Published:
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed the quality of the student experience and the academic standard of awards at Heriot-Watt University following its review earlier this year.
Heriot-Watt has effective and robust arrangements for securing academic standards and enhancing the quality of the student experience.
The review identified a number of examples of positive practice. These include:
- the University’s flexible provision of learning opportunities where programmes are run in multiple locations, through multiple modes of study, to enable students to switch easily between different methods of study or location, should their needs change
- the global ethos which is embedded within the University’s culture and operational processes and seen as everyday practice by staff and students
- the constructive and effective partnership between the University and its Student Union, illustrated by their joint work on graduate attributes; the development of representative systems in Dubai and Malaysia; and the Student Union Learning and Teaching Oscars and Graduate Teaching Awards, which recognise and reward good teaching by University staff
The review also highlighted the University’s approach of consulting and collaborating with staff and students to ensure their engagement with, and ownership of, its new Learning and Teaching Strategy.
Professor John Sawkins, Deputy Principal (Learning and Teaching), said, ‘We are delighted to have received this Quality Mark following the QAA review, in particular because it demonstrates that Heriot-Watt has effective and robust arrangements for securing academic standards and enhancing the quality of the student experience.
‘These are areas which are strategically important to the University, and into which we have, as an institution, put considerable effort and resources. We are very pleased indeed that the efforts of all of those involved, and the results they have achieved, have been recognised in this report, and believe that they form a strong foundation for continued positive results.’
The successful review means that Heriot-Watt University can display the QAA Quality Mark, indicating to UK and international students that the University meets national requirements for standards and quality.