Please note

This document only provides information for the academic year selected and does not form part of the student contract

Awarding Institution

University of Huddersfield

Final Award

BSc Bachelor of Science

Teaching Institution

University of Huddersfield

School

School of Human and Health Sciences

Department

Department of Allied Health Professions Sport & Exercise

Subject Benchmark Statement

NQF - Level 4

Date of Programme Specification Approval

2023-09-18

Version Number

2022.01

Educational Aims of the Course

Develop academic ability and clinical competence enabling learners to meet the requirements of the HCPC and CSP as a physiotherapist. Develop intellectual skills to facilitate critical enquiry and an analytical approach to practice to produce autonomous, forward thinking, reflective and proactive leaders of health care delivery. Encourage and support learners’ … For more content click the Read More button below. Develop and maintain awareness of interprofessional working and sensitivity to the benefits and challenges inherent with inter-agency practice. Develop knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional behaviours that enable learners to work in collaboration with patients, clients, carers and advocates in order to maximise health outcomes within physiotherapy practice, to empower well-being and promote public health. Provide a supportive learning environment for learners to develop communication and other interpersonal skills that are relevant to practice.

Course Structure

Foundation Level
Intermediate Level
Honours Level
End Point Assessment

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

The course is designed to offer learners a variety of learning and assessment opportunities that align with their module learning outcomes and offer realistic and effective preparation for progression in physiotherapy. It aims to be inclusive of diversity, to allow learners to actively engage in learning and be assessed in … For more content click the Read More button below. The course team recognises that for teaching, learning and assessment to be learner centred, the strategies chosen must offer a variety of opportunities. These strategies align with their module learning outcomes and allow for progression through the BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy (Degree Apprenticeship) course by using a linked approach across modules, as well as incrementally developing skills.  The strategies have been chosen to best equip learners with the necessary knowledge, skills, behaviours, and values to ensure they can successfully make the transition into contemporary physiotherapy practice upon graduation.  Reflecting the ethos of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy learning and development principles guidelines (CSP, 2015), learners are encouraged to learn via a wide range of educational opportunities. A mixture of pedagogical approaches is incorporated into the integrated modular course to stimulate learner-centred development in psychomotor, cognitive and affective domains. The teaching team actively encourages learners to take responsibility for their own learning and offer progressively diminishing contact hours as the course progresses through its academic years. Modules are designed to embed specific and transferable skills and to allow learners to progressively increase their knowledge and confidence. In the foundation level of the course (Year 1), the acquisition of basic skills and the confidence to perform academically and professionally is developed. At the higher levels, these skills are applied to a clinical context, typically using case scenarios to ensure that learners appreciate the value of such skills and to complement their application during on-the-job learning activities. All modules are supported with a digital resource in the virtual learning environment (VLE), as an information source for all aspects of learning, which can be accessed remotely. This approach enables learners to use the resources for learning anytime, and from any place using Internet access, to suit their needs. The VLE allows for a blended learning approach to delivery of the curriculum, whereby various forms of online learning activities complement more traditional face-to-face teaching approaches. Where information or skills are not confidential or sensitive in nature, sessions within modules are supported using Lecture Capture which captures audio, video and displayed computer content, e.g. PowerPoint®. This content is automatically uploaded to the VLE and can then be accessed by learners either in its entirety or searched for specific topics that an individual learner wants to revisit. As such this system allows for individual remote access whenever required to enhance learning. In addition to these course-wide resources, individual modules use other technology to enhance learning. Some examples are anatomical studies in year 1 (HFT1020 Clinical Anatomy, HFT1021 Human Physiology) are supported using Anatomy TV®, and WileyPLUS® supports both anatomy and physiology learning in year 1. The use of Sim-Man and an auscultation simulator in teaching respiratory assessment and management across all 3 years enables learners to experience patient simulation which allows for reflection, peer and tutor feedback and skill development in a safe and controlled environment. Learners are assessed using a combination of coursework, practice/competency-based learning and examination by a variety of means (e.g. written assignment, presentations, multiple choice assessments, peer evaluation or practical skills). These are constructively aligned to the associated modular teaching and learning outcomes and are supported by formative mechanisms to support learning and measure achievement. The variety of assessments provided within years 2 and 3 of the program were also chosen to provide sufficient exposure and opportunity in ensuring the candidates develop a profile to demonstrate they are competent to work at the required level within their place of employment. The types of assessment within this course are varied and include OSCEs, oral presentations, case studies, reflections, portfolios, exams and projects. The ‘gateway’ course assessment board which will include employers will ensure that the learner is has successfully completed all necessary requirements. All learners must obtain 360 credits on the course and completed a minimum of 1000 clinical practice hours. The University of Huddersfield will be required to be on the Register of End Point Assessment Organisations for the Physiotherapy standard. Practice learning is a consistent theme throughout the duration of the course. Learners are to achieve a minimum of 1000 clinical practice hours during the programme, details of where these are accrued can be seen below (14.2.2). Each year will contain practice-based modules, the concepts of which will be developed during both clinical practice (off-the-job) and work-based (on-the-job) learning. There are two models of clinical practice on the course: block and integrated clinical practice. The block clinical practice modules (HIT2008; HIT2009; HIT3005; HIT3006) will be full-time placements lasting 5 weeks. During this time, clinical practice activity (off-the-job) training will replace on-the-job training and contact days from the University. Integrated clinical practice is when the clinical hours are obtained during a module (HFT1023, HIT2007 & HHT3001). For these, clinical practice activity will form 20% of the learner activity for those weeks. The off-the-job training (contact on University campus) will still occur alongside the integrated clinical practices. Recognising the progress of work-based learners and assessment in a practice-based environment will be facilitated with the use of practice assessment documentation (PAD). Skills will be practiced throughout the clinical modules, within each year of the course. Each clinical module will have the potential for learners to re-visit physiotherapy practice and apply an increasing amount of comprehension and analysis to that same practice.  Furthermore, compulsory action planning and learning contracts will form part of the Clinical Practice Booklet, ensuring the learner, the practice educator and the university can monitor progress. The learner will receive regular contact with their University Placement Lead (UPL) and Apprenticeship Mentor (AM) in the form of the tripartite meetings. Each clinical practice (off-the-job learning) will have a midway assessment which will formatively identify progress to date and offer specific areas for development to allow for the learner’s full potential to be reached.

Support for Students and their Learning

  • Personal Academic Tutors

All learners have allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) who provides personal learning, pastoral support and facilitates access to Personal Development Planning (PDP). PDP formalises opportunities to discuss learner aspirations and academic development across the course whilst also enabling appropriate challenging to ensure learners full potential is achieved. Learners and PATs are required to have a minimum of five ‘touch points’ per year. This enables learners to be directed to maintain regular contact and if any concerns raised, the relevant University and clinical support services are involved at early stages to support learners academically and professionally. Learners will be automatically enrolled to a PAT module on the VLE which provides a range of resources and information on the role of PATs. In addition, learners can book an appointment with their PAT directly through this method. For further information on PATs please visit: PAT Policy Documents.

 

  • Module Leader

The module leader is responsible for teaching, learning and assessment of the modules within this course.

  • Course Leader

The course leader is responsible for the entire quality assurance arrangements for the course.

  • Year Leader

The year leader is responsible for a management of a particular year of a course.  Within the physiotherapy course there is a nominated member of staff for each year.  Throughout each term, the year leader organises informal discussion sessions and feeds back to the course leader and team accordingly.

Disability Coordinator

The main roles of the disability coordinator are:

  • provide advice and support to both staff and learners around disabilities.
  • to attend school and University meetings and training and inform staff of changes and developments.
  • to coordinate personal learning support plans (PLSP’s) and ensure staff and learners understand how to implement and utilise the strategies.
  • to coordinate updates and relevant training for the staff team, e.g. Mental health first aid

 

  • Safeguarding Officers

 

The University recognises that Degree Apprentice learners may be vulnerable to safeguarding concerns and, in accordance with the requirements of OFSTED in relation to Degree Apprenticeship Courses, each School is responsible for assessing any Safeguarding Risks to their Degree Apprentices and putting in place appropriate measures to ensure they are properly safeguarded and aware of the wellbeing support available to them as students of the University. The safeguarding policy and safeguarding referral form can be found here.

 

Library and Computing Services

  • The course has a strong connection with specific health librarians with Library and Computing Services. Consequently, a well-stocked library of contemporary physiotherapy literature is maintained.  Additionally, specific learning resources applicable to physiotherapy have been developed by the health librarians to support the learners in their academic studies.

 

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Criteria for Admission

The Initial Needs Assessment form will ask the learner to rate themselves against the Physiotherapy Apprenticeship Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours. This is to ensure that the off-the-job training is providing the learners with new skills as outlined in ESFA’s Funding Rules.

Upon completion of the INA form, The Training Plan will be written for each learner which will specify an individual training plan with details of any specific learning measures required. The apprenticeship agreement will also be provided to clarify the length of the course prior to and completion of the EPA. This will also detail the number of OTJ hours to be completed by the learner for the duration of the course.

All offers are made subject to the completion of an Occupational Health check from the University and an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.

 

16.2 The University of Huddersfield seeks and encourages applicants to widen participation, improve access and apply the principles of equal opportunities.  We provide support for applicants who require additional assistance to select the right course of study and make a successful transition to studying at University.  The apprenticeship course is only available to home learners and thus international applications are not accepted.

 

If educated outside the UK, there is a requirement to have International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.5 in writing and a minimum of 6.0 in any single component. If you have alternative qualifications or do not meet the IELTS requirement we also offer a range of Pre-Sessional English Programmes.

 

The University provides opportunities for the accreditation of prior learning (APL) as stated in section C of the Regulations for Awards. This will be identified through completion of the INA form. If an applicant considers themselves to be experienced in a particular apprenticeship standard, they will be asked to provide evidence of this. The prior learning experience will be quantified as will the content of OTJ training that will not be covered. In accordance with ESFA funding rules, the content, duration, and price of the apprenticeship will be quantified and reduced accordingly.

 

The University’s general minimum entry requirements are specified in Section D of the Regulations for Awards.

 

Evidence Pack: Prior to entry to the apprenticeship, applicants will agree to the terms set in the evidence pack. This will include The Training Plan, which will be signed by the apprentice, the employer, and the University of Huddersfield as the main education provider for the apprenticeship.

 

Every person who applies for this course and meets the minimum entry requirement – regardless of any disability – will be given the same opportunity in the selection process.  General advice and information regarding disability and the support the University can give can be found by contacting student services as follows:

 

Telephone: 01484 472675

Email: disability@hud.ac.uk

Further information is available on the disability services website.    

 

Further advice on the specific skills and abilities needed to successfully undertake this course can be found by contacting the admissions tutor and by visiting our course finder website page.

 

  • However, the specific entry requirements and admission criteria for the courses are detailed below:

 

  • 112 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications. The endorsement for practical work is an essential part of Science A-level study and is a requirement for entry to our degree course. Please note that the UCAS points are used as a frame of reference and that applications will not be submitted through UCAS.
  • BBC at A Level
  • DDM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.
  • Pass Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits 15 at Distinction, 30 at Merit.
  • NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma/Level 3 Extended Diploma at Grade B.
  • GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English. This is a standard apprenticeship requirement.
  • All candidates will complete a Rehabilitation of Offenders form and have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check.
  • All candidates will require Occupational Health clearance.
  • All candidates will be required to complete an Initial Needs Assessment.

 

  • The Selection Process

The recruitment process is as follows:

The employer will lead the application process with the full support of the University. We provide marketing and shortlisting support as required. Academic staff will attend all interview panels for shortlisted candidates who meet both the mutually agreed University and employer’s admission criteria. During the application process applicant details are then checked for apprenticeship eligibility by our admission team prior to entry onto the Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS).

An Occupational Health screening for fitness to undertake practice coordinated by the learner’s employer. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that an overseas police check has been completed if the applicant has lived outside of the UK for 6 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years before applying to the University of Huddersfield and whilst aged 18 or over.

The selection process aims to provide both the applicant and the selection team with the details required to make an informed decision.  It is for this reason that all suitable candidates will be invited for interview. Because of the importance of being able to make an informed decision those who do not attend for interview are not offered places.

In exceptional circumstances, usually due to problems with travelling long distances, telephone or video-conferencing interviews will be given.  In these circumstances the applicant will be urged to find out as much information about the University as they can prior to the interview to enable them the opportunity to ask relevant questions.

Offers will usually be based on the learners achieving the required academic qualifications; a satisfactory second reference and a disclosure and barring service check that does not exclude the learner from commencing their studies. 

The offer will also be subject to a clear occupational health check carried out by the Occupational Health Department of the employer, who will assess all applicants to determine their fitness to undertake all aspects of the course.

 

Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standards of teaching and learning

The School is committed to comprehensive learner engagement and works actively with the University of Huddersfield Student Union to support this through the learner representative system see further information at:

            http://www.huddersfield.su

Learner and employers involved in apprenticeships are also able to provide feedback through participation in the respective Apprenticeship Surveys.

Within the School learners are represented at committee level from Learner Panels to the School Board. The School also has a Student Council.  Individual feedback on the quality and standards of teaching and learning is received through module and course evaluations.

The course has representation in each year. One member of each cohort act as course representation and one member from the programme acts as a learner representative with the professional body, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

On completion of each clinical practice, the learners are required to evaluate their experience via the regional online web-based platform. This uses a series of semi-structured questions and free text entries to establish the learner’s perception of their learning experience.  The data generated is available to both the University and to the practice site and it feeds into the audit process.

Professional and Statutory Bodies:

  • The course is subject to the National Health Service (NHS) and Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) quality assurance arrangements.
  • The HCPC annual monitoring process. ethical
  • The professional body, the CSP via its quality review process, reviews the course annually.
  • The Practice Learning Facilitator (PLF) analyses the practice evaluations and contribute to practice audit every 2 years.

 

 An effective external examination system is managed by Registry and all reports are viewed at University, School and course levels. 

This process creates action points for the programme team to implement to maintain and enhance the learner experience on the programme. These are shared with the learners to provide clarity on how their feedback has been considered and incorporated into programme improvement.

 

The University has a Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity Enhancement Committee and the School has a Diversity Champion, both of which

Please note

University awards are regulated by the Regulations for Awards (Taught Courses) on the University website.

Quick links to the Regulations for Taught Students, procedures and forms can be accessed on the University website.

Indicators of Quality and Standards

This programme specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the course and the learning outcomes that a typical learner might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.  More detailed information on the learning outcomes, content, and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each module can be found in the study module guide and course handbook.  The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed by the University.

The outcome of the most recent institutional audit can be found at the following link:

Public funds are used to fund apprenticeships and as such this course will be regulated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to ensure appropriate management of funds and standards of education:

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/education-and-skills-funding-agency/about
Bibliography

This section is continued in the attachment.