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Press release

QAA reports on public concerns about academic standards

Thematic enquiriesThe Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has today published a progress report on a series of enquiries undertaken in response to public concerns about academic standards and quality in higher education.

The report focuses on five areas:

  • student workload and contact hours
  • English language requirements for international students
  • recruitment practices for international students
  • the use of external examiners
  • assessment practices. 

These areas were chosen by QAA in response to debates in the media during summer 2008.

Dr Jayne Mitchell, Director of Development and Enhancement at QAA, said: ‘There has been much public debate about academic standards in higher education, stimulated by reports and allegations published in the media.  QAA responds to concerns of this sort and takes any action necessary to safeguard standards, but it is important first of all to establish whether there is evidence to support the allegations and the nature of the concerns.’

The progress report is an update on the first stage of the project, which has involved a detailed analysis of media coverage, comments and blogs as well as in depth interviews and focus group discussions with people from across the higher education sector.  Published and unpublished reports, papers, lectures and speeches on the five areas of the project have also been examined.

The aim of this stage was to identify any of the five areas in which there is evidence to support assertions made in summer 2008, using different methods from those used in QAA’s regular audits of higher education institutions. 

The final report on this stage will be published after Easter, and is expected to show that while higher education in England is fundamentally sound, there is evidence to support further scrutiny of the emerging evidence and concerns in the following areas:   the range of contact hours appropriate to the student learning experience, guidance offered to international students about UK higher education and the support arrangements that international students should expect from higher education institutions, processes use to identify, train and support external examiners, the assessment and degree classification practices used by higher education institutions and, effective ways of informing the general public about academic standards and quality in higher education and the ways they are assured. QAA will therefore be recommending that the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) supports further investigations by QAA to determine how these concerns can be addressed.

Ends

Notes to editors:

  1. The progress report on Thematic enquiries into concerns about academic quality and standards in higher education in England is available at www.qaa.ac.uk/standardsandquality/thematicenquiries  It has also been sent to the Select Committee on Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills which is conducting an inquiry into students and universities.
  1. Dr Jayne Mitchell is available for interview and further comment on this progress report.  Please contact Zoë Forbes, media relations manager, 01452 557047, z.forbes@qaa.ac.uk

 

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