Standards Handbook

Use this page to see the whole framework at once, or to print it. Each standard also has its own page.

• 01 Mission and Governance
• 02 Academic Integrity
• 03 Programs and Learning Outcomes
• 04 Faculty and Instructors
• 05 Learner Support
• 06 Technology and Delivery
• 07 Assessment and Records
• 08 Continuous Improvement

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01. Mission and Governance

Learners, employers and partners place trust in an organisation before they place trust in any single program. This standard asks whether it is clear who runs the institution, what it exists to do, and how its decisions are made and checked.

What HCDE expects

• A written mission that says who the institution serves and what it offers, and that the institution actually acts on.
• Legal status and ownership that are documented and can be disclosed to HCDE and, where relevant, to the public.
• A governing body or accountable owner with defined responsibilities, separate from day-to-day management.
• Rules on conflicts of interest that cover owners, governors, managers and staff.
• Honest public information: names, locations, awarding arrangements and approvals are stated accurately and kept current.
• Financial arrangements that let the institution keep its commitments to learners, including a plan for learners if a program is withdrawn.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Registration or incorporation documents and a statement of ownership
• Governance charter, terms of reference and a summary of recent decisions
• Organisation chart showing who is accountable for academic matters
• Conflict-of-interest register and the policy behind it
• Published statements about approvals, partners and awarding arrangements
• Financial summary and arrangements for learners if a program ends (teach-out)

Questions a reviewer may ask

• Who is ultimately accountable for the institution's academic decisions?
• What happens to enrolled learners if a program is withdrawn or the institution closes?
• Where does the institution state who owns it, and is that statement complete?

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02. Academic Integrity

A qualification is only as credible as the honesty of the process behind it. This standard covers how learners are admitted, how work is assessed, how misconduct is handled, and how the institution describes its own qualifications to the public.

What HCDE expects

• Published entry requirements that are applied consistently, with a fair route for applicants whose evidence is unusual.
• Assessment designed so that the work being marked is the learner's own, in a way that fits the level and the online setting.
• A written policy on plagiarism, cheating and other misconduct, with a fair procedure and a right to respond.
• Honest description of what each qualification is and is not: no misleading claims about recognition, equivalence or licensing.
• Fair and documented handling of credit transfer and prior learning.
• Ethical treatment of learner data and any research involving learners or staff.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Admissions policy and a selection of anonymised admission decisions
• Academic misconduct policy and an anonymised log of cases and outcomes
• Examples of assessment design and the measures that protect their integrity
• Marketing and web content, reviewed against the qualifications actually awarded
• Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning rules

Questions a reviewer may ask

• How does the institution know that submitted work belongs to the learner who submitted it?
• How does the institution describe its qualifications' recognition, and can each statement be supported?
• What happens when a case of misconduct is proven?

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03. Programs and Learning Outcomes

A learner should be able to read a program description and know what they will be able to do at the end, at what level, and after how much work. This standard tests whether the design of each program supports that promise.

What HCDE expects

• Learning outcomes written for each program and course, stated in terms of what learners can do.
• A stated level and a stated amount of learning (credit or hours) with a reasoned basis, so that the same words are not used for very different amounts of work.
• Content and assessment that match the outcomes, and a clear map showing how they do.
• A defined process for approving new programs and for reviewing existing ones, involving subject experts and, where relevant, employers.
• Qualification titles that describe the content accurately.
• Progression routes, prerequisites and duration that are realistic for distance learners.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Program specifications and course outlines
• Outcome-to-assessment maps
• Records of program approval and periodic review
• Feedback from subject experts, employers or alumni used in program design
• Statements of level and credit, with the method used to set them

Questions a reviewer may ask

• How was the amount of learning in this program decided?
• Which assessments show that each outcome has been reached?
• When was this program last reviewed, and what changed as a result?

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04. Faculty and Instructors

Teaching online is a skill of its own. This standard asks whether the people who teach and assess are suitably qualified for the subject and level, prepared for online teaching, and supported and monitored by the institution.

What HCDE expects

• Instructors whose qualifications or experience suit the subject and level they teach, with credentials checked by the institution.
• Preparation and ongoing development for teaching and assessing online.
• A clear expectation of how quickly and how often instructors respond to learners, and a way to see that it happens.
• Evaluation of teaching, using learner feedback and academic review, with action when quality is low.
• Academic oversight of part-time, external and partner-supplied staff to the same standard as permanent staff.
• Contracts and workloads that allow instructors to do the job well.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Staff profiles with qualifications and the checks made on them
• Induction and development records for online teaching
• Teaching evaluation results and follow-up actions
• Response-time expectations and the way they are monitored
• Arrangements for part-time and external instructors

Questions a reviewer may ask

• How does the institution check an instructor's credentials before appointment?
• What does the institution do when learners report slow or poor teaching?
• Who is responsible for the academic quality of externally supplied instructors?

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05. Learner Support

Distance learners often study alone. This standard asks whether the institution gives them the information, help and fair treatment they need to start well, keep going and finish, and whether it listens when something goes wrong.

What HCDE expects

• Clear information before enrolment: total cost, requirements, technology needed, expected workload and any limits on what the qualification can be used for.
• A proper start: onboarding that shows learners how the platform, assessment and support work.
• Academic guidance and a technical help route that learners can actually reach.
• Accessibility and reasonable adjustments for learners with disabilities or other needs.
• A fair, written refund and withdrawal policy that is applied as written.
• A complaints and appeals route for learners, with a record of how cases were resolved.
• Appropriate safeguarding and respect for learners' wellbeing and dignity.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Pre-enrolment information pack and enrolment agreement
• Onboarding materials and records
• Help-desk and advising arrangements and how contact is monitored
• Accessibility and adjustment policy, with examples of its use
• Refund policy and a selection of cases
• Learner complaints log and outcomes

Questions a reviewer may ask

• What does a learner know about the total cost and workload before they pay?
• How does a learner who is struggling get help, and how fast?
• What happened to the last learner complaint, and what did the institution change?

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06. Technology and Delivery

For an online provider, the platform is the campus. This standard asks whether the technology is dependable, secure and usable by the learners it is meant to serve, and whether the institution can carry on if something fails.

What HCDE expects

• A learning platform and tools that are reliable enough for the programs delivered on them, with scheduled support and maintenance.
• Protection of learner data and privacy that follows the law that applies, with clear rules on who can see what.
• Course materials and tools that follow recognised accessibility guidelines, and that work on the devices and connections learners realistically have.
• Backup, recovery and continuity arrangements, so that learners keep access to materials and results.
• Proportionate checks that the person taking an online assessment is the enrolled learner.
• Managed relationships with technology suppliers, including what happens to data if a supplier changes.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Description of the platform and its support arrangements
• Privacy and data protection policy, with the records that show it is followed
• Accessibility review of materials and tools
• Continuity and recovery plan, and the last time it was tested
• Description of identity checks used in assessment
• Supplier agreements covering learner data

Questions a reviewer may ask

• What would a learner lose, and for how long, if the platform failed?
• Who can see a learner's data, and how is that access recorded?
• How does the institution make sure that materials can be used by learners with limited bandwidth or assistive technology?

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07. Assessment and Records

What a learner finally holds is a record: a grade, a transcript, a certificate. This standard asks whether assessment is rigorous and fair, and whether the institution keeps records that are accurate, protected and can be checked by a third party.

What HCDE expects

• Assessment methods matched to the outcomes being tested, with published marking criteria.
• Marking that is checked: second marking, moderation or another way to confirm that standards are applied consistently.
• A fair route for learners to query a result and to appeal it.
• Accurate transcripts and certificates, issued under a controlled process with unique numbers.
• Records kept securely for a stated period, with controls on any change.
• A way for employers and other institutions to verify a graduate's award with the institution.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Assessment briefs, marking criteria and moderation records
• Results appeals policy and a record of cases
• Example transcripts and certificates, with the numbering and issue process
• Records retention policy and change-control rules
• Description of the verification service for awards

Questions a reviewer may ask

• How does the institution know that two markers would give the same grade?
• How can an employer confirm that a certificate is genuine?
• Who is allowed to change a record, and how is the change recorded?

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08. Continuous Improvement

Accreditation is a snapshot; quality is a habit. This standard asks whether the institution keeps looking honestly at its own results, acts on what it finds, and tells HCDE when something important changes.

What HCDE expects

• Regular collection of feedback from learners, instructors and, where relevant, employers.
• Use of the institution's own data on completion, progression and results to judge whether programs work.
• Documented improvement plans with owners and dates, and a record of what was done.
• Periodic review of every program, not only when a problem appears.
• Prompt, honest response to HCDE findings, recommendations and conditions.
• Notification to HCDE of significant changes: ownership, delivery model, new programs, partners or closure.

Evidence reviewers look for

• Survey instruments and a summary of results over time
• Program review reports and the actions that followed
• Improvement plan with a record of progress
• Risk register and how it is used
• Correspondence with HCDE about earlier findings

Questions a reviewer may ask

• What is the most important thing the institution changed in the last cycle, and why?
• Which of the institution's own figures would tell you a program is failing?
• How does the institution decide that a change is significant enough to report to HCDE?

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