Systems Verification - Visit Report · 2018-11-16 · SQA Systems Verification Visit Report for...

Systems verification is the process we use to ensure that SQA centres comply with the quality assurance criteria andhave internal quality assurance systems appropriately documented, effectively implemented and evaluated, andshow continuous improvement in their application. Guidance for centres relating to the systems verification visit canbe found at www.sqa.org.uk/qualityassurance.

Systems Verification - VisitReport

Rescheduled date Reason

Centre Name Argyll College Centre Number 3001121

Systems VerifierName

Pamela Hosey Systems VerifierContact Details

[email protected]

Double BankerName (if applicable)

J Burns Date/Time of Visit 9 Nov 17 - 09:30

Head of CentreName

Mr Fraser Durie Head of CentreEmail Address

SQA Co-ordinatorName

Ms Jen McFadyen Centre EmailAddress

[email protected]

Summary of Visit

Outcome Statement Non-Compliant Criteria

Management of aCentre

Some strengths and someweaknesses identified in the systemsthat support the maintenance of SQAstandards within this centre.Moderate risks exist within thiscategory

Suspected candidate or staff malpractice must beinvestigated and acted upon, in line with SQArequirements.

Resources Some strengths and someweaknesses identified in the systemsthat support the maintenance of SQAstandards within this centre.Moderate risks exist within thiscategory

Assessors and internal verifiers must becompetent to assess and internally verify, in linewith the requirements of the qualification. There must be a documented system for initialand ongoing reviews of assessmentenvironments; equipment; and reference,learning and assessment materials. All sites where candidates undertakeassessments for SQA qualifications must be safeand appropriately resourced, and must provideaccess for candidates, staff and SQA personnel.

Candidate Support Strengths outweigh weaknessesidentified in the systems that supportthe maintenance of SQA standardswithin this centre

Candidate complaints must be handled in linewith a documented complaints procedure whichmeets SQA requirements.

Internal Assessmentand Verification

Some strengths and someweaknesses identified in the systemsthat support the maintenance of SQAstandards within this centre.Moderate risks exist within thiscategory

Candidate evidence must be retained in line withSQA requirements.

ExternalAssessment

Significant strengths identified in thesystems that support themaintenance of SQA standards withinthis centre

Data Management Strengths outweigh weaknessesidentified in the systems that supportthe maintenance of SQA standardswithin this centre

There must be an effective and documentedsystem for the accurate recording, storage andretention of assessment records, internalverification records and candidate records ofachievement in line with SQA requirements.

Sanctions Entry in Action Plan

SQA Systems Verification Visit Report for 3001121 - Argyll College

Records of Discussions

Discussions with Candidates Yes

if YES, please provide a brief summary of thediscussion:

QEM Debbie Gibb met with 2 groups of students: onegroup comprised 7 students from the NC BusinessAdministration course in Campbeltown; the students in theother group were undertaking NC Early Education andChildcare and were from a range of locations acrossArgyll. Discussion took place around: student induction;malpractice procedures; support for learning/assessmentarrangements; complaints procedures; internalassessment appeals; course resources; feedback onassessment; and student representation.

Discussions with Assessors Yes


QEM Debbie Gibb held a group meeting with the followingmembers of staff: Jane Nichols – Head of Curriculum;Kerry McGeachy - NC Early Education & Childcare Tutor;Gill McInally – NC Early Education & Childcare Tutor;Fiona Hendrie – NC Admin Tutor; Dawn Miller - NC AdminTutor; and Les Wright - NC Admin Tutor. Discussion tookplace on the following topics: staff induction; CPD; internalassessment and verification; ongoing reviews ofresources; malpractice procedures; personal interest inthe outcome of assessment; external verification; ensuringthe suitability of assessment sites; student support andassessment arrangements; complaints procedures;internal assessment appeals; data managementprocesses; and student induction.

Discussions with Internal Verifiers Yes


See 'Discussion with Assessors'.

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Outcome Summary1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10

2.1 2.2 2.3 2.5

3.1 3.4 3.5 3.6

4.1 4.5 4.7 4.8

5.1 5.2 5.3

6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

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Management of a Centre Criteria Impact Compliance Level Comments Agreed Action Good Practice Recommendations

1.1 Policies and proceduresmust be documented andreviewed to ensure fullcompliance with SQA qualitycriteria.

High Green The Policy on Policies setsout the framework for theapproval andimplementation of collegepolicies and procedures,copies of which areavailable on the collegeSharePoint site.

A master trackingdocument for all categoriesof policies is maintained bythe SQA Coordinator. Thetracker includes the name,number and versionnumber of the policyconcerned, as well as thedates of issue, expiry,approval and previous andnext review/revision, andthe roles responsible forthe policy, itsimplementation and review.This information is includedin the document controltable on the coversheet ofeach policy. Thedocument control tablealso includes summarycomments regarding thepurpose and/or outcome ofthe most recent review.

The copy of any policydocument available on theSharePoint or collegewebsite is deemed to bethe latest version of thepolicy, with the policy nameand date being included inthe document header orfooter. It is a documentedresponsibility of the QualityOfficer to ensure that themost current version of allquality-relateddocumentation, policy andprocedural information is inuse. Version control hasbeen enhanced andfacilitated by the migrationof all policy documentationto the SharePoint site.

There was evidence thatthe above processes arebeing applied to policydocumentation.

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1.2 Policies and proceduresmust be endorsed by seniormanagement anddisseminated to all relevantstaff.

Low Green College policies andprocedures are availableon the college SharePointwebsite, or, for publicfacing and student-relatedpolicies, on the collegewebsite.

The Policy on Policiesstates that The Board ofGovernors is responsiblefor the approval of allpolicies and the ExecutiveManagement Team isresponsible for theirdissemination andcommunication. Minutes ofthe Quality AssuranceCommittee and theLearning, Teaching andEngagement Committeeconfirmed that decisionswere made regarding newand revised policies.

Informal consultation takesplace with staff prior to newor revised policies beingintroduced via their Headsof Curriculum, and there isstaff representation on theBoard of Governors.

Once approved, an email issent to all staff by theQuality Officer to advisethem of the new or revisedpolicy or procedure(examples seen), and thepolicy or procedure ismade available viaSharePoint or the collegewebsite as appropriate. Staff developmentsessions took place inJune and September 2017(face-to-face and virtually)in order to ensure that allstaff were aware of thenew policy section onSharePoint, and also of thenew and revised policiesand procedures foracademic year 2017/18. Records of thesedevelopment sessionswere seen at the visit.

While acknowledging thatthe college wishes toensure that a range ofrelevant information andguidance documents isaccessible to staff on the

It is recommended that some existinghyperlinks on the SharePoint pagesare included within short informativeparagraphs advising staff of thepurpose/content of the documentconcerned, and that the duplication ofinformation is kept to a minimum. Thisis particularly pertinent where morethan one document is being madeavailable on a particular topic (eg inthe case of External Verification, arange of documentation has beenuploaded, including FAQs, proceduresand guidance). Where similarinformation is included in a range ofdocuments (eg roles andresponsibilities in job descriptions, inthe Tutor Handbook and inAssessment and Verificationprocedures, or in the case of retentionrequirements) then the use of cross-references to a 'source' document mayfacilitate staff understanding, futureupdates etc).

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new SharePoint site, wediscussed that it is equallyimportant to ensure that allinformation is as well-signposted and'streamlined' as possible(refer toRecommendation).

1.3 SQA must be notified of anychanges that may affect thecentre's ability to meet thequality assurance criteria.

High Green Responsibility for notifyingSQA of any changes whichmay affect the college’sability to meet the SQA’squality criteria has beennoted within the jobdescription of the QualityOfficer/SQA Coordinator,and details of all of thecircumstances that must benotified to SQA have beendocumented.

The college’s contactdetails in SQA systems areup to date and there is alsoevidence that informationabout the collegerestructure has beennotified to appropriatepersons within SQA.

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1.4 The roles andresponsibilities of thoseinvolved in theadministration,management, assessmentand quality assurance ofSQA qualifications across allsites must be clearlydocumented anddisseminated.

Medium Green An organisation chart isavailable on the websiteand in the Tutor Handbookwhich shows themanagement structure ofthe college; jobdescriptions are routinely inplace for all posts and areavailable to staff onSharePoint.

The job description of theQuality Officer/SQACoordinator defines theduties and responsibilitiesof the postholder in relationto the administration ofquality processes,examinations and datamanagement of SQAqualifications; those of theDepute Principal and theHead of Student Servicesprovide detail of their keymanagement duties andresponsibilities in thisregard.

The membership of eachcross-college committee isdocumented on thatcommittee's SharePointpage, together with links tothe committee remit,agendas, minutes andother associated papers.

The responsibilities ofrelevant postholders havebeen included in theAssessment andVerification Procedures –this includes theresponsibilities of: theDepute Principal/QualityManager (who has overallresponsibility for thecollege curriculum, Quality,HR, student support andstudent records); Heads ofCurriculum and CurriculumLeads; assessors; internalverifiers; and the QualityOfficer/SQA Coordinator.

The Tutor Handbook(Appendix 4) also includesinformation on the followingroles and responsibilities:Principal; DeputePrincipal/Quality Manager;Heads of Curriculum;Quality Officer/SQACoordinator; Curriculum

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Leads; assessors; internaland external verifiers; theHead of Student Services;Registry Administrators;the AdmissionsCoordinator; CentreManagement Staff andPersonal Academic Tutors.

Examples of partnershipagreements were seen egSchool-College PartnershipAgreement between thecollege and Argyll and ButeCouncil; and a Letter ofAgreement between thecollege and Dundee andAngus College (for HNC/DHorticulture). Theseagreements outline therespective responsibilitiesof each partner in relationto the assessment andquality assurance of thequalifications concerned,and other matters such asdata management andstudent support. Documentation was alsoavailable relating to SDScontracts for Foundationand ModernApprenticeships.

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1.5 Suspected candidate or staffmalpractice must beinvestigated and actedupon, in line with SQArequirements.

High Amber The college hasdocumented 2 policiesrelating to malpractice –the Staff and CentreMalpractice andMaladministration Policy,and the StudentMalpractice Policy. Thetopic of malpractice isincluded in the studentinduction checklist,however is not referred tospecifically in the staffinduction checklist (refer toRecommendation forcriterion 2.2). Summaryinformation on malpracticehas been provided in theTutor Handbook and theStudent Handbook, andthese include references tothe full policy documents ifrequired by staff orstudents respectively. AMalpractice/Maladministration Incident Form has beendevised (June 2017) torecord and track anyinstances of suspectedmalpractice, although thishas not as yet been usedby the college. Records ofa previous malpracticeinvestigation were seen atthe visit.

The Policies list examplesof staff and studentmalpractice, however thedefinition of malpracticewhich has been used doesnot meet current SQArequirements (refer toRequired Action 1). Appropriate potentialsanctions have beendocumented, as have theactions to be taken shouldmalpractice be suspected. The requirement to reportmalpractice internally andto SQA (by the QualityOfficer) has been statedhowever the circumstancesunder which SQA shouldbe notified requireclarification (refer toRequired Action 2). Therights of staff and studentsto appeal the outcome of amalpractice investigationhave been correctlydocumented.

The Staff and Centre Malpractice andMaladministration Policy, the StudentMalpractice Policy and any other relateddocumentation (eg Tutor Handbook)must be updated as follows:

1 the definition of malpractice must bereplaced with the definition stipulated bySQA in the Guide to SystemsVerification for Centres 2015-18 (Sept2017), criterion 1.5;

2 the information on reporting cases ofsuspected malpractice to SQA must berevised to clarify that all cases ofsuspected centre malpractice must bereported, and that cases of suspectedcandidate malpractice must be reportedif it relates to a regulated qualification;and

3 the retention requirements forevidence and records relating toinvestigations into malpractice must beupdated to reflect current SQArequirements (although refer also toRequired Actions for criteria 4.7 and6.4).

The revised Policies and other relateddocumentation must be submitted asevidence that these Required Actionshave been addressed.

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The retention requirementsfor evidence and recordsrelating to malpracticeinvestigations have beenstated however these havebeen recently updated bySQA (refer to the Guide toSystems Verification forCentres 2015-18 (Sept2017), criterion 4.7) (referto Required Action 3).

In relation to the preventionof malpractice, informationon malpractice has beenincluded in the AssessmentGuidance Pack specificallyfor tutors/invigilators andcandidates. The Pack isavailable on SharePointand is to be referred toprior to everyexamination/assessment. SVQ students at thecollege sign a declarationof authenticity which isincluded within theirportfolio of evidence. Inaddition, the QualityAssurance Committee iscurrently considering theUHI SQA AssessmentCover Sheet with a view toadapting it to make itsuitable for use with FEprovision.

Staff and students statedthat they felt well-informedabout malpractice and thepotential sanctions whichmay be imposed. Staffconfirmed that they wereaware of theirresponsibilities relating tosuspected malpractice, andthat they had recentlyparticipated in a trainingsession on the collegepolicy and procedures.

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1.6 No-one with a personalinterest in the outcome of anassessment is to beinvolved in the assessmentprocess. This includesassessors, IVs andinvigilators.

Low Green A Conflict of Interest Policyand Procedures has beendocumented, together witha Declaration Form. Summary information ondealing with conflicts ofinterest has been includedin the Tutor Handbook andin the Assessment andVerification Policy andProcedures, and cross-references have beenmade to the Policydocument for furtherinformation if required. Information on conflict ofinterest has also beenincluded in the AssessmentGuidance Pack specificallyfor tutors/invigilators.

The roles andresponsibilities of the staffwho implement andmonitor this policy havebeen stated. Examples ofcompleted declarationforms were seen at the visit– these had beencompleted thoroughly andappropriate actions hadbeen identified in theseinstances (although refer toRecommendation). Therequired retentiontimescale for copies ofdocumentation relating todeclared conflicts ofinterest has beendocumented in the Policy.

Completed forms aretreated as confidential andare stored within a securelimited access area ofSharePoint, with accessrestricted to the DeputePrincipal, the QualityOfficer and Heads ofCurriculum.

The staff who wereinterviewed demonstratedan awareness of what mayconstitute a conflict ofinterest and howdeclarations are handledby the college.

In order to help to ensure that internalverification actions identified as aresult of a declaration of interest areapplied, it is recommended that thecollege's procedure for this is includedwithin the Internal VerificationAdministration Flowchart and ProcessNotes and/or other appropriatedocumentation.

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1.7 There must be an effectiveprocess for communicatingwith staff, candidates andSQA.

Medium Green Information for staff isavailable on theSharePoint website – thishas been created over thepast year and now containslinks to SQA-relatedinformation, collegepolicies and procedures,minutes of meetings, etc. Plans are in place to elicitfeedback from staff aboutthe new site and newquality processes. Email isused by the Quality Officerto notify staff (andstudents) of any importantchanges to previously-published information, suchas exam venues. Therewas evidence of cross-college meetings, teammeetings and CPD eventsbeing used to disseminateinformation. In addition, acomprehensive TutorHandbook has beendeveloped (refer to GoodPractice).

Course teams are the focalpoint of information forstudents, providing aninduction to their courseand further informationover the duration of theirprogramme. A system ofclass representation is inplace, and surveys are alsoused to obtain feedback atkey points of eachprogramme. There isstudent representation onsome cross-college andBoard committees. Acollege Student Handbookhas been developed and isissued at induction,together a course-specifichandbook. A range ofinformation is alsoavailable on the website(eg relating to studentservices, student support,policies, SQA examinformation etc) and courseinformation such asassessment schedules isprovided on the VLE(Blackboard). Forcandidates undertaking anSVQ, their assessor is theirmain point of contact, andexamples of visit andplacement schedules were

A very comprehensive and well-structured Tutor Handbook hasbeen developed and is madeavailable to staff on theSharePoint site. Staff aredirected to the Handbook at theirinduction. It contains a widerange of information andguidance on college systemsand procedures (for teaching,assessment and administrativeprocesses) and is a useful andcentral point of reference forboth new and more experiencedmembers of staff.

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seen at the visit.

The Quality Officer is theSQA Coordinator and hasdocumented responsibilityto act as the first point ofcontact between thecollege and SQA. Thisincludes the disseminationof information from SQA torelevant staff (egqualification updates,external verificationactivity/outcomes, examinformation etc),administering the qualitycoordination of newcourse/qualificationapprovals, reportingsuspected malpractice toSQA, notifying SQA ofchanges of circumstance inthe college which mayimpact on its ability to meetSQA QA criteria etc. Examples ofcommunication betweenthe Quality Officer andSQA, and between theQuality Officer and collegestaff, were seen at the visit.

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1.8 Feedback from candidatesand staff must be soughtand used to inform centreimprovement plans.

Low Green The Depute Principal hasdocumented responsibilityfor coordination of allstudent survey processeswithin the college and aplan of the surveys to beconducted in academicyear 2017/18 is in place. Asummary of the 2016/17Satisfaction Survey ofArgyll college students hadbeen prepared for theLearning, Teaching andEngagement Committee –this indicates that Allpartners within theHighlands and Islandsregion have agreed toshare responses and thesewill be collated andcompared to the Scottishaverage. This collateddata will be discussed atthe regional Quality Forumwhere partners with thehighest percentages will beasked to share the goodpractice that has resultedin the high agreement fromstudents.

Students can also providefeedback via the UHI ‘RedButton’, and responses tothis are provided on an on-going basis and in anannual summary report. Inaddition, the studentsinterviewed all felt that theycan give informal feedbackat any time and do notnecessarily wait to beasked formally. They alsosaid that they felt confidentthat the college would acton their feedback.

There was evidence ofstudent feedback havingbeing considered by theSMT and during the annualcourse self-evaluationprocess.

The college does notcurrently have a policy orprocedure in place whichstates how and whenfeedback will be soughtfrom students, and how thecollege then communicateswith students to advisethem of the actions which ithas taken as a result (refer

It is recommended that the collegedocuments a procedure to ensureconsistency of process in terms ofgathering and collating studentfeedback, and advising students of theactions which have been taken bycourse teams and/or the college as aresult.

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to Recommendation).

Examples of annual coursereviews were available atthe visit. The reviews areinformed by discussions atcourse team meetings,feedback from students,external verificationfeedback where relevantand reflection on practice. As a result of each coursereview, an action plan isdevised for the nextsession, with the aim ofenhancing the studentexperience on the courseyear on year.

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1.9 The centre must complywith requests for access torecords, information,candidates, staff andpremises for the purpose ofexternal quality assuranceactivities.

High Green The SQA Coordinator hasdocumented responsibilityfor being the first point ofcontact between thecollege and SQA forExternal Verificationpurposes, including liaisingbetween the externalverifier and centre staff toarrange visits, andmanaging external verifierrequests for candidate,venue and staffinformation.

To facilitate the tracking ofpending visits and visitoutcomes, the SQACoordinator maintains anEV Tracking Spreadsheetand this was seen at thevisit, together withevidence of emailcorrespondence betweenthe SQA Coordinator,external verifiers andcollege staff.

The college hasdocumented ‘A Guide forExternal Verification Visits’and this clearly outlines theprocedures to be followedin the event that thecollege is notified of a visit. Further information isavailable to staff in theTutor Handbook, in theAssessment andVerification Policy andProcedures and in othersupplementary documentseg in Preparing for ExternalVerification, and SQAExternal Verification: FAQs(although refer toRecommendation forcriterion 1.2). In addition,links are provided torelevant SQA publications.

Arrangements for this visitwere facilitated promptlyand efficiently by thecollege, and no accessissues have been reportedto SQA by its staff orappointees.

The college hasdocumented in the TutorHandbook, and in theAssessment andVerification Policy and

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Procedures, therequirement that accessmust be permitted to SQAAccreditation or Ofqualstaff if this is requested inrelation to regulatedqualifications.

1.10 Outcomes of external qualityassurance must bedisseminated to appropriatestaff and any action pointsaddressed within agreedtimescales.

Medium Green When external qualityassurance reports arereceived, they aredisseminated by theQuality Officer to relevantstaff (as per documentedresponsibilities of the role)together with a completedIV6, which facilitatessharing of the feedbackfrom the EV at the time ofthe visit between the Headof Curriculum, theCurriculum Lead and theQuality Officer. The EVTracking Spreadsheet isupdated to include theoutcome of the visit andthe report is uploaded toSharePoint in order that itcan be accessed by allstaff. There was evidencein the form of emailcorrespondence andattachments to confirm thatdissemination had takenplace as per procedure.

In the event of RequiredActions, there is adocumented procedure (inthe Guide for EV Visits)which explains therequirement to submit theevidence by the dateagreed with the externalverifier and the processand responsibilities fordoing so. Again, there wasevidence of this procedurehaving been adhered to.

Minutes of the QualityAssurance Committeeconfirmed that it discussesexternal quality assurancereports, and maintainsoversight of the submissionof evidence should this berequired.

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Resources Criteria Impact Compliance Level Comments Agreed Action Good Practice Recommendations

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2.1 Assessors and internalverifiers must be competentto assess and internallyverify, in line with therequirements of thequalification.

High Amber A Recruitment andSelection Policy is inplace. A list ofqualifications for teachingstaff is included in theAssessment andVerification Procedures,and a spreadsheet is usedto track the progress ofstaff who are undertakingassessor or verifierawards. The TutorHandbook and theAssessment andVerification Proceduresstate that the CVs of newtutors who will bedelivering taught SQA-certificated units must beapproved by their linemanager prior todeployment. Staffinterviewed confirmed thatongoing checks are madein line with assessmentstrategies or qualificationreviews. Staffqualifications andexperience are scrutinisedas part of the approvalprocess for newqualifications. In addition,there is reference toassessor qualificationswithin the Tutor/AssessorJob Description. There ishowever no equivalentinformation in the JobDescription for InternalVerifiers and there is noreference in eitherdocument to the timescalewithin which assessors orinternal verifiers mustattain the necessaryqualification, or that theymust have occupationalexperience, understandingand qualifications asspecified in SQArequirements for thequalification(s) that theyare to deliver (refer toRequired Actions 1 and 2).

Assessors and internalverifiers are required bytheir Job Description toactively engage in relevantCPD when required,however the requirement tomaintain a record of theirCPD only appears in theTutor/Assessor Job

The college must document that: 1 assessors and internal verifiers musthave occupational experience,understanding and any necessaryqualifications, as specified in the SQArequirements for the qualification;

2 where no alternative timescale isstated in an assessment strategy,assessors and internal verifiers ofregulated qualifications must achieve arelevant assessor/verifier qualificationwithin 18 months of starting to practice;and

3 internal verifiers must maintain arecord of their CPD.

This information must be reflected inany other policy or proceduraldocumentation in which similarinformation is given. The JobDescriptions and other relevantdocumentation must be submitted asevidence that this Required Action hasbeen addressed.

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Description (refer toRequired Action 3). TheTutor Induction Checklistincludes the topic of CPDand the Tutor Handbookprovides guidance on howrecords of CPD should bemaintained. Staffinterviewed confirmed thatan in-house CPDprogramme is in place, andthat some of this ismandatory (eg in relation tomalpractice procedures). They also advised that theyare encouraged to attendexternal events and toshare good practice withother FE colleges.

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2.2 Assessors and internalverifiers must be giveninduction training on SQAqualifications andrequirements.

Medium Green Curriculum Leads havedocumented responsibility(in their Job Description)for the induction of newteaching staff within theircurriculum area, and theQuality Officer is the firstpoint of contact for staff inrelation to any queriesabout quality matters. Internal verifiers havespecific responsibility forthe induction of newassessors.

There was evidence ofCentre and Tutor InductionChecklists having beensigned by staff and theirline manager. All of theinduction informationstipulated by SQA forassessors and internalverifiers is provided to staffwithin either the TutorHandbook or the Studentand Course Handbooks,however not all of therequirements arespecifically mentioned inthe Centre and TutorInduction Checklists (referto Recommendation).

At the visit, the QualityOfficer advised that thecollege is currentlydiscussing plans to moveto a more longitudinal formof staff induction, with thepossibility of progressmonitoring and trackingbeing implemented viaBlackboard.

It is recommended that all SQA-specific induction requirements areintegrated into the existing TutorInduction checklists. Alternatively, asupplementary induction checklist forassessors and internal verifiers of SQAqualifications could be developed. This would help to ensure that staff aresignposted to key elements within theTutor Handbook and studenthandbooks and would also provideevidence that information on theserequirements has been given to newstaff (in the event of any future issue ordispute with the member of staffconcerned).

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2.3 There must be adocumented system forinitial and ongoing reviewsof assessmentenvironments; equipment;and reference, learning andassessment materials.

Medium Amber Initial reviews of resourcesare an inherent part of thecollege's ApprovalsProcesses (these havebeen documented inflowchart format). Theflowcharts however do notinclude the approvalprocess for awards that arenon-devolvable to centres(refer to Required Action). The processes require thereview of Equipment andAccommodation, Learningand Teaching, andAssessment, and staffqualifications andexperience forms aresubmitted as part of theapproval application. Documentary evidence ofapproval applications wereseen, as were relevantminutes of the QualityAssurance Committee. There was also evidence ofthe outcome of applicationshaving been notified tostaff by the Quality Officerin email format (howeverrefer to Recommendation1).

The retention requirementsfor records of the approvalprocess have beendocumented within the FEAcademic RecordsManagement andRetention Policy andProcedure (although referto Recommendation 2).

Ongoing reviews ofresources are undertakenat course team meetings,through the self-evaluationprocess and through theinternal verificationprocess. Staff confirmedthat ongoing reviews areconducted anddocumented as part of thepre-assessment stage ofthe internal verificationprocedures, and thatfeedback from students isalso used to informreviews. The studentsinterviewed all feel thattheir courses, and thecollege in general, are well-resourced. They also feelinvolved in the process of

The centre must document its approvalprocess for non-devolvablequalifications. This could take the formof a flowchart and be added as aseparate tab to the other approvalprocesses which have already beendocumented. The types ofqualifications to which this processwould apply should be identified, in theflowchart and/or in the approvalssection of the Data ManagementProcedures. The flowchart, andinformation in the Data ManagementProcedures if applicable, must besubmitted as evidence that thisRequired Action has been addressed.

1 It is recommended that a feedbackform is devised to use when advisingstaff of the approval decision,conditions etc determined at themeeting of the Quality AssuranceCommittee. This would facilitatetracking, record-keeping and retentionin comparison to the current practice ofemailing the outcome of the meeting tocurriculum staff. It is possible that therevised UHI approval process, oncedetermined, could be adapted for usewith FE provision.

2 It is also recommended that theretention requirements for approvalprocess documentation (stated withinthe FE Academic RecordsManagement and Retention Policy andProcedure) are signposted from theapprovals flowcharts and/or the DataManagement Procedures.

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arranging placements andthat their choices are takeninto account in this regardas much as possible.

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2.5 All sites where candidatesundertake assessments forSQA qualifications must besafe and appropriatelyresourced, and must provideaccess for candidates, staffand SQA personnel.

Medium Amber The college currently usesthe SQA Site SelectionChecklist template(devised to accompanyapproval applications) asits means of verifying thesuitability of assessmentsites which are not ownedor managed by the college,and several completedexamples of these wereavailable to see at thevisit. Although theseexamples were dated from2-3 years ago, there wasno evidence of the siteshave been reviewed in theinterim period. Staffadvised that thesetemplates had in fact beenreviewed but, as nochanges had beenrequired, the reviews hadnot been recorded. Inaddition, although thetemplate mentions accessfor SQA staff, it does notmake any specificprovision for access to thesite by staff from regulatorybodies such as SQAAccreditation.

We discussed that therelatively recent enhancedguidance from SQA andsuggested proforma wouldprovide the college with amore current andpragmatic approach tomeeting the requirementsof this criterion - theguidance may be found athttp://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/74663.html (refer toRequired Action 1). Wediscussed also that therelated information in theAssessment andVerification Proceduresshould be revised toinclude associatedresponsibilities, amaximum period betweenreviews, and more detailedguidance on the range ofcircumstances under whichan earlier than scheduledreview of assessment sitesshould be undertaken(refer to Required Action2). For example, staffinterviewed stated thatstudents are encouraged to

The college must:

1 document a site selection checklist tobe used by appropriate departmentswhen determining the suitability ofassessment sites that are not owned ormanaged by the college;

2 document the process through whichthe college complies with this criterionie prior to a candidate commencing aqualification for which they will beassessed at a site not owned ormanaged by the college, a site selectionchecklist must be completed, signedand dated by a representative of thecollege and a person in a position ofauthority at the assessment site. Thecircumstances under which thischecklist must subsequently bereviewed and/or renewed must beoutlined eg according to apredetermined schedule of review; priorto a new candidate commencing aqualification at the site; if a differentqualification is to be assessed at anexisting site; if a new supervisor takesover responsibility for a candidate at thesite; if the candidate moves from onedepartment to another; or if there hasbeen a change of management orownership at the site. Responsibilitiesrelating to this process, and howreviews will be recorded, must also bedocumented.

The Site Selection Checklist and therevised Assessment and VerificationProcedures must be submitted asevidence that these Required Actionshave been addressed. Theimplementation of the system andchecklist by relevant departments willbe reviewed at future systemsverification visits.

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report any site deficienciesto their tutor, who wouldthen investigate if this wasa circumstance whichshould give rise to areview.

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Candidate Support Criteria Impact Compliance Level Comments Agreed Action Good Practice Recommendations

3.1 Candidate induction mustinclude information aboutthe SQA qualification andSQA requirements.

High Green Examples were seen ofsigned and datedcandidate centre andcourse induction checklists,and associatedpresentations. Thepresentations are providedto staff in template formatin order that they can becustomised for specificstudent groups. Thispractice was confirmed bythe staff who wereinterviewed. Support notesfor the presentations havealso been developed (referto Good Practice).

Students are provided witha Student Handbook whichthey can access on thecollege website - thiscontains hyperlinks,allowing students to easilyaccess key information anddocuments. The studentsinterviewed confirmed thatthey had been shown howto access the handbook attheir induction. Course-specific handbooks havealso been developed.

The above inductionresources give students allof the information withwhich SQA requires itscandidates to be providedat induction however wediscussed how thesignposting to this requiredinformation, and therecording of students'acknowledgement that theyhad received it, could beenhanced (refer toRecommendation).

The students who wereinterviewed said that theirinduction to the college andto their course had beenhelpful, welcoming andinformative, and thatoverall it had been apositive experience.

Concise but comprehensiveprecis information on somecandidate induction topics hasbeen developed as an aidememoire for staff and areincluded within the inductionfolder - topics covered includemalpractice and academicmisconduct, personal interest inthe outcome of assessment,assessment regulations, internalassessment appeals, internaland external verification, andlearning support. This helps toensure that these topics areconveyed to students in aconsistent way, regardless ofthe subject area involved or thelevel of experience of themember of staff delivering thepresentation.

It is recommended that the candidateinduction checklists are revised toinclude all of the key points ofinformation which SQA requires to beprovided at the point of induction - thiswill help to ensure that these topics areconsistently highlighted to all studentsand that evidence is available in future(for the purposes of the college and/orSQA) of the required informationhaving been disseminated. It is alsorecommended that the requiredinformation is similarly highlightedwithin the induction presentationtemplates.

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3.4 Policies and proceduresmust give SQA candidatesequal opportunities forassessment.

Low Green A number of documentsconvey the college'scommitment to treatingstudents in an inclusive,positive and non-discriminatory way - theseinclude an Equality andDiversity Policy, an Accessand Inclusion Strategy anda Policy and Proceduresfor Access to AssessmentArrangements, throughwhich assessmentarrangements areimplemented where theseare identified asappropriate to a student'sneeds (refer to criterion3.5). This commitment isalso evident in the Equality,Diversity and Inclusivenesssection of the StudentHandbook and in theAssessment andVerification Procedures,which state that the collegeis 'committed to ensuringthat all students are givena fair and equal opportunityto achieve the awards forwhich they are entered'. The Student Charterincludes discriminationagainst others in a list ofunacceptable behaviours.

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3.5 Individual candidates'requirements forassessment arrangementmust be discussed,identified, implemented andrecorded.

Medium Green The college hasdocumented a Policy andProcedures for Access toAssessmentArrangements, andinformation on studentsupport is included in theStudent Handbook and inthe Assessment andVerification Procedures.Students may disclose asupport need at the pre-entry stage (eg on theirapplication form or atinterview) or during theircourse (eg on theirenrolment form, as a resultof the induction process orif a tutor recognises thatlearning support would beappropriate for thatstudent.

A number of recordingforms have been devisedto support the identificationand confirmation of asupport requirement, thedissemination of thatinformation to appropriatemembers of academicstaff, confirmation of thesupport arrangement to thestudent, and thensubsequent review of thestudent's personal learningsupport plan. Minutes ofan AssessmentArrangements meetingconfirmed that assessmentarrangements are subjectto verification/independentconfirmation and examplesof completed PLSPdocumentation were seen.

Students interviewed feltthat support for learningwas explained well at theirinduction and in theStudent Handbook and thatthe support available fromstudent services, and toexternal support serviceswhere appropriate, is well-signposted. One studentdescribed the support thatshe receives, and how thecollege liaised with herformer school to gatherinformation about she hadbeen supportedpreviously. She alsostated that her tutor

It is recommended that, to supportboth new and existing members ofteaching staff, information onassessment arrangements is added tothe Tutor Handbook, includingsignposting to relevant collegecontacts, procedures anddocumentation.

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regularly reviews how thesupport arrangements areworking out for her. Thestaff interviewed said thatcommunication betweenteaching staff and studentsupport services iseffective.

The opportunity was takenat the visit to discuss theevidence which wouldneed to be presented bythe college in the event ofan SQA AssessmentArrangements Audit. Thisinformation is documentedin the SQA AssessmentArrangements webpagesathttp://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/14976.html , in particular inthe publication QualityAssurance of AssessmentArrangements in Internaland External Assessments:Information for Colleges.

We discussed howinformation on assessmentarrangements would be auseful addition to the TutorHandbook, as this can besomething which causesanxiety to both new andmore experiencedmembers of staff, both interms of identifyingstudents who may requiresupport, and also in termsof providing such studentswith an appropriate typeand level of support whichdoes not compromise theintegrity of the assessmentprocess (refer toRecommendation).

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3.6 Candidate complaints mustbe handled in line with adocumented complaintsprocedure which meetsSQA requirements.

Medium Amber The college advised thatno informal or formalcomplaints had beenreceived by the college in2016/17, but that somecomplaints had been madedirectly to UHI via the RedButton.

Summary information onthe college complaintsprocess is provided tostudents in the StudentHandbook, and thisincludes a hyperlink to thecollege proceduraldocument for complaintshandling, which is availableon the college website. This Complaints Handlingand Suggestions forImprovement Proceduredefines what constitutes acomplaint anddifferentiates betweencomplaints and internalassessment appeals. Theprocedure states that thecollege aims to resolvefrontline complaints within5 days, and complaintsrequiring investigationwithin 20 days.

The procedure explains theright of candidates toescalate their complaint toSQA if they remaindissatisfied once they haveexhausted the college'sown complaints procedure,and thereafter to SQAAccreditation if they areundertaking a regulatedqualification. Thisinformation has nothowever been includedwithin the diagram on page7 and the flowchart onpage 18 (refer to RequiredAction 1). The right ofcandidates to escalate theircomplaint to the SPSO isalso stated, however itmust be made explicit thatthis right extends only toissues other thanassessment-relatedmatters (refer to RequiredAction 2).

Although none of the staffor students interviewedhad been involved in a

1 The summary diagram on page 7 ofthe Complaints Handling andSuggestions for ImprovementProcedure, and the process flowcharton page 18, must be amended toinclude information about potentialescalation of complaints to SQAAwarding Body, and then to SQAAccreditation if the student isundertaking a regulated qualification.

2 The college must clarify in theprocedure that the right of candidates toescalate their complaint to the SPSOextends only to issues other thanassessment-related matters.

The revised Complaints Handling andSuggestions for ImprovementProcedure must be submitted asevidence that these Required Actionshave been addressed.

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formal complaint or hadhad cause to complain,they were all confident thatthey could access thedetails of the procedure tofollow should they need todo so. The studentsagreed that they wereconfident that anycomplaint would be takenseriously and that therewould be no repercussions,but that they wouldprobably raise anyconcerns in an informalway initially, as the staffare approachable and fairand the issue couldprobably be resolvedwithout recourse to formalprocedures.

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Internal Assessment and Verification Criteria Impact Compliance Level Comments Agreed Action Good Practice Recommendations

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4.1 Internal assessment andverification procedures mustbe documented, monitoredand reviewed to meet SQArequirements.

Medium Green The Assessment andVerification Policy andProcedures covers a rangeof information aboutassessment practice andinternal verificationprocedures, includingreassessment, recordingforms, e-assessment, priorverification, security ofassessments, assessmentappeals, internalverification samplingstrategy etc. Heads ofCurriculum plan internalverification activity inconsultation with theCurriculum Leads andinternal verifiers, and thensubsequently use theplanning spreadsheet tomonitor activity. Examplesof the planningspreadsheets wereavailable to see at the visitand staff interviewedconfirmed this practice.

The recording forms usedfor internal verificationpurposes are those usedacross the UHI partnershipand address pre-, duringand post-assessmentactivities. Information onthe purpose and use ofIV4s, IV5s and IV6s isincluded within theAssessment andVerification Policy andProcedures, althoughsimilar information for IV1,IV2s and IV3s is not, evenalthough these forms arementioned within the remitsof the Heads of Curriculumand Curriculum Leads(refer toRecommendation). Records of internalverification were seen atthe visit as well asevidence of standardisationactivities and meetings.

The Internal VerificationAdministration process hasbeen documentedthoroughly in the form of aflowchart andaccompanying notes (seealso criterion 6.3). Staff didsay that this process looksmore complicated than it is

It is recommended that, forcompleteness, information on thepurpose of IV1s, IV2s and IV3s isincluded in the Assessment andVerification Policy and Procedures.

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in practice, and theyrecognise that it isnecessary to have a robustprocedure in placebecause of the dispersednature of the collegecommunity.

The outcomes of previousexternal verification visitsindicate that internalverification procedures areworking effectively in thecollege.

4.5 Assessment materials andcandidate evidence(including examinationquestion papers, scripts andelectronically-storedevidence) must be storedand transported securely.

High Green A Policy for the Storageand Transportation ofAssessment Materials andStudent Evidence hasbeen developed. Giventhe geographically-dispersed nature of collegeprovision, the policyincludes information on theuse of tamper-evidenttransfer labels. Thecollege advised howeverthat work is ongoing interms of furthering the useof electronic storage ofassessment evidence andmaterials, and also that it isanticipated that themajority of master folderswill be transferred torestricted access securefolders by the start ofSemester 2 of thisacademic year.

The policy is referred towithin the Tutor Handbook,and is available to staff onthe SharePoint site. TheQuality Officer advised thatstaff are told about thispolicy at their induction,however it has not beenincluded specifically on theTutor Induction Checklist(refer to Recommendationfor criterion 2.2).

The Quality Officer hasdocumented responsibilityfor notifying SQA of anybreach of security relatingto assessment materialspublished on the securesite.

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4.7 Candidate evidence must beretained in line with SQArequirements.

High Amber Retention requirements forcandidate evidence havebeen documented withinseveral procedures,including the Assessmentand Verification Policy andProcedures, the DataManagement Proceduresand the recently developedFE Academic RecordsManagement andRetention Policy andProcedures. The specificrequirements for evidencerelating to investigationsinto suspected malpracticeand internal assessmentappeals have also beendocumented within thoseparticular procedures. Some of the retentionrequirements stated incollege documentation donot meet current SQArequirements, as per theGuide to SystemsVerification for Centres2015-18 (Sept 2017) (referto criterion 4.7), and thereare some inconsistenciesacross the informationprovided. We discussedthat it may therefore bepreferable to refine the FEAcademic RecordsManagement andRetention Policy andProcedures to ensure thatit accurately reflects theSQA requirements for thiscriterion, and to replace theduplicate information inother policy/proceduraldocumentation with across-reference orhyperlink to this 'core'document. This approachwould also facilitate anyfuture updates or additionsto evidence retentionrequirements as and whenthey occur (refer toRequired Action).

The retention requirements forcandidate evidence must be updated inthe FE Academic Records Managementand Retention Policy and Procedures inorder to reflect current SQArequirements. Where retentionrequirements for candidate evidenceare included within other collegepolicies or procedures, then thisinformation must either be updated inline with the revised information in theFE Academic Records Managementand Retention Policy and Procedures,or the information can be removed fromthese other documents and replacedwith a cross-reference or hyperlink tothe FE Academic Records Managementand Retention Policy and Procedures. NB The Awarding Body Requirementsfor criterion 4.7, as stated in the Guideto Systems Verification for Centres2015-18 (Sept 2017), must be includedin the FE Academic RecordsManagement and Retention Policy andProcedures. The college may of coursechoose to exceed the stated SQAretention requirements if it wishes to doso.

The revised FE Academic RecordsManagement and Retention Policy andProcedures and all other associateddocuments (ie the Staff and CentreMalpractice and MaladministrationPolicy, the Assessment and VerificationPolicy and Procedures, the FEAcademic Appeals Policy and the DataManagement Procedures) must besubmitted as evidence that thisRequired Action has been addressed.

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4.8 Internal assessmentappeals must be handled inline with a documentedprocedure which meetsSQA requirements.

Medium Green The college hasdocumented an FEAcademic Appeals Policy.This outlines a 3-stageprocedure (comprisinginformal, formal andAppeals Panel stages) andfor each stage anappropriate procedure hasbeen documented,including the timescalewithin which the student isto be notified of theoutcome of their appeal.

The potential for studentson regulated qualificationsto escalate their appeal toSQA Awarding Body, andthereafter to SQAAccreditation if required,has been correctlydocumented.

Staff and studentsconfirmed that informationon the internal assessmentappeals process isprovided to students attheir induction and thenreinforced as theyundertake assessments. The students stated thatthey would know where tofind out more about theappeals process if theyneeded to do so and alsothat they would be able toapproach a member ofstaff for assistance ifnecessary.

The retention requirementsfor evidence and recordsrelating to internalassessment appeals havebeen documented withinthe procedure, howeverplease refer to theRequired Actions forcriteria 4.7 and 6.4.

An Appeals proforma hasbeen devised to facilitatethe recording and trackingof any internal assessmentappeal.

Records relating to an on-going internal assessmentappeal were seen, andthese confirmed that thestated procedure is beingfollowed by the college.

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External Assessment Criteria Impact Compliance Level Comments Agreed Action Good Practice Recommendations

5.1 Assessment evidence mustbe the candidate's ownwork, generated underSQA's required conditions.

High N/A A review of evidence forCategory 5 was outwith thescope of this SystemsVerification visit.

5.2 Assessment materials andcandidate evidence,(including examinationquestion papers, scripts andelectronically-storedevidence) must be securelystored and transported.

High N/A A review of evidence forCategory 5 was outwith thescope of this SystemsVerification visit.

5.3 The centre must submit,where appropriate, withinpublished timelines, resultsservices requests.

Medium N/A A review of evidence forCategory 5 was outwith thescope of this SystemsVerification visit.

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Data Management Criteria Impact Compliance Level Comments Agreed Action Good Practice Recommendations

6.1 Candidates' personal datasubmitted by centres toSQA must accurately reflectthe current status of thecandidate.

High Green Candidates' personal datais gathered through thecollege enrolment form. This includes anappropriate data sharingconsent statement, andexamples of signed formswere seen at the visit. Anexample was also seen ofa completed Film,Photographic and SoundRecording Release Form.

The application andenrolment process, fromthe time of an initial enquirythrough to the studentinduction, has beendepicted in a flowchart. Procedures relating tocandidates' personalinformation have beendocumented in the DataManagement Procedures,including data protection,data storage, data sharingand the checking ofScottish CandidateNumbers. Data sharinginformation has also beenincluded in the most recentcollege partnershipagreements. A DataProtection Policy is in placewhich covers access to,and security, retention andtransfer of, data andoutlines relatedresponsibilities.

Students are routinelyentered using their homeaddress, and this practiceis confirmed by CentreProfile data.

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6.2 Data on candidate entriessubmitted by centres toSQA must accurately reflectthe current status of thecandidate and thequalification.

High Green A number of proceduresare in place to ensure thatentry data reflects thecurrent status of thecandidate and thequalification, and many ofthese procedures arehighlighted to staff in theTutor Handbook. The DataManagement Proceduresand the associated DataManagement flowchartcover requirements andresponsibilities relating tothe checking of awardapproval status and oflapsing and finish dates. Data cleansing is alsocovered, including updatesto personal information,extension requests andwithdrawal/transferrequests. Examples wereseen of completeddocumentation relating tothese processes. Thecompletion of attendanceregisters and theproduction of attendancetracking reports facilitatestimely student withdrawalor extensions to anticipatedcompletion dates.

In the Data ManagementProcedures, the collegestates its aim to enter allstudents with SQA within 4weeks of the course startdate, and also notes therequirement to comply withthe '10 week rule' inrelation to SVQ awardsand units, workplace coreskills units andassessor/verifier units. Centre Profile datahowever indicates someinstances where thisrequirement has not beenmet, and we discussed thatthis sometimes occurs dueto late notification toRegistry of optional SVQunits (refer toRecommendation).

Examples were also seenof OutstandingAssessment reports - referto Good Practice.

At the end of Semester 1, andthen every 2-3 weeks thereafter,Outstanding Assessment reportsare run for all units and thenfiltered and disseminated to themembers of staff concerned. This facilitates the resultingprocess by flagging upoutstanding assessment resultsto staff, and so promptingresults, withdrawals or extensionrequests to be submitted asappropriate.

It is recommended that the collegerevises the Data ManagementProcedure and associated flowchart toinclude mention of a pre-determinedtimeline with which assessors/courseteams must comply in terms ofconfirming optional unit choices toRegistry in order that these entries canbe made at least 10 weeks in advanceof a candidate's anticipated completiondate.

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6.3 Data on candidate resultssubmitted by centres toSQA must accurately reflectthe current status of thecandidate and thequalification.

High Green An overview of theresulting process is notedin the Data ManagementProcedures. In addition,the procedures for internalverification and thesubmission of results havebeen documented in moredetail in the Assessmentand VerificationProcedures Appendix B, 'IVAdministration Process andFlowchart', including thetimescale within which thisshould take place. Clearlines of communicationhave been noted to coverdifferent sets ofcircumstances, eg remotelearning centres, schoolsprogrammes etc.

Examples were seen ofcompleted CAMS formsand IV5s, both of whichmust be submitted toRegistry before resultingcan take place. A ClassCompletion Checklistensures that all essentialitems are included in thepack of completed work foreach SQA unit whensubmitting the pack forinternal verification andresulting purposes.

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6.4 There must be an effectiveand documented system forthe accurate recording,storage and retention ofassessment records,internal verification recordsand candidate records ofachievement in line withSQA requirements.

Medium Amber Retention requirements forassessment records havebeen documented withinseveral procedures,including the Assessmentand Verification Policy andProcedures, the DataManagement Proceduresand the recently developedFE Academic RecordsManagement andRetention Policy andProcedures. The specificrequirements for recordsrelating to investigationsinto suspected malpracticeand internal assessmentappeals have also beendocumented within thoseparticular procedures. Some of the retentionrequirements stated incollege documentation donot meet current SQArequirements, as per theGuide to SystemsVerification for Centres2015-18 (Sept 2017) (referto criterion 4.7), and thereare some inconsistenciesacross the informationprovided. We discussedthat it may therefore bepreferable to refine the FEAcademic RecordsManagement andRetention Policy andProcedures to ensure thatit accurately reflects theSQA requirements for thiscriterion, and to replace theduplicate information inother policy/proceduraldocumentation with across-reference orhyperlink to this 'core'document. This approachwould also facilitate anyfuture updates or additionsto record retentionrequirements as and whenthey occur (refer toRequired Action).

The retention requirements forassessment records must be updated inthe FE Academic Records Managementand Retention Policy and Procedures inorder to reflect current SQArequirements. Where retentionrequirements for assessment recordsare included within other collegepolicies or procedures, then thisinformation must either be updated inline with the revised information in theFE Academic Records Managementand Retention Policy and Procedures,or the information can be removed fromthese other documents and replacedwith a cross-reference or hyperlink tothe FE Academic Records Managementand Retention Policy and Procedures. NB The Awarding Body Requirementsfor criterion 6.4, as stated in the Guideto Systems Verification for Centres2015-18 (Sept 2017), must be includedin the FE Academic RecordsManagement and Retention Policy andProcedures. The college may of coursechoose to exceed the stated SQAretention requirements if it wishes to doso.

The revised FE Academic RecordsManagement and Retention Policy andProcedures and all other associateddocuments (ie the Staff and CentreMalpractice and MaladministrationPolicy, the Assessment and VerificationPolicy and Procedures, the FEAcademic Appeals Policy and the DataManagement Procedures) must besubmitted as evidence that thisRequired Action has been addressed.

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Summary of Feedback toCentre

The College has well-documented policies and procedures for the management,assessment and quality assurance of SQA qualifications. Good progress has beenmade by the college in this respect since the previous development visits. Someamendments to policies and procedures are required however in order to ensure thatthey all fully meet current SQA quality assurance requirements. Potential actions whichcould be taken in order to achieve this were discussed. The students interviewed feel very well supported by college staff, and said that,because of this, they do not feel 'isolated' despite the dispersed nature of the college'slearning centres and the student population. Staff interviewed indicated that is effective communication between all parties, and thatthe recent restructuring has gone well, aided by a good flow of information. They feelthat students benefit from the fact that there is good liaison between teaching staff andstudent support services. The date by which the college's evidence is to be submitted to SQA ([email protected] ) was agreed as 21 February 2018, however the college was advisedthat it may submit the evidence in advance of this date if it wishes to do so. The college was thanked for the evidence and access to systems that it had providedboth before and during the visit, for facilitating the meeting arrangements with staff andstudents, and for the warm welcome and kind hospitality.

Name of Centre Representative present during feedback

Name Designation

Elaine Munro Depute Principal

Liz Richardson Head of Student Services

Jen McFadyen Quality Officer; SQA Coordinator

Evidence Seen Argyll College SharePoint website; Argyll College website; Master Tracking Documentfor college policies; Policy on Policies; sample of minutes of Learning, Teaching andEngagement Committee; sample minutes of Quality Assurance Committee; committeeremits; Organisation Chart; Job descriptions: Depute Principal, Head of StudentServices, Quality Officer/SQA Coordinator, Admissions Administrator, RegistryAdministrator, Internal Verifier, Tutor-Assessor et al; Partnership Agreements; Staff andCentre Malpractice and Maladministration Policy; Student Malpractice Policy;Malpractice-Maladministration Incident Form; records of investigation into suspectedmalpractice; Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedures; completed examples of Conflictof Interest Disclosure Form; examples of assessment schedules and class timetables;examples of email correspondence to staff from SQA Coodinator; records of studentfeedback; records of collated and analysed student feedback; Student survey plan for2017-18; records of course team and standardisation meetings; examples of completedannual Self Evaluation Documents; records of correspondence with SQA QualificationsVerifiers; Argyll College EV visits 2016/17 (tracking/summary spreadsheet); Guide forEV visits; Preparing for EV; SQA EV: FAQs; examples of completed IV6’s; Recruitment,Selection and Retention Policy; AV Award tracking spreadsheet; records of staffdevelopment, including registers of attendance; records of staff induction (tutor andcentre induction checklists); Tutor Handbook; FE and HE Course Approval ProcessesFlowcharts; records of qualification approval process; completed Site SelectionChecklists; Room Audits; Workplace HS Assessment Form; H&S Audit of Placements;Records of student centre and course induction; Induction resources includingpresentations, example Course Handbook, and Student Handbook 2017/18; Equalityand Diversity Policy; Access and Inclusion Strategy March 2017; Access toAssessment Arrangements Policy and Procedures; Minutes of AAA meeting Jan 2017;Request for Course Information form; Mandate from student authorising disclosure ofinformation; forms to facilitate creation and implementation of PLSPs; examples ofcompleted PLSPs; Complaints Handling and Suggestions for Improvement Procedure;IV Administration Flowchart; Assessment and Verification Policy and Procedures; IVPlan and Tracking Spreadsheets; SQA Assessment Cover Sheet; records of internalverification; Summary of QV Activity Report 2016/17 (from SQA); Policy for the Storage

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and Transportation of Assessment Materials and Student Evidence; UHI AssessmentRetention Policy; FE Academic Records Management and Retention - Policy andProcedures; FE Academic Appeals Policy; Student Internal Assessment Appeal Form;records of internal assessment appeal; Centre Data Profile (August 2017); DataProtection Policy; Application and Enrolment Process Flowchart; Data ManagementProcedures and Flowchart; examples of completed: Enrolment Form 2017/18, Film,Photographic and Sound Recording Release Form, External Exam Entry Forms,Change of Address Forms, Withdrawal Forms, Assessment Extension Request Form,CAMS Forms; IV5s; Student Registers, Student Attendance Tracking Reports andOutstanding Assessment Reports.

Staff Interviewed Jen McFadyen, Quality Officer and SQA Coordinator; Liz Richardson, Head of StudentServices. The Depute Principal Elaine Munro participated in the opening and feedbackmeetings, and we were also introduced to the Principal, Fraser Durie.

General Information Argyll College has its main campus in Oban, and also operates from a number ofcollege centres across the mainland and islands of Argyll. An academic partner of theUniversity of the Highlands and Islands, it delivers a range of further and highereducation programmes. In August of this year, a minor restructuring of the curriculumtook place, resulting in a change from 5 Curriculum Managers, to 2 Heads ofCurriculum supported by 12 Curriculum Leads (each of whom also retains subject-specific teaching responsibilities).

Required actions and recommendations from previous visit:(if applicable will be reviewed during this visit

Previous Agreed Action Update/Review/Date Closed Previous Recommendation Update/Review/Date Closed

As per SystemsDevelopment Visit Report 23April 2015

Agreed Action Date/TypeAgreed Action Date 21 Feb 2018

Evidence Type Electronic

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