The Quality Enhancement and Standards Review (QESR) for the University took place on 14 February 2023, following a comprehensive submission of required documentation. On the day, a number of sessions took place with the Review panel:
- Session with HEI Key Contacts
- Session with Students
- Session with Quality Assurance-focused Staff
- Session with Quality Enhancement-focused Staff
There are only two possible outcomes from this process: confident, or not confident. The Review team reached the following conclusion for the University of Aberdeen: “From the evidence presented, the review team is confident that the institution is making effective 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 learning experience.” In addition, four areas of good practice were identified, and only two recommendations for action both of which the Review team understood were actions already being taken forward by the University.
The QESR report is published on the QAA website and identified the following areas of good practice:
- Effective implementation of University strategies: the University has an effective approach to strategic planning in relation to teaching and learning, particularly the engagement with the strategy and its underpinning action plans.
- Engagement with Enhancement Themes: the University has successfully embedded learning from the national Enhancement Themes, particularly in relation to institutional policy and practice.
- An Inclusive Approach to Blended Education/Learning and Teaching: the University has made significant progress with its vision for blended education, effectively using learning and recommendations from its in-depth review and evaluation of blended and online learning to develop the vision for education.
- Student Partnership: the University and Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) have a long-standing, embedded and collaborative relationship based on partnership working across all aspects of University life.
In terms of identified recommendations, the QESR report identified the following:
- Student Access to External Examiner Reports: ensuring the publication of External Examiner reports by the end of the academic year 2022/23. Progress is being made to develop communications to Schools and to students in this regard.
- Personal Tutoring: continuing work to finalise the University’s approach to personal tutoring arrangements, ensuring the provision of equity of experience for all students, and that the support is clearly communicated by the end of the academic year 2022/23. Progress is being made to consolidate this information and to present it to students in a meaningful way.
An action plan has been developed and continues to monitor progress of the completion of the relevant actions.