Quality in higher education highlighted at Leeds Beckett conference

The first annual Leeds Beckett University Quality Conference will take place on Thursday 2 July at the University’s Rose Bowl.

The theme of this first event is ‘Delivering Excellence in Higher Education’ and it is set to bring together senior figures in higher education quality standards with practitioners, researchers and educators from the University’s UK and transnational education partners: institutions who deliver courses which are accredited by Leeds Beckett University.

Barbara Colledge, Dean of Quality at Leeds Beckett, who will be opening the conference, said: “Delivering excellence in higher education is fundamental for our students’ success, for their careers, for our city-region and for our UK economy. Our Quality Conference will make an important contribution to sharing good practice and furthering this important debate.”

Professor Phil Cardew, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, added: “At Leeds Beckett we strive to develop systems and processes that support academic standards and enhance the quality of our students’ learning experience and the professional experience of our staff within a supportive and collaborative environment. Our Quality Conference is an important aspect of this environment and we hope that our guests, colleagues and participants enjoy engaging with its themes and contribute to the debates in a collegiate and productive atmosphere.  Our focus together is on enhancing the learning experience for our students and supporting the teaching excellence of our staff.”

Keynote speeches will be presented by: the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA); the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), and the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

The Conference will also offer workshop discussions, delivered by representatives from Leeds Beckett University, Edge Hill University, Southampton Solent University and the University of Sunderland, around: approaches to the embedding of employability within curriculum design and approval; academic standards; learning and teaching; and the use of management information to support academic quality assurance.

The day will round up with a plenary panel session and closing remarks from the keynote speakers and Professor Phil Cardew, followed by a performance from the University choir.

Last year, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) confirmed the quality of Leeds Beckett University’s courses when they carried out their Higher Education Review – the University was judged to have fully met UK standards in all four areas of assessment.