Enhancement Led Institutional Review (ELIR)

All UK higher education institutions are subject to a periodic institutional review conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) on behalf of the various Funding Councils in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, reviews are undertaken by QAA Scotland and take the form of an Enhancement-Led Institutional Review (ELIR).

ELIR has an enhancement purpose and focus, defined as "taking deliberate steps to bring about improvement in the effectiveness of the learning experiences of students". ELIR is concerned with the University's strategic approach to enhancement, and the effectiveness of its implementation. The scope of the Review includes all of Heriot-Watt’s credit-rated provision, wherever and however it is delivered (five campuses, academic and industrial partners, online) and includes the learning experience of all students (UG, PGT, PGR)

The review is structured around the following five areas:

Institutional context, its student population and ELIR
Enhancing the student learning experience
Strategy and practice for enhancing learning and teaching
Academic standards and quality processes
Collaborative provision

The outcomes of the Review will include an “effectiveness” judgement on the institution’s arrangements for the quality of the student learning experience and the academic standards of its awards, and also a series of commendations and recommendations.

ELIR4: January/March 2020

The Quality Assurance Agency Scotland (QAAS) will undertake its fourth Enhancement-Led Institutional Review (ELIR4) of Heriot-Watt University in 2019/20. The Review will comprise:

Submission (by 15 November 2019) of a Reflective Analysis, Advance Information Set and supporting evidence. Production of these core documents has been led by the Academic Quality team in collaboration with the wider institution. Final versions have now been submitted to QAAS and are available through the ELIR SharePoint site.
Review Visit, which will be in two parts: Planning Visit, 30 January 2020; Review Visit, 16-20 March 2020. During both visits, the ELIR Team will meet with staff and students from across all areas of Heriot-Watt.

The University has consulted widely with staff and students across all modes and locations on its ELIR Reflective Analysis, Contextualised Themes and the Mapping to the UK Quality Code. The Academic Quality team gratefully acknowledges the 100’s of individual contributions.

The ELIR Team has now notified the University of the Early Themes which it wishes to explore during the Review. The themes can be accessed on the ELIR SharePoint site. A further update on the Review Themes will be provided after the Planning Visit on 30 January 2020.

ELIR: Briefing Overview