Welcome to our blog, where guest authors and QAA specialists discuss issues which really matter for our sector, in the UK and around the world.
Latest blogs
Under pressure
15/10/2025
Très SHEEC
29/09/2025
Promoting the student voice in TNE
03/06/2025
The value of Subject Benchmark Statements
10/04/2025
A collaborative approach to enhancement
25/03/2025
Sustainability matters
11/02/2025
How AI may make us rethink the purpose of HE
06/02/2025
Lessons in Access
28/01/2025
Working small – and thinking big
11/12/2024
Defining a discipline
02/12/2024
Promoting equity in assessment
08/11/2024
The future of lifelong learning
02/05/2024
Previous blogs
- 17 November 2023
Micro-credentials good practice: A tertiary view from Scotland | Dr Anne Tierney, Deputy Chair of the Scottish Tertiary Education Network for Micro-credentials - 13 November 2023
International Day of Action for Academic Integrity - 11 October 2023
Immersed in Immersive Learning! The Welsh Collective: Digital Learning and Teaching Enhancement | Steph Tindall, Head of Educational Practice Development, University of Wales Trinity Saint David - 25 July 2023
Reflections on the European Network for Academic Integrity Conference | Professor Sandie Dann, Professor Michael Draper and Dr Irene Glendinning, Academic Integrity Advisory Group members, QAA - 25 July 2023
Root to shoots: A holistic route to designing high quality inclusive learning environments | Virna Rossi, Associate Professor and PGCert Course Leader, Ravensbourne University London - 20 July 2023
QAA modernises with agile working arrangement | QAA - 10 July 2023
How are we using different modes of communication to engage students with their learning? | Professor Sam Elkington, Teesside University - 25 May 2023
My experience of transitioning to university | Gianna De Salvo, Get Ahead Transition Programme Project Officer, Queen Mary University of London - 16 May 2023
The rise of entrepreneurship and innovation in HE: A case study of the 'With Proficiency in Entrepreneurship' pathway at the University of Exeter | Raphael Dennett, Director, ‘With Proficiency in Entrepreneurship’ Pathway; Deputy Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Exeter - 20 April 2023
Mature students: Managing your university offers | Nicola Turner, Senior Fair Access Adviser, UCAS - 12 April 2023
Student Intrapreneur and Entrepreneur Toolkit and community of practice | Professor Tony Wall, Professor & National Teaching Fellow, Liverpool John Moores University - 6 April 2023
Creating a sense of belonging: Our guidance for supporting international students | Eduardo Ramos, Director of International and Professional Services, QAA - 5 April 2023
Launching QAA's new strategy | Vicki Stott, Chief Executive, QAA - 9 March 2023
The Retention Rubik’s cube | Dr Russell Crawford, Director of Academic Innovation and Quality, Falmouth University - 6 March 2023
A community-based approach to advancing thinking and practice in student engagement: Some reflections | Professor Sam Elkington, Professor of Learning and Teaching, Teesside University - 10 February 2023
Introducing The Careers Group’s QAA-funded Collaborative Enhancement Project | Kate Daubney, Director of The Careers Group, University of London - 8 February 2023
Moving Beyond Measurement: Enhancing Learning and Teaching Quality Through Collaborative Observation | Professor Matthew O’Leary, Professor of Education, Director of CSPACE research centre, Faculty of Health, Education & Life Sciences, Birmingham City University - 6 February 2023
Staff-student partnership working - exploring how staff are supported | Dan Axson, Learning Technologies Manager, University of Sussex, Professor Susan Smith, Professor (Education), School of Management, University College London
- 6 December 2022
Partners in quality: Working together to support UK-UAE higher education collaboration | Dr Wafi Dawood, CEO of Strategy and Planning, Knowledge and Human Development Authority - 1 December 2022
Designing, measuring and supporting success for PGRs from diverse backgrounds | Mercy Mwansa, PGR Project Consultation Officer, University of Leeds - 10 November 2022
Modular learning by design and not by default | Dr Charles Wiffen, Head of Academic Portfolio Development, Bath Spa University - 7 November 2022
Reading Classics online: Staff and student perspectives | Annabelle Mansell, Samantha Sharman & Jamie Wood, University of Lincoln - 3 November 2022
The independence imperative: 25 years of QAA | Simon Gaskell, Chair of the QAA board - 3 November 2022
Student transitions to higher education: Partnership working | Dr Sally Burtonshaw, Head of Policy, London Higher - 11 October 2022
QAA at 25: Perspectives on quality in Osteopathy | Steven Bettles, Policy Manager, General Osteopathic Council - 10 October 2022
Embedding Mental Wellbeing | Zoë Allman, De Montfort University (Project Lead) - 28 September 2022
Quality enhancement through collaboration, trust and empowerment (a celebration of the Scottish approach) | Sir Paul Grice, Principal and Vice-Chancellor and Professor Catriona Bell, Director of Learning Enhancement & Academic Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh - 12 September 2022
‘What even is a seminar?!’ Reflections on the hidden curriculum of higher education | Dr Madeleine Pownall, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Leeds - 2 September 2022
Embedding Inclusive Assessment | Professor Sam Elkington, Teesside University (Project Lead) - 30 August 2022
Defining what we mean by ‘quality’ education | Professor Tom Ward, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education, Newcastle University - 27 July 2022
Active Online Reading – findings and recommendations | Jamie Wood, Professor of History and Education, University of Lincoln - 12 July 2022
Embedding Education for Sustainable Development | Dr Rehema White, Senior Lecturer, School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews - 30 June 2022
Using data to identify risks and evidence outcomes: Key points from QAA's Specialist and Independent Provider Network | Dr Kate Mori, Academic Engagement Manager, QAA - 28 June 2022
College HE Policy and Practice Network: key reflections | Dr Kate Mori, Academic Engagement Manager, QAA - 1 June 2022
Reclaiming student engagement: The first year of a collaborative approach from Wales | Dr Myfanwy Davies, Head of Quality Enhancement, Bangor University - 19 May 2022
Students at the heart of quality | Emma Murphy, Education Officer, Queens’ University Belfast Students’ Union - 9 May 2022
Designing programmes for learning: Foundations and aspirations | Carmen Tomas, Associate Director of Education, University of Nottingham - 29 April 2022
HEFCW HEIR: Collaborative Programmes Wales Project - Guidance Resource Pack | John Bolton, Bangor University - 27 April 2022
Supporting inclusivity and accessibility in the QAA Subject Benchmark Statements | Dr Andy Smith, Quality and Standards Manager, QAA - 22 April 2022
College-based higher education - a unique place for students | Leon Annett, Dean of Higher Education, Cardiff and Vale College and Jane Nickisson, Head of Higher Education, Salford City College - 22 April 2022
Higher education to empower #GenerationRestoration | Dr Mark Nason, Head of Eden Project Learning, Cornwall College Group - 12 April 2022
'Campus Plus' - An institutional model for success after Covid | Professor Patrick McGhee, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, University of Bolton - 29 March 2022
Micro-credentials: Stackability and portability | Dr Demelza Curnow, Lead Quality Manager, QAA - 18 February 2022
Adaptations to enhance the Access to HE student experience: Reflections from QAA’s National Standardisation Event | Ann-Marie Karadia. Access Officer. QAA
- 6 December 2021
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol's Welsh Medium Digital Learning Materials Project | Delyth Ifan, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol - 6 December 2021
Looking back at the QAA Northern Ireland Conference: Contemporary issues in higher education | Elizabeth Shackels, Quality Assurance Manager, South West College - 6 December 2021
Enhancing Welsh language employability skills and overcoming learner underconfidence | Huw Swayne, Head of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience, Sian Harris, Senior Lecturer Welsh Employability, University of South Wales - 3 December 2021
Supporting the transition of disabled students to higher education through peer-led ambassador schemes | Dr Melanie Thorley, STAART Manager, University of Greenwich - 24 November 2021
Micro-credentials as an Enabler of Sustainability | Demelza Curnow, Lead Quality Manager, Kate Mori, Quality and Standards Specialist, QAA - 19 November 2021
The impact of the pandemic on higher education – a Canadian perspective on digital learning | Dr Nicole Johnson, Research Director, Canadian Digital Learning Research Association (CDLRA) - 16 November 2021
How can we accommodate the needs of mature students when we contemplate post-pandemic recovery in higher education? | Amarjit Basi, Executive Director, Black FE Leadership Group - 9 November 2021
Climate, Environment and Sustainability: The Importance of Universities in Addressing the Climate Crisis | Professor Simon Kemp, Professorial Fellow in Education for Sustainable Development, University of Southampton and Professor Jim Longhurst, Professor of Environmental Science and Assistant Vice Chancellor: Environment & Sustainability, UWE Bristol - 28 October 2021
The Future of Blended Learning: A Student Perspective | Becky Ricketts, NUS Wales President and Shawn Shabu, Swansea University Student - Applied Medical Sciences BSc (Hons) - 13 October 2021
Why ‘going beyond the metrics’ matters even more as we ‘build back better’ | Professor Elizabeth Cleaver (Independent HE Consultant) and Professor Fiona Smart (Edinburgh Napier University) - 8 October 2021
Reflecting on 20 years at QAA - A tribute to Douglas Blackstock | Dr Paul Greatrix, Registrar, University of Nottingham - 5 October 2021
Innovating assessment to motivate Access to HE students | Pritee Rajput, Subject Leader for Science and Health, Adam Beral, Head of Curriculum for Health, Education and Science, Morley College - 29 September 2021
Sustaining and Enhancing digital Learning Pan-Wales | Professor Claire Taylor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Education, Wrexham Glyndŵr University - 23 September 2021
Subject confidence among bioscience students | Dr Harriet Jones, University of East Anglia, Professor Jon Scott, University of Leicester - 15 September 2021
Putting the Emphasis on Enhancement: The Welsh Approach to Quality | Alastair Delaney, Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive, QAA - 13 September 2021
Tackling contract cheating at the root – where next in the battle against essay mills? | Gareth Crossman, Head of Policy and Communications, QAA - 31 August 2021
QAA Evolving Student Engagement Conference blog - Where do we go next? Lessons from a decade of student engagement | Dan Derricott, Head of Academic Policy and Quality Assurance, University College London - 31 August 2021
QAA Evolving Student Engagement Conference blog: Driving change for inclusivity with students as partners | Dr Zainab Khan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Teaching and Learning, London Metropolitan University - 18 August 2021
Reflections for the future: Taking forward learning from the global pandemic | Bethan Gulliver, Lecturer in Medical Education, University of East Anglia - 15 July 2021
Supporting students’ transition to university during COVID-19 | Dr Pam Birtill, Dr Richard Harris and Madeleine Pownall, University of Leeds - 1 July 2021
QAA Membership - A specific place for college higher education | Dr Roshani Swift, Quality Manager, QAA - 23 June 2021
Women in Engineering | Hayley Little, Former Access to HE Diploma in Engineering student - 10 June 2021
Net Zero Skills by 2030? | Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor, University of Northampton - 26 May 2021
Life in ‘pandemia’: UK university staff perspectives on work during COVID-19 | Richard Watermeyer, Tom Crick and Cathryn Knight, Centre for Higher Education Transformations, University of Bristol and School of Education, Swansea University - 20 May 2021
What happens next? Student arrival in higher education in 2021 | Dr Harriet Jones, Senior Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia - 20 May 2021
Supporting student transitions - preparing for university during a pandemic | Heather Monsey, Outreach Officer, University of East Anglia - 10 May 2021
Access to HE Conference Blog - Growth Opportunities for Gender Diversity in the Graduate Labour Market | Richard Hewitt, Director - Higher Education, Emsi - 07 May 2021
QAA Annual Conference Blog - Rethinking authentic assessment in a post-COVID world: Is it right to hope for change? | Dr Jan McArthur, Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University - 29 April 2021
QAA Annual Conference Blog - Engaging Students in Academic Integrity | Gráinne Mooney, Communications Manager, Quality and Qualifications Ireland and Kevin McStravock, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Union of Students in Ireland - 14 April 2021
Students’ Questions about Quality and Value in COVID times | Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, Current Vice President for the National Union of Students and QAA Board Member - 12 April 2021
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Keith Fletcher Memorial Access to HE prizes | Katie Wand, PR, Media & Communications Officer, QAA - 30 March 2021
Student transitions to higher education - the impact of changes to the school experience of A Level biological science students | Professor Jon Scott, Higher Education Consultant and Emeritus Professor of Bioscience Education - 17 March 2021
Celebrating Colleges as a Vehicle for Progress | Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group) and QAA Board Member - 15 March 2021
The year ahead… | Professor John Sawkins, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Deputy Principal), Learning and Teaching, Heriot-Watt University - 03 March 2021
QAA in Ukraine: What our International Work means for UK Higher Education and our Members | Ian Welch, Quality Specialist, QAA - 18 February 2021
Learning from the remote pivot - approaches to aligning learning outcomes to assessment for student success | Professor Elizabeth Cleaver, Independent HE Consultant and Professor Mike McLinden, University of Birmingham - 5 February 2021
Access to HE changed my life! From 12 years in the military to studying Medicine at university | Luke Tomlinson, Current Access to HE student - 18 January 2021
My journey from Access to HE to becoming the UK's youngest MP | Nadia Whittome, Member of Parliament
- 18 December 2020
Reviewing funding for Level 3 qualifications in England: Opening doors in adult education | Katie Wand, PR, Press and Communications Officer, QAA - 17 December 2020
A student's perspective of 2020 | Alexander Hedlund, Current Vice-President Education for Heriot-Watt University Student Union and Enhancement Theme Student Lead - 4 December 2020
QAA welcomes proposals for new Wales higher education Commission | James Harrison, Lead Policy Officer for Nations and Europe, QAA - 19 November 2020
QAA's latest engagement with European higher education | Alastair Delaney, Director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with additional responsibility for engagement with Europe, QAA - 06 November 2020
The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) and COVID-19: First Experiences and Lessons Learned | Luut Kroes, Chair of the NVAO Management Team, Director of the NVAO Department the Netherlands - 20 October 2020
The Impact of COVID-19 Modifications to Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Irish Further Education and Training and Higher Education | Peter Cullen and Karena Maguire, Head of the Policy, Research and Statistics Unit and Head of the Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Division, Quality and Qualifications Ireland - 19 October 2020
UK Transnational Education: Central to the UK’s International Strategy | Stephanie Sandford, Director of International & Professional Services, QAA - 29 September 2020
A local, resilient and agile mechanism to deliver more flexible education | Professor Sue Rigby, Vice-Chancellor, Bath Spa University - 22 July 2020 - 23 September 2020
Blog series - The lasting effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Conversations with sector leaders | Professor Simon Gaskell, Chair of the QAA Board - 18 September 2020
From within the UK to across Europe, quality assurance in higher education must be flexible and diverse | Alastair Delaney, Director for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, QAA - 16 September 2020
Access to HE helped prepare us for healthcare routes during the pandemic | Luke Myer, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, QAA - 11 September 2020
Data-Led Quality Assurance and Enhancement: Introducing our New Research Project | Dr Kate Mori, Quality & Standards Specialist, QAA - 12 August 2020
Specialist providers’ response to COVID-19: Reflections from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance | Stef Jones, Deputy Registrar, Quality and Student Engagement, ICMP - The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance - 23 July 2020
What have PSRBs done in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic? | Dr Andy Smith, Quality and Standards Manager, Membership, QAA - 20 July 2020
Managing Adversity through Partnership: Representing Students in Quality through a time of Rapid Change | Eve Alcock, President 2018-20, University of Bath Students' Union and QAA Student Board Member - 08 July 2020
Creating a hostile environment: How to combat essay mills | Gareth Crossman, Head of Policy and Communications, QAA - 01 July 2020
What is a lecture? and other mysteries | Jackie Labbe and Alasdair Blair, Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic, De Montfort University - 24 June 2020
Learning from disruption – exploring what counts in higher education | Ailsa Crum, Head of Quality and Enhancement, QAA Scotland - 19 June 2020
Credit where it is due: how can England's credit framework recognise micro-credits? | Professor Sue Rigby, Vice-Chancellor, Bath Spa University, QAA Board Member - 8 June 2020
The University of Bolton on opening its campuses and protecting quality and standards | Professor Patrick McGhee, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, University of Bolton - 04 June 2020
For disabled students, quality education during COVID-19 is about basic access | Molly Smallwood, Vice President (Academic Representation), Edge Hill Students’ Union - 29 May 2020
Students as partners – challenges facing students’ unions throughout COVID-19 | Amy Eberlin Quality Enhancement Specialists, QAA Scotland and and Holly Thomas, QAA Wales - 28 April 2020
Academic Integrity in Canada during COVID-19: Reflections from the University of Calgary | Sarah Elaine Eaton, Assistant Professor and Educational Leader in Residence, University of Calgary, Canada - 27 May 2020
After COVID-19: the University of Nottingham Ningbo Experience | Professor Martin Lockett, Dean of the Faculty of Business, University of Nottingham Ningbo China - 24 April 2020
COVID-19: What next for higher education? | Vicki Stott, Executive Director of Operations (Deputy CEO), QAA - 21 April 2020
TNE in Malaysia and the challenge ahead for UK TNE providers | Piers Wall, Accreditation and International Services Delivery Officer, QAA - 01 April 2020
Doing the Right Thing: Securing Standards in Challenging Times | Douglas Blackstock, Chief Executive, QAA - 18 March 2020
Innovative steps in tackling contract cheating at the University of Northampton | Dr Robin Crockett, Reader in Data Analysis and University Lead on Contract-Cheating, University of Northampton - 13 March 2020
Delivering more GPs with Access to HE | Julie Mizon, Access to HE Manager, QAA - 20 January 2020
A new decade as a new QAA | Douglas Blackstock, Chief Executive, QAA
- 15 August 2019
Working in partnership with students to transform academic tutoring | Cindy Isherwood and Jess Johnson, University of Reading - 10 July 2019
QAA is changing, here's why | Douglas Blackstock, Chief Executive, QAA - 14 May 2019
Determination and pride: 40 years of Access to HE | Julie Mizon, Access to HE Manager, QAA - 30 April 2019
Bringing Students to the Table | Matt Adie, Co-Chair, Student Strategic Advisory Committee, QAA - 24 April 2019
Postcard from our latest PSRB Forum | Maureen McLaughlin, Head of Universities & Standards, QAA - 16 April 2019
Halfway up the stairs: A progress report on the current Enhancement Theme in Scotland | Ailsa Crum, Head of Quality and Enhancement, QAA Scotland - 9 April 2019
What we mean when we talk about quality assurance of 'UK HE' | James Harrison, Policy Officer, QAA - 2 April 2019
Combatting essay mills and academic misconduct | Gareth Crossman, Head of Policy Public Affairs, QAA