Quality Assurance Framework: Bilingual and Second Language Delivery with Academic Partners

This policy outlines the approach to the quality assurance of provision delivered through the medium of languages other than English or Welsh by collaborative partners for the academic year 2025/26.

1. Second Language delivery: Teaching and assessment solely in a Second Language and not in English/Welsh.
2. Bilingual delivery: Teaching and/or assessment in a combination of English/Welsh and a Second Language.

There are a range of possible bilingual delivery options which may be considered:

• Taught and assessed in language of delivery (combination of English or Welsh and Second Language modules), in full or in part of the programme;
• Taught in one language and assessed in the Second Language (for some or all modules);
• Taught in combination of English/Welsh and Second Language, and assessed in English/Welsh / assessed in Second Language / assessed in combination.
• Student choice as to language of assessment.
• Range of English or Welsh and Second Language in different assessment components within a module.

In order to effectively manage risk, Swansea University will normally focus on delivery in English/Welsh, but will work with academic partners on provision where either the programme is taught bilingually, or, in specific cases, where the entirety of the award may be considered for delivery in a Second Language. Swansea University will normally require all summative assessment to be marked, moderated and feedback provided in the language of submission. Any translation of assessed work will only be deployed as a last resort. Translators must either work for Swansea University or be contracted directly by SU and be independent of the partner to ensure assessment integrity.

Where the provision is designed to be bilingual, the percentage of the course delivery, language of instruction and/or assessment in the English or Welsh language must be agreed during the development phase. Swansea University will normally seek to standardise the approach to bilingual and second language provision, with information outlined below.

Undergraduate Programmes

• Undergraduate degree* – normally a minimum of 40 credits delivered in English/Welsh, with a maximum of 80 credits delivered in the Second Language at levels 3, 4, 5 and 6.
• Students may submit assessment in the language in which the module is taught.
• A level of flexibility could be approved for Level 6 final projects, for example, the dissertation/project could be written in the Second Language with a mandatory percentage of the assessment written in English/Welsh as a summary section.

*Accredited programmes must also comply with any Professional, Regulatory and Statutory bodies both in the UK and Country of Delivery, where appropriate. 

Postgraduate Taught Programmes
 

• Postgraduate degree – normally a minimum of 60 credits delivered in English/Welsh, with a maximum of 120 (or 180 credits for 240 credit Extended Master’s) credits delivered in the Second Language at level 7.

At the point of Programme approval or review/modification, consideration will be given as to whether special regulations are needed to ensure compensation is applied proportionally to the split of English/Welsh and Second Language credits.

Where deviations from this standard are proposed, or the programme is proposed for delivery solely in a second language, The Regulations, Quality and Standards Board must agree to the proposal prior to Programme Approval.

Programmes where Delivery is Bilingual or Solely in the Second Language

For all provision, the business language for Swansea University operations and procedures will normally be English or Welsh to ensure that all Swansea University staff are able to undertake their relevant roles in the processes. These include:

• Programme Development and Approval.
• Training on Swansea University processes, policies and regulations.
• Programme set-up and curriculum data entry in the student record system (this will impact the award documentation at the end of the course).
• Programme and Module Titles will be in recorded in English or Welsh, even where credits are delivered in the Second Language.
• Where Programme and Module titles are the same as existing Swansea University provision (e.g. for Franchised provision), alternative coding will be required and a reference to the delivery of the Programme and/or Module in another language may be needed for reporting purposes.
• Recording of student names, programme and module titles in English or Welsh will mean all award documentation will be in English or Welsh, however, the documentation will need to clearly show where the delivery was in another language.
• The transcript and certificate will be produced in English or Welsh.
• Enrolment processes for Second Language delivery will be reviewed and adapted as necessary.
• Access to University Services including the Library and Canvas will need to be carefully considered; in most cases, it would be expected that the Academic Partner would be able to provide alternative solutions in the appropriate language, which will need to be assessed by Swansea University colleague to ensure standards. Where this is not possible, additional costs may need to be considered within the Partnership Financial Case if the existing Services are not able to provide support in the intended language of delivery.
• All Partnership and programme-related documents will be produced in both languages. Learning materials should be written in the language of delivery to ensure accessibility and should be translated into English or Welsh for the assurance of standards at Swansea University.
• Contractual and CMA required documents and information, including Course Pages, will be produced in both languages.
• All student-facing documents will be produced in both languages, Course Handbooks, Module Study Guides, Terms and Conditions, etc.

Swansea University has a well-established approach to assessment in other languages, developed initially through its own bilingual provision requirements, but expanded to include other languages Assessment in Welsh/Another Language - Swansea University. This approach forms the basis for a broader application to international provision on the following principles: 

1. Wherever possible, Swansea University will seek to appoint an External Examiner(s) who is fluent in English/Welsh and the Second Language, and ideally familiar with the regulatory requirements in both countries. Where this is not possible, External Examiners may work in tandem/teams to cover gaps in linguistic, subject and regulatory knowledge. 
2. Academic Partners will normally undertake marking and the provision of feedback, and staff must be fluent in the language of assessment. 
3. Swansea University will undertake moderation and staff will normally be sufficiently competent in the language of assessment. Where Swansea University staff are not sufficiently fluent, an External Assessment Advisor may be recruited to moderate students’ work in the language of submission. Only where none of these options are possible, and in exceptional circumstances, should assessment be translated for the purposes of moderation. 
4. Postgraduate Research projects and theses must be read and marked in the language of submission and may not be translated for the purposes of assessment.

Swansea University must agree to any proposed translation provider (where required), to ensure appropriate independence and standard of translation proportionate to the risk of the information being translated. 

• The Partnership will cover the costs for all required translations, which will be embedded into the financial agreement. 
• Swansea University will determine the standard of the translation required for each document for example: 
  • Level 1 Legal – this would be the highest level of translation level used for legal documents 
  • Level 2 Professional – this means translated documents would need to read fluently 

• Contractual documents will be written in English or Welsh as they are bound by the Law in England and Wales. 
• Suggested documents for Level 1 translation include: 
  • Terms and Conditions 
  • Academic Regulations 
  • Relevant processes and procedures (to be agreed with partner) 

• Suggested documents for Level 2 translation include: 
  • SU Student-facing forms – English or Welsh to Second Language 
  • Course materials Second Language to English or Welsh 
  • Assessments and assessment briefs Second Language to English or Welsh 

Translation of assessed work should always be a last resort. Swansea University and its partner(s) will make every effort to ensure that marking, moderation and feedback is completed in the language of submission.