University of Ulster
Institutional Audit

APRIL 2005

RG 158 09/05

Summary

Web site for University of Ulster

Introduction

A team of auditors from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) visited the University of Ulster (the University) from 25 to 29 April 2005 to carry out an institutional audit. The purpose of the audit was to provide public information on the quality of the opportunities available to students and on the academic standards of its awards.

To arrive at its conclusions the audit team spoke to members of staff throughout the University, to current students, and read a wide range of documents relating to the way the University manages the academic aspects of its provision.

The words 'academic standards' are used to describe the level of achievement that a student has to reach to gain an academic award (for example, a degree). It should be at a similar level across the UK.

Academic quality is a way of describing how well the learning opportunities available to students help them to achieve their award. It is about making sure that appropriate teaching, support, assessment and learning opportunities are provided for them.

In institutional audit, both academic standards and academic quality are reviewed.

Outcome of the audit

As a result of its investigations, the audit team's view of the University is that:

broad confidence can be placed in the soundness of the institution's current and likely future management of the quality of its academic programmes and the academic standards of its awards.

Features of good practice

The audit team identified the following areas of good practice:

the University's demonstrable commitment to, and achievement of, an embedded academic quality culture
the systematic approach, incorporating effective consultation, piloting, evaluation, project management and institutional oversight adopted for the introduction of strategic University developments
the comprehensive provision for the support, training and supervision of research students
the effectiveness of the University's staff development activity, arising from the range and relevance of provision, the alignment to institutional priorities, and proactive management and coordination
the University's coherent and comprehensive strategy for the development and implementation of e-learning.

Recommendations for action

The audit team also recommends that the University should consider further action in a number of areas to ensure that the academic quality and standards of the awards it offers are maintained. It would be desirable for the University to:

expedite the resolution of the purpose and scope of staff appraisal, and to establish appropriate procedures for consistent and effective implementation across the University
promote, maximise and render more visible the employer contribution to subject development
clarify and make explicit the University's minimum requirements for internal moderation of assessment results to ensure appropriate consistency of practice across the University
clarify, in formal documentation, the extent and limits of external examiners' authority to moderate the marks of individual students to ensure fairness to all students.

Outcomes of discipline audit trails in the built environment; computing; education; environmental studies; and social administration and policy

To arrive at these overall conclusions the audit team spoke to staff and students, and was given information about the University as a whole. The team looked at the areas of provision above to find out how well the University's systems and procedures were working at the discipline level. The University provided the team with documents, including student work and, here too, the team spoke to staff and students. As well as supporting the overall confidence statements given above, the team considered that the standard of student achievement in the five discipline areas was appropriate to the title of the awards made and their place in The framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The team considered the quality of the learning opportunities available to students was suitable for programmes of study leading to the awards.

National reference points

To provide further evidence to support its findings the audit team also investigated the use made by the University of the Academic Infrastructure, which QAA has developed on behalf of the whole of UK higher education. The Academic Infrastructure is a set of nationally agreed reference points that help to define both good practice and academic standards. The findings of the audit confirm that the University has embedded these developments in a timely and comprehensive way into its management of quality and standards.

From 2004, QAA's audit teams comment on the reliability of the information about academic quality and standards that institutions will be required to publish, listed in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's document 03/51, Information on quality and standards in higher education: Final guidance. The University has responded fully and positively to the requirements set out in both documents and the team found that the relevant information had been made publicly available on the Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the UK (HERO) website.

>> Main report

>> Findings

ISBN 1 84482 347 4

University of Ulster Institutional Audit