For UCS, maintaining and enhancing the quality of our provision is paramount. It is not enough for our students to gain awards which are consistent with the standards expected of the higher education sector, we want them to have the best possible learning experience on the way. This means listening to our students and working with them to continuously improve what we do. Students are represented at all levels in UCS from course committees through to Academic Board. There are also regular opportunities to provide feedback through questionnaires and surveys. The close working relationship with our students that these processes foster, enables us to respond positively to their needs and expectations.
It is important for UCS to ensure that what we deliver reaches, and in many cases surpasses, the standards expected of Higher Education in the UK. We do this by making sure that we are regularly scrutinised by academics from elsewhere in the university sector who are able to offer valuable advice on our provision. This includes the support and guidance offered by our validating universities, the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex, regular feedback from the external examiners appointed to each of our courses and external input in the development of new courses. In addition, where appropriate, we have sought external accreditation of our courses by professional bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Counsel.
Extensive input from employers also serves to ensure that our provision is designed to improve employability and is vocationally relevant. In many cases the feedback that we receive from these sources has identified features of UCS provision which are examples of good practice within the sector, which we are subsequently able to share throughout UCS.