Quality is assured at Business School

The University’s Business School is the latest to have its teaching and learning rated ‘excellent’ by higher education quality watchdogs.

A four-day visit by a review team from the Quality Assurance Agency has led to Business and Management provision at the University being awarded 23 points out of a possible ‘score’ of 24. A score of 22 or above is generally considered to equate to excellence, with points being awarded for such factors as curriculum design and content; teaching, learning and assessment procedures; student achievement; and learning resources.

Research gets ‘excellent’ grading

Research at the University has been officially categorised as ‘excellent’ across the spectrum of the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences following a major review of research activity in the UK’s universities.

The outcome of the 2001 national Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) carried out by the Higher Education Funding Councils shows that the University has improved its ‘ratings’ significantly since the last assessment in 1996.

A Grade 4 signifies research equating to national excellence, with evidence of some international excellence. A Grade 5 equates to research of international excellence in up to half of the activity, and to national excellence in virtually all of the remainder.

Seven of Hull’s departments have been awarded Grade 5 ratings. This compares with two 5s awarded at the time of the last RAE in 1996. The Department of History has maintained its Grade 5 rating for the second time. It is now joined at that grade by the Law School and by English – both of which improved their ratings by two places – together with Geography, Asian Studies, Politics and Music.

More than 70% of the University’s academic staff entered in the RAE are rated at 4 or above. Hull does not have a single department rated below the 3a level, defined as equating to national excellence in at least two-thirds of the research activity.