New UKSCQA chair and deputy chair

The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Nic Beech and Professor Clare Peddie as its new chair and deputy chair.

Professor Nic Beech, Vice Chancellor at Middlesex University since 2020, succeeds Professor Andrew Wathey (outgoing Vice Chancellor at Northumbria) as chair of the committee.

Professor Clare Peddie, Vice Principal for Education (Proctor) at the University of St Andrews, will be the first deputy chair of the committee in a newly created role.

Both Professors Beech and Peddie will serve in these roles for three years. They will oversee their first meeting of the committee in these roles when it next meets in June 2022.

Prior to his role at Middlesex, Professor Beech has held the roles of Vice-Principal, Provost at the University of Dundee and Vice Principal at the University of St Andrews. He is President of the British Academy of Management, Chair of AccessHE and Treasurer of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is a member of the board of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Professor Peddie has been in her current role since 2019, prior to which she was Head of School and Pro Dean for undergraduates in the Faculty of Sciences at the University of St Andrews. She is currently chair of the Quality Arrangements for Scottish HE (QASHE) committee, leads the QAA Scotland enhancement theme 'Resilient Learning Communities', and previously the sector representative for Scotland on the UKSCQA.

We would like to express our thanks to Professor Andrew Wathey for being the first chair of the committee and establishing its role in the sector. This has involved overseeing work including the committee’s strategic oversight of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, the launch of the statement of intent on transparency, reliability and fairness in degree classification, and the development of classification descriptors for undergraduate degrees.

We can also announce that the independent secretariat of the UKSCQA is now being hosted within Universities UK (UUK) on behalf of the sector, having previously been hosted within the Office for Students (OfS).

The UKSCQA provides sector-led oversight of higher education quality assessment arrangements that continue to be shared across the UK. The committee has members drawn from regulated providers in England and Wales and publicly funded universities and colleges in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Student interests are represented by both the National Union of Students and individual student members. Membership is also drawn from the four UK higher education funding/regulatory bodies, sector bodies and regulatory partners.

by Robert Stewart

New guiding principles for effective algorithm design published

A new document, published today by Universities UK and GuildHE on behalf of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment [UKSCQA], outlines six new guiding Principles for effective algorithm design, as well as other recommendations for universities when deciding the final degree classifications awarded to students.

For further details, please see the Universities UK announcement. The document, and its accompanying research report, can be downloaded from the UUK website.

Posted: 21st July 2020

by Robert Stewart

Higher Education sector announces new initiatives to protect value of UK degrees

In May 2019, the sector-representative bodies for higher education in the UK published a Statement of Intent, reaffirming their commitment to protect the value of UK degrees and to transparent, consistent and fair academic standards.  The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) ^[1] has agreed the need for further action to meet this challenge and today announces two new initiatives developed by the sector to follow up on that earlier undertaking:

• degree outcomes statements, and
• new degree classifications descriptions.

Degree outcomes statements

The Statement of Intent explained how providers in the different nations of the UK would take different approaches towards their common goal of protecting the value of degrees, reflecting their differing national quality assessment arrangements.  In Scotland, the Statement of Intent is secured by the Quality Enhancement Framework, and in Northern Ireland by its annual provider review process.

In England, sector-representative bodies agreed that providers should publish on their websites, in academic year 2019-20, an evaluative degree outcomes statement to provide clearer assurance to students, stakeholders and the wider public on how they ensure the value of the qualifications they award is protected.  Welsh institutions have collectively agreed to each publish a degree outcomes statement during academic year 2019-20 as well.

Guidance for providers on what to include in their degree outcomes statements is being published today on the websites of the UKSCQA and the QAA.  English providers should publish their statements on their websites in early 2020, respecting the formal approval processes needed and complying with CMA regulations.

Degree classification descriptions

The UKSCQA today publishes a set of common degree classification descriptions that set out the agreed general criteria that students across the UK should meet in order to achieve the different classes of qualification at bachelor’s honours degree ^[2] level. These criteria will provide a vital tool for providers in ensuring the comparability and reliability of UK higher education qualifications.

The descriptions have been developed over an 18-month programme of work between the sector, Universities UK, GuildHE, and the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), which was closely overseen by the UKSCQA. They were subject to consultation in November 2018 and, following minor subsequent amendments, are now being published to inform providers.

At its June 2019 meeting, the UKSCQA confirmed that these descriptions are an appropriate and important UK-wide reference point and should be appended to the national quality frameworks:  the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications of degree-awarding bodies in England, Wales & Northern Ireland (FHEQ), and the Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education Institutions in Scotland (FQHEIS). Accordingly, the descriptions appear today within a new annex to those Frameworks documents.

It is important that providers understand how these criteria should be applied within their national contexts, and this annex outlines their differing use in the four nations of the UK. They will be subject to periodic review by the UKSCQA to ensure their continued appropriateness and which will also consider their possible extension to other qualifications levels.

Welcoming these initiatives, Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Northumbria University and Chair of the UKSCQA, said:

“The UK delivers world-class education to students from all nations. It is therefore right that the sector commits to ensuring that the value of these world-class qualifications is maintained over time in line with the expectations of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education. Degree outcomes statements will be used by participating providers to demonstrate transparently the rigour and robustness of their internal assurance mechanisms, to give students, other stakeholders and the public confidence in the quality of HE qualifications.”

Professor Julia Buckingham CBE, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of Brunel University London, said:

"Universities are listening to concerns about grade inflation and these initiatives show our determination to ensuring transparency and consistency in the way degrees are awarded. Statements detailing degree results and agreed criteria for achieving different grades will support universities as they examine their practices, and protect the value of qualifications in the context of improvements in teaching and students’ performances. UUK will be calling on its members [in England] to publish degree outcomes statements on their websites."

Dr David Llewellyn, Vice-Chancellor of Harper Adams University and Chair, GuildHE, said:

"The UK higher education sector is committed to delivering high quality education. The new degree outcomes statements will outline each institution's degree classification profile over time and describe what has happened, what has changed and why it has changed. These statements, alongside the new grade classification descriptors, will further support academic governance within institutions and provide assurance that standards within UK higher education are being maintained and protected."

The UKSCQA will review the effectiveness of both these initiatives in mid-2020 as part of its commitment to a wider review of the Statement of Intent after one year.  It is expected the impact of these statements would be substantially apparent following the 2020 examination round.

Posted: Thursday 10 October 2019

Links to documents being published today

Degree outcomes statements:

• Guidance for Degree Awarding Bodies on producing degree outcomes statements

A complementary checklist has also been created to aid in the preparation and validation of degree outcomes statements:

• Checklist for considering and validating degree outcomes statements

Degree classification descriptions:

• Outcome classification descriptions for FHEQ Level 6 and FQHEIS Level 10 degrees

(The above forms a new annex to the pre-existing Frameworks for HE qualifications of UK Degree-awarding bodies document, which is available on the QAA website).

Notes

[1] The UKSCQA is an advisory body whose function is to provide oversight of, and strategic direction for, those elements of quality and standards arrangements which are shared across the UK, and those areas where the interests of the sector and the funders/regulators intersect with regards to HE quality and standards matters. These matters include the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, which sets out what is expected of UK higher education providers with regards to the quality of, and standards applied to, their provision, and other programmes of work which members from all nations of the UK agree are necessary to maintain high quality and standards at the UK sector level. These include (but are not restricted to): quality assurance for transnational education, academic integrity, and reliability & comparability of degree standards.  More information on the composition of the UKSCQA can be found here.

[2] This means qualifications at Level 6 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and at Level 10 in Scotland.

by Robert Stewart

Universities unveil joint commitment on degree classifications

A new sector statement of intent will help
protect the value of degrees

Transparency, reliability and fairness
in the awarding of degrees are at the heart of a joint commitment published today by the
higher education sector.

As part of a
UK-wide consultation on grade inflation, led by the UK Standing Committee for
Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) with Universities UK (UUK), GuildHE and the Quality
Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), higher education institutions
agreed to take collective action to protect the value of degree qualifications
for the long term, to be more transparent and to tackle perceptions that degree
courses are ‘dumbing down’.

The UK higher
education sector has agreed that strong and decisive action is necessary to
protect and demonstrate the value of university qualifications and in doing so
ensure confidence from students, employers, and the wider public.

The consultation,
launched late last year following initial recommendations from the UKSCQA, explored
how these recommendations could be developed and rolled out across universities
and other providers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The result is a statement of intent, overwhelmingly supported by the sector, which outlines the shared commitment of universities to transparency, fairness and reliability in the way they award degrees. It provides a framework for action and will be in place for the 2019/20 academic year.

The statement of
intent calls on providers to meet four specific commitments:

• Ensure assessments continue to stretch and challenge students
  • Review and explain how final degree classifications are calculated
  • Support and strengthen the external examiners system
  • Review and publish data and analysis on students’ degree outcomes

A common degree
classification framework, which will act as a reference point for providers by
describing high-level attributes expected of a graduate to achieve a particular
degree, is also in development. The descriptions formed part of this
consultation and are now being refined ahead of publication by the UKSCQA in
the summer.   

Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Chair of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northumbria, said:

“Responses to the UKSCQA’s consultation have demonstrated that in the UK higher education providers of all types are leading the way in addressing the international challenge of ‘grade inflation’, and the committee welcomes the sector’s strong support for this work.

“The statement of intent sets out a clear framework for action which can work across the whole of the UK, and by taking this forward higher education providers can assure themselves and their students of transparency, reliability and fairness in the awarding of degrees.”

Professor Dame Janet Beer, President of Universities UK, said:

“The UK higher education sector has a world-leading reputation, so it is critical to protect the value of a university degree. Students deserve to have qualifications which they can take pride in, and employers and the wider public need to have confidence in the results students achieve.

“It’s heartening to see the commitment shown by universities to work both individually and collectively through this strongly-supported statement of intent. It is clear universities are taking this issue seriously – we must all now focus on exploring the ways in which we can adapt to meet these challenges.”

David Llewellyn, Chair of Guild HE, said:

“Students, employers and the wider public must be assured about the quality of UK higher education qualifications. The sector has therefore committed to work together to improve the transparency of the qualification awarding process and to ensure that qualifications properly and fairly represent the achievements of our students.

“The statement of intent will help universities reflect on their awarding practices so as to maintain and improve confidence in our qualifications and strengthen further our national and international reputation for academic excellence.  The higher education sector is increasingly diverse in nature, but we all share the need for the value of our qualifications to be protected, wherever and however our students are taught.  We therefore commend this statement to UK higher education providers and look forward to seeing it put into action in the coming months.”

ENDS

 Notes

• The statement of intent was developed by UUK, GuildHE and QAA work on behalf of, and as members of, the UKSCQA. This was on behalf of the full UKSCQA and is signed by the representative groups and endorsed by the UKSCQA.
• 87% of all consultation responses – which were from providers, sector organisations, student unions and individuals, said they consider the statement of intent an effective approach to addressing current challenges for degree classification, wholly or in part.
• The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) provides sector-led oversight of the quality and standards arrangements that continue to be shared across the UK. It includes representation from all four UK higher education funding bodies/regulators as well as the sector and student representative bodies. Both publicly-funded and private higher education providers are represented on the committee, as well as further education colleges delivering higher education. More information is available at https://ukscqa.org.uk.

by Robert Stewart

Quality Code advice and guidance: creative freedom without compromising quality

The cornerstone for quality and standards in UK higher education, the new UK Quality Code for Higher Education, will publish in full tomorrow (29 November) at 1400.

The Expectations and Practices, published in March 2018, set out the 'core' and 'common' practices that providers are expected to comply with. The core practices will be mandatory for universities and other higher education providers across all regulatory administrations in the UK, while the common practices will be requirements for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish providers (see note 2). In England, providers may wish to work towards the common practices, but are not required to do so as these are not regulatory requirements and will not be assessed as part of the OfS’s regulatory framework.

Today's publication of the focused Advice and Guidance completes the Quality Code. Its 12 themes offer guiding principles, practical advice and reflective questions on areas including Assessment, Work-based Learning and Enabling Student Achievement.

UK higher education providers will not be required to follow the Advice and Guidance and will not be regulated against it, but may find it helpful in developing and maintaining effective quality assurance practices.

Work-based Learning, for example, includes advice on how providers, students' unions and professional bodies can stay connected with students in the workplace. Enabling student achievement suggests how to offer the best support for vulnerable groups like care leavers or gender transitioning students.

The new Advice and Guidance has been produced unequivocally by and for the UK higher education sector. One hundred and twenty two academics, quality managers, student representatives and sector experts worked with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to write guidance for each of the 12 themes.

Authors represented 11 Russell Group universities, nine university members each from MillionPlus and University Alliance, six Cathedral Group universities, 24 non-aligned universities, 13 further education colleges and four independent providers, as well as careers, professional and student voice experts.

'Providers have told us they value a framework for academic standards and quality that allows them to express their autonomy and individuality, and we've embraced that,' says QAA Chief Executive Douglas Blackstock.

'Our aim with the Advice and Guidance is to give all UK providers a set of guiding principles, practical advice and resources that will support them in meeting the Expectations and Practices without tying them to rigid processes.

'We're looking forward to seeing the different ways they put the Advice and Guidance into practice so that we can share the quality and diversity that are so vital to the reputation of UK higher education.'

The revised UK Quality Code for Higher Education was developed by QAA on behalf of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment. Professor Andrew Wathey, Vice-Chancellor of Northumbria University, chairs the Committee. He said:

'The new Quality Code will continue to perform a key role as a UK-wide reference point for quality and standards in UK higher education, but with greater fitness for purpose in a changing and increasingly diverse higher education sector.

'We now have a Quality Code that is student focused, meets the varying regulatory requirements across the UK nations, and is future facing.

'UKSCQA appreciates the efforts of all who have played a part in this achievement:  contributors and respondents from all parts of the higher education sector and all UK nations; QAA, which carried out the exacting work on the Code's development; the UK's funding and regulatory bodies; and sector representative groups, including Universities UK, GuildHE, the Association of Colleges and the NUS’.

Notes to editors

• For more information, please contact Joanna Wynn, PR and Press Adviser, at wynn@qaa.ac.uk or on 01452 557074, or Gemma Tombs, UKSCQA secretariat, at gemma.tombs@officeforstudents.org.uk or on 0117 931 7255.

• Transitional arrangements for moving to the new Code as a reference point for quality assessment reviews vary across the nations. Providers undergoing a review in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will reference the existing Code until August 2019.  Providers in England which are currently designated for student support by the Secretary of State and not yet registered by the OfS and are undergoing annual monitoring and other review-related activities will reference the existing Code until 31 July 2019.  All providers in England registered by the OfS will use the new Code.

• The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment provides sector-led oversight of higher education quality assessment arrangements that continue to be shared across the UK. The Committee has members drawn from regulated providers in England and Wales, publicly-funded universities and colleges in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and providers currently designated for student support by the Secretary of State in England. Student interests are represented by both the National Union of Students and individual student members. Membership is also drawn from the four UK higher education funding/regulatory bodies, sector bodies and regulatory partners. Find out more at ukscqa.org.uk.

• QAA is the independent quality body for UK higher education. It is a higher education charitable company, which is limited by guarantee and whose members are representative organisations of the higher education sector. More information on QAA is available at qaa.ac.uk

• The UK Quality Code for Higher Education embodies the co-regulatory approach that underpins UK higher education. Providers should use the Quality Code in line with their educational mission, national quality arrangements, and regulatory requirements. As higher education is the responsibility of the individual UK nations, the precise national arrangements for quality assessment differ, including how parts of the Quality Code will be used in external oversight and review.

by Robert Stewart

Universities taking steps to tackle grade inflation

UK universities and other higher education providers are planning a range of changes to the degree classification system to tackle perceptions of grade inflation and ensure public confidence in the results students receive and the value of a degree.

A report by Universities UK (UUK), GuildHE and QAA, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, on behalf of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) looked at the reasons behind the increase in the number of graduates receiving first and upper-second class degrees.

The report finds that a wide range of factors could be driving the increase in upper degrees, including additional investment in teaching and learning and heightened student motivation. However, there is a risk that a continued increase in the number of top degrees may undermine confidence in the value of a degree from a UK university, making the classification system less useful for employers and students.

Today, [Wednesday 28 November 2018] the UKSCQA is launching a UK-wide consultation to gain feedback on how the recommendations in the report can be developed and implemented by the higher education sector in order to protect the value of qualifications over time.

Degree classification is a matter for individual institutions and degrees are awarded based on assessment by academics, internal and external moderation and sector-wide frameworks.

Universities are committed to ensuring that value of qualifications and maintaining public confidence in the results students receive. Therefore, the report recommends that universities should issue a sector-wide statement of intent, leading to actions to protect the value of qualifications over time. This includes commitments such as:

• Reviewing and publishing evidence on their degree outcomes at the institutional level – the skills and knowledge demonstrated by graduates at every grade with external assurance of the data –  in a statement. This should enable a university’s governing body to ensure the university is protecting the value of its qualifications

• Agreeing common criteria, to be used by all universities, to describe the quality of work required for each degree classification
• Publishing and explaining scoring systems and processes that universities follow to determine a student’s final degree classification in an accessible format, including why any practice differs from accepted norms

The report also notes the following points:

• Degree classifications are featured explicitly in some university league tables. Where competition to attract students is high, universities have an incentive to perform well in league tables. As part of a consultation, universities will consider whether steps should be taken to reduce the potential for inflationary impacts of incentives in organisational performance linked to the number of upper degrees awarded in league tables
• Universities should reconsider when and how rounded marks (where the raw mark is rounded to the nearest whole number, for example) can be used and whether the practice of ‘discounting’ modules – typically setting aside poor marks and considering performance across other modules – should continue
• Universities should work with HESA to develop information and ways to make it easier for the public and universities to compare data on degree results

UK-wide consultation

The consultation, run by QAA on behalf of the UKSCQA, invites respondents to consider these recommendations in line with national regulatory contexts, how they might be taken forward, and what further action might need to be taken.

QAA will be hosting consultation workshops throughout January 2019. Responses should be made through the online portal by February 2019.

Professor Andrew Wathey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northumbria and Chair of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment, said: 

“This report shows that there is a clear need for the higher education sector to take action to grip the issue of grade inflation, and to demonstrate its ability to maintain the value of a UK qualification. The UKSCQA welcomes feedback throughout the consultation period from all those who have an interest in ensuring that we can have confidence in the standard of a UK degree. These proposals will need meaningful engagement from the higher education sector as it considers how best to take them forward in national contexts while ensuring the overarching integrity of a UK-wide system.” 

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton and Chair of UUK’s Student Policy Network, said: 

“We have some of the best teaching in the world and highly motivated students who are eager to learn, but we cannot ignore the legitimate concerns about grade inflation. It is essential that the public has full confidence in the value of a degree, and that degree classifications are meaningful for employers and students. 

“We want to see greater levels of transparency and consistency in academic standards. This report and the upcoming UK-wide consultation will help universities consider how they can best protect the value of qualifications over time."

Notes 

1. This work has been undertaken by UUK, GuildHE and QAA on behalf of the UKSCQA.
2. The main report and a further technical report are attached to this email. These reports, alongside the consultation document, will be available online on Wednesday 28 November 2018.
3. Degree classification is a matter for individual institutions and degrees are awarded based on assessment by academics, internal and external moderation and sector-wide frameworks. Every university has a different subject mix, student body, faculties and departments and different course curricula and content which makes comparison difficult, however the consultation will help to commonly agree standards.
4. UKSCQA provides sector-led oversight of higher education quality assessment arrangements that continue to be shared across the UK. The committee has members drawn from regulated providers in England and Wales, publicly-funded universities and colleges in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and providers currently designated for student support by the Secretary of State in England. Student interests are represented by both the National Union of Students and individual student members. Membership is also drawn from the four UK higher education funding/regulatory bodies, sector bodies and regulatory partners.
5. Universities UK is the collective voice of 137 universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its mission is to create the conditions for UK universities to be the best in the world; maximising their positive impact locally, nationally and globally. Universities UK acts on behalf of universities, represented by their heads of institution. Visit: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk

by Robert Stewart

OfS membership of UKSCQA

From 1 April 2018, HEFCE’s responsibilities as a member of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment transferred to the Office for Students (OfS).

OfS is the new regulatory body for higher education in England. For any queries, please contact info@officeforstudents.org.uk.

by Robert Stewart

UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment publishes new Quality Code Expectations and practices

Today the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) publishes new Expectations and practices for the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

The revised Expectations and practices of the Code respond to an extensive consultation across the UK higher education sector, which was co-ordinated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) on behalf of all members of the UKSCQA. The resulting Expectations and practices will form the basis of a fully revised UK Quality Code, which is scheduled for publication in late 2018.

The revisions refocus the Code on core principles in quality assurance, improve its accessibility, and guarantee its fitness for purpose in an evolving regulatory landscape. They ensure that the Code continues to fulfil its role as the cornerstone of quality in UK higher education, irrespective of changing contexts.

Feedback throughout the consultation came from all nations, ensuring a UK-wide approach is maintained. Responses submitted by student groups and all types of higher education provider were also important in improving the Code’s accessibility to the full diversity of the sector and its stakeholders, including students.

UKSCQA welcomed the engagement of the sector throughout this first phase of consultation. The next stage of the UK Quality Code review will continue throughout Spring 2018 as it develops the underpinning advice and guidance of the Code. UKSCQA looks forward to working with students and providers in this final stage of the review.

Professor Andrew Wathey, Chair of the UKSCQA, said:

In an increasingly diverse higher education sector, it is essential that the UK Quality Code remains the definitive reference point for managing quality and standards in UK higher education, while being sufficiently flexible to adapt to varying regulatory needs.

The proposals have greatly benefitted from the thoughtful reflections of respondents from all parts of the sector, and from all nations of the UK. UKSCQA have worked closely with our members and sector group representatives UniversitiesUK, GuildHE, the Association of Colleges, and the NUS, to finalise a Quality Code that is accessible to students, future facing, co-regulatory, and truly UK-wide.

Douglas Blackstock, Chief Executive of Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), said:

The Quality Code acts as the glue for the UK's higher education system. This latest evolution ensures all types of providers will remain at the leading edge of practice internationally. Working in partnership, we've developed a streamlined and flexible Code that's fit for the future. As well as the four new Expectations, it sets out core practices that ensure quality and standards are well managed and common practices that mature providers can use to enrich and enhance their students' experiences.

But the work doesn't stop here. QAA will be working closely with the sector between now and November to develop a full set of advice and guidance that will help assure universities, colleges and other institutions that they deliver programmes at the standard their students should expect.

The revised Quality Code Expectations and practices can be found on the UKSCQA website: https://ukscqa.org.uk/what-we-do/consultation-on-the-uk-quality/.

by Robert Stewart

Examining grade inflation with UKSCQA and Universities UK

Earlier this week, Wonkhe published two blogs on grade inflation from UKSCQA Chair Andrew Wathey and UKSCQA members Universities UK, GuildHE and QAA.

These blogs share detail on a new programme of work on grade inflation, which is being co-ordinated by UKSCQA’s sector body members and QAA.

Read the blog from Andrew Wathey
Read the blog from Universities UK

by Robert Stewart