University of Northampton subject to greater regulatory scrutiny following quality investigation

The decision follows a report from academic experts who carried out an assessment of the university’s computing courses during the 2022-23 academic year.

Based on the evidence gathered by the assessment team, the OfS found that:

• The university had breached condition B1, which relates to a high quality academic experience, because some of the assessment information provided to computing students was overly complicated, unclear, or contained errors. As a result, elements of the university’s course delivery were not effective, because information that would enable students to understand how to meet learning outcomes and perform well on their courses was inadequate. The quality of assessment information was insufficient to ensure that students were in receipt of a high quality academic experience.
• The university had breached condition B2, which relates to student resources and support. The university was not taking all reasonable steps to ensure that its cohort of students registered on each of its computing courses received resources and support sufficient for the purpose of ensuring a high quality academic experience for those students, or for the purpose of ensuring that those students succeed in and beyond higher education.
• The university had breached condition B4, which relates to effective assessment leading to credible awards. This is because summative feedback provided to computing students lacked clarity and had the potential to cause confusion. This meant that it was not effective in supporting students to inform their future work, and as a result, students were not always assessed effectively.

Since the conclusion of the quality assessment, the OfS has found that the university has taken actions that have remedied the breach of condition B1. The OfS has imposed two specific ongoing conditions on the university relating to its computing courses, and to the requirements of conditions B2 and B4. These specific conditions require the university to identify and take actions that result in improvements to its resources and support, and to the quality of feedback. In identifying these actions, the university is required to have regard to key specific areas of concern. After 12 months, the university will report back to the OfS on the actions it has taken, and the OfS will arrange a further quality assessment of the provider’s computing courses to establish whether compliance with the relevant conditions has been restored.

Jean Arnold, Interim Director for Quality and Access at the OfS, said:

‘The assessment team found a range of concerns, and the OfS has carefully considered these in determining that the university breached three conditions of registration. These are serious issues and, through the introduction of new specific ongoing conditions of registration, the OfS will be able to closely monitor computing provision at the University of Northampton to ensure students receive the high quality education they deserve.

‘While we considered whether sanctions were appropriate in this case, the university has engaged constructively with the OfS through this process and has already begun to put in place a range of changes which will have improved the quality of these courses, and students’ university experience. Our intervention in this case will lead to demonstrable improvements, and we will continue to work closely with the University of Northampton as it takes this important work forward.

‘Today’s announcement concludes our series of assessments of business and management and computing courses at a number of institutions. We’ve learned a lot during this phase, and we're encouraged that many of the institutions we've assessed have made improvements for the benefit of their students. In the future, we intend to make regulatory judgements at the same time as publishing assessment reports, meaning our judgements on quality will be made more quickly so we can best protect students’ interests.’

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. Our strategy for 2025 to 2030 seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
2. Read the regulatory case report for the University of Northampton.