1. Update on Higher Education Review (HER) Academic Registrar Council 7 June 2013
Stephen Jackson

2. Progress to date

3. What you said.... Concern about: the language of risk
The link between the size of provision and the intensity of review
The limitations of the initial appraisal of information
The judgment on academic standards
The use of international reviewers
The open invitation to students to provide additional information
Insufficient evidence of deregulation

4. What we’ve done....
Replaced initial appraisal with desk-based analysis by review teams
Decoupled size of provision from the duration of the review
Duration of review will be linked to outcomes of desk-based analysis. (1-5 days)
Size of team may reflect scale and complexity of provision (2-6 reviewers)
Limited role for international reviewers

5. What we’ve done... Revised wording for the judgment on standards..
‘..the setting and maintenance of threshold academic standards’
provision of ‘requires improvement to meet UK expectations’ outcome
Protocols for the submission of information by students
Comment template
Evidence requirement
Features of good practice
Inclusion of professional support staff as reviewers

6. What next.. Review Schedule for 2013-14
Reviewer training and conversion
Briefing sessions for facilitators and student representatives

7. So what’s different? Longer intervals between reviews
Single integrated review visit
Collaborative provision – less partner link visits
Shorter visits for most providers
No mid-cycle activity
Revised arrangements for TNE – no UK-end visits

8. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 8