University College Dublin
Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement
Peer Review Group Report
Department of Welsh
Academic Year 2003/2004 2 Table of Contents
Page Number
The Peer Review Group 3
1. The Department 4
1.1 Location of the Department 4 1.2 Staff 4 1.3 Courses and Programmes 4
2. The Departmental Self-assessment 5
2.1 The Co-ordinating Committee 5 2.2 Methodology adopted 5
3. The Site Visit 6
3.1 Timetable 6 3.2 Methodology 7 3.3 General Comments 7
4. The Peer Review 8
4.1 Methodology 8 4.2 Sources used 8 4.3 Peer Review Group's View of the Self-assessment Report 8
5. Findings of the Peer Review Group 9
5.1 Departmental Details 9 5.2 Department Planning and Organisation 9 5.3 Taught Programmes 10 5.4 Teaching and Learning 11 5.5 Research and Scholarly Activity 12 5.6 External Relations 12 5.7 Support Services 13
6. Overall Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, 14 Opportunities and Concerns
7. Recommendations for Improvement 16
3 Members of the Peer Review Group
NAME AFFILIATION ROLE
Dr Derek Mitchell Department of Botany, Chair University College Dublin
Dr Frank Monahan Department of Food Science, Rapporteur University College Dublin
Professor Patricia Lysaght Department of Irish Folklore, Cognate University College Dublin
Professor Brynley F. University of Wales, Swansea Extern Roberts and Cardiff University
Professor Máire Herbert University College Cork Extern
4 1. THE DEPARTMENT
1.1 Location of the Department
The Department of Welsh is located in the John Henry Newman Building. Each academic member of staff has an office (rooms A206, B208) in which small classes and tutorials are also held.
The Administrative Officer has his own office in room A208. He is responsible for the administration of the Departments of Welsh, Linguistics, Early Irish and the Faculty of Celtic Studies.
The Department has no specific room available for seminars or postgraduate use. Each semester’s classes are normally held in dedicated classrooms which are reserved on an hourly basis. Use is also made – depending on availability – of both the foreign-language and Irish-language laboratories.
1.2 Staff
The Department of Welsh currently has two tenured academic staff, and an Administrative Officer who serves a number of units. Staff members are based in close proximity to each other on the second floor of the John Henry Newman Building. Since the retirement of the most recent Professor of Welsh in 1989, the Chair of Welsh has not been advertised, and the Department has, in the meantime, been administered, firstly by the Professor of Linguistics, and then by the Professor of Early Irish. In October 2003, Dr Jenny Rowland, the Senior Lecturer in the Department of Welsh, was appointed Acting Head of the Department.
The current staff complement of the Department also includes one part- time, temporary tutor.
1.3 Courses and Programmes
The Department contributes to the following degree programmes of the University: The three-year BA in Arts The three-year BA in Celtic Studies The one-year MA in Celtic Studies The one-year MA in Welsh The two-year MPhil in Celtic Studies The two-year MPhil in Medieval Studies A First Year undergraduate course in Celtic Civilization is co-ordinated by the Acting Head of the Department of Welsh.
5 2. THE DEPARTMENTAL SELF-ASSESSMENT
2.1 The Co-ordinating Committee
Dr Jenny Rowland (Chair), Senior Lecturer and Acting Head of Department Dr Dewi Evans, Lecturer Mr Michael Wallace, Administrative Officer Ms Annemarie Hazekamp, Postgraduate Student and Tutor
2.2 Methodology Adopted
A number of meetings were organised, mainly between the academic staff, who also distributed and assessed responses to student questionnaires. Drafts of the Self-assessment Report (SAR) were written and revised by both members of the academic staff.
The academic members of staff had one meeting with the Director of Quality Assurance; they held six joint meetings and communicated by email on many occasions during the self-assessment process.
The Head of Department met with the Tutor for the Celtic Civilization course in October 2003.
The academic staff met with both facilitators once, with one of the facilitators on another occasion, and communicated with them both by telephone and email a number of times. The full Co-ordinating Committee also met on 18 March 2004.
Dates of distribution of student questionnaires: Welsh: 14 May 2003 Celtic Civilization: April 2003, November 2003
Allocation of tasks
Dr Rowland Writing, distributing and analysing Celtic Civilization questionnaires, co- writing of the SAR.
Dr Evans Writing, distributing and analysing Welsh questionnaires, co-writing of the SAR.
Mr Wallace Collection of student data, preparation of SAR booklet and appendices.
6 3. THE SITE VISIT
3.1 Timetable
Monday, 29 March:
18.30 Peer Review Group met the Director of QA in Hotel
20.00 Dinner hosted by the Registrar and Vice-President for Academic Affairs
Tuesday, 30 March All meetings took place in Meeting Room 4, Student Centre unless otherwise stated.
09.00-09.30 Peer Review Group (PRG) meeting
09.30-10.15 Departmental Co-ordinating Committee met the PRG to discuss the Department in the context of the Self- assessment Report
10.15-10.30 PRG travelled to Arts Building
10.30.11.0 PRG met the Dean of Arts over coffee, Dean’s Office
11.0.11.30 PRG met the Dean of Celtic Studies, Dean’s Office
11.30-12.00 PRG viewed facilities of the Department
12.00-12.15 PRG returned to Student Centre
12.15-13.00 PRG met Acting Head of Department
13.00-14.00 PRG working lunch
14.0.14.45PRG met Lecturer
14.45-15.15 PRG met postgraduate
15.15.15.45 Slot available for PRG to meet present and past students studying Celtic Civilization
15.45-16.15 PRG met present and past students studying Welsh
16.15-16.45 PRG met Administrative Officer over Coffee
16.45.17.15 Slot available for private meetings with individual staff and students
7 17.15-17.45 PRG visited Library
17.45-18.30 PRG met academic staff members
Evening PRG working dinner in hotel
Wednesday, 31 March: All meetings took place in Meeting Room 4, Student Centre unless otherwise stated.
09.00-09.30 PRG meeting
9.30.11.0 PRG wrote draft of PRG Report
11.0.11.30 Coffee Break
11.30-13.00 PRG working lunch
13.00-16.00 PRG wrote draft of PRG Report
16.00-17.00 Exit presentation by PRG to the Department followed by coffee reception
17.00 Site Visit concluded
3.2 Methodology
All members of the PRG participated in every aspect of the site visit.
3.3 General Comments
Staff and past students were most helpful and accommodating to the PRG during the site visit.
The timetable was somewhat restrictive on Tuesday, 30th March and the distance between the PRG meeting room in the Student Centre and the Welsh Department led to some difficulties in keeping to schedule. However, two of the afternoon slots – the meeting with Celtic Civilization students and the open slot – were not availed of, and this allowed the PRG to finish its report on time. The location of the PRG meeting room in the Student Centre may also have been a factor in the failure of current students of Celtic Civilization and of Welsh to meet the PRG.
8 4. THE PEER REVIEW
4.1 Methodology
All members of the PRG contributed to the drafting of Chapter 5 (Findings of the Peer Review Group), Chapter 6 (Overall Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats/Concerns), and Chapter 7 (Recommendations for Improvement). The final version of the PRG Report was agreed by all members of the PRG.
4.2 Sources Used
The Welsh Department Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Self- assessment Report (SAR) and the Appendices.
Interviews with the members of the Departmental Co-ordinating Committee, the Deans of Arts and of Celtic Studies, the Acting Head of Department and Lecturer, the current postgraduate student, past students of Welsh, and the Administrative Officer.
Other documentation available to the PRG included the draft proposal for the projected Celtic Civilization degree programme and handouts and worksheets given to present first year students in the Celtic Civilization Course. The original questionnaire replies completed by the first year students taking the Celtic Mythology module in Celtic Civilization were also available for scrutiny by the PRG.
4.3 Peer Review Group's View of the Self-assessment Report
The PRG was of the opinion that the SAR was well written and gave a clear and honest assessment of the Department’s work. It also gave an accurate assessment of the Department’s standing at present and outlined what future developments might take place. The tone of the SAR was positive and constructive.
The only minor criticism of the report related to the student surveys. There was a lack of clarity as to the process and numbers involved and consequent uncertainty regarding the results, particularly in relation to the Celtic Civilization survey. However, the matter was satisfactorily clarified with the Head of Department in the course of the site visit.
9 5. THE FINDINGS OF THE PEER REVIEW GROUP
Overall comments
Interviews conducted in the course of the site visit supported and reinforced the SAR content. The PRG was of the opinion that the QA/QI process was happening at an opportune time for the Welsh Department, particularly in the light of Departmental plans for increasing its undergraduate and postgraduate numbers. The interviews with past students of Welsh clearly conveyed the esteem in which the students held the staff of the Department and testified also to the calibre of the students themselves. The PRG regretted that no past or present students of the Celtic Civilization programme availed of the opportunity to meet the PRG, but the location and timing may have been a consideration (see 3.3 above).
5.1 Departmental Details
The PRG agrees with the statements made in chapter one of the SAR which were confirmed during the site visit. The Welsh Department has a committed staff who have retained their enthusiasm for further development of their academic programmes, notwithstanding the intensive nature of their teaching commitments. The Department has its own Acting Head of Department since October 2003 and now has specific representation on decision-making bodies. Cordial co-operation exists among staff, between staff and students, and with other departments in the University.
Office space is limited and there is a lack of adequate teaching and tutorial accommodation as well as office space for the current research project.
Work in room A206 is unacceptably disrupted by noise levels in a neighbouring language teaching room (A207A).
The administration office (which the Welsh Department shares with two other departments and the Faculty of Celtic Studies) is inadequate for the range of duties undertaken by the Administrative Officer.
5.2 Planning and Organisation
The Department has a clear sense of its mission and fully participates in the University’s goal of serving both Ireland and the wider world. The Welsh Department’s stated objectives are as follows: to advance knowledge of Welsh language and literature through research and scholarly publications of the highest quality, to provide a similarly high standard of teaching and supervision in order to produce undergraduate and postgraduate students of
10 recognized international standing in Welsh, to highlight the linguistic, cultural and historical connections which have long existed between Wales and Ireland (and to foster further contacts whenever possible), to participate in interdisciplinary courses which explain Wales’s place within a Celtic, European and global context.
While management structures of the Department of Welsh are less formal than in larger departments, nevertheless, the Department functions efficiently and operates the University’s administrative procedures effectively. The Department has a close working relationship with the Faculties of Celtic Studies and Arts. It makes very effective use of its very limited budget allocation and it has successfully attracted supplementary income through the JYA programme. The current resources are insufficient to cover large capital outlays such as computers and photocopiers.
The PRG is satisfied that: the shared structure of the administration office functions effectively, the language teaching commitment of the Department is labour intensive especially as courses in the Welsh and Breton languages are offered ab initio, staff and student gender ratios are evenly balanced, there seems to be satisfactory communication with the relevant support services, the workload in the Department is distributed as evenly as possible, it is an advantage that many of the courses can be taught by either staff member.
5.3 Taught Programmes
The Welsh Department offers a wide range of teaching in Welsh language and literature and contributes to an interdisciplinary programme in Celtic Civilization. The degree in Welsh is of a scope and standard academically comparable to similar degree programmes in Wales. Students are encouraged and facilitated to achieve a high degree of competency in oral and written Welsh. The context of teaching within the Faculty of Celtic Studies also contributes to a strong awareness of the relationship of Welsh to Celtic Studies in general. In teaching the Welsh degree programme, the staff bear the additional burden of providing teaching materials in English for students taking Welsh for the first time.
The interdisciplinary first year course in Celtic Civilization is now well established and attracts a good cohort of Irish and international students. The contribution of the Department of Welsh to this course is supported by the imaginative use of teaching materials, including well-
11 structured worksheets. The PRG endorses and looks forward to the speedy implementation of a Celtic Civilization degree programme. This will offer an interdisciplinary programme of academic worth which should have wide appeal.
The Department offers a range of postgraduate programmes. The Higher Diploma in Medieval Welsh Language and Literature provides a postgraduate qualification, as well as access to further higher degree opportunities for students who do not have a primary degree in Welsh.
At present the Department has one student engaged in full-time PhD research. The PRG endorses the Department’s wish to increase its cohort of postgraduate students.
The Department is working closely with the Faculty of Celtic Studies, and particularly with the Department of Early (including Medieval) Irish, to create and promote postgraduate taught courses which would appeal to students from outside the Irish educational system. The PRG is of the opinion that the Department should review the number of existing taught postgraduate programmes in the light of existing staff resources and seek a better level of rationalisation between them, and that it should also explore opportunities for greater flexibility in postgraduate access.
5.4 Teaching and Learning
The PRG noted the changes to the Welsh syllabus over the past 10 years, principally: a greater focus than hitherto on modern spoken Welsh, provision of financial aid for students to spend one week per year at the University of Wales, Bangor (where accommodation is organized in a Welsh-speaking hall of residence), encouragement of students to attend courses in spoken Welsh at Universities in Wales, provision of modern teaching materials in the language laboratory.
The PRG commends the provision of Welsh as a modern living language, in tandem with Medieval Welsh which is of intrinsic value for the study of medieval literature in general. The Department also has the striking advantage of being in a position to offer modern Breton as an adjunct to the study of modern Welsh. This is a valuable aspect of, and contribution to, British-Celtic studies.
The PRG also commends the aspiration of the Department to work towards offering on-line courses once the appropriate University structures for this development are in place. We note that the Department is acutely aware, however, of the resource implications of
12 undertaking such a project.
The PRG lauds the contribution of the tutorial system to teaching and learning in Celtic Civilization and believes that there is an equally pressing need for similar provision in the case of ab initio language teaching and learning in the Welsh language.
5.5 Research and Scholarly Activity
The PRG commends the Department for carrying out research to the highest international standards in the areas of medieval and modern language and literature. It contributes thereby to scholarship in Welsh itself, and in the wider Celtic and related fields. The standard of research in the Department of Welsh is such that it attracts invitations from reputable academic publishers to produce substantial works in the field. Along with being active in individual research, members of staff are involved also in prestigious collaborative research and publication ventures.
The Department of Welsh recognises the importance of internationally refereed publications. The PRG urges regular contributions of this kind in the international academic arena.
The PRG views the Department’s recent success in attracting substantial research funding as a very praiseworthy development, one which is indicative of the positive and enterprising spirit in the Department.
The PRG welcomes the Department’s aspirations to enhance its postgraduate numbers. It acknowledges the contribution of both staff members to current PhD supervision.
The PRG urges continued commitment to research-led teaching but acknowledges that this has implications for the distribution of the workload in the Department.
A praiseworthy innovation is the organisation of well-attended public lectures, and collaboration with other Departments in this activity. These occasions raise the profile of the Department and contribute to the richness and diversity of the Humanities at University College Dublin.
5.6 External Relations
The obvious cognate disciplines for the Welsh Department are those within the Faculty of Celtic Studies, but fruitful collaboration may be envisaged in other directions also, in particular with other language departments. Both academic staff members contribute to Faculty and
13 university committees and they maintain active contact with colleagues throughout the world in the area of Celtic Studies. The research projects being undertaken by Department members enhance collaboration with academic institutions in Wales.
The PRG lauds the Department’s role in raising an awareness of Wales in Ireland. It urges the furthering of reciprocal relations with Welsh expatriates in Ireland as a means of heightening the Department’s profile, and, perhaps, as a resource for student access to native speakers of Welsh.
5.7 Support Services
The SAR indicated general satisfaction with Support Services in UCD. There was some dissatisfaction with Computing Services, with some aspects of Library provision and especially with sound disturbance from classes in room A207A. Student complaints about delays in getting examination cards from the Examination Office were also noted by the PRG.
14 6. OVERALL ANALYSIS OF STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS /CONCERNS (SWOT ANALYSIS)
Strengths Constituting the only full Department of Welsh anywhere outside of Wales, and consequently providing UCD with a resource unique in Ireland, a full degree programme in Welsh. The UCD Chair of Welsh has had a succession of illustrious holders since its establishment at the foundation of the National University of Ireland in 1908. Welsh has been an integral part of the internationally recognised Faculty of Celtic Studies, a foundation Faculty of the National University of Ireland. The Department has well-qualified, committed and enthusiastic staff. The Department has academic staff whose research is highly regarded internationally. The Department has excellent teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The Department provides comprehensive academic programmes in Welsh language and literature. The Department has successfully extended its range of courses to include Celtic Civilization. The Department has a successful record in postgraduate training and in the appointment of graduates to prestigious international academic institutions. The Department provides excellent pastoral care of students. The Department has had recent success in obtaining substantial EU funding. The Department is successful in generating substantial JYA income.
Weaknesses Small department in the University context, with comparatively low student numbers. Bearing the legacy of the lack of specific representation on decision-making bodies for over a decade, up to the recent appointment of an Acting Head from within the Department.
Opportunities Modularisation seen as an opportunity for course expansion and interdisciplinary co-operation. Planning for a full degree programme in Celtic Civilization is well advanced. Involvement in restructuring and extending access to programmes in Celtic Studies. Possibility of developing UCD’s unique resources in the subject
15 area and extending academic development of the British dimension of Celtic Studies. Further possibilities of obtaining EU funding and establishing links with other academic institutions in the EU.
Threats / Concerns That the Department has been without a professor and Chair for 15 years. High number of contact hours incommensurate with student numbers. Current financial climate, an area of concern for Humanities in general, but particularly so for small departments such as Welsh.
16 7. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT The PRG recommends: the maintenance of the Department’s status as an independent entity with its own headship. the maintenance of Ireland’s unique Chair of Welsh which should be filled as soon as possible. the early implementation of current plans for a full degree programme in Celtic Civilization in which the Welsh Department would play a significant role. that staff expertise in the British aspects of Celtic languages, literatures and cultures be utilized to full advantage within Celtic Studies, British Irish Studies and within the Humanities in general. that the Department take all appropriate measures to increase student recruitment at all levels, including the urgent provision of a specific Department of Welsh website, outreach to schools in Ireland and the UK, and investigation of adult education opportunities. that rationalization of postgraduate programmes takes place to allow for more flexible access to these programmes. that staffing needs be reviewed as the proposed developments at undergraduate and postgraduate levels increase student numbers. that tutorial assistance be provided for language teaching. that capital grant levels be also reviewed in the context of increased student numbers. that consideration be given to the Department’s requirements for class and tutorial space, study areas for postgraduate students, and the accommodation requirements of the INTERREG research programme. that rooms adjoining the office of the Acting Head of Department be soundproofed as a matter of urgency. that existing contacts with centres of excellence in Welsh and Celtic Studies internationally be fostered and enhanced. that the current productive links with the University of Wales, Bangor, and the University of Wales Dictionary project be further supported, and that such links be further developed. that the Department’s unique role in advancing the linguistic, cultural and historical connections between Wales and Ireland be fostered and enhanced. that the Welsh Department’s current connections with Welsh diasporic communities be further supported and developed in the northern and southern hemispheres. that the Department’s initiative in arranging student study visits
17 to a Welsh-speaking environment within the University of Wales, Bangor, be continued. that the Department’s expertise in IT continues to be used to the best possible advantage. that academic staff explore sabbatical possibilities in the light of support from such bodies as the IRCHSS. that staff members should continue to avail of all possible opportunities to prepare research for publication in international journals. that the Department should foster its connections with the expatriate Welsh community in Ireland as appropriate.
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