All Access to Higher Education Diplomas will be quality assured in line with the requirements of current Agored Cymru quality assurance procedures including (LC92):
- Internal quality assurance
- External verification
- Standardisation
- Annual centre review
- Annual centre self evaluation review (ASER)
6.1 Internal quality assurance
All AHE centres delivering the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) are responsible for planning and implementing internal quality assurance (IQA) procedures to ensure and demonstrate that the AHE curriculum is being delivered and assessed in accordance with the approved AHE Diploma submission documentation and that it is organised in order to ensure that learners are able to meet the specified rules of combination and other completion requirements.
IQA must be structured to enable an internal verification process that facilitates the scrutiny of assessment design, the implementation of assessment strategies and assessment decisions regarding the award of credit and grades in line with the QAA credit specification and grading scheme. Centres application of internal verification must facilitate:
- the application of consistent standards of demand in assessment
- assessment design which maximises reliability and validity in assessment outcomes
- the assurance of the required standards in relation to the award of credits, grades and the AHE Diploma
- the consistent and accurate application of QAA assessment regulations. (LC 102 a-c)
Internal verification must be carried out only by individuals and teams with appropriate expertise in IQA processes along with relevant subject knowledge related to the areas addressed by units within the Diploma characterised by academic subject content of graded units and skills and knowledge addressed by ungraded units.
The internal quality assurance process must ensure that the assessment is scheduled so it is reasonably manageable for learners and staff and is clearly communicated to learners at the beginning of the course.
6.2 External verification
Centres delivering the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) must accommodate any external verification activities implemented by Agored Cymru. External verification is the process by which the Agored Cymru will monitor the delivery of the AHE curriculum in line with the approved Diploma submission documentation and the specified rules of combination and ensure that assessment practices are carried in order to facilitate:
- an appropriate level of academic challenge and demand
- opportunities for differentiated performance in relation to the achievement of grades
- opportunities to develop the academic skills and knowledge relevant to progression and the promotion of learning
- opportunities for learners to demonstrate what they know, can do and understand
- a clear basis against which assessors can determine achievement of learning outcomes, assessment criteria and grades
External verification will ensure:
- that consistent standards are applied in assessment and that equivalent standards of achievement and performance are evident in all recommendations for credit and grades
- that learners awarded the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) have completed the required learning to the required standard and that achievement is reflected in the grades awarded.
- that centres delivering the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) are implementing a rigorous internal verification process that is in line with Agored Cymru’s requirements.
6.3 Standardisation
Agored Cymru facilitates annual standardisation activities between centres in order to inform and support EQA activities. Centres delivering the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) are required to carry out internal standardisation processes across units, cohorts and sites of delivery. The aim of standardisation is to facilitate and enable the development of a consensus between practitioners regarding standards and the requirements for achievement in line with the QAA credit specification and grading scheme.
6.4 Annual centre review
An annual centre review will be carried out in order to evaluate all AHE Diplomas offered by individual approved centres in relation to curriculum delivery, the outcomes of EQA and outcomes for learners including registration, success rates, grading data and progression.
6.5 Annual self evaluation review (ASER)
Agored Cymru collects statistical data about AHE courses and learners according to a standard set of categories, including those required by QAA. The ASER enables this by providing a process through which centres apply their self assessment activities in order to report on the performance of the AHE Diploma. ASERs are required to make reference to the overall AHE provision offered by an approved centre, but must also analyse the distinctive features of individual AHE Diplomas and differentiate between their outcomes.
6.6 Award of the AHE Diploma (Art and Design)
Centres approved to offer the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) must present the outcomes for all learners for whom the award of the named Diploma is to be recommended at a final awards board (FAB). Agored Cymru are responsible for facilitating the FAB and implementing effective procedures to confirm that all learners recommended for the award of the AHE Diploma (Art and Design) have completed the required learning and achievement in line with the approved submission documentation, the QAA Diploma specification and grading scheme . In order to adequately prepare for FABs, centres are required to carry and internal awards board in order to internally verify learners’ completion status and to agree on the any special cases to be presented to the FAB. Agored Cymru provides guidelines to inform the operation of internal awards boards and refer to them as pre-FABs.