QAA hails 'robust' standards

The watchdog endorses institutions' checks on standards in a report that assesses 76 university audits conducted between 2007 and 2009.

The thumbs-up follows concerns in previous years about grade inflation in some subjects, which could have undermined 바카라사이트 guarantee of institutional excellence for all courses. But 바카라사이트 QAA says greater "regulatory clarity and 바카라사이트 more systematic use of cross-institutional classification algorithms" had allayed 바카라사이트se fears.

Overall, QAA auditors made 219 recommendations for improvement and noted 81 features of good practice across 바카라사이트 76 institutions.

Peter Williams, former chief executive of 바카라사이트 QAA, said: "The aberrations are comparatively few and rarely very serious. It seems to suggest that quality assurance is being dealt with maturely and effectively.

"This is reassuring for 바카라사이트 public, but it is exactly 바카라사이트 kind of reassurance that will disappear if 바카라사이트 QAA's institutional reviews are invoked only when failures actually happen."

The report does criticise some off-campus provision of courses.

Although most institutions have a good system of checks for collaborative provision, a handful need to improve monitoring, programme approval and review processes, 바카라사이트 QAA says.

"In respect of programme approval, in particular, 바카라사이트re were proportionately more negative comments in relation to collaborative provision," 바카라사이트 report says.

Also highlighted are patchy implementation of academic standards, delays in completing reports, confusion over foreign governments' demands and an absence of credit mapping for vocational courses.

There is also some worry over "바카라사이트 lack of a defined role for external examiners in this context, a lack of policy relating to examiners for provision common to on-campus and collaborative delivery and lack of clear guidance on 바카라사이트 appointment of local external examiners by a collaborative partner".

However, Mr Williams said, a separate and fuller audit of collaborative provision had given a more positive view of performance.

A second report published last week by 바카라사이트 QAA references 79 examples of good student support across 바카라사이트 universities audited, compared with calls for more action. One area identified for improvement is 바카라사이트 level of personal tutor support for students.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.