The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) has launched the latest edition of its Subject Benchmark Statements, formulated by a panel of academic experts chaired by two Hartpury University academics.
Subject Benchmark Statements are used as standard reference points by higher education providers for the design, development, and delivery of courses for specific disciplines in the UK.
Dr Ailsa Crum, Director of Membership, Quality Enhancement & Standards at QAA said: "QAA is grateful for the work of all those who join the advisory groups and particularly the chairs and deputies who engage so enthusiastically and meticulously to produce statements that are valued by their respective subject communities.”
Agriculture, Rural Environmental Sciences, Animal Studies, Consumer Science, Forestry, Food, Horticulture and Human Nutrition
The panel for the new Subject Benchmark Statement for Agriculture, Rural Environmental Sciences, Animal Studies, Consumer Science, Forestry, Food, Horticulture and Human Nutrition was chaired by Rosie Scott-Ward, Deputy Vice Chancellor – and equine specialist – at Hartpury University.
She said: "The breadth and scale of these subjects proved very significant, but we worked hard to assemble a strong and diverse advisory group of nearly 30 subject experts. We had at least two representatives for each of the key areas and a good mix of people from across all four nations of the UK and a combination of academic and industry backgrounds.”
Rosie was particularly happy that the panel were able to include non-production animals in a more clearly defined way than in the previous iteration of the Subject Benchmark Statement – through the introduction of a separate Animal Studies section – an area that has grown significantly in recent years.
Veterinary Nursing
The panel for the new Subject Benchmark Statement for Veterinary Nursing was chaired by Catherine Phillips, Head of Veterinary Nursing at Hartpury University.
As well as expert educators in the field, the advisory group included representatives of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Nursing Association.
"It was a great opportunity to get key people with such a huge amount of knowledge of both veterinary nursing and education together to discuss not only what the Subject Benchmark Statement should look like now but also to future-proof it for years to come," Catherine says.
"We aimed to identify what skills veterinary nurses would need in the future, and also to consider the wider educational landscape and how things like artificial intelligence will impact the learning environment and professional practice."
"We wanted to produce the information institutions will need to know about the skills that future veterinary nurses should be able to demonstrate, and also how to develop and deliver programmes whose graduates will be able to practise as veterinary nurses. While our professional body is rightly focused on the licence-to-practise requirements of a veterinary nurse's training, it's been our job to provide a framework to ensure that academic standards are embedded in that – and to show how that can effectively be reflected in the programmes that develop these qualifications."
The QAA's Subject Benchmark Statements can be viewed here.
