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Core Practices

Like all higher education providers in the UK, the QAA Quality Code states we must meet certain Core Practices for Monitoring and Evaluation that the QAA have set out within their Expectations for this area. See How we do things for our approach in meeting these.

Core Practices for Standards:

  • The provider ensures that the threshold standards for its qualifications are consistent with the relevant national frameworks.
    • In practice, this means that providers refer to the relevant national qualifications framework when designing monitoring and evaluations policies and processes, and ensure they assess whether threshold standards are being achieved by their graduates.
  • The Provider ensures that students who are awarded qualifications have the opportunity to achieve standards beyond the threshold level that are reasonably comparable with those achieved in other UK providers.
    • In practice, this means that providers collect and analyse data that allows for comparison and make appropriate use of externality and sector guidance on, for example, degree classifications and algorithms.
  • Where a provider works in partnership with other organisations, it has in place effective arrangements to ensure that the standards of its awards are credible and secure irrespective of where or how the courses are designed or who delivers them.
    • In practice, this means that degree-awarding bodies ensure monitoring and evaluation arrangements are tailored to HE delivery in other organisations and learning environments, which may include satisfying themselves that those organisations’ own monitoring systems are sufficient and feed in to their own appropriately.

Common Practice for Standards:

The QAA Quality Code also has a Common Practice that whilst not mandatory for us to follow, we still feel this is relevant to us and that we can show we do it. It is:

  • The provider reviews its core practices for standards regularly and uses the outcomes to drive improvement and enhancement.
    • In practice, this means that providers have formal systems in place with the express purpose of using the outcomes from monitoring and evaluation activity as a mechanism for enhancing their provision beyond meeting threshold regulatory requirements.

Core Practices for Quality:

  • The provider designs and /or delivers high-quality courses.
    • In practice, this means that providers routinely monitor their course provision to allow objective assessment of whether this practice is being achieved.
  • The provider supports all students to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes.
    • In practice, this means that providers ensure that the support given to their students is scrutinised through their monitoring activity.
  • The provider actively engages students, individually and collectively, in the quality of their educational experience.
    • In practice, this means providers ensure effective collection, collation and analysis of student perspectives and feedback in monitoring and evaluation, and feed outcomes into strategic planning and course design as appropriate.

Common Practices for Quality:

  • The provider reviews its core practices for quality regularly and uses the outcomes to drive improvement and enhancement. 
    • In practice, this means that providers regularly review and enhance their provision, reflecting on a range of data sets as they relate to quality to ensure courses and wider services remain fit for purpose and to take account of changing circumstances, demands and pedagogical developments.
  • The provider’s approach to managing quality takes account of external expertise.
  • The provider engages students individually and collectively in the development, assurance and enhancement of the quality of their educational experience.
    • In practice, this means that providers identify and involve key internal and external stakeholders, including students and external examiners, to the design, implementation and operation of monitoring and evaluation, as well as the analysis and communication of findings.

Quality and Enhancement Manual