Farm

HE ASSISTANT REGISTRAR: Michelle (Mitch) Inglis. What does the HE Assistant Registrar (HEAR) do? The HEAR is your point of contact in HE Operations for all administrative paperwork to do with the programme. She can be contacted on: Telephone: 01209 617759 or Ext 3759.

Email: mitch.inglis@cornwall.ac.uk

Personal Tutor

Your personal tutor should be the first person at the College that you speak to if you are having any personal difficulties that are affecting your studies. These could be academic, financial, health-related or another type of problem. Your personal tutor is there to provide additional academic and personal support concerning issues that may affect your studies. Personal Tutors are particularly important for students in their first year, helping them to manage the transition from school or the workplace to university-style life. Personal tutors also assist with helping you to engage with important aspects of preparation for your career and or progression to further study and profiling your progress through the programme.

Your main support for academic issues relating to specific modules will be the lecturer who is teaching that module. Your tutor will be the person who; if the College is asked, will write a personal reference for you during, or on completion of your studies.

Programme staff will communicate with students in the following ways:

Email - staff will communicate with you via your colleg