Quality enhancement framework in Scotland

QAA Scotland worked closely with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, Universities Scotland and the National Union of Students Scotland on developing the approach to quality in the Scottish higher education sector. The strategy adopted has five main elements:

A comprehensive programme of subject reviews that are run by institutions themselves.

Institution-level review, which involves all Scottish higher education institutions over a four-year cycle. More.

Improved forms of public information about quality, based on addressing the different needs of a range of stakeholders including students and employers. More.

A greater voice for student representatives in institutional quality systems, supported by a new national development service. More.

A national programme of Enhancement Themes, aimed at encouraging academic and support staff and students to share current good practice and collectively generate ideas and models for innovation in learning and teaching. More.

The work of QAA Scotland feeds into all these elements. This collaborative approach to quality is unique in many respects - in its balance between quality assurance and enhancement; in the emphasis which it places on the student experience; in its focus on learning and not solely on teaching; and (perhaps most importantly) in the spirit of cooperation and partnership which has underpinned all these developments.