Quality control

When the quality of UK HE was called into question, QAA launched an investigation into five key alleged failings. QAA’s Jayne Mitchell discusses the standard of the sector.

Higher education in the UK has a world-leading reputation and has enjoyed the benefits of such prestige for generations. However, as the rest of the world’s institutions catch up and as the business of HE becomes increasingly involved, is UK HE losing sight of its core business and the quality of its education?

The quality of UK HE draws international students worth billions to the sector every year, secures lucrative partnerships with key commercial players, and affords UK graduates commercial mobility in the world of work. The notion, then, that the quality of UK HE is declining undermines the cornerstone of what the sector stands for. Yet this is exactly what happened last year when commentators raised concerns about the number of contact hours students receive, the standard and consistency of assessments and the way the sector deals with and recruits international students. The implication was that UK HE had forgotten itself and – in a tawdry way – was now in it for the money.

The upshot of these allegations was an in-depth audit by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for higher education. The report, which was released in May, took nine months to write and covered the five key areas identified by the allegations: student workload and contact hours; English language requirements for international students; recruitment practices for international students; the use of external examiners; and assessment practices.

Jayne Mitchell, Director of Development and Enhancement at QAA, explains the circumstances behind this national audit: “It was a nine month project, initiated because there were a number of commentators who were asking questions about policy and standards. We decided to gather our evidence through a special project to look at these allegations and see if there was any evidence, to ascertain whether the concerns were valid or just a misunderstanding. QAA takes allegations of this sort very seriously and responds to concerns by taking appropriate action to safeguard standards.”

Now, more than ever, universities must protect their reputation and prove that they deliver quality and value. The launch of the National Student Survey means universities are achingly aware of the commercial nature of their service and how it must meet students’ desires as much as the public’s expectations. Also, as competition from universities on the continent increases, UK HE must continually up its performance. Mitchell explains how the current commercial and competitive environment is affecting UK institutions and forcing them to drive up quality: “Many institutions have their own desires to improve or maintain their reputation so that they can attract students and business. There are other drivers such as student satisfaction itself. The National Student Survey means that there is increased importance put on student experience and institutions work hard to satisfy their students.”

Continental competition
In addition to the demands of students, the competition from the continent is putting pressure on universities in the UK. The number of UK students studying in Europe through the Erasmus scheme increased last year, from 7,235 in 2006/07 to 10,303 for 2007/08, representing about a 40 per cent increase from last year. This is the second year in a row that numbers have increased. While UK universities are part of Erasmus, and this is not itself a reflection of their quality or lack of quality, it does demonstrate the increased mobility of today’s students and their willingness to study abroad.

In a new world order, where European institutions can be just as good as UK ones, it is down to UK HE to prove it still has the high standards it is famous for. Mitchell agrees that now is not the time for universities to be resting on their laurels, saying: “There is an increasing number of universities in Europe offering programmes taught in English so there is more mobility and more choice for students. HE in the UK needs to ensure it’s competitive.”

According to Mitchell, assessment practices were the most common and important concern raised against HE and was the most marked issue in QAA thematic enquiry. She considers this unsurprising given the intricate and complicated nature of the task. “The area from our work on the individual audit reports that attracts the most recommendations is the area of assessment,” she says. “That’s not unusual or surprising because this is one of the most challenging areas. It is so essential to the standards of HE and the quality of teaching and learning – it is a primary area and one of the areas that institutions spend a lot of time on. So these are very difficult issues they’re tackling.”

The Thematic Enquiry Report makes clear recommendations in this area, suggesting that the external examining process should be made more transparent and better explained; that there should be further development of appropriate guidance about the procedures used to identify, train and support external examiners; and that a nationally agreed and mandatory set of minimum expectations should be developed and implemented for the role of all external examiners.

This is a fair appraisal of what’s needed, however, it’s not new thinking – some of the recommendations are very similar to the Dearing Report of 1997 which advocated a strengthened external examiner system from which all universities and other degree-awarding institutions could select external examiners. Given these recommendations are on their second outing now, the implication is that external examiners and assessors are a crucial sticking point for universities.

Public image
One thing that becomes clear reading the recommendations laid out in the report is how integral transparency is to universities. The report urges greater clarity with regards to examiners and establishing a clear system of letting the general public know about academic standards. This move is mirrored in the way the QAA plans to report its audits in future. Mitchell explains: “One of the things we do have to do is take a more 'public-facing' role and be more transparent. Most of our reports are written for universities but now we recognise that we have to be clearer about the general role of what we do and how we do it and give reports in plain English, and create publications that give the assurance the general public is looking for.”

So are universities being encouraged to play a good PR game as much as they are being urged to actually improve quality? Mitchell confirms that the public have become more interested in the workings of universities and academia – just as they have requested greater clarity from the financial and social sectors in recent months – however, she is opposed to the notion that improving standards is simply about public relations. “I wouldn’t call it a PR initiative,” she says. “Institutions have always been aware of promotion and attracting business partners and students.”

The QAA Report has been met with praise from Universities UK, who said it will be examining the recommendations and taking them forward. Mitchell is keen to point out, however, that while the investigation delivers suggestions to HE, it does not detract from the overall strength of UK HE’s reputation. “Overall the quality of HE in the UK is very good and the public should have confidence in it. The UK has a deservedly great reputation worldwide. Many of the features that are copied the world over originate here and we should be proud of that,” she says before crucially adding, “but we shouldn’t be complacent.”