Learning from continuation audit

Good practice tables

These tables provide a summary of the good practice identified in continuation audit reports. QAA's continuation audit programme was the second round of academic audits carried out between 1998 and 2000. It was designed to answer two questions: how did a higher education institution know that it was discharging effectively its responsibility for the academic standards of the awards granted in its name and for the quality of education provided to enable students to attain those standards; and how sufficient, valid and reliable was the evidence it relied on for this purpose?

The answers to these questions allowed QAA to establish the extent to which institutions were exercising proper stewardship over their standards and quality and, by implication, the level of confidence which the outside world could place in those standards and the way they were being managed.

Continuation audit focused principally on the four areas of: academic standards; the institution's strategic approach to quality and standards; the learning infrastructure; and communications. It drew upon information provided by the institution as well as published reports such as those produced following quality assessments.

The tables are based on the ‘Points for Commendation’ found at the end of the reports. In most cases, the comments relating to individual institutions include some detail from the relevant paragraphs of the report. The majority (99) of UK higher education institutions feature in the tables. The rest were not subject to the Continuation Audit process because of timing of the audit cycle, or engagement in other review activities. There are 22 tables, grouped under the four generic headings used in continuation audit reports. The headings used for the tables correspond with the sub-sections under each generic headings, as listed below.

What are they for?

The tables are intended to provide enough information to enable the user quickly to scan the good practice identified in Continuation Audit reports, and if necessary, to look for further details in the report itself.

The examples given are not exhaustive but are comprehensive enough to provide an accurate picture of the good practice that exists and where institutions can improve practice.

How can the tables be used?

The tables can be accessed in two ways, either by topic (see list below), or by institution. A full alphabetical list of all the institutions whose reports have been used to compile the tables can be found by clicking on the ‘List of institutions’ below. The list is indexed to show the tables in which the institution is included.

A brief commentary

The tables show much evidence of good practice across the sector. Most examples are included in:

Table 2 Management, implementation and development of formal institutional quality assurance systems

Table 6 Collaborative arrangements, including regional partnerships

Table 7 Definition and maintenance of academic standards, including course approval and review

Table 9 Learning and teaching strategies, including learning, teaching and assessment processes and student progress

Table 13 Student support

Table 15 Human resources, including recruitment, staff development, appraisal and promotion

Table 18 Communications with students and their contribution to quality management

Table 19 Communications with staff

The areas where fewer examples of good practice are highlighted include those about the components of the Academic Infrastructure (eg Table 12 – Subject benchmarking and frameworks for higher education qualifications), because some elements were only just being introduced during the continuation audit cycle.

Institutions with 10* or more good practice references are:

University of Aberdeen
University of Bath
University of Brighton
University of Dundee
University of Hull
Kingston University
University of Leicester
University of Liverpool
Open University
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London
Southampton Institute
University College, London
University College, Northampton
University of the West of England in Bristol

* Some institutions have more than one example of good practice in a single table.

If you have any queries on the tables, please contact: Gill Clarke (g.clarke@qaa.ac.uk)

List of tables

Table number	Title
Strategy for quality management
1	Effectiveness of the analytical account
2	Management, implementation and development of formal institutional quality assurance systems
3	Extent of integration of quality assurance systems at department/school level
4	Availability and use of management information, including strategic planning
5	Support available for institutional quality assurance and enhancement processes
6	Collaborative arrangements, including regional partnerships
Academic standards of awards
7	Definition and maintenance of academic standards, including course approval and review
8	Admissions and recruitment of students, including widening access arrangements
9	Learning and teaching strategies, including learning, teaching and assessment processes and student progress
10	Management of postgraduate education, including research degrees
11	External examining
12	Subject benchmarking and frameworks for higher education qualifications
Learning infrastructure
13	Student support
14	Information and communications technology (ICT), library resources and related strategies
15	Human resources, including recruitment, staff development, appraisal and promotion
16	Institutional policies, guidelines and codes and their relationship to the QAA Code of practice
17	Programme specifications
Internal and external communications
18	Communications with students and their contribution to quality management
19	Communications with staff
20	Relationships with external organisations, including employers
21	Employability and skills development
22	Sharing good practice

Reports included in tables

University of Aberdeen	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 13, 18, 19, 20
University of Abertay Dundee	1, 4, 6, 8, 14, 15, 19
Anglia Polytechnic University	1, 3, 6, 7, 10
Ashridge Management College	2, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18
University of St Andrews	1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18
Aston University	1, 2, 13, 15, 18
University of Bath	1, 2, 5, 9, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21
Birkbeck College	1, 2, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 18
University of Birmingham	1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 13, 15, 18, 19
Bishop Grosseteste College	7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 21
Bournemouth University	2, 3, 5, 7, 18, 19
University of Bradford	2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 19
University of Brighton	1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18, 19, 22
Brunel University	1, 2, 5, 9, 15, 19
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College	6, 7, 13, 15
Cardiff University	1, 2, 10, 13, 15, 16, 19, 22
University of Central England in Birmingham	6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17
University of Central Lancashire	6, 7, 9, 15, 19
City University	1, 2, 14, 15, 18
Coventry University	2, 6, 7, 9, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22
Cranfield University	1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 14, 18, 19, 20
De Montfort University	1, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19
University of Derby	2, 3, 7, 12, 15, 17, 18, 19
University of Dundee	1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 22
University of Durham	1, 2, 6, 7
University of East Anglia	1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 15
University of East London	1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 14, 22
University of Essex	2, 9, 10, 22
University of Exeter	1, 2, 7, 22
University of Glamorgan	1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8
Glasgow Caledonian University	1, 2, 3, 6, 19
Goldsmiths College	1, 2, 7, 8, 13, 18
University of Greenwich	1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 13, 18, 19
Guildhall School of Music and Drama	2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 18
Heriot-Watt University	2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 14, 15
University of Hertfordshire	2, 10, 16, 18
University of Huddersfield	1, 2, 5, 15
University of Hull	1, 2, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19
University of Keele	1, 2, 10, 11, 13, 15
University of Kent	1, 2, 9, 10, 13, 15, 19
King’s College London	1, 3, 13, 15, 18
Kingston University	1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15, 18, 19
University of Lancaster	1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 13, 18, 19
University of Leeds	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 22
Leeds Metropolitan University	1, 2, 5, 9, 16, 19
University of Leicester	1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18
University of Liverpool	1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 19
Liverpool John Moores University	2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 15, 18, 19, 22
London Guildhall University	6, 7, 8, 10, 18, 19
Loughborough University	1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 15, 18, 19, 20
University of Luton	1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 16
University of Manchester	1, 2, 5, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22
Manchester Metropolitan University	1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 13
Napier University	1, 2, 6, 9, 15, 18
University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne	1, 2, 5, 8, 14, 18, 19
University of North London	1, 3, 4, 8, 13, 14, 15
University of Northumbria at Newcastle	1, 5, 6, 7, 13, 16
University of Nottingham	1, 2, 4, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19
The Nottingham Trent University	1, 5, 6, 7
Open University	2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19
Oxford Brookes University	1, 2, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18
University of Paisley	1, 2, 5, 8, 13, 14, 15
University of Plymouth	1, 5, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19
University of Portsmouth	2, 5, 6, 15, 18, 19
Queen Mary and Westfield College	1, 13, 16, 21
Queen’s University of Belfast	1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, 15, 19, 21
University of Reading	13, 15
The Robert Gordon University	1, 2, 7, 11, 14, 16
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College	1, 2, 3, 7, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
University of Salford	2, 8, 13
University of Sheffield	5, 6, 7, 8, 22
Sheffield Hallam University	1, 5, 7, 19
University of Southampton	1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16
Southampton Institute	2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21
South Bank University	1, 6, 7, 19
St Mary’s College	3, 5, 7, 13, 15
Staffordshire University	1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 19
University of Stirling	2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 22
University of Strathclyde	1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 15, 19
University of Sunderland	1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 17
University of Surrey	1, 4, 13, 15
University of Sussex	1, 2, 3, 19
Swansea Institute	1, 2, 6, 13, 15
University of Teesside	1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 19
University of Ulster	1, 2, 10, 12, 15, 16
University College London	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22
University College Northampton	1, 2, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19
University College Worcester	1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16
UMIST	1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18
University of Wales Aberystwyth	7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15
University of Wales Bangor	1, 2, 7, 14, 19
University of Wales College of Medicine	2, 4, 5, 9, 13, 18, 20
University of Wales Lampeter	2, 6, 7, 13, 15, 18
University of Wales Swansea	2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 18, 20
University of Warwick	2, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18
University of the West of England, Bristol	1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 14, 15, 22
University of Westminster	1, 2, 9, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19
University of Wolverhampton	1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15
University of York	1, 2, 6, 9,13, 18, 19

Next>> Table 1

Report available electronically can be accessed via the A-Z listing of institutions