The new arrangements will involve HMIE carrying out a number of in-depth subject-based aspect reports each year. These reports will include evaluations of the effectiveness of learning and teaching processes and of how well learners are progressing and achieving high quality outcomes in a number of colleges involved in fieldwork visits, based on the HMIE quality framework, September 2008: for reference during the external review of Scotland’s colleges. As appropriate and feasible, they will also draw upon evidence from external reviews.
Partnership working and evidence from bodies such as subject networks, sector skills councils, employers, SQA, Scotland’s Colleges and other agencies will also inform the final reports. Published reports will include examples of excellence and SLIP. Main recommendations for colleges and other stakeholders will also be identified. The published reports and subsequent engagement with learners, staff and managers in the college sector and other agencies will be designed to build capacity in the sector and achieve real improvement and enhancement for learners.
The new arrangements will allow minority curriculum areas to be included in subject-based aspect reports. For curriculum areas delivered by the majority of Scotland’s colleges, arrangements will be made to ensure that a representative sample of colleges is included in the fieldwork.
Within individual subject areas each report will emphasise:
Each report will focus on the three key principles of:
The published reports will inform the sector on:
For colleges involved in fieldwork the process will:
Fieldwork will involve a representative sample of colleges. These will be identified through analysis of FES data, to include colleges with a high proportion of activity compared to sector norms and colleges with rural and urban catchments. Additionally, HMIE will invite colleges to request involvement in specific subject-based aspect reports. Fieldwork will normally involve a maximum of ten colleges in any aspect report. In some aspect reports, fieldwork may also involve a questionnaire to all colleges offering a particular subject area.
The subject-based aspect tasks will normally involve two reviewers visiting each selected college twice in a year. Each task will have a task manager who will be responsible for making arrangements for reviewers to visit colleges, preparing the paperwork for the visits and producing the published report.
The task manager will contact the principal of the college to discuss the college’s involvement in the subject-based aspect report. The principal will be asked to nominate appropriate staff to contact before the visit commences in order to make suitable preparations for reviewer activities.
The task manager will ensure that a timetable for visits covering an appropriate range of activity is agreed with the relevant curriculum managers. The types of activity that will be planned at this stage will include scheduling observations to cover the range of provision in the curriculum area, setting up meetings with groups of learners and staff, and facilitating discussions with local employers and/or community groups.
Colleges will normally be contacted by the task manager between August and September to negotiate their involvement and make appropriate arrangements for the visits. Before the visits commence, the task manager will request the nominated member of staff to provide the most recent internal review or self-evaluation report for the relevant curriculum area. The college will also be asked to verify a performance indicator analysis undertaken by HMIE for the curriculum area.
During the visits, activities will focus primarily on learning and teaching including equality and diversity. These will involve:
The task manager or college HMI may be present at second visits to provide moderation of findings.
In each academic year the visits will commence around October and normally be completed by the following April. The SLA between SFC and HMIE will detail the individual curriculum or other areas chosen for the tasks.