Quality Framework
The University’s Quality Framework is, as described in the University Education Strategy, as: a robust quality assurance framework that drives innovative course design, working in partnership with students at all stages. This will include engagement with external examiners, annual review of programmes, faculty quality assurance processes and periodic strategic reviews of departments/schools.
Its purpose is to:
- Enable the effective and efficient monitoring of academic standards and the quality of the student experience in relation to internal imperatives and external requirements (such as those stated in the QAA’s Quality Code and from accrediting professional, statutory and regulatory bodies);
- Ensure consistency whilst enabling and acknowledging diverse subject practices;
- Provide a mechanism for critical review and, in doing so, highlight and promote good practice across the institution.
Roles and Responsibility
Overall responsibility for the Framework lies with the University Education Committee; with its ongoing effectiveness being monitored by the University Academic Quality and Standards Committee.
The processes underpinning the Quality Framework are managed by the Academic Quality and Policy Office (AQPO) with the exception of the School Review process.
The main components of the Framework are:
Monitoring and review
Download a diagramatic representation of the framework:University of Bristol Quality Framework (PDF, 172kB)
Annual
- External examining: External examiners provide an informed, independent and comparative view of academic standards, assessment processes and structure of all our taught programmes.
- School Education Action Planning process: This planning framework provides the opportunity for schools to: (i) reflect upon the effectiveness of programmes considering feedback from external examiners, students and staff and (ii) consider and plan its educational priority areas for the forthcoming year. It includes:
- Annual Review of Programmes - covering both taught and postgraduate research programmes, including any programmes that are part of a Doctoral Training Entity (DTE)
- A University-level review of the Education Action Plans by the UQT
- University Quality Teams: The University Quality Team (UQT) assures the quality and standards of education provision and the student academic experience, contributing to and overseeing improvement via the Education Action Planning process at all levels of study. Each year, panels derived from the Team, made up of staff and student representatives, review cognate groups of programmes by testing the quality and standards of the education provision and actively contributing to the planning and delivery of actions for ongoing improvement (note: this replaced the Faculty Quality Teams process from 2019/20).
- Programme and unit development and approval: This process ensures that any new or revised units or programmes are academically appropriate and sound, and that sufficient resource can and will be made available for their successful delivery.
Periodic:
- Curriculum Review and Development, whereby a school conducts an in-depth review of its taught programmes, can also be undertaken.
- Periodic Programme Revalidation (PPR): a strategic process that considers the quality, validity and viability of all taught academic provision. This process revalidates programmes, subject to any actions arising in the report being satisfactorily addressed.
- School Review: University School Reviews are carried out on exception as an outcome of the integrated planning process to assure the University that a school is operating strategically and efficiently.
Ad hoc
- Quality and Standards Intervention: a process that provides the University Quality Team the ability to intervene where a particular and significant quality and standards issue in education provision or the student academic experience is identified, outside of PPR and the UQT review processes. Any such intervention is focussed and will address and resolve the particular issue in a timely way.
Education Action Plans (EAPs) are used by schools to track actions relating to its education provision, including those that arise from the Quality Framework. EAPs are live, iterative documents and are the primary means to review the progress against actions.
All aspects of the monitoring and review process include input from students, as set out in the Student Partnership Vision (PDF, 245kB), students are an integral part of the Framework, whether they be part of the actual review process or that their views are sought and considered via unit, programme, institutional or national student surveys. Students are also represented throughout the University’s committee structure and have the opportunity to discuss any relevant issues that arise from review processes.
Regulation and policy
The University’s academic standards and expectations are primarily set out in the:
They are further supported by a range of policies and guidelines in education.
External review
The last external review of the quality and standards of the University's education provision was by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in February 2016. The Higher Education Review process judged that the University had successfully met the UK expectations in all four areas of judgement: academic standards; the provision of learning opportunities and information; and the enhancement of the quality of student learning opportunities.
QAA HE Review Report 2016 (PDF, 304kB)
