Dear Colleague
The Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DEL) has commissioned the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to develop a review method, Developmental review, designed specifically for further education colleges (colleges) which provide higher education funded by DEL.
The main purpose of the review is to provide an opportunity for a college to demonstrate the effectiveness of its management and delivery of the academic standards and quality of its higher education provision as set out in its partnership agreement(s) with higher education institutions and/or its awarding bodies.
Developmental review will run over the 2008-09 academic year. I am now writing to seek your views on the proposed review method as set out in the draft Handbook for Development review of higher education in further education colleges (Northern Ireland) 2008-09.
The method takes account of the fact that colleges are not awarding bodies and that QAA is not the only (or the main) quality and standards body with which colleges deal. QAA is mindful of the current government and higher education agenda to reduce burden while enabling DEL to fulfil its statutory reporting responsibilities. The method tries, therefore, to limit the duplication of effort by relying on colleges’ own quality assurance processes and on work carried out by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI).
By using a developmental review process, QAA intends to help ensure comparability of standards between higher education delivered in higher education institutions and higher education delivered in colleges. The method has an enhancement focus and offers colleges the opportunity to develop their quality assurance processes within a supportive framework. But it also retains the overall aim of attesting to the security of public investment by reporting on quality and standards to the colleges, their awarding bodies, DEL and QAA. The reports will also be shared with the ETI. They will not be published.
The Developmental review visits are scheduled for the period between mid-April and mid-May 2009. Any amendments to the method arising from comments received during this consultation will be considered and incorporated in the final version of the Handbook as appropriate. This document, once finalised, will be published.
There are a number of areas in the proposal on which we would particularly welcome your views. We would be grateful if you would respond to the following questions on potential advantages and disadvantages and any operational difficulties foreseen, with particular reference to the Handbook. We would appreciate your response structured around the following questions. Please use the attached response form for recording your comments.
- Do you foresee any operational difficulties?
- What are your views on the extent of involvement by colleges, students and other parties interested in the Developmental review process?
- What are the potential advantages and disadvantages for colleges of the Developmental review process?
- What are your views on the proposed format for the reflective statement, including the use of existing documentation?
- What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of using a reviewer in each team from another Northern Ireland college?
- What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of the institutional reviewer role?
- What is the potential contribution of Developmental review to the inspection of colleges and the audit of their partner universities?
- What is the potential for the enhancement of the students’ learning experience that Developmental review would provide for colleges?
We welcome your comments on the draft Handbook. Please submit them electronically or in hard copy, as you prefer, to Gillian Hayes, Deputy Director (Review) at northernirelandconsultation@qaa.ac.uk or by post to QAA, Southgate House, Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1UB. The closing date for the consultation is 28 November 2008.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to comment on the draft document. If you wish to discuss any information in this letter, please contact my colleagues Derek Greenaway (01452 557146, d.greenaway@qaa.ac.uk) or Ronni Littlewood (01452 557119, r.littlewood@qaa.ac.uk) in the first instance.
Yours sincerely
Peter Williams
Chief Executive
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