HEA Response to QAA Consultation
HEA response to QAA consultation
UK Quality Code for HE Chapter B4: Supporting student achievement
Overall impressions
1. Does the title of this Chapter adequately reflect its content?
Yes
2. Is the remit of the Chapter appropriate and clearly stated?
Yes
The Chapter will replace guidance previously contained in the Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (the Code of practice) Section 8: Career education, information, advice and guidance (2010) and aspects of the Code of practice, Section 3: Disabled students (2010) as they relate to supporting student achievement.
3. Does the new Chapter adequately capture the relevant content of these two documents?
Yes
Is this Chapter sensitive to the diversity of higher education providers, higher education students, and modes of learning?
Yes
Expectation
4. Do you agree with the wording of the Expectation for this Chapter?
No
The HEA believes that the expectation should recognise the possible harmful effect for students of accessing support – such as embarrassment, stigma, personal records, implications for future careers etc. As such the expectation should include the idea of providing support ‘without detrimental effect to students’. The expectation might also be more explicit about the period of time for which institutions have a responsibility to provide support – pre-entry, on course, and post-completion.
Indicatiors of sound practice
Indicator 1Support for student achievement is included in higher education providers' strategic planning.
5. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
6. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 2Higher education providers have in place policies and procedures in which responsibilities for student support are clearly defined.
7. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
8. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 3The provision of student support is guided by a commitment to equitable access and outcome.
9. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
10. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
The explanatory text should recognise that not all students in similar situations or with similar needs will take up the available support. As such institutions should take a proactive approach to student support, informed by monitoring student behaviour and monitoring and reviewing use of student support services by student groups / characteristics.
Additional resources (all HEA):
Male access and success in higher education: A discussion paper to promote and inform the debate within and between institutions about gendered differentials in higher education.
Black and minority ethnic student degree retention and attainment, Jacqueline Stevenson, 2012: A report summarising the finding from the Higher Education Academy learning and teaching summit.
Inclusive Curriculum Design in HE
Indicator 4Higher education providers promote internal collaboration, collaboration with external partners and understanding of individual responsibilities in order to provide student support.
11. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
12. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 5Higher education providers make information available to students about the extent and range of support services provided before, during and after their registration.
13. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
14. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 6Higher education providers have policies, practices and systems to actively support students in making a successful transition into higher education.
15. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
16. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
Additional resource (HEA):
Compendium of effective practice to improve student retention and success (2012):
Indicator 7Higher education providers ensure that academic progression and completion are actively supported.
17. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
18. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
Additional resource
NUS Charter on Personal Tutors:
Indicator 8
19. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
20. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 9
21. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
22. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 10
23. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
24. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 11
25. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
26. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Indicator 12
27. Do you agree with the wording of this Indicator?
Yes
28. Do you have any suggestions for additional explanatory text or signposts to further information it may be helpful to include?
No
Further comments
29. Do the Indicators of sound practice in this Chapter adequately set out what higher education providers might do to meet the Chapter Expectation?
Overall, whilst the indicators adequately set out what HEPs might do to meet the Chapter Expectation, they are a relatively basic set of indicators that demonstrate little aspiration. In particular HEPs might be asked to demonstrate the impact of their support and around developing approaches that result in personalised, integrated support for students. They might also take a more balanced perspective on support – for example from the perspective of academic staff and students, as well as from senior management and student services perspectives.
30. Are any additional Indicators needed? If so, please give details.
31. Do you agree with the order in which the Indicators have been arranged?
32. Please use this space for any further comments on the Chapter. There is NO word limit for this question.
In the introductory section ‘Supporting student achievement’, the link between the quality of partnership and student experience of support is not adequately explained and its use may not be appropriate in this context.
The overall expectation and rationale is welcomed – a focus on principles of integration and holistic, seamless support and a recognition of the need for personalisation. However, some of the indicators seem to undermine this. For example, by focusing on individual staff responsibility for overseeing and delivering support, employability etc the code encourages a ‘silo’ culture where these may be seen as specific responsibilities for some staff only. This could also potentially lead to students having difficulty accessing support as some staff perceive it as ‘not my responsibility’.
Whilst there is a great deal of evidence used to underpin many of the indicators, some seem better informed by evidence than others. For example, it is questionable whether there is a sound evidence base to assert that generic ‘awareness raising’ activity of support increases use by all students. The limited available evidence suggests that students tend to seek awareness of support services as and when they need them. In this way much of the chapter seems to be written from the perspective of student services professionals and it would benefit from drawing on a focus on the experience of support from the student perspective. Such a focus might have led to different, more student focussed, indicators.
Generally, from an accessibility perspective, there as some parts of the Chapter that would benefit from being re-written in plain English.