Monitoring and review

Annual monitoring and periodic review are two mechanisms that ensure the continuing standards and quality of its academic provision as defined by UK Quality Code for Higher Education as well as Office for Students’ Regulatory Framework for higher education in England.

Annual monitoring

Our departmental annual monitoring process provides intelligence on the current health of all validated programmes by using key performance indicators such as programme performance data, external examiner reports and student surveys including the National Student Survey to identify areas for development as well as highlighting good practice.

Periodic review

Our periodic review process operates on a five-year cycle and is the key process by which we ensure the continuing standards and relevance of taught academic programmes to both internal and external needs. Drawing on a range of evidence including the outputs from annual monitoring activity, periodic review enables us to take a holistic and strategic view of a department’s complete portfolio of programmes with critical advice from a panel of internal peers and external subject experts.

Further guidance

Guidance on the process and documentation requirements for annual monitoring and periodic review is available in chapter 3 of the Quality Management Handbook. These processes take account of the Quality Assurance Agency’s (QAA) Advice and Guidance on Monitoring and Evaluation which supports the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.