14 May 2001
UK HIGHER EDUCATION BODY PAYS FIRST VISIT TO NORTHERN IRELAND
"The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has made a valuable contribution in ensuring that standards of higher education in Northern Ireland are maintained at a high level," Dr Sean Farren, Minister for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, said last night.
The Minister was speaking at a dinner for the Board of the Agency, which is holding its annual meeting Northern Ireland for the first time.
Dr Farren said: "I am familiar with the work of QAA and have some understanding of the complexity of the issues involved.
"The Agency is involved in a wide range of activities, its core business being to review the quality and standards of higher education in universities and colleges. These activities are of considerable benefit to the whole system of higher education.
"Northern Ireland’s two universities have performed consistently well in the programme of subject reviews. However, I am conscious that there is a question of balance in undertaking such reviews. On the one hand, there is the issue of flexibility and the reduction of the burden on the higher education institutions. On the other, there is the issue of accountability.
"I am broadly supportive of the recent announcement by Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, which proposed a move to sampling in any Department scoring over 21 (out of 24) in its assessment, under existing arrangements. This could preserve the broad requirements of accountability while, at the same time, reducing the potential pressures on the institutions."
"However, there are also disadvantages for a system like ours where this could mean a very limited review. I will wish to reflect further on how the system will operate in Northern Ireland."
NOTES TO EDITOR:
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education was established in 1997 to provide an integrated quality assurance service for UK higher education institutions. The Agency is an independent body funded by subscriptions from universities and colleges of higher education, and through contracts with the main funding bodies.
The Agency carries out its reviews by auditing institutional arrangements for managing quality and standards, including arrangements for collaboration with overseas partners; and by assessing the quality and standards of teaching and learning at subject level.
Under the existing subject review arrangements, university departments are assessed against six factors:
- curriculum design, content and organisation
- teaching, learning and assessment
- student progression and achievement
- student support and guidance
- learning resources
- quality assurance and enhancement.
The current review for each university department entails an average of 33 reviewer days.
A new method of academic review, aimed at delivering a lighter touch, is due to be introduced in England and Northern Ireland in January 2002.
Higher education institutions, however, have remained sceptical as to whether the new method would in fact deliver a lighter touch on anything like the scale they felt was justified, and feel that it remains too burdensome.
As a result, in March 2001 DFEE and HEFCE announced further changes, to come into effect in 2001/02 academic year, as follows:
- Any Department scoring over 21 (out of 24) in its assessment, under the existing arrangements will be exempted in the next cycle of audits/assessments.
- There will instead be a small sampling of these Departments which will result in a 40% reduction in the inspection of these Departments.
The average number of days per university assessment will be reduced.
QAA Board Members are as follows:
Mr Christopher Kenyon, Chairman, William Kenyon & Sons (Chairman of the QAA Board)
Professor Tony Chapman, Principal, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
Professor Janet Finch, Vice-Chancellor, Keele University
Mr Mike Killingley, Senior Manager Executive Education, HSBC Bank plc
Mr Graham Mackenzie, Chief Executive, ASW Holdings plc
Professor Peter McKie, former Chairman, Du Pont (UK) Ltd
Sir Ronald Miller, Chairman of Court of Napier University
Mr Philip Robinson, Director, University College Chichester
Mrs Valerie Stead, Director, Quality Assurance, Kent Institute of Art and Design
Professor Bill Stevely, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, The Robert Gordon University
Professor Roger Williams, Vice-Chancellor, University of Reading
QAA Observers
Mr Paul Cohen, Head, Quality and Employability Division, Higher Education Group, Department for Education and Employment
Miss Alex Lewis, Research Student, University of Birmingham
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