Role description

Find out what the role of a course organiser is.

Key points

All essential information should be provided to students by the first week of teaching at the latest. The CO should ensure deadlines are adhered to. 
The CO is responsible for ensuring consistent, high standards of marking and feedback on the course. 
Each course must have a formative feedback opportunity.
Mid-semester feedback must be in place (and feedback on it discussed with the class).  
The CO is responsible for ensuring Learning Adjustments (including mainstreamed ones) are implemented.
The CO is responsible for ensuring attendance is taken using Top Hat in each workshop or weekly in a lecture.

Administrative organisation is carried out in collaboration with the Course Administrator, the CO should communicate regularly with them

Check when timetables are announced that they are appropriate, that rooms are suitable and suitably equipped.
Plan the assessment schedule for the course.  Set hand-in deadlines and specify return dates for feedback.
For regular hand-ins, ensure if possible, that students receive feedback on one before the next is due.
Students should be allowed a reasonable time to do hand-in work. Remember that they will have work from other classes also.
Check that there is a formative feedback opportunity in the course. This is a University requirement. If one has 5% CA , then a hand-in could count as this.
Agree and sign off the "structure" of the course (percentages for different components, number of hand-ins, marks per hand-in, etc).  This will be entered into EUCLID by the Course Secretary and cannot normally be changed subsequently.   
Set up Learn page for the course. COs should ensure that relevant materials appear on Learn. For consistency, and to maintain a complete archive, alternative platforms for course information (e.g. personal web pages) should not be used. 
The CO should hold an initial meeting of the Course Team. Marking policy and guidelines should be explained as should procedure around hand-ins such as late submission rules. 
Be aware of the Learning Profiles that students on your course may have. You can access them from the EUCLID "Students" screen.   Take any necessary steps to implement them.

The following issues are both academically important and also of understandable concern to students.

The CO should set policy and standards for marking and ensure that students are aware of them and that markers are aware of them and follow them. 
In particular, it is important that marking is consistent between different markers.
COs should monitor marking and where guidelines are not being followed, interpretations are not as intended or the marking out of line in any other way, talk to the relevant tutor(s).
The CO should remind tutors that useful, constructive feedback is essential for student learning. 
COs should monitor the quality and quantity of feedback being provided and if it does not reach appropriate standards, talk to the relevant tutor(s).
Bear in mind that there can be too much feedback as well as too little.  If work is returned dense with detailed criticisms and improvements, the feedback may be too intimidating to read. It is not unreasonable to expect students to obtain routine feedback to some extent from model solutions.  
One way of promoting uniformly high standards is to have a "marking party" whereby the first assessment is marked and discussed by the course team, together in a room.

COs should ensure that averaged over the Semester, markers are having to mark only as much material as can be done reasonably in the time allocated.  (In general, the allowance is one hour of "marking and preparation" per contact hour of tutoring.)
Formats for exams should not be changed without consultation. Ensure that the class is familiar with the format of the exam.
Provide at least one sample exam of a similar style and nature to what you imagine you will be setting.  This can be a past exam, but if you are changing the emphasis or style, or if the course is new, you will need to create a sample.  (Saying "the exam will be like the tutorial questions" is not enough.)
Consider the use of Week 11.  In Semester 1 in particular, introducing substantial new work in Week 11 should be avoided because of the very limited time until exams. 
Consider how students may get help between the end of teaching and exams.  Possibilities include Office Hours, MathsBase, Piazza or email; the best solution will depend on class size and level.

The CO should complete the course monitoring form.
The CO should report any recommended changes or improvements to the course to TPC.

Examining should be carried out in accordance with the School guidelines.

The CO should be available for scrutiny and for the relevant Board of Examiners. 
The CO should ensure that the SoM examination guidelines are followed.

This article was published on 31 Aug, 2022