We have launched the formal consultation on the proposed 2024 edition of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.
All responses should be submitted via our online survey by 17 May 2024, 5pm 👇
We have published new advice for providers on how to approach the assessment of students in a world where students have access to Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
Check it out 👇
We are delighted to announce the appointment of
@Vicki__Stott
as our next Chief Executive.
Vicki currently serves as QAA’s Executive Director of Operations and Deputy CEO, and will succeed
@black_dug
, who is due to step down in the autumn.
More info:
Today we welcomed our shiny new Student Advisory Committee members to QAA HQ for their induction, before we set them to work straight away at tomorrow's meeting. We're looking forward to a great 2018/19 with this fantastic bunch!
It is concerning to hear of the potential imposition of restrictions on where and what courses international students may study. There is no data to suggest that international students ‘prop up sub-standard courses’ and we would caution against reactive policy-making.
QAA has campaigned to criminalise essay mills since 2017, working with sector partners to raise awareness of the serious threat to HE & students. We're delighted that DfE has announced they will be banned. The fight to protect
#academicintegrity
goes on
🌍 We have published revised guidance for UK HE providers on how best to support and enhance the experience of international students.
It offers practical advice and reflective questions structured around key stages of the international student journey 👇
QAA is disappointed to learn that the Office for Students intends to proceed with the proposal to remove summative question 27 from the National Student Survey (NSS) for providers in England.
Read our response below 👇
In partnership with
@AdvanceHE
we have launched new guidance on Education for Sustainable Development. The revised guidance is intended to help UK HE institutions incorporate
#ESD
within their curricula.
Access the guidance here:
#ESDLaunch
#Sustainability
It was great to see faces old and new on Friday as
@black_dug
passed on the QAA baton to
@Vicki__Stott
and bid a fond farewell. Thank you for your incredible dedication, Douglas!
🎞️ The recording of our final webinar on ChatGPT - ‘What should assessment look like now?’ - is now available!
👉
🖥️ Our webpage contains advice, guidance and resources for HE professionals to adapt their teaching in light of AI:
Great news for
@QAAtweets
and the sector.
@ENQAtwt
have today announced the outcome of our ENQA review, commending us for our 'valuable contributions to protecting student interests and towards higher education quality advancements internationally'
❔ How do you design assessments now that students can use ChatGPT?
❔ What does ‘innovative authentic assessment’ mean?
Join us on 18 April for the final webinar in our series which will explore examples of assessment design that account for ChatGPT.
👉
We are delighted that our CEO, Douglas Blackstock (
@black_dug
), has today been elected as the next President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (
@ENQAtwt
).
UK universities have agreed a set of principles to reinforce the essential role of the external examining system in protecting UK academic standards.
The principles were developed by an advisory group working alongside QAA,
@UniversitiesUK
and
@GuildHE
We have confirmed the membership of the Advisory Groups overseeing Subject Benchmark Statement reviews this year.
View more info on the statements due to be reviewed and the membership of the Advisory Groups 👇
Congratulations to our colleagues at
@nusuk
who celebrate their centenary today 🎉
NUS are a valued partner in much of QAA's work, particularly through our Board and Student Strategic Advisory Committee. Here's to 100 more!🙌
#NUS100
We are pleased to have our
@eqar_he
registration restored following action we announced last month to publish reports and include a student reviewer on every DQB review team.
Read more:
We know Access to HE students need clarity about assessment of their Diplomas as soon as possible, and we expect to publish further information tomorrow.
A powerful speech given by
@CSkidmoreUK
in the
@HouseofCommons
in support of his proposed Bill to criminalise essay mills. The Bill will now have a second reading and QAA will give full support to its continued progress .
Consultations are now open on 12 draft Subject Benchmark Statements.
These Statements describe the nature of study and the academic standards expected of graduates in specific subject areas.
Closes: Wednesday 2 November
Subjects in next tweet 👇
[1/2]
QAA has notified the Secretary of State for Education that it will no longer consent to be the Designated Quality Body in England (DQB) after the current DQB year ends on 31 March 2023.
Read more:
QAA has published its Quality Enhancement Review of
@cardiffmet
and commended the institution for proactive approaches to increase levels of support to students during the pandemic, and the enhancement of the quality of the student learning experience.
A slightly different blog today.
@registrarism
looks back at the career of retiring QAA CEO
@black_dug
, from his time with students' unions to his 20 years at QAA, and reflects on his impact on the UK higher education sector
1/4 QAA will shortly welcome 1️⃣2️⃣new members to the Student Strategic Advisory Committee (SSAC) a key pillar of QAA’s student engagement work!
Full story:
We have published the first in a series of new guidance aimed at supporting all providers of UK higher education to manage quality and academic standards in these unprecedented times:
Decision is a huge step in the battle to close down these unscrupulous operators. Essay companies rely heavily on payment platforms like PayPal to process students' orders. Removing this facility will significantly hamper their operation,
@garethcrossman
We are pleased that this Act also leads to the banning of essay mills in England.
This is an important step forward in the campaign against essay mills. We hope to see a similar ban applied in the other UK nations in due course.
Her Majesty has given Royal Assent to bring our Skills and Post-16 Education Act into law 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
This Act will help transform opportunities for technical education, training and skills - boosting both careers and the economy 👩🏽🏭👷🏼👩🏻💻
#Tlevels
#Apprenticeships
#IoTs
#SkillsforLife
We have published new guidance to support the HE sector in its response to the COVID-19 challenge. Read our detailed advice, drawing on emerging practice in the sector, here:
🆕 We have published our new strategy which will underpin QAA’s future work in ensuring that students and learners experience the highest possible quality of education.
The new strategy is accompanied by the start of a refresh of QAA’s branding.
👉
We have published new guidance which aims to help build a common language to describe digital approaches to programme delivery, helping providers to better inform students of the learning experiences on offer.
Available here:
Wishing the best of luck to all
#AccessToHE
students receiving results this month - we're excited to see where your journey will take you 👐
If you would like to share your story, drop us an email on ahe
@qaa
.ac.uk, we'd love to hear from you!
#AccessYourFuture
#AdultLearning
At our ENQUIRE event today, we are launching 10 new and revised Subject Benchmark Statements.
Each of the Statements has been developed by an expert subject advisory group, supported by extensive consultation with disciplinary communities in 2022-2023.
👉
Preserving quality and standards through a time of rapid change: our latest guidance looks at how universities and colleges are preparing for the next academic year:
Our ‘Inclusive Education Framework’ Collaboration Enhancement Project is led by
@UniOfHull
It aims to create a cross-institutional education framework that will make implementation of inclusive educational practices as straightforward as possible 👇
Congratulations winners and runners up of Keith Fletcher
#AccesstoHE
awards: Chloe Buchanan
@Chi_College
& Michael Allport
@ColchesterInst
for Outstanding academic achievement, and Kirsteen Turner-Joynes (EDAS) & Karly Jenkins
@GowerCollegeSwa
for Outstanding commitment to study
Our Student Strategic Advisory Committee is coming together online this morning for their first meeting of the year!
Today, they will discuss a range of important elements of QAA's work including:
📑Subject Benchmark Statements
📝External Examining Review
👩🎓
#StudentEngagement
With the support of governments across the UK, we have published new guidance for UK higher education providers to help them protect academic integrity and combat the use of essay mills in their institutions:
@educationgovuk
@WG_Education
@ScotGovEdu
A review by
@ENQAtwt
has found QAA to be compliant with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), and acknowledged QAA’s ‘high reputation and solid position in UK, European and the international higher education community’.
Find out more 👇
Earlier this afternoon, QAA held our first Student Quality Network bringing together student leaders and representatives for essential conversations on quality in UK higher education.
Great conversation on Academic Integrity, authentic assessment and much more!
@hillarygyebi
Applications to join QAA's Student Strategic Advisory Committee (SSAC) are now open!
You can apply to join SSAC until midnight on Tuesday 15 August 2023.
Read more below 👇
Wer're looking forward to leading a discussion starter on
#AcademicIntegrity
later this month at
@EQAF
alongside
@QQI_connect
.
We will discuss some of our respective sector-leading work in this area including our Academic Integrity Charter.
More info:
BBC News - YouTube stars' fury as videos promoting cheating removed
Good for
#YouTube
taking decisive action. The YouTube stars complaining that they didn't know it was wrong is no excuse. EduBirdie are obviously selling a cheating service.
We are recruiting to our Student Strategic Advisory Committee!
If you are:
👉 A current student or recent graduate (within the last two years)
👉 An elected sabbatical officer
👉 A staff member in a students' union/association
Then why not apply 👇
Tomorrow we will be hosting the second of our three webinars on ChatGPT.
We will be discussing the opportunities it presents to the sector:
❔ How can it support and facilitate deeper learning?
❔ How can it make teaching easier?
Read more below 👇
As we celebrate
#QAA25
, we also celebrate 25 years managing and quality assuring the
#AccessToHE
Diploma.
We'd love to hear from Access to HE graduates across the decades to celebrate the impact of this incredible qualification.
If that is you, get in touch! 📧
@CambridgeAVA
Our definition of quality resource is designed to help policymakers understand what we mean by ‘quality’ in higher education.
It includes a breakdown of indicators that reflect high quality, with examples of how they play out in educational settings 👇
We're sad to say goodbye to some of our amazing 'retiring' Student Committee Members this week, they've had a huge influence on our work and policy developments in the sector over the past two years. We are so grateful for their input and wish them all the best for the future!
We have been commissioned by
@UniversitiesUK
and
@GuildHE
to develop a new approach to reviewing and enhancing the quality of UK transnational education.
Further information and the report on the UK TNE consultation are available here:
Renowned neuropsychologist Oliver Turnbull has joined QAA’s Board of Directors. Prof Turnbull is Pro Vice Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) at
@BangorUni
with a special interest in improving the quality of teaching.
.
@AGDelaney
has been appointed as QAA's next Executive Director of Operations and Deputy CEO.
Alastair is our current Director of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. He will succeed
@Vicki__Stott
on Sep 1 when she takes over as QAA's acting Chief Exec.
A fantastic afternoon with
@AdvanceHE
colleagues in London today discussing how we can ensure our offers are complementary for members and brainstorming ideas for shared projects in future.
We’re excited about what’s to come! 🎉
Our
#AcademicIntegrity
Charter has 7⃣ key principles intended to guide the implementation of academic integrity policy development and practice in UK higher education institutions.
Sign up to the Charter here:
🗨️ ‘I absolutely loved the course – it was probably the first time in my life that I had really enjoyed education.’
Read more about Labour MP
@NadiaWhittomeMP
’s
#AccesstoHE
journey here:
QAA has issued a statement on the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee’s report on the work of the Office for Students.
Read our full statement below 👇
This month, we will highlight key resources and projects designed to support institutions in delivering Education for Sustainable Development in the curriculum. Watch this video to find out more about what ESD looks like within the Higher Education sector:
Today is World Quality Day 2018! We are proud to have been monitoring and advising on standards and quality across UK higher education for 21 years and continue to ensure that students receive the best possible experience in higher education
#WQD18
QAA is pleased to announce that, following a competitive public tender process, we have been awarded the contract for the provision of the quality assurance of nursing and midwifery education by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Our second ChatGPT webinar will explore the opportunities it presents to the sector:
❔ How can it support and facilitate deeper learning?
❔ How can it make teaching easier?
Join us on 31 March 👇
Watch the first webinar here:
🖥️
Congrats to all those appointed Chairs and Deputy Chairs for the review of Subject Benchmark Statements in 2021-22.
We look forward to working with you to ensure the Statements serve as a useful resource for discipline communities
Find out more below 👇
We are currently working to provide Access to HE students and providers with information about exactly how grades will be calculated as quickly as possible. Once available, we will publish this on the Access to HE website (students) and QAA website (providers).
Join us tomorrow at 11am as we discuss the right response to ChatGPT in HE:
❔ Is it possible to detect the use of ChatGPT in assessments?
❔ Is it right to punish students for using it?
❔ Is banning ChatGPT as futile as banning Google?
Register 👉
🆕 We have announced funding for 16 new Collaborative Enhancement Projects which will begin from January 2023!
These new projects, each led by a QAA member, involve 70 partners from across the HE sector.
Find out more 👉
Save the date: we will be holding our one-day Data Matters conference on 16 January 2019 which will focus on using data to improve the student experience. The conference is jointly run with
@ukhesa
and
@Jisc
. Registration will open shortly:
🌐 We have compiled examples of practice from higher education institutions around the world, reflecting the various sector responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resources detailing the approaches in 10 countries are now available on our website:
A framework for inclusive higher education has been developed through a Collaborative Enhancement Project led by the
@UniOfHull
.
This project's materials are designed to inspire the sector to implement inclusive educational practices effectively 👇
We are holding an interactive workshop on 19 January to bring students and academics together as active co-inquirers to view assessment as learning; recognising the value of the assessment process and how it contributes to a meaningful learning experience:
Published today:
@educationgovuk
consultation responses on HE regulation. Overwhelming support for QAA as ‘credible and suitable' designated quality body . Read our response .
Calling all student reps (or anyone that works in student engagement)! Save the date for Quality Matters, our event dedicated to student engagement in HE quality. Join us in Manchester on 17 October 2018.
#QM18
Our new
#StudentEngagement
Toolkit is now available to Quality Insights members 🎉
This resource aims to support student leaders and staff in planning enhancement-led student engagement activity. It is broken into a series of exercises.
Check it out 👇
QAA is delighted to announce that we have been commissioned by the Department for the Economy to develop an enhancement-led quality review method for higher education in Northern Ireland.
You can read more about it here:
👉
Essay mills rely on web hosting, advertising and payment services to operate. We’re calling on the companies that supply them to ban essay mills from their sites and stop them in their tracks
#banessaymills
#academicintegrity
We are holding our Evolving Student Engagement digital conference on 21-23 July! The conference is aimed at supporting students’ union staff, student officers and reps, and HEI staff working in student engagement, in the challenging COVID-19 environment:
After a robust review of quality and standards, we can confirm that
@ChiniBob
's toothy terror has met all QAA expectations in today's pumpkin carving competition. Well done Lou!
Over 270 participants from QAA Member institutions are joining us this morning to find out more about contingency planning for placements in light of COVID-19. We’re starting by introducing our upcoming guidance on placements.
QAA has recently updated its Contracting to Cheat Guidance for the UK higher education sector on guarding against and responding to instances of contract cheating. The updated versions reflects legislative change in England.
#IDoA2022
#ExcelWithIntegrity
Our 2018 annual conference is entitled 'The UK Quality Summit: Delivering Impact through Innovation', and will be held at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff on 24-25 April. Book your place now!
We have published new guidance to help providers develop a toolkit in order to enhance the quality of digital learning for their students.
Read the guidance here:
Interested in learning more about the challenges artificial intelligence poses to
#AcademicIntegrity
?
QAA Members and other sector providers can now access our briefing on the issue via our website 👇
We have published a new resource to help institutions manage their approaches to the admission of new students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and delivering effective transitions into HE, between years or levels of study, and into graduation:
We have published new advice on doctoral standards for research students and supervisors, in response to concerns expressed by PhD students about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their ability to carry out research and complete their studies on time: