Reporter 3/3/03: THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Institutional Self-evaluation Document

December 2002

Introduction

This document has been prepared for the QAA's Institutional Audit visit to the University, 28 April - 2 May 2003. During its production it has been the subject of consultation across a range of University and College bodies. It is submitted on behalf of the General Board, the body with overall responsibility for the University's academic policies.

The document is in four sections and takes into account the Guidelines set out in Annex B of the QAA's Handbook for Institutional Audit: England.

Section 1 provides a context for the Audit, summarising and evaluating (as they relate to the Audit's remit) the University's defining characteristics, its governance, the scale of its operations, and the extent and nature of its educational provision (including the particular features arising from the University's collegiate structure).

Section 2 deals with the University's general approach to the assurance of academic quality and standards, and with the institutional processes supporting that approach.

Section 3 describes current and planned provision for published information bearing on the quality and standards of the University's provision, in the context of the recommendations of HEFCE Circular 02/15, Information on quality and standards in higher education: Final report of the Task Group, and the status of those recommendations at the time of this document's production.

Section 4 summarises the University's present position and future developments.

The document aims at a balance between description and evaluation. Whilst its Appendices contain factual information and key documents necessary to contextualise the University's quality assurance processes, the document is intended to be a self-contained description of the substantive aspects of the University's approach to the issues within the Auditors' remit.

A glossary of terms is enclosed as Appendix A¹.

¹ Please note that the appendices are not published in this edition.

Table of Contents