Review expresses confidence in the University of Stirling’s quality arrangements

The UK’s independent higher education quality body has underlined its confidence in the University of Stirling’s approach to improving academic standards and the student experience.

A review by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), published today, identified a range of good practice.

The QAA said the University supports belonging with its Be Connected student life programme, which provides a range of learning, wellbeing and arts and culture events, activities and resources available through the University app which supports community and belonging on and off campus for students and staff.

The University has also taken positive steps to enhance the postgraduate research student environment, developing arrangements and activities to support research supervisor training and staff development, for which uptake has been good from a range of staff across different career stages, and for which feedback has been positive.

When highlighting good practice, the QAA also singled out ongoing collaborative activity to ensure that data supports curriculum management and reporting.

Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Stirling, said: “I am delighted that the Quality Enhancement and Standards review has confirmed confidence in the continued effectiveness of the University of Stirling’s approaches to maintaining academic quality and standards and enhancing the student learning experience.

“I am also particularly pleased that the review panel recognised the range of work we undertake within our approach to continuously developing the student experience at Stirling, and particularly acknowledged our Be Connected student life programme, our use of data, and our approach to enhancing the postgraduate research student environment.

“We are grateful to the staff and students who contributed to the review and to review panel members for their valuable insights.”

The review was undertaken by a team of three independent reviewers, appointed by QAA, during a visit in November 2023.

In its recommendations, QAA said the University should ensure consistency in its approach to hybrid learning; develop an approach to ensure the consistent dissemination of information from Staff Student Feedback Committees; and improve the management of collaborative provision to ensure that reporting at senior institutional level is formalised and strengthened so that the University can more effectively consider issues and necessary actions at institutional level.