Academic review of HE in FECs. Student support: an overview

Alan Bradshaw

Assistant Director

QAA

Academic review of subjects

• Directly funded provision• Groups of subjects reviewed over 2-3 years• Peer review• Quality and standards

Standards

• Intended learning outcomes (ILOs)• Curriculum• Assessment• Achievement

Threshold judgement

Quality of learning opportunities

• Teaching and learning• Student progression• Learning resources – includes staff

Each aspect has separate judgement:

commendable, approved, failing

Strengths

• Use of practitioners in creative and performing arts

• Vocational relevance• Range of specialist facilities/colleges• Flexible patterns of delivery• Approachable teaching staff and learning

resource staff

Main areas for further development

Remain:• quality assurance at the subject level• student assessment

and

• embedding academic infrastructure

From Jan. 2002: student support

• Support from staff consistently a strength• Small groups assist additional contact with

staff• Students value dedicated and approachable

staff in both teaching and learning resources

Areas for development

• Timely formative feedback which identifies how to improve

• Clarity on the student – academic tutor – employer/mentor interface to ensure each understands the roles of the others.

ICT resources

Good practice includes:• early identification of LR needs in programme

planning• clear identification of HE needs in LR

budgeting, provision and availability• links between LR availability, ILOs and

content of units/modules

ICT resources 2

• Provision of LRC induction• Continued/additional support for returners• Need to ensure consistency of learning

opportunities for all students studying programme across different sites/modes of study

VLE usage

• Increasingly common in foundation degrees• Allows access from college, work, home• Allows employer access• Contains student handbook, course and other

information e.g. study skills events• Supports all modules• Some include mentoring guidelines for employer

access• Links to student resources incl. study packs

VLE usage 2

• Sets out and supports teaching and learning strategies

• On-line tutoring• On-line progress files/PDPs• Allows student interaction• Access to welfare system• Promotes consistency of experience for

students

Ways forward 1

• Colleges to include commentary on JISC funding in self evaluation documents

• Staff development • Better publicity for JISC Regional Support Centres• Work with AoC and other organisations• Offer presentations at QAA autumn HE and FE

conference 27 Oct. London

email: hefeconference@qaa.ac.uk

Ways forward 2

• Draft revised section of Code out for consultation (qaa.ac.uk/public/COP/cprovis/draft/

contents.htm)• Learning from HE in FECs in England:sharing

good practice• Seek ways of sharing good practice across

sector.