11thANNUAL CONFERENCE:
Quality Management: ASSESSING AND IMPLEMENTING A NEW RÉGIME
Thursday15–Friday16September 2016
Aston Business School Conference Centre, Birmingham
The extent and depth of the changes that imminently face those in leadership roles in quality management is without precedent.
In the midst of such remarkable fluidity, as it always has, QSN seeks to provide both support for its members and the opportunity to help guide policy for the better of our students and of the sector.
QSN’s Annual Conference 2016 thus provides a combination of contributions from leading sector commentators and the opportunity for dialogue and debate with those leading the key policy initiatives,as well as the opportunity at this pivotal point to share and develop approaches to the new world with colleagues from across the UK sector.
We will welcome to our Conference Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI, Louisa Darian from WonkHE – which continues to provide an invaluable service in keeping us abreast of rapidly moving developments– Adam Bond, Policy lead for TEF from BIS, Scott Court, Head of Quality at HEFCE, Will Naylor, Director of Quality Assurance at QAA and Sue Rigby, Chair of HEFCE’s Steering Group for Learning Gain.
The range of workshops this year aims to cover the crucial developments we must address and will include representatives from the Leadership Foundation and the HEA who are leading initiatives on Governing Body involvement and on degree standards.
Programme:
Day One – Thursday,15September
1400 / Arrival & Registration1500 / Welcome from the Chair of QSN, Dr Jack Aitken
1505 / Keynote speeches –
Nick Hillman, Director, HEPI
Louisa Darian, Deputy Director, WonkHE
1600 / Presentation –Professor Sue Rigby, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience), University of Lincoln and Chair, HEFCE Learning Gain Steering Group
Learning Gain
1630 / Dr Helen Thomas, Tony Turjansky & Lee Jones, QSN Executive
QSN Research Report: Using Data to Support Quality Management
1640 / Adam Bond, Deputy Director, Higher Education, BIS and Policy Lead, TEF
Piloting TEF3 - Discipline Level
1710 / Workshop: Piloting TEF3 - Discipline Level
Workshop sessions will be facilitated by members of the QSN Executive
1915 / Champagne Reception in Bar
1945 / Conference Dinner After dinner reflections
Day Two – Friday,16 September
0845 / QSN Annual General Meeting0920 / Keynote speeches –
Scott Court, Head of Quality, HEFCE
Will Naylor, Director of Quality Assurance, QAA
1000 / Parallel facilitated workshops
See below for topics
1100 / Refreshment break and interaction with workshop outcomes in the lounge
1145 / Parallel facilitated workshops (repeated)
1245 / Conference Plenary, highlighting key issues for QSN. Closing remarks
1300 / Lunch
1400 / Final workshop: emerging themes
Using the outputs from the workshops, the key issues arising in discussions during the conference will be identified. This session will provide the opportunity to reflect on these hot topics and push our thinking that bit further…
1430 / Conference Close
Parallel elective workshops - Regulation and a risk-based approach
Friday,16 September – 1000, repeated 1145
No. / Workshop title / Indicative Content1 / External Examining / It is planned that the model for external examining will change profoundly. This workshop will allow QSN members to meet HEA representatives to help inform and influence the new approach.
2 / Enhanced role for Governing Bodies in Quality / The Leadership Foundation is developing support for Governing Bodies in addressing their new responsibilities in endorsing quality management. Colleagues from the Foundation will contribute to this workshop and are keen to hear from QSN members on how and in what ways governing bodies should engage with quality.
3 / Apprenticeships / This workshop will provide a forum to discuss current thinking about higher and degree apprenticeships, and explore the emerging challenges or not for quality practitioners.
- Please see further information at the end of the programme.
4 / Annual Provider Review & HAR / The new arrangements for Quality Assessment represent a fundamental shift in how external review will be carried out. This session gives an overview of the new process and draws on the experience of 'transition year' providers to set out how institutions are preparing for the new regime.
5 / Learning Gain / Building on the Conference presentation by Sue Rigby, this workshop provides an opportunity to share and enhance understanding of this vital development in the new quality landscape.
6 / TEF2 Implementation / This radically different approach to external judgement of our quality is almost upon us: how do we best position ourselves as providers to undergo TEF2 and the challenges of a new, metrics-driven regime?
7 / New Providers and the New World? / The White Paper seeks to catalyse the expansion of HE: how do new and small entrants address the range of demands of membership of the sector?
8 / Using data to support quality / TEF reflects the increasing reliance on quantitative information to guide policy and institutional direction. Building on QSN's new report on the subject, how can we best exploit data to improve the student experience and provider performance?
Conference Fee:
Free to holders of QSN Season Ticket 2015/16* (one member per institution, see below)
£240 for delegates from member institutions
Unsubsidised fee of £350 for representatives from institutions that have not subscribed as members of QSN
The fee includes the Conference dinner, and overnight accommodation at the conference centre for the night of Thursday, 18 September. Places are limited so early booking is advised to avoid disappointment. Booking is not restricted to the institutional representative - a nominee can attend in his/her place.
QSN Season ticket 2015/16
The Network offers a QSN Season Ticket.
For an annual fee of £495, you receive:
- Institutional membership of QSN
- One free QSN Conference place
- Subsequent Conference places at Member rates
- A free place at (a minimum of) two Symposium events during the year, and member rates for subsequent Symposium delegates.
Any additional events during the year (such as extraordinary meetings to consider specific developments) will also be available at a preferential rate. The place is allocated to the institution, and is not tied to a named individual.
* Some institutions joined with a Season Ticket during 2015/16 but after the 2015Conference. The Executive has agreed that these institutions can use the free place which this Season Ticket generated for the 2015 Conference.
Higher and Degree Apprenticeships –the why, what and QA?
– Further information on workshop
The previous UK Government undertook to reform apprenticeships in response to the Richard Review (1992). The key outcomes of these reforms werethe development of funded and staged Trailblazers - groups ofemployers working with professional bodies to develop nationally recognised apprenticeship standards. This expansion of apprenticeships continues to be a focus of the current government with its target to grow three million new apprenticeships during this term of office.
The fastest growing part of the apprenticeship programme is higher and degree apprenticeships with 47 of the 129 standards published so far at this level. The majority of the growth in apprenticeships is in the 25+ age groups and in a focussed number of occupations, offering scope for new developments to meet the needs of new occupational standards.
The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 will herald a key shift in the contribution of employers to all apprenticeships and their potential enhanced use in workforce development. Employers with a payroll of £3 million or above will pay an annual levy of 0.5% of their pay roll bill.This levy can only be reclaimed through specific spend on employee post-16 apprenticeships. Employers paying the levy will include Universities and other large public sector and private bodies.
This workshop will provide a forum to discuss current thinking about higher and degree apprenticeships, and explore the emerging challenges or not for quality practitioners.