The UK Quality Code for Higher Education

1. The UK Quality Codefor Higher Education Jenny Beaumont LTC February 2012

2. The UK Quality Code for Higher Education • 3 parts • Part A – Setting and maintaining threshold academic standards • Part B - Assuring and enhancing academic quality • Part C - Information about higher education provision • Replacing the Academic Infrastructure • Chapter B7 is new; so far all others are imported from the AI • Launched in December 2011

3. Overarching themes to be considered in all chapters • communication of information • employability • equality and diversity • the diverse needs of students, in particular: • non-traditional learners • work-based learners • part-time students • international students • postgraduate taught students • disabled students • the responsibilities of awarding bodies • European and international HE reference points • good practice and enhancement

4. Chapters of the Quality CodePart A – Setting and maintaining threshold academic standards New chapter • A1: National level • A2: Subject and qualification level • A3: Programme level • A4: Approval and review • A5: Externality • A6: Assessing achievement of learning outcomes • replaces / incorporates • - FHEQ and FQHEIS • - Subject benchmarks inc. FD • - Programme specifications • - Parts of CoP 7 • - Parts of CoP 7 and 4 • - Parts of CoP 6

5. New chapter B1: Programme design and approval B2: Admissions B3: Learning and teaching B4: Student support B5: Student engagement B6: Assessment and APL B7: External examining B8: Programme monitoring and review B9: Complaints and appeals B10: Collaborative arrangements B11: Postgraduate research programmes replaces / incorporates - Parts of CoP 7 - CoP 10 - CoP 2b and 9 and new material - CoP 8 and 3 - Nothing – this will be new - Parts of CoP 6 - CoP 4 - Parts of CoP 7 - CoP 5 - CoP 2a - CoP 1 Chapters of the Quality CodePart B – Assuring and enhancing academic quality

6. Not divided into chapters New – not replacing a discrete section of the Code of Practice Structured around the purposes of information and the need to serve a range of audiences Draft currently out for consultation – closes 24th February Chapters of the Quality CodePart C – Providing information about higher education

7. QAA timetable B7 External examining – published December 2011 C Information – consultation Jan./Feb.; publication June 2012 B11 PGR programmes – consultation Jan./Feb.; publication June 2012 B5 Student engagement – consultn Feb./Mar.; publication June 2012 B3 L&T – consultation May-July; publication September 2012 B10 Collaborative provision – consultation ?; publication December 2012 QAA target for completion of the whole Quality Code: Summer 2013 The Quality Code will inform institutional reviews from September 2012

8. The UK Quality Code for Higher Education • Expectations - we are required to meet these “express key matters of principle that the higher education community has identified as important for the assurance of quality and academic standards” e.g. Higher education providers make scrupulous use of external examiners. • Indicators(fka precepts) – show how we meet Expectations HE providers have “agreed that these reflect sound practice” e.g. Institutions include the name, position and institution of their external examiners in module or programme information provided to students. 18 expectations; 171 indicators

9. The UK Quality Codefor Higher Education Jenny Beaumont LTC February 2012