Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement

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Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement
Relationships and Perspectives Professor Barry
Jackson PVC, Director of Learning
Teaching Middlesex University 11 June 2008,
East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham
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Project aims - support institutions - explore
current understanding - share ideas and concerns
Assumptions - increased attention to QE - a
context of change - variety of definitions and
approaches
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Methodology - invitation to participate - data
gathered by interview - interview template -
analysis
Participating institutions 28 pre-1992
universities 27 post-1992 universities 7
post-2005 universities 1 university college 8
specialist or monotechnic institutions (5 of
which are institutions without degree-awarding
powers).
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• Limitations
• consistency of interview records
• institutional contacts
• time and resources

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Headline findings

• change
• definitions
• audit and enhancement
• strategic approaches
• QE and QA
• institutional processes and structures
• other matters of interest

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A context of change
there is a continuing awareness of the fact
that the sands are ever shifting, both internally
and externally, so that sense of change is a
constant.
The institution is involved in new ways of
thinking in terms of its changing mission
the University is developing, following a
full-scale restructuring of committees
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Change of quality focus
There is a change of focus from QA to QE.
The culture within the institution has changed
from audit/checking to a more developmental
approach.
in the matter of the relationship between QA
and quality management and enhancement, the
University is at the beginning of a journey.
The shift has occurred to some extent at the
institutional level, but perhaps less so at the
chalkface.
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Defining enhancement a shared definition?
The institution does not currently have a shared
definition of QE, but it is working towards
developing one.
The definition changed about two years ago, but
is now fixed in the enhancement strategy.
The institution is very resistant to imposing
or adopting a single definition of enhancement.
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Defining enhancement QE and QA
QA and QE are intrinsically linked throughout
the institution.
QA and QE were considered separately, but
through current work in progress are now becoming
linked.
the institution does not differentiate between
quality assurance and quality enhancement
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Defining enhancement whats included?
Centrally, QE is regarded as a set of strategic
priorities to improve teaching and learning.
The University is thinking more widely than
enhancing teaching experience, and looking on
anything that impacts on student learning, which
may cover the administrative framework as well as
student support.
QE is targeting of danger areas low
retention, progression achievement rates
critical external examiner reports bad feedback
from students.
Enhancement is understood to be a polishing,
and if appropriate a redirecting, of everything
that is already good.
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Defining enhancement the audit definition
The definition of QE is changing and currently
the QAA definition has been adopted while
discussions are happening.
the university is not keen on the taking
deliberate steps part of the definition for
audit it feels that this sounds like the
university is required to do something for the
sake of it.
The institution quite likes the notion of
deliberate steps referred to in the QAA audit
definition of enhancement.
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Enhancement and audit
It is like an iceberg with QA sticking out and
can be seen, but with QE as the seven-tenths
submerged under water and cant always be seen as
clearly.
External scrutiny has very little role to play
in QE, it will cause institutions to be
risk-averse.
The external perspective can enhance our
objectivity.
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Changes to institutional structures and processes
Following a period of change from emphasis on QA
to an emphasis on QE, structures are becoming
increasingly consolidated.
Until recently LT and quality strategies were
overseen by different PVCs, as were the academic
development unit and the quality office. This is
no longer the case and the change has been found
to be helpful.
The Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit has
recently been created out of a merger of the
relevant administrative offices and the former
Centre for Learning and Teaching.
The university has moved to an improvement-led
approach to periodic review.
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• Other matters arising
• strategies for enhancement
• good practice
• continuous improvement
• nature and role of evidence
• involvement of students
• sources of support for enhancement
• risk and innovation

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Institutional strategies for enhancement
The university tends to adopt a bottom-up
approach to the development of policy and
practice.
we would regard reliance on bottom-up
developments to improve our provision as
inadequate.
There is a formal QE strategy this is designed
to build upon an established sound and
institution-wide QA base.
The University has explicitly decided not to
have a separate QE policy, strategy or plan.
Were revising our LTA Strategy at the moment
and QE is explicit in this.
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Good practice
Enhancement is above and beyond good practice,
but good practice is more widespread than
enhancement.
We prefer to use the term effective practice.
good practice is effective practice.
Good practice requires excellence, more than
the minimum.
Good practice is what everyone should be doing.
Defines minimum expectation.
One problem is the need to avoid recognising
good practice by assertion.
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Interesting questions? Is continuous improvement
the same as quality enhancement? To what extent
is there, or can there be, shared understanding
of good practice? How can dissemination move
beyond getting the word out to getting the
word used? What is the relationship of QA to
QE? What implications do different understandings
of the relationship have for structures and
processes? To what extent does QE involve risk,
and how might it be mitigated? How broad are the
aspects of the student experience that are
addressed by QE? To what extent can enhancement
be part of institutional strategy, or does that
run the risk of demotivating innovative staff?