Wrexham University completes Quality Enhancement Review
| Date: | May 6 - 2025 |
|---|
Wrexham University has successfully completed its Quality Enhancement Review.
Wrexham University has a history dating back to the nineteenth century but was more recently established as Wrexham Glyndwr University in 2008, before receiving its current title from the Privy Council in 2023. In academic year 2023-24, its total student population was 14,382 students.
Quality Enhancement Review is the method by which the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) reviews Welsh higher education providers as part of the Quality Assessment Framework for Wales. Quality Enhancement Review provides quality assurance and supports quality enhancement, assuring governing bodies, students and the wider public that providers meet the requirements of Medr, Wales's Commission for Tertiary Education and Research.
Wrexham University's review visit took place on 11-14 February 2024. The review was conducted by a team of four independent reviewers, including a student reviewer.
The team concluded that Wrexham University meets the requirements of the European Standards & Guidelines (ESG) Part 1 for internal quality assurance, and that it meets the relevant baseline regulatory requirements of the Quality Assessment Framework for Wales.
Their report confirmed that Wrexham University has robust arrangements for securing academic standards, managing academic quality and for enhancing the quality of the student experience.
The review report listed two commendations and one recommendation, and identified six areas of ongoing development.
The report commended Wrexham University for:
- The strategic approach of the University to meeting the needs of the region, including the emphasis on inclusivity and widening access, and promoting the Welsh language, culture and economy;
- The work being done across the University to integrate inclusive and trauma and adverse childhood experience-informed practices across academic, pastoral and learning support, to enable all students to fulfil their potential.
The report recommended that Wrexham University ensure that personal tutoring arrangements are implemented consistently for the benefit of students.
It also noted, as areas of ongoing development:
- The steps being taken to collect students' views consistently and proportionately to maximise student engagement and feedback;
- The steps being taken to continue reviewing the provision of digital and physical library materials for students;
- The actions being taken to ensure all marks for short courses are submitted to, and subsequently considered by, an assessment board within the scheduled timeframe;
- That the role of the Board of Governors in the approval and oversight of academic partnership arrangements is kept under review;
- The steps being taken to ensure effective arrangements for approving new partnerships and the effective oversight of quality and standards within academic partnerships;
- The actions being taken to monitor and oversee the arrangements in place to safeguard academic standards, quality assurance, and the student experience while collaborative provision programmes are in teach-out or being discontinued.
The report also found that the action plan for a 2022-23 Concerns Investigation process had been successfully completed.
Professor Joe Yates, Vice Chancellor of Wrexham University, said: “This excellent report and the commendations contained within it are testament to Wrexham University's unwavering commitment to ensuring high levels of quality and standards in our academic provision and our focus on enhancing the quality of the student experience.
"We are delighted that the reviewers have specifically commended two areas of strategic focus. The first, our approach to meeting the needs of the region, including emphasis on inclusivity and widening access, and promoting the Welsh language, culture and economy, is particularly pleasing given our commitment to our ongoing development as a modern civic university, an anchor in Wales and a beacon to our communities and the wider world. The second commendation is for our work on the integration of inclusive and trauma- and adverse childhood experience-informed practices across all areas of the University to enable all students to fulfil their potential. These commendations recognise our values-led approach and our unwavering commitment to ensuring we deliver the best possible education and services to all our students, partners and communities.
"The outcome of this review reaffirms our robust arrangements to ensure academic quality, and it is a testament to our staff for their outstanding efforts in embedding and maintaining high standards. I would like to thank all staff, partners, our Students' Union and students who were involved in our QER submission and the visit in February. And I would also like to thank the review panel for their considered report. We welcome their feedback and their one recommendation for improvement which is being addressed through our Quality Enhancement Review Action Plan."