Quality Assurance
The Quality Assurance element of the Educational Excellence Team is a key part of the oversight of academic quality and standards at the University. With responsibility for a range of key activities that span our campuses, including University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) and University of Nottingham Ningbo (UNNC); the team keeps a watchful eye on the regulators, mindful that our processes align and are proportionate and responsive. Regulators include the Office for Students and in particular the Quality and Standards B Conditions of Registration, Ofsted and the Education Inspection Framework and the QAA Quality Code.
Our work spans a number of key areas:
Committees and groups
Quality and Standards Committee
The Quality and Standards Committee (QSC) is responsible on behalf of Senate for overseeing the development, implementation and monitoring of the University’s teaching and assessment, and the management and maintenance of academic standards of University’s taught awards. It is a child committee of Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC), which is also managed within the wider team.
Foundation Year Committee
The Foundation Year Committee (FYC) is a sub-committee of QSC and takes place 3 times per year. The secretariat for the committee is managed within the QA section of the Educational Excellence Team.
Quality Manual
Fundamental to the operation of our academic quality and standards is the Quality Manual, which is equally applicable across the UK, UNM and UNNC. Whilst it is updated and maintained within the team, the content is generally owned by other areas of the University, whose have the responsibility of providing the relevant updates to the team. In addition to the links provided below, more detailed information on the University’s quality assurance processes can be found within the University's Quality Manual.
Monitoring
Fundamental to our ability to operate as a Degree Awarding Power is the ongoing monitoring and review of our programmes. There are a few interlinked processes that we use:
- Periodic reviews – a process that takes place on a cyclical basis and know internally as an Educational Enhancement and Assurance Review (EEAR)
- School Enhancement Plans (see Educational Enhancement section); where we monitor activity in a range of areas, some of which are key University KPIs. These include NSS, APP, PTES and Degree Outcomes
- External Examiner reports
- Annual report to Council
For our Degree Apprenticeship Programmes we have additional monitoring in order to be assured of our compliance with the regulator:
- Internal Quality Reviews – a process based on the Ofsted ‘Deep Dive’ which enables scrutiny of our Degree Apprenticeship Programmes
- Oversight of the annual cycle of Programme Level Self-Assessment Reports (PLSARs) and corresponding Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs)
- Oversight of the End Point Assessment process.