QAA Institutional Audit 2008

Why are we here?

• provide and gather information

• ask and answer questions; discuss issues

• reassurance - we're confident

• reassurance - this shouldn't affect you very much

• nice cup of tea and a biscuit

Who are QAA?

• Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)'s mission: to safeguard the public interest in sound standards of HE qualifications and to inform and encourage continuous improvement in the management of the quality of HE

What is Institutional Audit?

• an evidence-based process carried out through peer review ... with an emphasis on students and their learning

• publicly credible, independent and rigorous scrutiny of institutions

• encourages institutions to be self-evaluative

Audit focuses

• everything! – at the institutional management level

• PGR• collaborative courses• published information; Europe• enhancement: deliberate steps at

institutional level to improve the quality of learning opportunities

What is Institutional Audit?

• an evidence-based process carried out through peer review ... with an emphasis on students and their learning

• publicly credible, independent and rigorous scrutiny of institutions

• encourages institutions to be self-evaluative

What evidence?

• Institutional Briefing Paper (IBP)

• Student Written Submission (SWS)

• strategies, policies, reviews, minutes...

• meetings with staff and students

Institutional Briefing Paper (IBP)• key document

• 30 pages

• description, self-aware reflection and analysis

Student Written Submission (SWS)

• prepared by Students' Union

• piece of evidence for audit team

• TQ and SU talking frequently

What is Institutional Audit?

• an evidence-based process carried out through peer review ... with an emphasis on students and their learning

• publicly credible, independent and rigorous scrutiny of institutions

• encourages institutions to be self-evaluative

Who are our peers?

• 4 people, plus Audit secretary

• Julia Clarke, Leeds

• Richard Gadsden, Loughborough

• Richard Tong, UWIC

• Denis Wright, Imperial

• Louise Walmsley, Manchester (Audit secretary)

Clarke

Tong

Gadsden

Audit timeline

• 1 Sept: IBP and SWS to QAA

• 7-9 October: Briefing Visit

• 10 Oct-9 Nov: busy, busy, busy

• 10-14 Nov: Audit visit

After the Audit

• by end Nov: key findings letter

• 16 January: draft report

• 13 March: final report

• 10 April: report published

Findings• Judgement on standards

– "present and likely future management"– confidence– limited confidence– no confidence

• Judgement on quality– "present and likely future management"– confidence– limited confidence– no confidence

Report

• 2-page summary

• main report

• technical annex

Briefing Visit

• 7-9 October

• Audit team learns more about university

• meets the VC

• meets key TQ people

(academic & admin)

• meets student reps

Audit Visit

• audit trails– likely to be based on recent SDRs

• 10-14 November• Audit team tests evidence, makes

judgements• 4/5 meetings, 8 people in each, 1 with

students• "high-value" people - range of roles

Preparations

• Departmental healthcheck

• drafting IBP now

• QAA Code of Practice check

Key issues

• course specs

• enhancement

• assessment conventions

• information flows

TQ website

• www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/quality

• warwick.ac.uk/go/quality

• .../categories/institutionalaudit/

Questions?

• Karen O’Brien: 23342, k.e.o-brien@warwick.ac.uk• Julian Moss: 22707, julian.moss@warwick.ac.uk• Jenny Bradfield: 74464, j.bradfield@warwick.ac.uk• Helen Hutchings, 50239, h.hutchings@warwick.ac.uk