Benchmarks and Benchmarking in the UK -

Lessons LearnedCatherine Connor

Quality Enhancement UnitLondon Metropolitan University

1. Context - Higher Education in the UK2. Context-London Metropolitan University3. Quality & Standards Benchmarks – Quality Assurance Agency4. Benchmarking in Higher Education in the UK5. London Metropolitan University – Quality Management & Benchmarking6. Lessons Learned

Benchmarks and Benchmarking • Benchmarks are reference points or measurements used for 

comparison, usually with the connotation that the benchmark is a 'good' standard against which comparison can be made

• Benchmarking is a process of finding good practice and of learning from others

• Benchmarking is also a means of measuring performance against comparator institutions

Higher Education in the UK

Statistics – UK 2011/12

Universities/HEIs in the UK

London Metropolitan University - past

London Metropolitan University - today

Holloway

AldgateMoorgate

Degree Awarding Powers and University Title in the UK

165 recognised bodies with Degree Awarding Powers and 700+ others delivering HE courses

Quality Assurance Agency, UK

How does the UK QAA safeguard standards?

• QAA is independent of government and universities

•Each institution is responsible for the quality and standards of their awards

• The UK Quality Code for Higher Education provides institutions with guidance on benchmark expectations on quality and standard

•The QAA audits compliance and highlights good practice through Higher Education Review (HER) every 6 years

The purpose of the Quality Code is:

• to safeguard the academic standards of UK higher education

• to assure the quality of the learning opportunities that UK higher education offers to

students

• to promote continuous and systematic improvement in UK higher education

• to ensure that information about UK higher education is publicly available and accurate.

The Code gives individual higher education providers a shared starting point for setting and maintaining the academic standards of their higher education programmes and awards

The UK Quality Code

The Quality Code has 3 parts comprising of a number of chapters;Each chapter has an Expectation and a number of indicators.

Part A: Setting and maintaining threshold academic standards Part B: Assuring and enhancing academic quality Part C: Public Information

The Quality Code

Qualification and Subject Benchmarks

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications• provide important points of reference for setting and assessing

academic standards

• promote a common understanding of the Expectations associated with typical qualifications by facilitating a consistent use of qualifications titles

Qualification and Subject BenchmarksSubject benchmark statements provide a means for the academiccommunity to

• describe the nature and characteristics of programmes in a specific subject or subject discipline.

• represent general expectations about standards for the qualifications at each level - the attributes and capabilities that those possessing qualifications should have demonstrated.

National Level Data for Benchmarking

• Key Information Sets – the items of information which students find most useful when making choices about which course to study

• Unistats• League Tables• The Guardian • The Complete University Guide

Entry requirements

• Each university has different entry qualifications and requirements - minimum grade or total number of tariff points

• Some institutions take additional information into consideration, such as contextual data about school or postcode

• UCAS Tariff points held by students previously enrolled on the course.

Employment Data• The Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey• Recent graduates - working, studying, looking for work or even travelling• If employed, they supply job description and details of the company• Survey - in two parts: • an early survey covering all students who complete their course

roughly six months after completing• and a later survey of a sample of these respondents three and a half

years (40 months) later on.

• 80% complete the early survey • 40% complete the later survey

Full-time degree leavers entering employment by employment circumstances and occupation 2010/11

The National Student Survey (NSS)

• annual survey of final year university students canvassing their opinion about what they liked and did not like about their student learning experience during their time in higher education.

• statements are put to students who rate their university and course on a five-point scale from 'definitely disagree' to 'definitely agree'. The groups of statements cover topics such as:

• The teaching on my course• Assessment and feedback• Academic support• Organisation and management• Learning resources• Personal development

http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/

What we do at London Met

• QAA Benchmarks

• Benchmarking

• National QA standards (reference points) informed by international standards

• Quality culture promoted at national and institutional level shared values and commitment to quality assurance and

enhancement structures to support this

• Institutional responsibility linked to senior executive

• All staff fully engaged in quality assurance and enhancement

Quality Assurance at London MetGeneral Principles

Institutional quality assurance and enhancement procedures, guidance and templates including:

•procedures for the approval, monitoring and periodic review of courses•procedures for student engagement and public information•guidance on enhancement

Quality Manual

External Examiners

Lessons Learned - Benchmarks• Agreed national framework required

• Essential for standards assurance

• Independent scrutiny

• Comprehensive understanding in universities

• Use of external subject experts and employers

• Encouragement of good practice

• Openness and transparency

• Quality Culture

Lessons Learned - Benchmarking

• Supports student choice

• Data and information – accurate and available – often co-ordinated by external agencies

• Promotes accountability and helps safeguard public funds

• Supports sector improvement

• Drives enhancement across universities and within

• Supports efficiency across universities and within

Any questions?