Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework

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TQEF overview

The TQEF comprises a shared set of principles, delivery mechanisms and outputs that can be applied to the different contexts of our colleges and universities to give assurance on academic standards, the quality of the student experience and ensure accountability for public investment in learning and teaching.

The TQEF will answer the question:

Is the provision delivered by Scotland’s colleges and universities of high quality and is it improving?

To access and learn more about the TQEF see SFC’s Guidance on Quality for Colleges and Universities AY 2024-25 to AY 2030-31. The new quality guidance outlines the key elements of the new approach and supports colleges and universities to implement the new Framework.

TQEF Vision and Principles

Our shared vision is for a more coherent and streamlined tertiary education system from the student perspective that delivers the best learning experience for students.

The principles are the foundation on which quality assurance and enhancement will be based and are designed to put students at the heart of the TQEF in Scotland. They were initially developed during AY 2021-22 as SFC started engaging with our sectors and stakeholders to explore options for how the tertiary approach to quality assurance and enhancement could be developed. These initial discussions were used as a basis for creating the principles, which were further refined and developed during the co-creation workshops in AY 2022-23.

(see below for full details on each Principle)

SFC partnered with our colleges, universities, sector leading bodies, agencies and students to create the TQEF and it will be fully implemented from the 2024-25 academic year. The TQEF will:

• Protect academic standards and enhance the student learning experience.
• Ensure our quality arrangements continue to be fit for purpose to support innovation in learning and more flexible models of delivery.
• Help create seamless pathways for learners and support more students to achieve positive outcomes.
• Support more effective collaboration across colleges and universities, removing barriers to the sharing of innovation and learning, thereby promoting tertiary collaborations, where institutions wish to do so.
• Foster a shared learning community leading to a common language and culture around learning and teaching across the tertiary system.

TQEF Roles and Responsibilities

To support understanding of TQEF during its implementation year, SFC has produced a short guide summarising the roles and responsibilities of its partner agencies in delivering the new Framework: TQEF: Roles and Responsibilities.

SFC Data Analysis for Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review

This paper, SFC Data Analysis for Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review, provides the sector with further detail about the data analysis that SFC will be sharing with the QAA Review team and the institution as part of the Tertiary Quality External Review (TQER) process.

As outlined in SFC’s Guidance on Quality for Colleges and Universities 2024-25 to 2030-31 it is the continued intention to develop and enhance the use of data and evidence in how we account for public investment in the delivery of high quality learning.

Tertiary Quality Steering Group

Critical to the development of the TQEF has been the support of the Tertiary Quality Steering Group (TQSG), which is made up of partners, experts and stakeholders who have helped guide and shape the project. The TQSG will continue to support the implementation and oversight of the TQEF in AY 2024-25.

TQEF Toolkit

The TQEF Toolkit provides resources for sector colleagues who require access to the key TQEF diagrams, speaking notes for internal presentations, the TQEF logo and branding guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are intended to answer key questions around the development and implementation of Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework for colleges and universities.

Further Information

For more on the development of the TQEF please see our Tertiary Quality Project pages. You can also contact SFC Learning and Quality team at: quality@sfc.ac.uk.