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Does Quality Matter
- 1. Quality Matters A guide to Quality & Standards
- 2. What is Quality? •How well the university supports students in their learning How •Through teaching •Through support •Through resources •How students are assessed • Best possible experience Student Satisfaction
- 3. What are standards? •Level of achievement students need to succeed on their course and get their qualification. HOW •Systems and procedures in place with internal and external scrutiny • Quality assurance is ultimately all about maintaining standards and ensuring students have the best possible experience at university or college. Student Satisfaction
- 5. Importance of Quality at UN Student Experience Student Voice Partnerships Published Information External Scrutiny Validation & Review Committees
- 7. Quality & Academic Partnerships Validation & Review External Scrutiny (External Examiners & PSRBs) Curriculum Team QAP Working with Others – UK & International partnerships Student Voice Embedded Quality Officers
- 8. Student and Academic Services Quality and Academic Partnership (QAP) Director of Student and Academic Services Jane Bunce Head of Quality and Academic Partnership Anne Craven Senior Quality Officer (Development) Judith Allibone Senior Quality Officer (QAA Institutional Facilitator) Matthew Watson Senior Quality Officer (UK Partnerships) Kevin Carroll Quality Officer Student Voice and Externality Vivien Houghton School Quality Officer (SOS&T & SOTA) Aileen Cowan School Quality Officer (SOE/SOH) Lyndsey Williams School Quality Officer (NBS/SOSS) Julie Williamson Curriculum Team Leader Mandy Smith Quality Officer (Validation & Review) Tanya Osborne Quality Coordinator Pam Dimmock Curriculum Administrator Kate Toal Curriculum Administrator Liana Turner Curriculum Team Coordinators Sarah McGarry Lisa Irons
- 9. What is Validation? •Development of programmes, strategies and ideas Development Approval Process Validation •Approval of new programmes and modules •External scrutiny • Approval of changes to existing provision • Input from External Examiners • Input from current students Change of Approval
- 10. Why is Validation Important to the University? Responding to the Changing HE environment Reflecting on how provision is aligned with the University’s strategy ‘Raising the Bar’
- 11. What is PSR? Scope Function Happens on a 5 year cycle Standards of every credit bearing programme PSR Student-focused initiatives. The process by which the University assures the quality and standards of its provision Innovative teaching & learning. Subject team strategy, including staff development and research activity
- 12. Why is PSR Important to the University? Satisfies Quality Assurance Agency regulations An opportunity to engage with external voices A chance to reflect on team strategy A chance to share good practice Opportunity to involve students directly in quality processes
- 13. Embedded Quality Officers Aileen Cowan Lyndsey Williams Julie Williamson Aileen – School of Arts & School of Science and Technology Lyndsey – School of Education & School of Health Julie – Northampton Business School & School of Social Sciences
- 15. External Examiners How do we maintain academic standards? How do we ensure rigorous, consistent and fair assessment? How do academic standards compare with other institutions?
- 16. External Examiners What they do Who are they? Qualified & experienced academics (or professionals) from other institutions give an independent view to assure: The University Our students Prospective students PSRBs Other stakeholders QAA Comment on good practice worth sharing Identify areas for enhancement Advise on curriculum development Summarise trends over a 4 year period
- 19. Curriculum Team Maintain Curriculum information Work closely with other QAP members Maintenance of variety of databases
- 20. Responsibilities of Team Maintain ADS QLX KIS database SLC database Policing & documenting the University Supplementary Regulations Produce and Maintain Programme Specs Award maps Module Specs Module Catalogue Deal with Change of Approval requests Preparation for PSR & Validation events
- 21. Student Loan Company database UCAS SLC Collaborative working with Finance, Student Services, SAT and Admissions
- 22. KIS Key Information Sets Covers every undergraduate programme of more than 1 year duration Meeting student’s information needs Draws together data from a variety of sources
- 23. UNISTATS
- 24. UNISTATS
- 25. PSRBs Essential for professional registration Confer eligibility for membership Accreditation by Professional Statutory & Regulatory Bodies Give students an edge in employability stakes Offers exemption from professional exams for successful students
- 27. HE Provision in Northamptonshire LEICESTER COVENTRY * CORBY * Coventry University College WARWICK PETERBOROUGH University Centre Peterborough Tresham DAVENTRY KETTERING Northampton College Tresham * NORTHAMPTON * UN Park WELLINGBOROUGH Tresham * UN Avenue Northampton College Moulton College *University Provision HE in FE University College/Centre/Campus MILTON KEYNES University Campus MK Milton Keynes College CRANFIELD *
- 28. Managing HE with Others Responsibility for academic standards Degree awarding bodies The Expectation Quality of learning opportunities
- 29. QAA Higher Education Review 2015 Setting and maintaining threshold academic standards of awards Quality of students’ learning opportunities Quality of information about higher education provision Enhancement of students’ learning opportunities Meet UK expectations Requires improvement to meet UK expectations Does not meet UK expectations Commended (for academic standards only)
- 30. ‘Mock’ QAA to carry HE Review w/c 16th June 2014 QAA to carry out desk-based analysis in June/July 2015 Key documents Self Evaluation Document ‘REAL’ QAA HER to take place in Autumn term of 2015 Panel will comprise of 5/6 members including a student reviewer Key documents Student written submission Panel will wish to talk to specific academic staff, external examiners Final report will be published 12 weeks after visit
- 33. THANK YOU! Anne Craven Head of Quality & Academic Partnerships Email: Anne.Craven@northampton.ac.uk Pam Dimmock Quality Coordinator Email: Pam.Dimmock@northampton.ac.uk Mandy Smith Curriculum Team Leader Email: Mandy.Smith@northampton.ac.uk Kevin Carroll Senior Quality Officer (UK Partnerships) Email: Kevin.Carroll@northampton.ac.uk Aileen Cowan School Quality Officer (SOS&T & SOTA) Email: Aileen.Cowan@northampton.ac.uk Sarah McGarry Curriculum Team Coordinator Email: Sarah.McGarry@northampton.ac.uk Judith Allibone Senior Quality Officer (Development) Email: Judith.Allibone@northampton.ac.uk Julie Williamson School Quality Officer (NBS/SOSS) Email: Julie.Williamson@northampton.ac.uk Liana Turner Curriculum Team Administrator Email: Liana.Turner@northampton.ac.uk Vivien Houghton Quality Officer Student Voice and Externality Email.Vivien.Houghton@northampton.ac.uk Lyndsey Williams School Quality Officer (SOE/SOH) Email: Lyndsey.Williams@northampton.ac.uk Kate Toal Curriculum Team Administrator Email: Kate.Toal@northampton.ac.uk Matthew Watson Senior Quality Officer (QAA Institutional Facilitator) Email: Matthew.Watson@northampton.ac.uk Tanya Osborne Quality Officer (Validation & Review) Email: Tanya.Osborne@northampton.ac.uk Lisa Irons Curriculum Team Coordinator Email: Lisa.Irons@northampton.ac.uk
Editor's Notes
- ANNE to presentQuality - -an elusive conceptIn manufacturing, a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies and significant variations. It is brought about by strict and consistent commitment to certain standards that achieve uniformity of a product in order to satisfy specific customer or user requirements.Universities: more dynamic concept – quality of learning opportunities; how standards are reached.Can be enhanced – added to, made ‘more’ (opportunities/quality; not standards)
- ANNE to presentStandards should not vary from one higher education provider to another.
- ANNE to present
- ANNE to presentFrom the lowest level of the wall to the highest – ‘an approximate journey of a course’Goal: Excellent student experience
- ANNE to presentAcademic governance (cf. governing council)Collegial way of decision-making, governing academic matters and developing our provisionHighest: SenateKey upper level committees: Academic Quality and Standards Committee; Student Experience Committee; Research CommitteeSub-committeesSchool-level committees
- ANNE to presentQuality & Academic Partnerships look after most of the quality assurance processes in place at the University of Northampton to assure quality and standards for studentsWorking together with academic Schools and several other support departments to promote and enhance quality.
- ANNE to presentOur team! Hand over to the next presenter
- MATTHEW to PresentLinks to other points in the life cycle:After a programme has been approved for development by University Executive Team, it progresses to ValidationAt validation, the academic standards and quality of the proposed programme and its market placement are examined and, if successful, the programme is approved to run.At any point in its life cycle a validated programme may go through Change of Approval. This allows a Programme Team to add new modules, change assessment methods, learning outcomes, content, and so on. If proposed changes are significant, the programme may need to be completely revalidated.
- MATTHEW to PresentIts an opportunity to engage with external voice who can cast an independent eye and give an objective opinion
- MATTHEW to PresentAll academic departments have to go through Periodic Subject Review = PSR on a regular basis, as a requirement set by the QAA.The schedule for PSR is held by Quality and Academic PartnershipsEvery credit bearing programme validated by the University is subject to PSR, including those offered at partner institutions, and it is the responsibility of the University to ensure that these programmes are reviewed.The academic standards of programmes are tested for currency and adherence to QAA subject benchmark statementsThe quality of student learning opportunities is assessedThe strategy of the team, part and present, is assessed in light of their wider activity
- MATTHEW to present
- MATTHEW to presentThe Embedded Quality Officers work closely with the Schools in a variety of waysEnsuring the Quality Code is embedded Planning and Approval ProcessValidationsChange of ApprovalAnnual Subject Monitoring and School Annual ReviewStudent Representative SystemsExternal Scrutiny, Review and Professional Body AccreditationSchool Committee ServicingQAA Institutional Review
- LISA to present
- LISA to presentExternal examiners a key feature of maintaining quality and standards in HE in the UK (barely exist elsewhere in the world)We appoint ExExs for all provision that leads to an HE award. They provide impartial & independent advice and informative comment on standards and on student achievement in relation to those standards. Applies to collaborative provision as well as what we deliver here at UN.ExExs report on whether or not UN is maintaining the threshold academic standards set for its awardsThe assessment process measures student achievement rigorously and fairly against intended learning outcomes, and that our policies and procedures are properly followedThe achievements and standards of students at UN are comparable with those in other UK HE institutions within the examiners’ experienceAmong other things they are asked to check exam papers and other assessment items to make sure they are appropriate in terms of content, level and learning outcomesSample marked students’ work so that they can confirm that grading criteria have been properly and consistently applied Comment and make recommendations on good practice that they have identified / areas which could be further enhanced – i.e. room for improvement (They are expected to meet students to help them form opinions in relation to the student experience.) Programme teams and others in the University are expected to respond to any issues and suggestions made by ExExs (which may sometimes mean explaining why a particular suggestion won’t or can’t be acted upon!) – there should be a productive dialogue between ExExs and programme teams
- LISA to presentExExs must be experienced and appropriately qualified with the standing and credibility to command the respect of their academic peers. We follow a thorough appointment process in line with QAA national criteria for appointment to ensure they have the necessary qualifications and experience /expertise and that there are no conflicts of interest. They must be independent and impartial to assure us, our students, prospective students (possibly), PSRBs, QAA and other stakeholders that quality and standards are being maintained.Last slide summarises what they do; what they don’t do is mark students’ work! They may be effectively Critical Friends rather than ‘examiners’ but are one of the key features of how we – and all HEIs – manage quality and standards
- LISA to presentHow do we see students in the 21st century? stakeholders, customers partners? – all of them to some extent.Post-KIS and increased fees, students may see themselves as consumers more than in the past. HEIs prefer to think of them as partners in learning. Both recognise that students are stakeholders. The old view of students as passive recipients of knowledge is just that – OLD!In a competitive environment the University must make sure it knows what students think, what they want and expect, what works for them and what doesn’t in terms of achieving their goals. Academics and professional staff have knowledge and experience; so do students! The potential scope of student engagement is vast so can only cover a few areas here. Students are increasingly engaged in QA processes – our responsibility to make sure they have access to information and opportunities to maximise this. The more we know and understand – through dialogues of different kinds - how students see their ‘student experience’, the more effectively we can work together to improve that experience – a collaborative process.
- LISA to presentEngagement happens at all levelsBase – all students – engage with QA through surveys, evaluations, communications with their tutors and with their course repsAll students may have the opportunity to take part in focus groups, PSRCourse reps, trained and supported by the SU and by QAP – influence their programme of studySchool reps – greater involvement through School Committees and closer contact with SU (We will be working with SU this year to make this layer more effective)SU sabbatical officers – democratically elected by the student body, any student can stand for election; sabbs represent students on committees up to the highest level – Senate and Governing CouncilONLY WORKS of there is communication - listening/responding and closing the feedback loop
- LISA to present
- LISA to presentQL-x underpins the student record database (QL-s), underpins NILE, Specific information is pulled from and into QL-p and QL-fADS is used to store all curriculum documentation to ensure version control and ADS is used to export the information to QL-xADS – Control of InformationADS holds definitive programme and module information and is the first tier in the Curriculum Team’s database system.It is used to flood down information to the second tier in the database, which is called Curriculum Maintenance. Here, sessions and Stand Alone programmes can be created and maintained.ADS is also used for version control. Each time a programme or module is updated a new version of the programme/module is created within the database and the old version is archived.
- LISA to present
- KEVIN to presentThis set of information, is published on our own website, will give applicants the information they want at the level of the individual programme. Draws on a variety of sources including (National Student Survey, DLHE data and so on)What the KIS will do is draw it all together into a consistent and simple format, easily found on The University of Northampton’s website.It will also appear on UNISTATS website – a ‘compare the market’ website for universities which provides potential students with an opportunity to compare courses at different institutions.Regularly update and check the information on QLX relating to the KIS course identifiers. Ensure there is uniformity and the fields are correctly completedUse the HESA workbench on QLX to run reports which needs to pass validation with HESA.If the data is incorrect we are providing students (our customers) with false information about the courses.
- Kevin to present
- KEVIN to present
- KEVINto presentAccreditation by PSRBs may be essential for professional registration – e.g. Nursing, Social WorkOffer exemption from professional exams – e.g. Law, AccountingConfer eligibility for membership of the professional body – e.g. Psychology, Architectural TechnologyOr give students an edge over others when applying for jobsWhichever way you look at it, it is important!Accreditation is shown in KIS data - impact on recruitment if our courses are not accredited and the competitors areUN – many successfully accredited programmes Scope for more in a competitive environment
- KEVIN to Present
- KEVIN to Present
- KEVINDegree awarding bodies are responsible for (what is in the bubbles) irrespective of where these are being delivered or who provides them.Arrangements for delivering learning opportunities with organisations other than the degree-awarding body are implemented securely and managed effectively.
- MATTHEW to present
- MATTHEW to present
- LISA??
- ANNE to concludeIt all comes down to student experience; all centres on students.Quality and Standards – assuring and enhancing quality – help improve student experience and the new graduands’ employability.QUALITY MATTERS TO STUDENTS – THEREFORE IT SHOULD MATTER TO ALL OF US CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR STUDENT EXPERIENCE.Thank you.
- ANNE to conclude