Read our latest news bulletin
See in Microsoft Sway
1. Upcoming Deadlines and Key Dates
Early December - TEIs asked to circulate information on the Common Awards Management Board (CAMB) Student Representative nomination/election process
1st December - Deadline: TEIs to submit changes of registration (to be captured in the Census)
1st December - Census Date: TEIs to submit Moodle census snapshot report
2nd December - DU Overarching Board of Examiners (Winter)
4th December - AdvanceHE Introductory Session
17th December - Deadline to submit new IT account form for AFHEA enrolment
5th January - TEIs to ask Common Awards students to send any feedback for the Management Board to the CAMB student representatives
8th January - Winter Congregation for 2025 graduates
9th January - Deadline for enrolling on AFHEA training
16th January - Deadline for TEIs to submit all continuing student module marks following 2025 Exam Boards
29th January - Common Awards Management Board (CAMB)
30th January - Deadline: TEIs to submit Curriculum Development documents for new programmes and modules
2. Upcoming Events
The Annual Conference for Theological Educators 2026
The 2026 Annual Conference for Theological Educators will be taking place on 15-17 July.
We will be in touch with further information, and how to book your place in due course.
Student Events
We are also working on a plan for 2026 student events, and will provide further updates soon.
Webinars
We will be running two webinars on generative AI in the coming year.
Tuesday 9th December 2025, 10am–11.30am, Designing assessments in light of generative AI
Candace Nolan-Grant
This webinar will explore positive strategies for designing assessments that don’t encourage students to mis-use generative AI. It is sometimes suggested that the rise of generative AI means that the only reliable forms of assessment will soon be traditional in-person exams and vivas. Candace Nolan-Grant, from the Durham Centre for Academic Development, will argue that there are other possibilities, with richer pedagogical implications.
Tuesday 3rd March 2026, 10am–11.30am, Feedback on the Common Awards AI policy
We released our new policy and guidance on generative AI and academic misconduct at the start of this academic year. This webinar will provide an opportunity for TEI staff to discuss how the implementation of that policy is going, and to discuss how it might need to be revised for the future.
We will distribute further details of both of these webinars closer to the time.
3. TEI Management Committees
TEIs are reminded to use the TEI Management Committee reporting template cover sheet when returning minutes to the Common Awards team. This helps us to identify any issues which need a response from the team or which need to be highlighted to the Common Awards Management Board. It also helps us to highlight any student feedback from the TEI student representatives which is appropriate for the Management Board to consider. The template can be found on our Templates and Forms web page, or by following this link: 2021-05-25_ManCom_Reporting-Template.docx. Thank you.
4. Curriculum Development
TEIs are required to submit Curriculum Development documents for changes to TEI programmes by 30th January 2026. There are three main types of changes to programmes which can be considered at this deadline:
Further information on the approvals process for these changes is available here.
Smaller changes to what is already being delivered at a TEI (e.g. introducing or withdrawing a module, changing the assessment pattern for a module, or proposing learning hours which fall outside of the guidelines) can be submitted at the May curriculum development deadline.
5. CAMB Student Elections 2025/26 (for 2026/27 academic year)
The Common Awards Management Board (CAMB) is a committee with responsibility for and oversight of the quality and standards of the overarching Common Awards partnerships and programmes. The membership of the Board includes students from TEIs who represent the whole of the Common Awards student body. Student representatives are able to contribute to Common Awards decision-making, policy development and the ongoing monitoring and development of Common Awards on a national level.
TEIs will shortly be sent a communication for students on how they can nominate themselves for a CAMB representative position. Please ensure all communications are circulated to students. The deadline for student nominations for is 30th January 2026.
6. Staff Development
The University Teaching: Core Skills staff development programme provides participants with the opportunity to work through interactive online content in their own time, to discuss their learning with colleagues across the UK and with facilitators from Durham University’s Centre for Academic Development. (DUCAD).
Successful completion of the Account of Professional Practice confers Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (now known as AdvanceHE) and the post-nominal letters AFHEA.
Thanks to colleagues who signed up for the introductory session on 4th December. Those attending the intro session will need to send their Durham username and email account to the Common Awards team by 9th January so that DUCAD can register them onto the programme.
If you didn’t register for the Introductory Session but would still like to join this programme please contact the Common Awards team directly before the 9 January 2025 and provide us with your Durham username and email address.
If you don’t have an account, please complete the form which can be found here (under resources for staff) and email it to Common Awards as soon as possible.
The programme will start on 21 January 2026.
More information about the programme is available on our website.
7. Invoices and Census
Following the 2025/26 census process, TEIs are reminded that any new registration changes sent to us after 1st December won’t be actioned until the census numbers are finalised. Thank you for sharing your census snapshots with the team on 1st December.
As per the Standard Validation Contract, the University intends to increase the validation and per capita student fees in line with inflation. We will confirm the fees for 2025/26 as soon as we receive details from the University.
8. Winter Congregation
Students
Students eligible for graduation should now have been invited to attend the graduation ceremony at 12 noon on 8th January 2026, at Durham Cathedral. Registration closes on 8th December 2025.
TEI Staff
Due to the number of staff requesting to attend graduation and capacity at the Cathedral, unfortunately registration has now closed.
Common Awards Celebration Event
There will be drinks and canapés for students and staff following the ceremony. Students and staff register their attendance via the registration process. Further details will be circulated shortly to those registered.
9. Transcripts and Parchments
Transcripts and parchments for those Common Awards students who were awarded at the September 2025 Overarching Board of Examiners and were not eligible for the Congregation ceremony in Durham have been produced, packaged, and posted. TEIs have been contacted regarding this, and should have received these documents.
The Common Awards team will be in touch with TEIs regarding when they can expect to receive parchments for the students being considered at the Winter overarching Board, and for the students eligible for congregation.
Student names
TEIs are reminded that students’ full legal names must be collected at the registration point and verified against identification. It is important that the student’s full legal name is printed on their parchment and transcript. We consistently receive a high number of requests for name changes in the lead up to parchment production due to incorrect or incomplete names given at registration.
10. Durham University Board of Examiners (Overarching) 2026
The Overarching Boards of Examiners have been set as September 3rd (Summer) and December 1st (Winter), 2026.
We therefore ask that TEIs hold their own Board of Examiners no later than 5th August 2026 (Summer) and 2nd November 2026 (Winter). This allows the Common Awards Team enough time to process the data received from TEIs, and resolve any queries, before the Overarching Board of Examiners. Please do let us know if these dates present any problems for your TEI.
11. Entry Requirements 2026-27
The standard entry requirements for all approved Common Awards programmes for 2026-27 have been approved by the Common Awards Management Board.
No changes have been made from the 2025-26 requirements, but as updates have been made in recent years please ensure that TEI Admissions Policies refer to the latest version, which can be found here.
12. Christmas Office Closure
TEIs are asked to note that the Common Awards Office will close on the afternoon of Friday 19th December and reopen on Monday 5th January. TEIs are strongly advised to flag any urgent queries before 19th December.
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues across all TEIs for their hard work throughout the year and to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
13. Further Information
The full 2025/2026 academic calendar is available here.
With thanks,
Common Awards Team
