Monitoring, review, and enhancement
Our monitoring and review processes are designed with a guiding principle of subsidiarity, to ensure processes are applied and operated systematically and consistently.
They are embedded within our existing education governance processes as part of our annual cycle of business and detailed below:
Student involvement in monitoring and review
We are proud of our level of engagement with our student body, recognising and celebrating the contribution of students to the enhancement of teaching and learning and the wider student experience.
Students are enabled and encouraged to actively engage in the governance and enhancement of the wider student experience beyond the formal curriculum and are members of our key governance committees, including: Council; Senate; ASQC, and its sub-committees.
Monitoring and review policy
Our Monitoring and Review Policy outlines how our monitoring and review processes are interconnected avoiding any unnecessary duplication of work.
Our processes draw upon data available through the survey management framework, module evaluation and outcomes, external examiner reports as well as the views of professional or regulatory accrediting bodies to enable discussions at the appropriate time in the academic cycle so that prompt action can be taken at a point when it will have the most impact.
Revalidation
Our revalidation process provides an opportunity for all schools to formally review their portfolio of programmes every five years to ensure they continue to be strategically and academically fit for purpose.
Strategically connected to our procedure for the approval of programmes, modules, and other credit provision and aligned with our Institutional Expectations, we ensure all our programmes and modules meet academic standards that are consistent with relevant national qualifications and credit frameworks.
Education partnerships
We take a risk-based approach to managing all our education partnership arrangements according to the level of risk reflected in our education partnership taxonomy. This risk-based approach allows us to assess and evaluate the partner, the partner’s ability to deliver the education provision, and to ensure the academic standards and student experience are protected.
Our education partnership sub-committee has institutional oversight of all education partnership arrangements. This includes scrutiny and, where appropriate, approval of agreements for new and/or existing education provision with partners.
Strategically connected to our procedure for the approval of programmes, modules, and other credit provision and aligned with our Institutional Expectations, we ensure all programmes with a Cardiff University award meet academic standards that are consistent with relevant national qualifications and credit frameworks.
Annual quality report
Our Annual Quality Report (AQR) provides a holistic overview of the operation and outcomes of the university’s academic quality management systems during each academic session, and is received by Council each year in line with the requirements outlined in the Higher Education Code of Governance.
The report identifies and reflects upon all elements of the academic quality system, including quality assurance, enhancement, assessment and admissions activities and confirms that all processes and procedures are regularly reviewed and that enhancement activity is responsive to feedback and external requirements.
Each section identifies enhancements and actions, which ensure that the academic quality system continues to evolve and takes a proportionate, risk-based approach to address matters relating to academic standards and quality. In addition, a risk status for each area of activity has been identified to highlight areas of concern with actions identified.
Annual Enhancement Report
The Annual Enhancement Report (AER) is a companion document to the Academic Quality Report (AQR) and provides an annual summary evaluating the implementation of initiatives to enhance the student experience.
The focus of the report is to provide a strategic overview on the initiatives undertaken through the education and student experience programme, a three-year programme to address strategic priorities.
Review and enhancement
The process is data driven and relates to baseline regulatory requirements and institutional enhancement activities. Discussions and analysis are coordinated at college level with outcomes reported to each meeting of the Academic Standards and Quality Committee.
College Education Deans provide assurance statements for the key activities undertaken, prioritise actions, and monitor the effectiveness of actions taken.
This is a key source of evidence for Senate and Council on academic standards and the quality of the student experience.
External examiners
External examining provides a key role in maintaining our academic standards and are an essential regulatory requirement when providing externality as part of our monitoring and review processes.
A thematic analysis of issues and good practice is considered by the Academic Standards and Quality Committee and summarised in the Annual Quality Report reported to Senate and Council.
Accreditation by professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies
Responsibility for managing Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditation rests with the relevant School and subject area.
Accreditation activity is integrated within the University’s quality framework through:
- revalidation
- programme development and approval
- review and enhancement activities at school and institutional level
- External Examiner reports (where appropriate)
Schools are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their accreditation data and through their Education and Student Experience Committees, maintain oversight of accreditation and associated follow-up actions.