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Quality assessment and subject review: England and Northern Ireland

Quality assessment was introduced in 1993 and, prior to the formation of QAA, was operated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The assessment looked at the student learning experience and student achievement. Each subject area was judged as 'excellent', 'satisfactory' or 'unsatisfactory'.

From April 1995 to December 2001, universal subject review covered six aspects of provision. Each aspect was graded on a scale of 1 to 4, in ascending order of merit. This summary was called the graded profile.

The subject review method evaluated the quality of educational provision within a subject area as defined by a unit of review. It focused, at the level of the subject, on the quality of the student learning experience and student achievement. Taught programmes of study at all levels were reviewed.

Once all the institutions that offered the particular subject, at the time of review, had been reviewed, a subject overview report was produced. Subject overview reports list all the institutions that have been assessed in a specific subject, and give details of the gradings that have been awarded.

Since 2001, QAA has reviewed higher education institutions in England and Northern Ireland using primarily the institutional audit method. A selected number of academic reviews have been completed as part of the transitional arrangements for the new method.

The review process

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