Higher education quality assurance

• Article 102 of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986

Revised operating model for quality assessment

The Revised operating model for quality assessment sets out the operating model for quality assessment in Northern Ireland from 2017/18 onwards.

Annual Provider Review (APR)

The Annual Provider Review (APR) is a desk-based and a low-burden process using existing data analysis and assurance processes. Institutions do not need to submit any additional returns. Instead, the new review brings together existing processes in a more structured way.

APR is the core mechanism to assess quality in the higher education providers we fund. Its key features are:

• it draws on existing data and information: there will be no new data requests nor a requirement for any annual APR submission
• indicators and metrics are used in a contextualised and rounded way
• judgements on quality and standards matters are reached through peer review.

Appeals

The appeals process for a provider’s APR outcome is explained in the APR guidance on page 7. Providers have 14 working days to submit an appeal on the grounds of procedural irregularity, that is, that the published process has not been followed.

Assurances from governing bodies

We use existing processes for collecting assurances from governing bodies to support the APR. These processes also cover the student academic experiences, student outcomes, and the standard of awards. 

Universities and University Colleges need to include these assurances as part of their Annual Accountability Return. Further Education Colleges will be asked to submit the assurances through a tailored template on an annual basis.

Annual Provider Review Outcomes

The Department makes final judgements on quality and standards informed by the recommendations of an independent Office for Students (OfS) Group established for this purpose. Judgements will fall into one of three outcomes: 

• Meets requirements - The provider will continue to undergo APR in subsequent years.
• Meets requirements with conditions - The provider will continue to undergo APR in subsequent years, but with an action plan to address areas of immediate concern.
• Pending - The provider will be referred for further investigation and intervention.

The current APR guidance for Northern Ireland sets out the way we will operate the APR process.

Due to Covid-19 the APR for 2019/20 was cancelled and 2018/19 outcomes stand. A new model for Quality Assessment is currently under consideration.

The outcomes of the APR process for academic year 2018/19 are set out below:

UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA)

The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) provides sector-led oversight of those aspects of quality assessment arrangements that continue to be shared across the UK. It will play a key role in promoting quality, standards, and the student interest, and supports a co-regulatory approach by bringing together academic expertise and students with regulatory and other bodies.

UK Quality Code for Higher Education

In October 2017, UKSCQA launched an extensive consultation on the UK Quality Code, which was co-ordinated by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) on behalf of all members of UKSCQA.

The expectations and practices of the Code form the basis of a fully revised UK Quality Code for Higher Education, which was published in November 2018. The expectations and practices have benefited from valuable engagement across all four nations and the full diversity of the sector, throughout the consultation

Details of the new UK Quality Code for Higher Education can be found on the UKSCQA website.

The Department does not resolve complaints or offer compensation to individuals. Students can raise individual complaints through their respective institutions complaints processes and, if they remain dissatisfied after completing the college or university’s complaints procedure, they can complain to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.