Boston College, which runs some of its courses from Spalding’s Red Lion Quarter, has been judged to be meeting expected standards.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) reviewed the college in May and judged that its academic standards, the quality and enhancement of its student learning opportunities, and the quality of information about its learning opportunities all meet UK expectations.
The review identified a number of examples of good practice. These include:
- the college’s arrangements for supporting and fostering high quality teaching and learning and the positive impact this has on the student learning experience
- the college’s commitment to raising its students’ academic confidence and aspirations, which enables progression to higher level study.
The review also highlighted the approachability of staff and the range of initiatives designed to gather direct feedback from students.
The review made some recommendations for improvements, for example:
- to develop a structured and proactive approach to the use of employers as a source of external expertise
- to strengthen arrangements for enhancing the quality of students’ learning opportunities, including increasing the engagement of staff with the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.
Boston College’s vice principal for curriculum and quality Fiona Grady said: “We are delighted that QAA has confirmed the high quality of teaching and learning experienced by our higher education learners.
“One of our key ambitions is to raise aspirations of all who study and work at the college and it is pleasing that this has been recognised as a strength by QAA.
“These findings have mirrored those of our recent Ofsted inspection, which also confirmed that teaching, learning and assessment are good and that learners receive good academic and pastoral support.
“We are very proud to be able to offer high quality provision to local people so that they can gain Foundation Degrees or Higher National Diplomas and improve their employment prospects.”
A successful review means that Boston College can display the QAA Quality Mark, indicating to UK and international students that the college meets national requirements for standards and quality.
