Introduction

Continuous improvement in the quality and standards of provision in higher education has received a great deal of attention in recent years. In the UK the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) was established in 1997 to provide an integrated quality assurance service for higher education institutions. Its main business is "to review the performance of universities and colleges of higher education. It does this by visiting institutions to audit their overall academic management, including arrangements for collaboration with overseas partners; and to assess the quality and standards of teaching and learning at subject level."

These pages will be of value to both teaching staff and educational managers who are concerned about quality and who may be preparing for a quality audit. Although most of the resources in these pages have a UK focus it is hoped that colleagues working in higher education outside of the UK will also find them of interest and value in their own quality assurance and enhancement endeavours.

The UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)

The QAA web site provides detailed information about the work of the agency and its resources. The Publications & Papers link provides online access to QAA Reports and other documents. Some of these are:

• Institutional Reports
  Reports of the way in which a university or college of higher education in the UK is maintaining its academic quality and standards. Audits also review courses provided in partnership with colleges in the UK or overseas.
  
• Subject Review Reports
  Online versions of subject review reports for England and Northern Ireland and the earlier Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA) reports by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The reports can be accessed by institution or by subject. Separate reports are available for Scotland and for Wales
  
• Subject Review Handbook - England and N. Ireland: Sept. 2000 - Dec. 2001
  This informs institutions and their staff about visits in the 11 subjects due for review, and is intended to provide reviewers with a clear exposition of the review method and the judgements.
  
• Handbook for Academic Review (April, 2000)
  Describes the new method of Review to be used in Scotland (Academic Year 2000-2001) and England, Wales & N.Ireland (Academic Year 2001-2002).
  
• Code of Practice in the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education
  The Code is comprised of a suite of inter-related documents for the guidance of higher education institutions subscribing to the QAA.
  
• Benchmarking Academic Standards
  Benchmark Statements in 22 subjects which are the outcome of the final phase of a major project designed to make explicit the general academic characteristics and standards of honours degrees in the UK.
  

Readers' Comments:
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