Academic Infrastructure
This set of UK-wide agreed guidelines and reference points includes the following four components - three are mainly concerned with setting standards and one (the Code of practice) is concerned with the management of quality.
There are a number of other reference points that also relate to all or parts of the Academic Infrastructure.
Frameworks for higher education qualifications
These describe the levels of achievement and attributes represented by the
main qualification titles, such as bachelor's degree with honours, or master's
degree. There are two frameworks for higher education qualifications - one
for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and one for Scotland. Both are compatible
with the Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area,
giving students confidence that their qualification will be recognised across
Europe.
Other reference points include the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), the Credit and Qualifications Framework in Wales (CQFW), and the higher education credit framework for England.
Subject benchmark statements
These set out broad expectations about degree standards in subjects. Universities
are responsible for setting their own curricula; benchmark statements assist
academic staff in course design, delivery and review, as well as informing
the public about the nature of degree-level study in specific areas. They
describe what can be expected of a graduate in terms of broad subject coverage
and the techniques and skills gained at first degree (and sometimes master's)
level in a subject.
Programme specifications
Each university and higher education college publishes programme specifications,
which contain information about its programmes or courses. Each specification
gives information about what students can expect from a programme (such
as the curriculum structure and assessment), and what knowledge, understanding,
skills and other attributes a student will have developed on successful
completion of a programme.
The Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards
in higher education
This offers guidelines for universities and colleges on good practice in
the management of academic standards and quality. Each of the 10 sections
of the Code
of practice indicates the key issues that an institution should consider
in the respective areas of activity.
1 Postgraduate
research programmes
2 Collaborative provision
and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning)
3 Students with disabilities
4 External examining
5 Academic appeals
and student complaints on academic matters
6 Assessment of students
7 Programme design,
approval, monitoring and review
8 Career education,
information and guidance
9 Work-based and placement
learning
10 Admissions to higher education
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