The QAA code of practice for postgraduate research programmes applies to all UK higher education institutions. It is one of a suite of inter-related documents which forms an overall Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education (the Code) for the guidance of higher education institutions subscribing to the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (the Agency).
The Code is a statement of good practice that has been endorsed by the higher education community. As such it is used as the relevant bench mark in the Agency's audit and review processes that consider the extent to which an institution, in developing and implementing its own policies, has taken account of the Code and its precepts.
It is intended to give institutions clear guidance in respect of the management, quality and academic standards of research programmes.
The precepts and explanations below are intended to cover the many different types of students undertaking research programmes in the UK, including full and part-time, students of all ages and with different needs, UK and international, and from all backgrounds. From the OU perspective, they apply equally to directly registered students and those registered through the ARCs.
The website below provides further explanation about the code and the specific precepts.
www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice
Institutional arrangements
1. Institutions will put in place effective arrangements to maintain appropriate academic standards and enhance the quality of postgraduate research programmes.
2. Institutional regulations for postgraduate research degree programmes will be clear and readily available to students and staff. Where appropriate, regulations will be supplemented by similarly accessible, subject-specific guidance at the level of the faculty, school or department.
3. Institutions will develop, implement and keep under review a code or codes of practice applicable across the institution, which include(s) the areas covered by this document. The code(s) should be readily available to all students and staff involved in postgraduate research programmes.
4. Institutions will monitor the success of their postgraduate research programmes against appropriate internal and/or external indicators and targets.
The research environment
5. Institutions will only accept research students into an environment that provides support for doing and learning about research and where high quality research is occurring.
Selection, admission and induction of students
6. Admissions procedures will be clear, consistently applied and will demonstrate equality of opportunity.
7. Only appropriately qualified and prepared students will be admitted to research programmes.
8. Admissions decisions will involve at least two members of the institution's staff who will have received instruction, advice and guidance in respect of selection and admissions procedures. The decision-making process will enable the institution to assure itself that balanced and independent admissions decisions have been made, that support its admissions policy.
9. The entitlements and responsibilities of a research student undertaking a postgraduate research programme will be defined and communicated clearly.
10. Institutions will provide research students with sufficient information to enable them to begin their studies with an understanding of the academic and social environment in which they will be working.
Supervision
11. Institutions will appoint supervisors who have the appropriate skills and subject knowledge to support, encourage and monitor research students effectively.
12. Each research student will have a minimum of one main supervisor. He or she will normally be part of a supervisory Team. There must always be one clearly identified point of contact for the student.
13. Institutions will ensure that the responsibilities of all research student supervisors are clearly communicated to supervisors and students through written guidance.
14. Institutions will ensure that the quality of supervision is not put at risk as a result of an excessive volume and range of responsibilities assigned to individual supervisors.
Progress and review arrangements
15. Institutions will put in place and bring to the attention of students and relevant staff clearly defined mechanisms for monitoring and supporting student progress.
16. Institutions will put in place and bring to the attention of students and relevant staff clearly defined mechanisms for formal reviews of student progress, including explicit review stages.
17. Institutions will provide guidance to students, supervisors and others involved in progress monitoring and review processes about the importance of keeping appropriate records of the outcomes of meetings and related activities.
Development of research and other skills
18. Institutions will provide research students with appropriate opportunities for personal and professional development.
19. Each student's development needs will be identified and agreed jointly by the student and appropriate academic staff, initially during the student's induction period; they will be regularly reviewed during the research programme and amended as appropriate.
20. Institutions will provide opportunities for research students to maintain a record of personal progress, which includes reference to the development of research and other skills.
Feedback mechanisms
21. Institutions will put in place mechanisms to collect, review and, where appropriate, respond to feedback from all concerned with postgraduate research programmes. They will make arrangements for feedback to be considered openly and constructively and for the results to be communicated appropriately.
Assessment
22. Institutions will use criteria for assessing research degrees that enable them to define the academic standards of different research programmes and the achievements of their graduates. The criteria used to assess research degrees must be clear and readily available to students, staff and external examiners.
23. Research degree assessment procedures must be clear; they must be operated rigorously, fairly, and consistently; include input from an external examiner; and carried out to a reasonable timescale.
24. Institutions will communicate their assessment procedures clearly to all the parties involved, ie the students, the supervisor(s) and the examiners.
Student representations
25. Institutions will put in place and publicise procedures for dealing with student representations that are fair, clear to all concerned, robust and applied consistently. Such procedures will allow all students access to relevant information and an opportunity to present their case.
Complaints
26. Independent and formal procedures will exist to resolve effectively complaints from research students about the quality of the institution's learning and support provision.
Appeals
27. Institutions will put in place formal procedures to deal with any appeals made by research students. The acceptable grounds for appeals will be clearly defined.
