How Student Voices Are Driving Forward The UK Quality Code for Higher Education

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), whose mission is to safeguard standards and improve the quality of UK higher education wherever it is delivered worldwide, has published a new edition of the UK Quality Code.

The UK Quality Code for Higher Education 2024 is important because it enables institutions to understand the key features of provision fundamental to securing academic standards and offering a high-quality student learning experience. It offers a framework upon which to evaluate and enhance policies and practices, which are expected to gather momentum over the 2024-25 academic year.

The guidance itself introduces 12 sector-agreed principles, including a new focus on “engaging students as partners” and “student voice”. The UK Quality Code advises that “student engagement through partnership working is strategically led, student-centred and embedded in the culture of providers” and recommends “transparent arrangements are in place for the collective student voice to be heard and responded to”.

Times Higher Education emphasizes the importance of the latest version’s focus on capturing student voices to improve the quality of education. At Explorance strongly supports this initiative by the UK’s leading quality assurance body, as we have consistently championed the importance of student voices. This commitment is reflected in our recent event, “Empowering Student Engagement: 5 Themes from Explorance’s Student Voices Conference.”

For student voices to feature more prominently in this latest version of QAA’s UK Quality Code, as a key reference point for the sector, gives this topic a whole new dimension. This is a key development for Explorance’s UK customers.

So, what exactly do institutions need to know about student voices aspects? The guidance itself is split into three sections, covering strategic approach, quality and standards, and approaches to quality enhancement. From our perspective, and the support we already provide to nearly 30 UK universities through Explorance Blue and MLY, we are particularly drawn to four principles:

• Principle 2: Engaging students as partners

Providers take deliberate steps to engage students as active partners in assuring and enhancing the quality of the student learning experience. Engagement happens individually and collectively to influence all levels of study and decision making. Enhancements identified through student engagement activities are implemented, where appropriate, and communicated to staff and students.

One of the key practices outlined under this principle is that “students understand that their voice has been listened to and are aware of how their views have impacted the assurance and enhancement of the student experience”.

• Principle 4: Using data to inform and evaluate quality

Providers collect, analyse and utilise qualitative and quantitative data at provider, departmental, programme and module levels. These analyses inform decision-making with the aim of enhancing practices and processes relating to teaching, learning and the wider student experience.

There is a key practice for “data to be collected and analysed in ways that enable providers to understand and respond to the needs of their student populations, promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability”.

• Principle 5: Monitoring, evaluating and enhancing provision

Providers regularly monitor and review their provision to secure academic standards and enhance quality. Deliberate steps are taken to engage and involve students, staff, and external expertise in monitoring and evaluation activity. The outcomes and impact of these activities are considered at provider level to drive reflection and enhancement across the provider.

Key practices include that “programmes and modules are monitored and reviewed regularly by internal and external peers, employers and students”, and “the actions and outcomes from monitoring and evaluation activities are communicated in an accessible manner to staff, students, the governing body and, where required, external stakeholders”.

• Principle 7: Designing, developing, approving and modifying programmes

Providers design, develop, approve and modify programmes and modules to ensure the quality of provision and the academic standards of awards are consistent         with the relevant Qualifications Framework. Providers ensure their provision and level of qualifications are comparable to those offered across the UK, and where applicable, The Framework of Qualifications for The European Higher Education Area.

“Students are involved meaningfully in the design, development, approval and modification of programmes and modules,” the key practices state.

In summary, Explorance can support these UK Quality Code principles and practices in several ways including:

• Innovative student feedback mechanisms.
• Gathering the full range of student voices.
• Increasing response rates.
• Closing the feedback loop.
• Effective analysis and reporting to inform institutional enhancement.

Our guides, How to Increase Student Engagement in Evaluations and How to Increase Response Rates, explore these solutions further.

We now look forward to working with current and future university partners across the UK to articulate the principles and practices for:

• The maintenance of academic standards
• The management of quality assurance and enhancement processes
• The enhancement of the quality of the student experience in higher education.

John Atherton is VP Sales – EMEA at Explorance. Ruth Burchell, Quality Enhancement & Standards Specialist at QAA, who spoke at our Student Voices in Higher Education Conference in 2023, is featured on a QAA podcast discussing the new UK Quality Code.