Date of review	Publication date	Type of review	Judgements about quality and standards	Reference
Apr-2009	18 Sep 2009	Institutional Audit: England and Northern Ireland	Confidence can reasonably be placed in the soundness of the institution's present and likely future management of the academic standards of its awards. - What does this mean? Confidence can reasonably be placed in the soundness of the institution's present and likely future management of the quality of the learning opportunities available to students. - What does this mean?	ISBN 978 1 84979 024 6

Features of good practice	Recommendations for action
The audit team identified the following areas as being good practice: the move towards a firm oversight at institutional level of the management of academic standards and the quality of learning opportunities through the implementation of authoritative guidance on University policy and regulation, combined with well-conceived organisational changes the way in which faculty quality assurance teams are used in promoting the consideration within faculties of common themes related to quality and standards, thereby raising awareness of relevant University policies, as well as facilitating the dissemination of good practice the University's model of research-informed education, under which the design of taughtdegree programmes places significant weight on student engagement with research methods and staff research activities.	The team advises the Institution to: ensure that the intended learning outcomes of a programme are explicitly reflected in the intended learning outcomes of its constituent units ensure that unit specifications always clearly express the means whereby each of the unit's intended learning outcomes is to be assessed ensure that unit specifications, in detailing assessment criteria, consistently include, where applicable, an explanation of how the award of credit may be affected by criteria additional to marks in an examination or other formal assessment move expeditiously towards its stated ideal of a University-wide method for degree classification. It would be desirable for the Institution to: following amendment to the University's requirements in relation to research supervision, to review implementation of the provision for 'a range of individuals in addition to the student's supervisor(s)' to support a research student, in order to ensure that access to a supervisory team is now normally available to every such student to clarify the appeals process for research students (expanding on the current written procedure as necessary, so that all stages are covered and the composition of the appeals panel and its mode of operation are explained) and to ensure that it is effectively communicated to students.

Features of good practice

Recommendations for action

The audit team identified the following areas as being good practice:

the move towards a firm oversight at institutional level of the management of academic standards and the quality of learning opportunities through the implementation of authoritative guidance on University policy and regulation, combined with well-conceived organisational changes
the way in which faculty quality assurance teams are used in promoting the consideration within faculties of common themes related to quality and standards, thereby raising awareness of relevant University policies, as well as facilitating the dissemination of good practice
the University's model of research-informed education, under which the design of taughtdegree programmes places significant weight on student engagement with research methods and staff research activities.

The team advises the Institution to:

ensure that the intended learning outcomes of a programme are explicitly reflected in the intended learning outcomes of its constituent units
ensure that unit specifications always clearly express the means whereby each of the unit's intended learning outcomes is to be assessed
ensure that unit specifications, in detailing assessment criteria, consistently include, where applicable, an explanation of how the award of credit may be affected by criteria additional to marks in an examination or other formal assessment
move expeditiously towards its stated ideal of a University-wide method for degree classification.

It would be desirable for the Institution to:

following amendment to the University's requirements in relation to research supervision, to review implementation of the provision for 'a range of individuals in addition to the student's supervisor(s)' to support a research student, in order to ensure that access to a supervisory team is now normally available to every such student
to clarify the appeals process for research students (expanding on the current written procedure as necessary, so that all stages are covered and the composition of the appeals panel and its mode of operation are explained) and to ensure that it is effectively communicated to students.

Accessibility | Privacy | Information publication scheme | Site map | Reviewer extranet