Scarborough falls foul of QAA

University College Scarborough has become the second higher education institution to fall foul of the toughened teaching quality assessment rules imposed two years ago.

The college, which has dropped its affiliation with York University and has merged with the University of Hull since the visit by the Quality Assurance Agency earlier this year, has been made to produce an action plan to improve its art and design courses, although the quality of the courses was approved.

Scarborough joins Suffolk College in falling victim to the QAA's decision in November 1998 to lower the threshold for demanding action.

Previously, only institutions that failed teaching quality assessments had to write an action plan. The rule change means that those who scrape through inspections with low grades in three or more of the six inspection areas will not escape close QAA supervision.

Scarborough, which had its degrees validated by York University at the time of the inspection, received the second lowest grade - grade two, indicating that quality is approved but "significant improvement could be made" - in three aspects of provision. It got grade twos for: the quality of its curriculum; its teaching, learning and assessment; and its quality management and enhancement.

The college gained the top grade for the quality of its learning resources and the quality of its student support.

A spokesman for Hull University said that action to address the problems was in hand.