We have expertise in safeguarding academic standards and enhancing the quality of the student experience offered in Scotland wherever and however delivered. We promote excellent, responsive and inspiring learning provided in partnership with students.
New for 2023-24
Tertiary Quality Project
QAA is delighted to have been commissioned by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to lead key areas of Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Project (TQP). The TQP involves the development and delivery of a common approach to assuring and enhancing quality in Scotland’s tertiary sector from academic year 2024-25.
We are leading on two important project workstreams in collaboration with the SFC, sector agencies, and staff and students from Scotland’s colleges and universities.
Quality arrangements for 2023-24
Our current external review method is Quality Enhancement and Standards Review (QESR), operating until academic year 2024-25.
The Tertiary Enhancement Topic is 'The future of learning and teaching: Defining and delivering an effective and inclusive digital/blended offering'.
Latest news
Review team expresses confidence in Scotland's Rural College's quality arrangements
Date: | June 21 - 2024 |
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A review by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has expressed confidence in Scotland's Rural College's progress in continuing to monitor, review and enhance its higher education provision to enable effective arrangements to be in place for managing academic standards and the quality of the student experience.
The review was carried out by a team of three independent reviewers who were appointed by QAA. The review visit took place on 24 April 2024.
The team identified the following area of good practice:
- The review team considered the annual monitoring process undertaken at programme and departmental level to be highly effective, robust, well-documented and consistently implemented across Scotland's Rural College. The impact of the recently expanded annual dialogue meetings on quality enhancement and the student experience were evident through the identification of good practice, actions arising and areas for development.
QAA also made the following recommendations:
- Scotland's Rural College should consistently implement the framework supporting professional development for all those engaged in teaching and ensure that support is in place and training is completed prior to teaching for postgraduate research students who teach on a voluntary or employed basis.
- Scotland's Rural College should address issues concerning access to, and communication about, the support and opportunities available to distance-learning and postgraduate research students to help ensure the parity and consistency of the student experience.
Professor Wayne Powell, the Principal of Scotland's Rural College, said:
'On behalf of the students and staff of SRUC, I am delighted that the Quality Enhancement and Standards Review has confirmed confidence in the continued effectiveness of our approaches to maintain academic quality and standards and enhance the student learning experience.
'The fact that the review team commended our approach to annual monitoring and the role of annual dialogue meetings in quality enhancement, demonstrates the effectiveness of this process, which involves all academic teams across SRUC and evolves annually to enhance the effectiveness of the approach.
'I would like to thank the QAA review team for their considered approach to engaging with the SRUC and the students and staff who contributed to the review.'
You can read the full Quality and Enhancement Standards Review report for Scotland's Rural College on the QAA website.