About us

External review

We use evidence-based peer review processes and our review teams are largely made up of senior, experienced staff from UK higher education institutions and the professions. Teams in Scotland include a student member and an international member. Teams in the rest of the UK will include a student member from 2009-10.

We publish reports on most of our review activities and this information is freely available on our website.

Review methods

Institutional audit - England and Northern Ireland
In England and Northern Ireland, all universities and colleges of higher education are currently reviewed within a six-year cycle of Institutional audit. This reports on whether universities and colleges are providing higher education of an acceptable quality and standard. A judgement is made as to the confidence that can be placed in the institution's present and likely future management of the quality of its programmes and the academic standards of its awards.

Institutions which offer a large number of courses through other colleges and universities may also be subject to an audit of collaborative provision. The main focus here is whether the awarding institution is maintaining effectively its responsibility for the academic standards of all awards (or credits) granted in its name.

Integrated quality and enhancement review - England
Further education colleges in England running higher education courses or modules receive Integrated quality and enhancement review (IQER), which has two complementary stages. The first stage is Developmental engagement, which supports the college's development of the higher education it provides. The second stage is Summative review, which makes judgements about the effectiveness of the college's processes for managing the student learning experience. The Summative review is published on our website.

 

Enhancement-led institutional review - Scotland
Enhancement-led institutional review (ELIR) is part of the enhancement-led approach to managing quality and standards in Scottish higher education. It focuses on the effectiveness of each institution's approach to enhancing the learning experience and achievements of its students. Each report makes a confidence judgement on the effectiveness of the institution's systems for maintaining standards and enhancing quality.

 

Institutional review - Wales
Institutional review in Wales is concerned with the way in which an institution exercises its power to grant degrees and/or other awards in its own name or that of an awarding body. It aims to ensure that institutions are providing higher education of an acceptable quality and appropriate academic standard.

We also review directly-funded higher education in further education institutions in Wales through a process called Developmental review. Review teams make a confidence judgement on the effectiveness of institutions' internal processes for managing the quality and standards of higher education. All review reports on institutions in Wales are published in Welsh (as well as English), as part of our Welsh Language Scheme.

Developmental review of higher education in further education colleges in Northern Ireland
We recently developed a method to review higher education in further education colleges in Northern Ireland in the 2008-09 academic year. Developmental review of higher education in further education colleges in Northern Ireland reports on the effectiveness of colleges' processes for managing academic standards and for assuring and enhancing the quality of learning opportunities in their higher education programmes.

 

Overseas audit
We audit collaborative provision partnerships between UK higher education institutions and international organisations that lead to the award of a UK degree. Overseas audit assesses how effectively UK institutions secure the quality and standards of programmes being offered through partnerships with international organisations.