Module specification guidance

This page is to help staff who are designing new modules as well as those who are updating existing module specifications.  It provides the regulations about how to complete module specifications. Module specification content is published to both applicants and current students in the Online Curriculum catalogue.

The University has endorsed seven principles for good curriculum design. Schools are asked to review the principles in the Curriculum design document as they design courses (formally called programmes). 

Please note, terminology for a programme has been renamed as ‘course’ from academic year 2025/26 onwards.

2.1.1 Title of module

• Titles cannot share the same name as another module. They must be short, accurately reflect the subject material contained in the syllabus, and be engaging. In cases where multiple versions of the same module exist, titles must be distinguished using brackets. 
• Schools are recommended to seek advice from the Market Insight team regarding appropriate titles.

2.1.2 Level

Module levels are typically aligned with the corresponding stage of a student’s degree.

There are five different levels of modules:

• Level 0 – Foundation year modules have a preparatory function providing a grounding in the subject, for example, when a student lacks the relevant A-level.
• Level 1 – Primarily for first year (Qualifying stage) students developing basic knowledge and introducing fundamental concepts and techniques. Any pre-requisites will normally be expressed in terms of relevant pre-University studies.
• Level 2 – Primarily for second year students (Part I stage), focusing on the next phase of a student's development, possibly with pre-requisites based on Level 1 which may cover more advanced concepts and introduce different study skills.
• Level 3 – Primarily for third year students (Part II), building on previous studies with specified pre-requisites. A wide range of study skills may be employed and developed, often with an emphasis on student-centred and student-initiated learning.
• Level 4 – Primarily for fourth year students (Part III stage)  or those with a first degree offering extended or advanced study with pre-requisites from lower-level modules.

2.1.3 Session 

• Specify the academic year in which the new module will first run.

2.1.4 Summary Information for Students

This is intended for current students viewing the online course catalogue. This combines the key topics covered in the module (summary of content) with its core goals and educational values (aims)

• Present information in a concise, informative and comprehensible style, such as starting a sentence like "This module considers..." followed by bullet points of major topics.

2.1.5 Content Note and Sensitivity 

• Use ‘Content note’ to highlight potentially challenging material for student awareness.
• Please specify whether the module includes any teaching or assessment content that may be considered potentially sensitive of distressing, particularly for individuals with relevant personal experiences.
• A content note should act as a verbal and/or written alert, enabling students to prepare themselves in an informed way to engage the content.
• Please ensure that the content note provided is specific and clearly indicates the nature of the content, particularly where material includes graphic imagery or explicit descriptions.  The determination of whether a content note is required should be guided by professional judgement and common sense.
• Content notes are intended to support informed student engagement and do not restrict academic content or pedagogic approach. 

Please consult the following guidance for more information about content notes and sensitivity:  

Content Notes Guidance

2.1.6 Professional Competency

Specify which of the University’s professional competencies are developed through the module.

Demonstrate how selected professional competencies are embedded within learning outcomes, learning and teaching activities and/or assessment, where appropriate. 

The University’s professional competencies are: 

• Professional communication 
• Co-ordinating with others 
• Reflection 
• Digital capabilities 

Ensure the professional competencies are considered and planned at course level to support coherent and progressive development across the student lifecycle. 

It is not required that every module addresses or assesses all professional competencies.  Modules should contribute to the overall course level approach where relevant. 

2.1.7 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

Identify whether the module engages with one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Where there is a clear and meaningful alignment with subject content and intended learning outcomes, specify how relevant SDGs are embedded within teaching and learning.  This may include, for example, the use of case studies, applied or practice-based projects, research -led teaching or critical discussion. 

Include references to SDGs only where there is genuine academic relevance and coherence.  SDGs should not be applied universally or in a tokenistic manner. 

Where applicable, record SDG alignment within course and module specifications

Specify the number of credits.  A single credit is notionally intended to represent 10 hours of student input, whether in the form of teaching contact or private study. Credits indicate a quantity of assessed learning and are gained by satisfying the Board of Examiners. 

The notional equivalent hours of study may not be directly applicable to University of Nottingham apprenticeship courses where work-based learners have additional contextual opportunities to embed and test learning. Course approval processes will ensure teaching approaches meet required outcomes for the learners on apprenticeships.

 If, exceptionally, the assessment of a postgraduate module is not carried out by the end of the semester in which the module is offered, the credits will not in theory accrue to the student until assessment is completed in the following semester. 

All new modules must have a credit value of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 credits. For the MRes only, larger credit sizes of 80, 100, 120, 140 or 160 are permitted.  Regulations around limits on the total number of modules of particular sizes must be applied when designing new modules.

Any modules sizes outside of this range (including zero credit modules) or outside of the combination of modules permitted under the course specification regulations are only permitted in exceptional circumstances (for instance where there is a PSRB requirement), and such modules require QSC approval.  Schools requiring this must submit a QSC outside of regulations request via the Curriculum Approvals and Advisory Team. 

2.3.1 Availability to students as 'free' choice

• Indicate whether the module is available to students as ‘free’ choice, subject to them meeting any pre-, co- or anti-requisites

Please indicate if there is a cap on the module, and provide a rationale for the cap (see below)

2.4.1 Rationale for Cap

Clearly explain the justification for imposing a limit on the numbers of students on the module

• Modules can be offered in the Autumn Semester, Spring Semester or as a "Full Year" (year long). A module can be offered in more than one of these periods, but one of them must be indicated as the default.
• Postgraduate (PG) modules can also be offered in the summer.
• Postgraduate dissertation/project (60 credit) modules are usually only offered as summer modules due to course level restrictions on number of credits studied per term/semester.  

Where students have the opportunity for semester based study abroad or mobility, modules must be semesterised for all students, not solely those undertaking mobility.

Requisites should be applied only where they are necessary to support student learning, academic progression or curriculum coherence.

Requisites apply to all students and, where system enforced, will prevent enrolment by students who do not meet the specified criteria.

The following types of requisites may be applied to modules:

Pre-Requisites

A pre-requisite is a module that a student must have successfully completed before they are permitted to enrol on a specified module.

Co-Requisites

A co-requisite is a module that a student must take concurrently, within the same academic year, in order to enrol on a specified module.

Anti-Requisite

An anti-requisite is a module that a student must not have previously taken, or be taking, in order to enrol on a specified module.

Course Restrictions

Course restrictions specify whether a student must be, or must not be, registered on a particular course in order to enrol on a module.

Academic Level or Year

Academic level or year restrictions specify the required stage or level of study a student must be undertaking to be eligible to enrol on a module

Career

Career restrictions specify whether a student must be, or must not be, registered within a particular career in order to enrol on a module.

Only requisites that can be implemented within the University’s student record system will prevent enrolment automatically.  Where requirements cannot be system enforced, they may be included as advisory information in target students and must be monitored and applied by the School as part of local enrolment and commencement processes.

Care should be taken to ensure that requisites are proportionate, clearly justified, and do not create unnecessary barriers to student choice or progression.

Students who have ‘free’ choice may only select modules for which they meet the published pre-requisites (and co-/anti-requisites or restrictions) as set out in the approved module specification.

Clearly state the School offering the module and any contributing Schools, along with the percentage split. 

Select the appropriate method of delivery for the module.  Face-to-face delivery is the standard and expected mode of delivery, unless an alternative has been formally approved through the University’s academic governance process.

List the Schools and Faculties consulted during the proposal, including information on their support for their proposal.

Provide a module description that is clear, accurate and engaging for prospective students, using accessible, prospectus-friendly language.  Guidance on content, tone and format is available in the 'Summary Information for Applicants' section of the CAAT SharePoint site and should be followed to ensure consistency across all modules.  

Where a module is accredited by a Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB), this must be clearly and accurately described in the module specification.

In such cases, this should:

• Identify the relevant PSRB
• Explain the nature and benefit of the accreditation to the students upon successful completion of the module
• Clarify whether the accreditation contributes to professional recognition, partial fulfilment of requirements, or eligibility for membership
• Make explicit whether additional requirements must be met beyond completion of the module, such as further study, professional practice, placement or employment, in order to obtain full accreditation, recognition, or the right to practise.

Where a module is accredited by PSRB, documentation must also indicate whether the accreditation agreement is time-limited and subject to renewal during the expected period of study of prospective students.  Where renewal is required, the potential implications for students who have already enrolled must be clearly explained in the event that accreditation is not renewed.

This is a free text field in the module specification which musts be used to provide a clear indication to students about who can/cannot take the module and if there are any restrictions, for example:

Only available to Year 1 Undergraduate students on xxx degree course. Not available to Exchange students.

Information in this section will not prevent a student enrolling on a module and must be checked by the school prior to commencement of the module

Indicate whether the module will require a reading list and whether support might be needed from libraries to create a new list, edit the existing one, or link to a list from another module.

• It is reasonable to have up to six learning outcomes for a module, with some variability depending on the credit value of the module (typically with less learning outcomes for smaller credit sizes). Some cases, may warrant additional learning outcomes, for example due to Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRB) requirements etc. 
• Module learning outcomes may be specific to the module, the course, or a combination of module and course learning outcomes.
• It is advisable to minimise the reoccurrence of the same learning outcome across multiple modules. This minimises the number of learning outcomes in each module and avoids assessing the same learning outcomes multiple times.
• Levels of assessment required to meet learning outcomes will be checked through the approval of the curriculum map. 
• Where learning outcomes for the module contribute to course level learning outcomes these must be identified on the relevant course’s curriculum map.

2.15.1 Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) - for Apprentice courses only

• Complete this section for modules in an apprentice course, consulting with the Professional and Workbased Learning team.

2.15.2 Module activities

• Provide details about how the module will be delivered (e.g. lectures, seminars, workshops, laboratory sessions, supervision, field trips etc), including information about any teaching which is not face to face.  For example “you will be taught in a variety of ways which may include lectures and seminars”. 
• Please keep this section general and appropriate for applicants to read (more information, if needed, can be provided for current students in the module handbook).

Where the module in question is the dissertation, please indicate the minimum supervision arrangements. If appropriate, you would need to include a description of a range of different teaching methods..

Ensure that a named member of University staff is available for all module related queries. This individual, typically a permanent member of staff, must be easily accessible to students.

In cases, where a module is delivered in both the UK and on an international campus, appoint a module contact at the international campus who will:

• Facilitate communication with the UK-based module convenor
• Have delegated responsibility for the modules delivery at the international campus
• Be the primary contact  for students at the international campus.

The names of all academics who act as contributors to the delivery of the module must also be listed.

The assessment description must include every individual assessment/element that contributes to the module’s assessment totals, not just a total credit weight for each type of assessment. 

For example, if the module specification for a 40 credit module lists 30% coursework and 70% examination, that would mean one coursework assessment for 30% of the module credits and one exam for 70%. If in reality it were sub-divided into 2 equal smaller coursework submissions and 2 separate exam papers also equally split, then the module specification must list all 4 assessments (coursework 1 15%, coursework 2 15%, exam 1 35%, exam 2 35%).  

Please also note the cap on the numbers of assessments in the Assessment Framework.

For the purposes of this document, the terms “element” and “component” are used interchangeably and refer to sub-sections of an overall module assessment.

You must describe each assessment element in detail, including its individual credit weighting, the type of assessment (e.g. exam or coursework), the load (e.g. the duration of examinations and the word-length of any essay, project or dissertation) and if the assessment element is a mandatory pass. A mandatory pass assessment element is one that must be passed in order for the module to be passed.

To note: A mandatory pass should only be used for assessment elements which must be passed and cannot be compensated by other assessment elements for that module. Note that this is not the same as a module being non-compensatable on a course specification and there is no expectation for non-compensatable modules to have mandatory pass elements. It is typically expected that mandatory pass will be used where there is a particular professional body or accreditation requirement.

It is recommended that the module’s assessments comply with the Assessment Framework.  

Examinations, whether remote or in person, must be either 1, 2 or 3 hours in duration (unless there is a specific reason for another duration, e.g. PSRB requirement).

A student has the opportunity to resit a failed assessment element if it is necessary for progression purposes (unless they are in their final year of study as an undergraduate), but they must achieve over the minimum level in one of their attempts to be awarded the credits associated with that module. 

The contribution of each assessment element to the overall module mark must be clearly specified (for example, one 1-hour examination (50%); one 1,500 word essay (50%)). 

In addition:

1. Assessment weightings must be expressed as whole numbers, with each individual assessment element carrying a minimum weighting of 10% of the module credits (except where there are 0% weighted elements which are pass/fail; for example for a clinical competency assessment)
2. Assessment practices are expected to be informed by reflection, consideration of professional practice, as well as subject-specific and educational scholarship.
3. The volume, timing and nature of assessment enable students to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.
4. Where a 20-credit module is created from two 10-credit modules, the volume of assessment of the new module must be significantly less than the aggregate assessment of the two former modules.
5. The assessment for a module must only be the minimum necessary to test its learning outcomes, whilst still complying with the aforementioned exam duration limitations where the assessments are exams and more broadly with the assessment framework.
6. Where it is felt necessary to have more than one element of assessment to cover all the learning outcomes, assessing any given learning outcome more than once must be avoided.
7. Where assessment spans more than one semester (e.g. a year long module with multiple assessments), marks must be returned at the end of each semester (not wait to return them all at the end of the year).
8. There must not be more than one timetabled examination for a module, except where it is necessary to have both a written and a practical examination and Quality and Standards Committee have approved the request.
9. Please note, it is possible to have either/or assessment options but only when the assessment type and the element weightings are exactly the same.

Where a student must repeat their enrolment in order to be reassessed in a specific module this must be stated in the module specification.

The form of reassessment of the module will be the same as the original assessment, unless stated to the contrary in this section. If the reassessment is different, it must consist of either a single examination or a single coursework assessment that replaces all the failed assessment elements of the module for reassessment purposes. Where the different reassessment is an examination, then as above it must be either 1, 2 or 3 hours in duration (unless there is a specific reason for another duration, e.g. PSRB requirement).

There are many ways of making assessments more inclusive to recognise individual students’ challenges and situations. One approach is to introduce an element of flexibility. If there is more than one way of meeting the learning outcomes, students can be given a degree of choice over how they do this, noting bullet 7 in section 2.16 above (i.e. that either/or assessment options are not permitted where the assessment type and/ or element weightings are different). The choice can be constrained appropriately by the options offered and managed by schools locally. 

The details of any flexibility available must be clearly stated in the guidance given to all students about the assessment. It is also recommended that a record of the student’s choice regarding the version of an assessment that a student selected is kept at least until 2 months after the relevant exam board. If the student’s choice is obvious by the format or nature of the submission via Moodle, then simply retaining the submission box on Moodle would satisfy this recommendation.  

For more information about setting inclusive or flexible assessment please see these examples

The University's Planning, Performance and Strategic Change Division (PPSC) compiles an annual student data return for the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). As part of this process, HeCOS, or 'subject' data codes for all modules taken by our students must be provided. This data is used to:

• identify 'strategically important and vulnerable subjects' which may lead to additional funding for certain subjects
• define the particularly sensitive subjects that international students and researchers must apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate
• decide on the subject grouping it is published in within performance metrics, such as the OfS student outcomes dashboard as well as publications such as league tables.

A HECoS code that is too vague or not reflective of a course content and relation to a broader subject group has the potential to have a profound impact.  

Course specification guidance 

University of Nottingham Qualification Framework

Degree apprenticeships

Inclusive assessment guidance

Inclusive or flexible assessment examples

Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) codes

For queries about the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) return,  please contact PPSC:

Planning, performance and strategic change

If you have any problems or queries relating to this page, please email: ss-curriculumadvice@nottingham.ac.uk 

Version control table

Version Number	Purpose/Change	Approving Committee	Date
1.0	Clarifications made as part of a review of this section of the Quality Manual.  Also reformatted to align with new University of Nottingham Policy Management Framework	QSC	August 2024
1.1	As part of a regular review cycle, this page has been updated with some corrections, clarifications and updates made to the content.  Terminology for a programme has been renamed as ‘course’ from academic year 2025/26 onwards.	QSC	January 2026