A Brief Guide to Quality Assurance
Each institution of higher education is responsible for ensuring the quality and standards of its provision, that students are achieving appropriate standards and a good quality education is being offered. All funded HE institutions are subject to the national Quality Assurance Framework and to scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, which has the responsibility of safeguarding the public interest in sound standards of higher education qualifications, as well as encouraging continuous improvement in the management of the quality of higher education. This is done by reviewing academic standards and quality, and providing nationally agreed reference points that help to define clear and explicit standards.
The national Quality Assurance Framework sets out the arrangements for assuring the quality of teaching and the standards of awards in Higher Education Institutions, comprising Institutional Audit, Collaborative Provision Audit and the publication of information about quality and standards, including the National Student Survey. The reference points in this framework are collectively known as the ‘Academic Infrastructure’ and include:
- The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications
- Subject Benchmark Statements
- Programme Specifications
- The Code of Practice
Other associated areas include:
The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
The
purpose of the FHEQ is to promote public confidence in academic
standards through a clear understanding of the achievements represented
by higher education qualifications. This transparency is also important
in maintaining international comparability of standards, especially in
the European context, to ensure international competitiveness, and to
facilitate student and graduate mobility.
There is a
qualifications framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and
one for Scotland, which is part of a wider Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework. The Frameworks set out the achievements and
attributes represented by the main titles such as bachelors degree with
honours, masters degree and doctorate to help students and employers
understand the meaning and level of qualifications. They also provide
public assurance that qualifications bearing similar titles represent
similar levels of achievement. The Frameworks provide an important
point of reference for institutions in designing programmes and for
students in planning their study.
The higher education qualifications awarded by universities and
colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are at five levels,
from Certificate, Intermediate and Honours, up to Masters and Doctoral
levels. Qualification descriptors set out the expected achievement at
each level and demonstrate the nature of change between levels. More
detailed statements of graduate attributes at Honours level can be
found in Subject Benchmark Statements for different disciplines.
Frameworks for higher education - further information
Subject benchmark statements
Benchmark
statements describe the attributes, skills and capabilities that a
graduate with an honours degree in a specific subject might be expected
to have. Each statement has been developed by academics in the
discipline and other stakeholders (such as representatives from
professional bodies, industry and commerce). They are an important
reference point in designing programmes and writing programme
specifications and for internal quality assurance purposes. The purpose
of benchmark statements is to contribute to ensuring comparable
standards of degree programmes across the UK.
Benchmark
statements do not set out to specify an approved curriculum in a
particular subject and have been written in a way that allows for
diversity between programmes. They are intended to make it easier to
understand the broad standard required for a qualification in a
specific programme of study.
Subject benchmark statement - further information
Programme specifications
Programme specifications are the sets of information that each institution provides about its programmes. A programme specification is a concise description of the intended learning outcomes of a programme, and the means by which the outcomes are achieved and demonstrated. Each specification clarifies what knowledge, understanding, skills and other attributes a student will have developed on successfully completing a specific programme. It also provides details of teaching and learning methods, assessment and subsequent career opportunities, and sets out how the programme relates to the qualifications framework.
For the purposes of audit and review, programme specifications are '...the definitive publicly available information on the aims, intended learning outcomes and expected learner achievements of programmes of study' (Handbook for institutional audit: England and Northern Ireland, 2009). Drafting the programme specification should give the opportunity to reflect on, clarify and integrate the aims and intended outcomes of programmes with their design and delivery.
At Goldsmiths, we
take the approach that the programme specification is primarily
addressed to the student, although it also provides the main reference
point for internal and external quality assurance processes, such as
programme approval and review. The Programme Approval Handbook
(found on the k-drive at: k:\\registry\Deputy Registrar
Office\Programme Approval) provides guidance on how to draft the
programme specification and a template. In designing the programme and
its learning outcomes, reference should be made to the relevant subject
benchmark statement and the Framework for Higher Education
Qualifications.
Programme specifications – further information
The Code of Practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education
The Code of Practice is intended to help higher education institutions to meet their responsibilities for the assurance of academic standards and quality, by providing a framework within which to consider the effectiveness of institutional approaches to a range of activities. It sets out guidelines on good practice relating to the management of academic standards and quality. The Code of Practice has been prepared in consultation with the higher education sector and with the participation of key stakeholder groups. Each section of the Code of Practice has precepts or principles that institutions should satisfy, with guidance on how they might meet these precepts.
The Code has 10 sections:
| 1 Postgraduate research programmes | ||
2 Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning) |
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3 Students with disabilities |
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4 External examining |
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5 Academic appeals and student complaints on academic matters |
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6 Assessment of students |
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7 Programme design, approval, monitoring and review |
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8 Career education, information and guidance |
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9 Placement learning |
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10 Admissions to higher education |
Sections
of the Code have informed the development of policies and procedures in
the College and are a useful source of reference and guidance on good
practice in the sector.
Code of practice - further information
Progress files
Student progress files help to make the outcomes, or results, of learning in higher education more explicit and more valuable. They also identify the achievements of learning and support the concept that learning is a lifetime activity. The progress file is composed of two elements: the transcript and a scheme of Personal Development Planning (PDP). The transcript is the formal record of each student's learning and achievement. PDP is a structured process to help students think about their personal learning and achievement, and plan for their education and career development.
At Goldsmiths, PDP has been introduced
as the 3D Graduate scheme, which aims to help students become
autonomous and reflective learners and to make the most of their time
at Goldsmiths. It is designed so that students can make their study
more productive, motivating and enjoyable and to acquire skills for a
future career. At the heart of the process is the ability to think
reflectively and to keep a record of their development. The scheme is
supported through the personal tutoring system and through an
integrated website. The site provides tools to engage students in the
process of reflection, to review their progress and development, to
enhance their skills and attributes and to clarify goals. The tools
also provide a resource of material for producing personal statements
(for example, CVs). It provides links to the wide range of
opportunities available at Goldsmiths, through agencies such as the
Students’ Union, Careers Service, Language Studies Centre and others.
It also offers the opportunity for students to keep a record of
progress, either as a paper-based portfolio or an online e-portfolio. In order to promote further engagement with PDP the Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit is now running the 'Gold Award' - a scheme that gives students some recognition for their extra-curricular activities, and is supported through the VLE.
The National Student Survey
The
National Student Survey is an online questionnaire of final-year undergraduate
students, undertaken by Ipsos-Mori on behalf of the Higher Education Funding
Council for England. This elicits student feedback on their experience,
including questions on teaching quality, academic support and learning
resources. The results are published on the Unistats website run by UCAS,
together with student data by institution on admission, progression, completion
and employment. This is intended to help prospective students decide where they
might study. It also provides useful feedback to supplement internal processes
to help improve the student learning experience at the College.
At Goldsmiths, the
NSS
is part of the Student Voice programme: http://www.gold.ac.uk/student/studentvoice/.
http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/
The European Dimension
In
1999, the Bologna Declaration was signed by member countries of the
European Union to work towards a European Higher Education Area by
2010. This aimed to establish a framework for greater transparency and
comparability of higher education qualifications across Europe, to
enable greater mobility of students, staff and employees. The three
priorities of the Bologna process are the introduction of the three
cycle system (bachelor/master/doctorate), quality assurance and
recognition of qualifications and periods of study. The most important
development in quality assurance has been the adoption of the European
Standards and Guidelines as a pan-European model. Both this and the
European Quality Framework have many similar features and are generally
compatible with UK models, though there are still some differences of
approach with regard to credit recognition.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/educ/bologna/bologna_en.html
This page is based on edited extracts from the QAA website, www.qaa.ac.uk
The QAA was established in 1997 to provide an integrated quality assurance service for UK higher education. The Agency is an independent body funded by subscriptions from universities and colleges of higher education, and through contracts with the main higher education funding bodies.