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Concerns over quality and standards

We have a legal duty to assess the quality of the learning and teaching that we fund, and identify any systemic problems. This work is also vital to maintain public confidence in UK higher education (HE), at home and overseas.

A series of articles in the media in summer 2008 showed concerns that the quality of HE might be under threat. We take these concerns seriously, and have examined whether or not there is evidence to justify them in order to reassure and inform the wider public.

TQSE sub-committee

We established a sub-committee of the Teaching, Quality, and the Student Experience (TQSE) strategic committee to investigate the concerns and decide what action we need to take. The committee, chaired by Professor Colin Riordan, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex, met between November 2008 and July 2009.

The sub-committee report was published in October 2009. It found that there was no systemic failure in English quality assurance, but there were a number of issues to be addressed. The sub-committee's recommendations included:

• the current audit method is not flexible or responsive enough to keep pace with changes in English HE, and needs to be revised for the next series of audits beginning in 2011.
• a review is needed of publicly available information provided by higher education institutions (HEIs) to meet the needs of students, parents, advisers and professionals
• a complete review of the external examiner system should be undertaken
• the degree classification system should be improved so that it better reflects student achievement.

• Membership and terms of reference of the sub-committee
• Report of the sub-committee

Quality assurance and assessment in the future

The sub-committee's findings will contribute to continuing discussions over the future quality assurance method. The current audit cycle in HEIs comes to an end in 2010-11, (and the Integrated Quality, Enhancement and Review method in further education colleges will complete in 2011-12).

It will be vital to consult the sector on a new method in good time. A group of officers from HEFCE, Universities UK, Guild HE, Association of Colleges, the NUS and the Quality Assurance Agency are now meeting to agree the next steps in this process. We expect to consult the sector on the principles of the new method in late 2009 or early 2010.

Further information

Our work to address quality concerns operates under the quality assurance framework.

For more information about our work addressing concerns over quality and standards, contact Emma Creasey, e-mail e.creasey@hefce.ac.uk, tel 0117 931 7225.

Last updated 9 October 2009