Question+1

= ** Scenario 2: The roles and responsibilities for Quality Assurance outside of the institution ** = =Your programme/course has been selected for an audit by the QAA. Your Department Head/Dean has asked you to lead the team that prepares the documentation and interviewed by the auditors. = =• Question 1: What is the QAA and what is its role in the QA process? =

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has the role of upholding standards and quality in the higher education establishments in the UK. Their mission statement is to safeguard standards and improve the quality of UK higher education.

They do this by offering help and guidance to universities and colleges to ensure that the students enjoy the best possible learning experience. They carry out reviews and publish reports on the colleges they assess highlighting where improvements might be made and where there is already success and good practice. To help higher education institutions develop their policies and in order to meet ideal standards, they produce a number of resources and reference points. There is a new [|UK Quality Code for Higher Education] which has replaced the Academic Infrastructure. It has three sections on standards, quality and public information.

Their [|strategy]  states their aims for 2011-14.

They are to:
 * meet students' needs and be valued by them
 * safeguard standards in an increasingly diverse UK and international context
 * drive improvements in UK higher education
 * improve public understanding of higher education standards and quality.

The QAA is based in Gloucester with a smaller office in Glasgow.

Their role in the QA process is to conduct [|reviews]  of institutions and publish [|reports] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,tahoma,sans-serif;"> detailing the findings. These reports highlight good practice and give institutions advice to help improve their quality. The <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #791d12; font-family: arial,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">[|peer reviewers] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: arial,tahoma,sans-serif;"> on the review teams have all got experience in the role of providing or assessing higher education. A <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #791d12; font-family: arial,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">[|student reviewer] <span style="font-family: arial,tahoma,sans-serif;"> is also included in each team.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: arial,tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">The hyperlinks should take you straight to the QAA website.