The Office for Students (OfS) has today published two quality assessment reports, relating to the quality of business and management courses at Buckinghamshire New University and the University of Wolverhampton.
Reports published today set out the advice of academic experts who carried out assessments on behalf of the OfS during the 2022-23 academic year. The assessment teams visited the universities and considered a range of evidence. The OfS will now consider whether any regulatory action is appropriate.
At Buckinghamshire New University, the assessment team found five areas of concern. At the University of Wolverhampton, the assessment team found one area of concern.
Commenting, Jean Arnold, deputy director of quality at the OfS, said:
'In respect of the business and management courses at Buckinghamshire New University, the assessment team found that the university was not consistently providing a high quality academic experience because teaching and learning resources were not consistently up-to-date, and the manner of teaching delivery means that courses were not consistently effectively delivered. They found that course content was not consistently or appropriately informed by expected up-to-date, discipline-specific academic theory and research meaning that courses did not consistently require students to develop relevant skills. There was also a lack of adequate educational leadership and academic governance, which affected the overall academic experience of students.
'The assessment team found that the quality of resources for students were not consistent, with some modules having inadequate learning materials to facilitate students’ learning. They also found that students' academic support needs were not adequately identified, and that there was considerable variability of teaching skills of academic staff across the business and management courses.
'The University of Wolverhampton’s business and management courses were assessed by a different team of academic experts. They found that different cohorts of students on a business and management course were permitted a different number of attempts at the same assessments, with no supporting pedagogic rationale.'
The OfS will now look closely at the findings of the assessment teams and consider the next steps in the investigation, which may include considering whether any regulatory action is appropriate.
Notes
- An assessment report contains the judgements and advice of an assessment team. Once the OfS receives a report, it considers the advice and whether it raises any compliance issues with its conditions of registration. The OfS has not yet made any decisions in relation to this provider.