The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) owns, maintains and publishes the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (the Quality Code).

The Quality Code sets out the Expectations all providers of UK higher education are required to meet. Through the process of Higher Education Review (HER) a provider’s engagement with the Quality Code is tested. The outcomes of the review are publicly accessible.

We underwent a Higher Education Review in February 2016, with the final report published in May 2016.

Engagement with students was central to the review process. Students were fully involved in the preparations for the review visit in February 2016. The Student Union wrote a submission detailing the experience of being a student at the University for the reviewers to read before they visited. Following the review student representatives have been involved in drafting the action plan responding to the report. During their review visit the QAA reviewers also met with a wide selection of current students and recent graduates. A student from another University was on the QAA review panel.

The QAA review panel formed the following judgements about the higher education provision at the University of Winchester.

• The setting and maintenance of the academic standards of awards meet UK expectations
• The quality of student learning opportunities meets UK expectations
• The quality of the information about learning opportunities meets UK expectations
• The enhancement of student learning opportunities is commended

The following features of good practice were identified:

• The extensive range of volunteering opportunities available to students, which enhance employability skills and career prospects
• The widespread opportunities for students to engage in decision making through the Student Academic Council
• The strength of partnerships between staff and students within the Student Fellows Scheme and its effective contribution to enhancing the wider student experience
• The wide engagement of students and staff in the University's structured and value-driven approach to the enhancement of students'learning opportunities

The review team also made the following recommendations to strengthen our provision:

• Establish robust processes to ensure comparability of standards across similarly titled awards
• Ensure explicit reference to including external scrutiny in processes for approval of changes to award titles
• In respect of collaborative provision, ensure that degree certificates and/or records of academic achievement state the principal
• Language of instruction where this is not English and the name and location of the provider involved in the delivery of the programme
• Ensure transparency of entry criteria to programmes that entail competence in a language other than the main language of instruction
• Strengthen oversight of processes delegated to partner institutions for moderation of assessment tasks