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Maintaining the quality of higher education and

students experience in clinical practice


Robert Priharjo SKp, MSc, PGCE, RN
Robert.Priharjo@anglia.ac.uk
Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education
Anglia Ruskin University
Triggers
Why is it important to maintain the quality of education or
teaching in higher education institutions?
Who have the statutory roles? Who should be
responsible?
What aspects should be measured?
How do you measure the quality?
What can we gain from excellence?
What are the consequences for poor performance?
Background
UK universities are widely recognised as being among the best in
the world
Well established quality assurance and standards
Each university has the responsibility for maintaining the quality of
education
Frameworks for higher education qualifications
The code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and
standards in higher education
Subcription to the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
(QAA). Main function: to review the quality / standards.
Universities work with professional, statutory and regulatory bodies.
Higher education academy.
The assurance of standards and quality

Internally: the university


Externally: by the QAA
A culture of continuous improvement/ enhancement
Students involvement
Stake holders: employers, representatives of
professionals, regulatory bodies
Funding bodies.
The university responsibilities

Regulations for awarding degress and other qualifications


Design, approval, monitoring and review of the courses
The assessment
Involve and engage students
Responding to feedback and interaction with students and relevant
parties
Exchanging good practice
Co-operation with the QAA and funding council requirements
QAA code of practice
Dealing with complains
Public information.
International context
Higher education is an international bussines
The UK academic infrastructure is conssistent with the Standards
and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher
Education Area as part of the Bologna process.
The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was launched along
with the Bologna Process' decade anniversary, in March 2010,
during the Budapest-Vienna Ministerial Conference.
Main objective: to ensure more comparable, compatible and
coherent systems of higher education in Europe.
Priorities for the coming decade
Social dimension: equitable access and completion
Lifelong learning
Employability
Student-centred learning and the teaching mission of higher
education
Education, research and innovation
International openness
Mobility
Data collection
Multidimensional transparency tools
Funding.
Higher Education Council for
England
Majority of higher education is funded by the
government
The Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE) promotes and funds high-
quality, cost-effective teaching and research in
universities and colleges in England, to meet
the diverse needs of students, the economy
and society.
From 1 September 2012 universities and
colleges can charge new full-time students up
to 9,000 for tuition.
Support is available for full time and part time
students.
They dont start repaying their loan until you
earn 21,000 (up from 15,000)
Student Finance England
Full-time students loans and grants
a Tuition Fee Loan to help with the cost of your tuition
a Maintenance Loan to help with living costs
a Maintenance Grant for additional help with living costs

Part-time students loans and grants


New and continuing part-time students applying for 2011/12 and continuing students
applying for 2012/13 can apply for:
a Fee Grant to help with the cost of your tuition
a Course Grant to help with the cost of books, travel and other course expenses

Additional help for full and part-time students


Both full-time and part-time students might be able to get extra help like:
scholarships and bursaries from your university or college
extra financial help from the government if youre disabled or in financial hardship

International students
Evidence of ability to finance their studies and cost of living
Some scholarships are available
National Student Survey (NSS)

The NSS is a national initiative, conducted annually since 2005.


It across all publicly funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the majority of HEIs in
Scotland.
Further Education Colleges (FECs) in England and Further
Education Institutions (FEIs) in Wales also participate.
The survey asks final year undergraduates to rate and report their
learning experience.
Who is responsible for the survey?
The survey is commissioned by
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on behalf of the Higher
Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
The Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DEL)
The Training and Development Agency
The Department of Health

Support from the National Union of Students (NUS), NUS Wales and NUS-USI

The survey is administered by Ipsos MORI.


Aspects of the student learning experience
There are 23 core questions:
How to enter the
Teaching on my Course
survey:
Assessment and Feedback
Online
Academic Support
Mobile phone
Organisation and Management
Confidential.
Learning Resources
Personal Development
Overall Satisfaction
Students' Union.
Is it matter ?
To give an opportunity to the student to say
To help prospective students and parents
To help the media
To assist the relevant university in improving/
maintaining their quality.
The 2011 National Student Survey
83% of students in England were satisfied overall with
their course
84% of students in England were satisfied with the
quality of teaching on their courses
Research Excellence Framework
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the new system for assessing the
quality of research in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). It replaces the
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and will be completed in 2014.
The REF is undertaken by the four UK higher education funding bodies
The primary purpose of the REF is to produce assessment outcomes for each
submission made by institutions to help the funding bodies in allocating their research
funding to HEIs, to provide accountability for public investment and benchmarking.
The deadline for submissions to the REF from UK higher education institutions is 29
November 2013
RAE 2008: nursing and midwifery results
Results for nursing and midwifery unit of assessment in the Research Assessment
Exercise 2008

FTE Category
Institution A staff Average
4* 3* 2* 1* unclassified
name submitted ranking
6
University of
57.92 50 35 10 5 0 3.300
Manchester
City University,
48.6 30 40 15 5 10 2.750
London
University of
34.23 20 35 35 10 0 2.650
Nottingham
Swansea
33.65 10 25 35 25 5 2.100
University
University of the
West of England, 29.9 5 35 40 20 0 2.250
Bristol
The quality of nursing education
NMC: as regulator for the largest group of healthcare
professionals at work in these islands; there are some
660,000 registered nurses and midwives
They set standards of education, training, conduct and
performance so that nurses and midwives can deliver
high quality healthcare consistently throughout their
careers.
Fitness to practice
Fitness to practise means that a nurse or midwife is registered with
the NMC, and is following the professional code and standards that
they set
A persons suitability to be on the register without restrictions. In
practical terms, this means: maintaining appropriate standards of
proficiency ensuring you are of good health and good character, and
you are adhering to principles of good practice set out in our various,
standards, guidance and advice.
Impairments
Misconduct,
lack of competence,
a conviction or caution (including a finding of guilt by a
court martial),
physical or mental ill health,
a finding by any other health or social care regulator or
licensing body that a nurse or midwifes fitness to
practise is impaired, or
a barring under the arrangements provided by the
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, the
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland)
order 2007 or the Protection of Vulnerable Groups
(Scotland) Act 2007
Let us think
How do you define fitness to practice
Who should be responsible to assess,
report and make a decision?
What unfitness to practice in your clinical
areas have you observed/ heard?
Fitness to practice annual report
1 April 2008 31 March 2009

Nursing & Midwifery Council 2009. Fitness to practice


annual report 1 April 2008 to 31 march 2009. London: NMC
Delivery of nursing education
All nursing courses should meet the NMC requirements
To be approved by the NMC
Nursing BSc programme: 3 years
Branches: Adult nursing, child, mental health, learning
dissabilities
To be reviewed/ evaluated periodically
Placements should be audited and meet the NMC
standards.
Time distribution
Theory: 50% Practice: 50%
The NMC mandatory requirements for learning
and assessment in practice
Pre-registration nursing and midwifery must be supported and assessed by
mentors. The final assessment is conducted by Sign-off mentors
Specialist community public health nursing students must be supported and
assessed practice teachers
A Mentor/ sign-off mentor is a registrant who has met the NMC mentor
requirements following successful completionof an NMC approved
preparation programme.
Mentors responsiby and accountability standard
Organising and co-ordinting student learning activities in practice
Supervising students and providing constructive feedback
Setting and monitoring achievement
Assessing total performance: skills, attitudes and behaviours
Providing evidence of student achievement
Liasing with others: mentors, sign-off mentors, practice facilitators,
practice teachers, personal tutors, programme leaders
Sign-off mentor: Making a decisions about achievement of
proficiency at the end of the programme
The framework to support learning and
assessment in practice

Establishing effective working relationship


Facilitating of learning
Assessment and accountability
Evaluation of learning
Creating an environment for learning
Context of practice
Evidence-based practice
Leadership
A question to discuss
How do you assure the quality of
placements or clinical areas where the
students learn?
Quality assurance for practice areas
Mentor preparation, support and reviews
Inductions for new students
A framework dealing with cause for concern
Placement evaluation forms: students and mentors
Support from the university: Education champions and
link tutors and programme leaders
Support from practice educators
Evidence from external bodies or assurance of care
standards
Learning environment audit.
You are asked to design a learning environment audit form

What general information (e.g. ward, unit, nursing home) do you


want to know?
What evidence/ documents should be available ?
Do you think an action plan should be included?
What we need to check
The ward/ unit/ team/ base profile: name, contact details,
specialisation, learning opportunities
Contact details of the education champion/ link tutor/ practice
education facilitators
Staff profile: number of mentors available
Documents: policies, education and quality
Action plan.
Policies
Health & Safety
Confidentiality
Equal Opportunities
Violence & Aggression
Clinical Risk Assessment
Moving and Handling
Infection Prevention
Safeguarding Adults & Children
Professional Body Standards
Fire
Essential Skills Clusters
Dignity & Respect in the Workplace
Education
Mentor Guidelines
Guidelines to Policies & Procedures
Curriculum Information relevant to placement
System for sickness / absence reporting
Policy for precautionary suspension of student
Educational Folder
Quality
Student Evaluation of Placement
Mentor Evaluation
Evidence from external bodies e.g. Care Quality Commission
Evidence of the assurance and enhancement of care standards
Learning environment audit

All clinical area, e.g wards, units, GP surgeries, nursing homes are
audited every 2 years
The audit process: The ward sister/ manager, mentor, education
champion or link tutor
The report should be available for the NMC visit and other relevant
bodies

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