QAA addresses international conference

QAA's Chief Executive Vicki Stott and Dr Ailsa Crum, our Director of Membership, Quality Enhancement & Standards, spoke on Tuesday at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's annual international conference in Washington DC.

Vicki and Ailsa's presentation prompted lively debate among delegates as they talked about how the sectoral co-ownership of key reference points on quality and standards - as exemplified by the UK's Quality Code - can underpin institutional autonomy.

‘Through our stewardship of the Quality Code, HE providers are enabled to reflect on their policies and practices, evaluating their approaches to enhancing the student learning experience and securing academic standards while also protecting academic freedom,’ Ailsa said.

The Quality Code offers a coherent reference point for higher education providers across the United Kingdom. The Code was introduced in 2000 and is implemented in different ways across the differing regulatory frameworks of the UK's four nations. Following an extensive consultation exercise across the sector, its fourth edition is due to be published this summer.

Vicki and Ailsa's presentation offered a picture of the rich and diverse practices which flourish within the UK’s complex regulatory landscape. They argued that such national reference points as the UK Quality Code, based upon internationally recognised standards and expectations, can help providers to meet a variety of dynamic and sometimes divergent policy and funding strategies from governmental and regulatory bodies, by emphasising collective and collaborative approaches to institution-specific contexts.

‘This kind of collective commitment to clearly articulated standards is a valuable and important way for providers to collaborate, and to sustain a robust public understanding and appreciation of the high quality of HE provision, in today's fast-changing and challenging global environments,’ said Vicki. ‘Because they are collaboratively drafted and agreed upon by the providers themselves, sector-owned reference points provide a framework that respects the diversity of educational approaches and disciplines, safeguarding their freedom to innovate and specialise without the constraints of a one-size-fits-all mandate.’

She went on to emphasise that the co-ownership of sector standards is particularly important both in providing consistency across nations and in demonstrating that autonomous institutions can collaborate in meaningful ways to underpin their academic standards, protect academic freedom, and maintain and enhance the quality of their teaching, learning and assessment.

‘This was a brilliant opportunity to share our learning and to learn from colleagues from across the world,’ Vicki added. ‘We're so grateful to everyone who took part in this discussion, and of course to CHEA for organising such a useful event.’

The formal consultation period for the new edition of the Quality Code will take place between 8 April and 17 May. To stay up to date with opportunities to input into sector-owned reference points, sign up to our newsletter.