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Who we work with
A supportive space for Scotland’s higher education quality professionals

What is The Quality Forum (TQF)?


The Quality Forum (TQF) is a sector-led group with a flexible remit and membership. Its purpose is to provide support to members on policy and practice in areas of mutual interest broadly relating to quality in learning and teaching, allowing expertise to be shared and developed. TQF also provides an important voice for Scottish higher education institutions in UK-wide discussions, with links to the Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee (SHEEC), Quality Arrangements for Scottish Higher Education (QASHE), and the Quality Strategy Network.


TQF was originally established in the 1990s as a space in which quality professionals from Scottish higher education institutions could share practice relating to the Teaching Quality Assessment process in place at that time. Its remit quickly broadened to include wider matters of sector interest in quality assurance and enhancement. Established by the sector for the sector, administrative support for TQF has previously been provided by the University of Edinburgh, Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals (CoSHEP - the predecessor to Universities Scotland), and Universities Scotland, and is now provided by QAA Scotland.


The Convener chairs meetings and acts as the voice of TQF, having a number of ex officio positions on other bodies such as SHEEC and QASHE. The Vice Convener provides support for the Convener. Both are nominated and elected by TQF membership and serve a two-year term of office, with the possibility of this being extended for one further two-year term.


Convener


Katrina Swanton, Head Of Quality and Enhancement, Edinburgh Napier University


Katrina is Head of Quality & Enhancement at Edinburgh Napier University, where she has been leading on matters relating to Quality since 2017. She is an active champion of the Scottish approach to Quality Enhancement and is committed to sharing and promoting effective practice. Katrina recognises the important role that TQF can play in the ongoing professional development of its members and she will continue to foster a supportive and welcoming environment to facilitate the open discussion of the matters that impact on Quality practitioners in Scotland, and our partners. Over the course of her career, Katrina has worked in the Scottish, English and North American University sectors, is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AdvanceHE).

Vice-Convener


Alen MacKinlay, Associate Academic Registrar and Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement at Glasgow Caledonian University


Alen is an experienced HE quality practitioner with over 18 years of experience of quality assurance and enhancement in the HE sector and its implementation. He is currently Associate Academic Registrar and Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement at Glasgow Caledonian University and has had overall accountability for the operational and strategic leadership of the University’s Department of Quality Assurance and Enhancement since June 2021 ensuring the provision of an effective professional service to develop and support the quality assurance and enhancement functions of the University. Prior to this he was Quality Lead for transnational education and academic partnerships playing a key role in the development and maintenance of the University’s collaborative arrangements. Alen has been an institutional member of TQF for a number of years and is also currently a member of the Scottish Tertiary Education Network for Micro-credentials having previously been a project contributor to the QAA Enhancement Themes Collaborative Cluster Exploring the Potential of Micro-credentials and Digital Badging. Alen is a firm advocate of the role that professional services play in the academic related domain and wider student experience. With the implementation of the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework from 2024-25, Alen sees the TQF extending its vital role to bring together a more intense sharing of practice and greater mutual voice allowing us to collectively and positively reflect together in this changing new tertiary landscape.


Alen is also a musician having completed a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Studies (Pianoforte) at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2000.

Meetings

TQF usually holds three meetings each academic year, usually in October, March and June. Where these meetings take place in person, they are hosted by member institutions.

 

Meetings are divided into two parts. The first part, open to senior quality professionals, includes updates on sector-wide developments, and short updates from sector agencies including the Scottish Funding Council, sparqs (Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland), and QAA Scotland.

 

The second part of each meeting is open to all staff in centralised quality units at Scottish institutions, and includes discussions of institutional practice and ‘hot topics’, using breakout groups where appropriate. Agenda items are suggested and led by members. On occasion, colleagues from outside the Scottish sector are invited to present to TQF, providing members with fresh perspectives.


  1. Academic integrity
  2. Degree outcomes statements
  3. Grade profiling/improvement
  4. Institutional approaches to the Teaching Excellence Framework
  5. Institutional approaches to quality management during times of disruption
  6. Mapping institutional practice to the Quality Code
  7. Outcomes from ELIR activity
  8. Quality arrangements for Graduate Apprenticeships
  9. The use of progression and retention data in annual monitoring.

TQF Bulletin

As of academic session 2019-20, we produce a short bulletin after each meeting. This is in place of a formal minute, reflecting the informal nature of the group and the openness of discussion.


Yammer network

We have also established a Yammer network to help identify agenda items and facilitate discussion in between meetings. This network is open to anyone with an interest in teaching quality at Scottish institutions. If you would like to join, please visit the TQF Yammer network and send us a request.