The Academic Quality Assurance and Enhancement strategy of the University of Hertfordshire aims to ensure that the student experience is underpinned by effective and robust quality assurance processes, and processes to facilitate the enhancement of that experience. It derives from the University's Strategic Plan which makes explicit the commitment of the institution to excellence in teaching and learning.
The internal quality assurance processes of the University are supported by the Centre for Academic Quality Assurance (CAQA).
The key features of the University's academic quality assurance system can be found here:
Academic Quality policies and procedures are set out in UPR AS17.
Please note that some of the links on the Academic Quality web pages take you to HertsHub, the University of Hertfordshire staff intranet, and these for are only accessible to University staff.
In talking about our Herts processes staff use a wide range of acronyms and abbreviations. A list of these can be found on HertsHub:
The purpose of the Centre for Academic Quality Assurance (CAQA) is to safeguard the academic standards of the University's taught provision, achieve outstanding academic quality and promote quality enhancement activity to enrich the student learning experience.
Central to this purpose is a commitment to support the development and implementation of effective and robust policies, regulations and practices on quality assurance and enhancement, and to support staff in delivering successful outcomes for all our students.
CAQA works with others across the University, by:
Guiding: developing, implementing and monitoring policies, regulations and practices, which satisfy national and international expectations for quality assurance and enhancement in higher education.
Supporting: providing expert advice and support in the management of academic standards and quality processes, promoting a culture of quality enhancement.
Connecting: engaging with others and facilitating a shared understanding of all matters relating to academic quality assurance and enhancement; contributing to national and international quality assurance agendas.
Each School in the University is supported by a designated Associate Director of Academic Quality Assurance (ADAQA) or the Deputy Director of Academic Quality Assurance (DDAQA). University staff can find the member of the CAQA team working with their School on the CAQA page on the Staff Intranet HertsHub. To get in touch with us, please email the CAQA team
We offer a programme of workshops open to all University staff and specific workshops for Programme Leaders, including a dedicated Programme Leader Development programme. We also provide bespoke sessions for Schools. The programmes for the current academic year can be found here:
Managing 54 validation events for new programmes and periodic review events for existing programmes, both UH-delivered and partner-delivered;
Re-approval of another 72 University-delivered programmes as part of the Herts Learning initiative;
Overseeing around 280 CEP action plans for University-delivered and partner-delivered programmes;
Re-development of processes for the re-approval/review of programmes to replace the periodic review process;
Overseeing 6 audits on behalf of ASAC, to audit compliance with our UPRs and procedures, evaluate their effectiveness and disseminate good practice;
Lead role in the development and implementation of the Programme and Curriculum Management System for the management of Programme Specification and DMD data;
Lead role in planning for, and responding to, the successful Ofsted inspection of the University’s Apprenticeship provision in May 2024;
Programme Leader development through an annual development programme, the online programme leader support forums, the annual symposium and an evolving programme leader toolkit;
Collaborative Partnership Leader (CPL) development, through the CPL forum;
School Academic Integrity Officer (SAIO) support and development through SAIO forums;
Facilitating over 40 development sessions for UH and partner staff, as well as a range of bespoke sessions tailored to the needs of individual Schools.
Our key priorities for 2024-25
Support OVC in the restructuring of the AQ function at UH (at University and School level), in light of University developments;
Develop and introduce revised risk-based processes for approving minor and substantial amendments to programmes and undertaking major review on an as-needed basis, replacing the programme periodic review process;
Strengthening the Continuous Enhancement Planning (CEP) approach to programme monitoring & evaluation;
Facilitate the sharing of good practice initiatives presented at annual school enhancement events across schools and collaborative partners;
Support Schools and their staff in their interpretation of student data, and in developing effective and holistic actions to enhance the student experience;
Take an active role in the Herts Learning initiative, completing the re-approval of University-delivered programmes;
Building on recent experience and technology developments, embed virtual processes for the approval, monitoring, review and management of UK and International collaborative provision (in particular for exam boards, validation and revalidation);
Launch the Programme and Curriculum Management System (PCMS) for the management and exploitation of module and programme information;
Lead the University’s development and oversight of the quality improvements required for its apprenticeship provision and preparedness for external audit, monitoring and inspection;
Prepare and deliver the programme leader development programme, online support forum and annual PL symposium;
Develop of a framework to better support and develop the University’s Collaborative Partnership Leaders (CPLs);
Develop and deliver CPD tailored to the needs of Schools, with a focus on interpretation and evaluation of student data, the CEP process, academic integrity and the emerging influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
CAQA Good Practice Principles
Please find here a series of good practice principles:
