1.     Purpose

Quality and Standards Committee assists the Education and Student Experience Committee (ESEC) in discharging its responsibilities for the University's academic quality and standards across all campuses.

2.     Responsibilities

The responsibilities of Quality and Standards Committee are:

 To oversee compliance with academic regulations. 

• To oversee the systematic Annual Programme Review of all programmes, ensuring alignment with academic quality and standards and regulatory requirements. 
• To receive External Examiner’s Reports & School responses for consideration annually.
• To oversee both the risk based and the rolling 5-year Periodic Programme Reviews, including deciding which programmes are reviewed each year. 
• To oversee the development, and regular review, of all academic Quality and Standards related regulations, policies, procedures and codes of practice.   
• To review and approve, where justified, exemptions from university regulations.
• To receive reports from professional statutory and regulatory bodies with regard to accredited programmes for consideration.
• To engage individual committee members or other designated persons to undertake detailed quality assurance activities under the oversight of the Committee. 
• Consider minutes and reports of Apprenticeship Committee, a constituted sub committee of the Committee  
• To oversee the delivery of academic appeals and academic misconduct processes by Registry and Academic Affairs (RAA), ensuring that:
  • All activity is carried out in accordance with University procedures and regulations;
  • Panels convened by RAA to consider academic appeals or academic misconduct (including Academic Appeal Panels, Academic Appeal Committees, and Academic Misconduct Committees) refer any proposed action outside of Regulations to the Committee for formal approval, either via the Chair or a designated member of the Committee, before any outcome is confirmed;
  • Schools and Departments referring revised recommendations outside of Regulations (e.g. through School Response Forms) ensure these are approved by the Committee before final decisions are communicated.
  • To receive regular reports from RAA on the operation of appeals and misconduct processes (at least annually or more frequently if required), in order to:
    • Monitor outcomes, consistency, and compliance with regulations;
    • Identify systemic issues, risks, or patterns arising from casework;
    • Consider and approve any proposed changes to procedures or policy stemming from case outcomes or operational experience.
    • To monitor the activity of and receive reports from the Credit and Grade Transfer Advisory Group to ensure consistent standards are applied and complied with in relation to conversion of grades.
    • To facilitate the dissemination of updates to regulations, policies, and quality standards to schools.
    • To provide training and guidance to staff on regulatory requirements and their implications.
    • To advise on Portfolio diversification with respect to academic quality and standards.
    • Support the University’s engagement with regulators in respect to external quality and standards requirements and activities.  Maintain a watching brief on the respective regulators, e.g. OfS, Ofsted
    • To provide guidance and advice on regulatory and quality assurance matters as needed.
    • To participate in the approval of the opening and closure of programmes, ensuring alignment with quality standards and structural principles.
    • To contribute in the review and oversight of partnerships, ensuring the academic elements align with quality standards and structural principles.

3.     Authority

• The Committee operates under the delegated authority of the Education and Student Experience Committee (ESEC) and is empowered to make decisions relating to quality and standards, and to make recommendations and/or refer items to ESEC, and other University committees as appropriate.  
• On behalf of the Quality and Standards Committee, the Chair is authorised to approve urgent business which must be conducted between scheduled meetings of the Committee.  
• The Chair will notify the Committee of any action taken under delegated authority between meetings, at the next meeting of the Committee. 
• The Chair of the Committee is accountable for the decisions of the Committee and will liaise with the chairs of other committees where there is overlap in responsibility.  

4.     Membership and Term

Membership of the Committee shall comprise:

• Chair – academic (appointed)
• Deputy chair – academic (appointed)
• Student Rep - Education Officer (UNUK) (ex-officio)
• Student Rep - Education Officer (UNM) (ex-officio)
• Student Rep - Education Officer (UNNC) (ex-officio)
• Head of Student Registry (UNM) (ex-officio)
• Director of Academic Services Office (UNNC) (ex-officio)
• UNM academic member (appointed)
• UNNC academic (appointed)
• Inter-Campus Quality Officer (appointed)
• Associate Director Academic Quality Assurance (ex-officio)
• Senior Academic Quality Assurance Manager (ex-officio)
• Quality Assurance Officer (secretary)

• Associate Director Quality and Student Management System, Registry and Academic Affairs (UNUK) (ex-officio)

• UNUK academic members (appointed) x 5

 The term of office for the Chair, Deputy Chair and academic members will be 4 years. Other members are ex officio.

Relevant colleagues may be invited to attend the Committee at the discretion of the Chair for all, or part as is appropriate for the requirements of the meeting.

5.     Operation

• The quoracy for meeting is half the regular membership plus one.   
• Deputies are not permitted.  
• The Chair will determine the frequency of meetings, but it is expected a minimum of six meetings will be scheduled, subject to required business.  
• The Secretary shall be a member of the Academic Quality Assurance team.
• The Committee is a committee of ESEC, and reports of meetings and copies of minutes shall be submitted to ESEC. 
• The Apprenticeship Committee is a constituted sub-committee of the Committee to ensure regulatory compliance with specific regulators of degree apprenticeships (Ofsted, Education and Skills Funding Agency, Department for Education and Skills England)
• The Academic Appeals and Academic Misconduct Committee and the Credit and Grade Advisory Group are operational groups supporting the work of, and reporting to, QSC.

6.     Review and Assessment 

The terms of reference and operation of the Committee will be reviewed on an annual basis at the first meeting of each academic year.

The effectiveness of the Committee will be reviewed every 3 years.