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Assurance Agency (assurance + agency)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences40%

Kinds of Assurance Agency

  • quality assurance agency
    		•

    Selected Abstracts

    The Impact of Research and Teaching Quality Inputs on the Employment Outcomes of Postgraduates

    HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005
    Peter Urwin
    In this paper we analyse the extent to which the quality of teaching and research inputs, as measured by Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) scores, can account for variations in the employability of taught postgraduates. Pooling data from the 1997, 1998 and 1999 First Destinations Surveys we estimate regression equations for male and female UK postgraduates. Our results suggest that the lack of direct financial rewards associated with a higher QAA score may have persuaded many institutions to adopt a ,threshold' approach to Subject Review. However, the impact of RAE score suggests that students in institutions with a stronger research culture do have enhanced levels of employability. This is in line with the strong emphasis on active research input mandated by many professional bodies at the postgraduate level. When considered alongside recent policy pronouncements, this suggests that many institutions choosing to become teaching-only, may ultimately risk becoming undergraduate-only. [source]

    Lost Opportunity: What a Credit Framework Would Have Added to the National Qualification Frameworks

    HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2001
    David Gosling
    This paper outlines the recent work of the Southern England Consortium, SEEC, and the principles to which it is committed. It is argued that the failure of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) to grasp the nettle of credit in the recently published National Qualification Framework (NQF) is a blow, although not a fatal one, to the achievement of the objectives which SEEC is attempting to achieve on behalf of its member institutions. In particular, the opportunity to improve access, increase flexibility and support lifelong learning through the use of credit in the NQF has been lost. The value of the concept of level in a credit framework is defended and contrasted with the use of ,qualification level' in the NQF. [source]

    The Quality Assurance Agency and the Politics of Audit

    JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 3 2001
    Anthony Bradney
    Audit is an increasingly ubiquitous feature of academic life with the Quality Assurance Agency to the forefront in its implementation. This article argues that, far from being an objective assessment of the quality of learning and teaching in universities, the Quality Assurance Agency's audit role relates to political attempts to change the educational agenda of universities and alter the nature of academic life. [source]

    The face validity of a final professional clinical examination

    MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 5 2001
    Michael Tweed
    Objective To develop new methods of evaluating face validity in the context of a revised final professional examination for medical undergraduates, organized on three sites, over 2 days. Methods The opinion of the students and examiners was surveyed by Likert-style questionnaires, with additional open comments. Expert opinion was gathered from external examiner reports and a recent Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Subject Review Report. Results The questionnaires had an overall response rate of 84%. Internal reliability, assessed by comparing responses to appropriate questions, was good with an equivalence of 45% (weighted kappa 0·54) for the students and 33% (weighted kappa 0·41) for the assessors. There was little evidence of inconsistency between days or sites. The majority of the opinions from the students, examiners and external experts were positive. Negative comments related to time pressure and case mix. Conclusion The measurement of face validity proved feasible and valuable and will assist in the further development of the course and the examination. [source]

    Curriculum planning in dermatology

    CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
    S. M. Burge
    Summary Curriculum planners should familiarize themselves with the recommendations for medical education in the UK made by the Quality Assurance Agency and the General Medical Council. The dermatology curriculum must maximize undergraduate learning experiences in dermatology, but lengthy curricula lead to rote learning and do not promote understanding. The core dermatology curricula might be built around the clinical problems graduates are likely to encounter as preregistration house-officers, but should also prepare students for their future careers in whatever speciality. Graduates should know when it might be appropriate to refer a patient to a dermatologist. Learning experiences in dermatology might be threaded into the curriculum at a number of stages and student-selected components might provide opportunities to explore dermatological topics in depth. The views of a broad constituency will give the core curriculum validity and consensus might be reached with the Delphi technique or by using multidisciplinary groups. Temptations to overload the curriculum should be resisted. Medical curricula should give students time to experience the art of medicine as well as to explore the science behind clinical practice. [source]