Best Practices Story: University of West England
UWE Bristol, the largest provider of HE in the South-West of England has a strong local and national reputation as a modern UK university and operating in global markets which, in the current climate, is becoming increasingly competitive for a several reasons.
Key Challenges Faced
- Shifting international student mobility patterns and changing destination preferences, alongside intensifying global recruitment competition across the sector.
- A strong emphasis on research output and citation-based metrics within traditional ranking frameworks, which can make it more difficult to fully reflect and communicate the distinctiveness of UWE Bristol’s teaching-led strengths.
- Building and sustaining global recognition and credibility for core institutional strengths, including high-quality teaching and facilities, strong graduate outcomes, impactful research, and a practice-led curriculum.
How QS Stars Has Helped Address These Challenges
- Provided robust benchmarking data that supports strategic planning, quality enhancement initiatives, and ongoing institutional improvement.
- Delivered internationally recognised indicators and credible badges that strengthen institutional messaging across recruitment, marketing, and brand positioning activities.
- Contributed to enhanced reputation-building efforts, supporting future student recruitment, while also strengthening credibility in external partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
UWE Bristol’s Framework for High-Quality, Inclusive Learning
UWE Bristol’s distinctive learning environment and teaching practices are underpinned by its RISE Beacons, which together create a coherent and forward-looking framework for delivering high-quality education.
UWE Bristol’s distinctive learning environment and teaching practices are underpinned by its RISE Beacons, which together create a coherent and forward-looking framework for delivering high-quality education.
- A holistic teaching approach guided by the Teaching Enhancement Framework focuses on continuous improvement, co-creation, and strategic alignment, ensuring curriculum and pedagogy reflect institutional priorities and sector expectations.
- Collaborative curriculum design involves academics, students, alumni, and employers, fostering shared ownership of teaching and learning, rather than relying on individual practice or traditional top-down curriculum development models.
- Industry-aligned programmes embed real-world skills, placements, and employer engagement, enabling applied learning, developing a strong “can-do” mindset, and producing career-ready graduates with skills valued by employers.
- A strong commitment to widening access and social mobility is demonstrated through a sector-leading Access and Participation Plan, promoting inclusion, equity, and widening participation across the student body.
UWE Bristol’s Student Compendium 2023–24 highlights sustained progress in improving equity, retention, and graduate outcomes across diverse student groups. The University has narrowed attainment gaps (including age and gender), strengthened outcomes for underrepresented and disadvantaged students, and improved continuation, retention, and progression rates—particularly for male, disabled, care-experienced, estranged, and mature students.
Harnessing Digital Pedagogy and Cutting-Edge Technology
Teaching and learning are underpinned by a digital pedagogy supported by a specialised team who provide digital literacy skills training to staff to consistently and continuously enhance and improve practice.
Blackboard Ultra supports synchronous and asynchronous learning, while tools like Mentimeter, Microsoft Forms, Adobe Express, Microsoft Teams, and Panopto enhance interaction, collaboration, creativity, and lecture capture.
Integrating new technologies, leveraging AI and use of immersive learning environments and simulation as demonstrated by the School of Health and Social Wellbeing.
The Bridge Studios, a new £3.6m research lab/state of the art creative space for physical-meta production brings together the creative arts, design and technology to pioneer interdisciplinary research using AI, VR, motion capture, immersive audio and collaborative robotics.
Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), the largest research centre in the UK, supports AI, 3D environments, and virtual reality, and in collaboration with the University of Bristol, is home to a vibrant community of over 450 academics, researchers and industry practitioners.
As a member of the PlayStation®First Academic Programme, computing and engineering students have access to industry-standard software development kits and hardware allowing them to gain practical experience developing technology for PlayStation consoles.
Blackboard Ultra supports synchronous and asynchronous learning, while tools like Mentimeter, Microsoft Forms, Adobe Express, Microsoft Teams, and Panopto enhance interaction, collaboration, creativity, and lecture capture.
Integrating new technologies, leveraging AI and use of immersive learning environments and simulation as demonstrated by the School of Health and Social Wellbeing.
The Bridge Studios, a new £3.6m research lab/state of the art creative space for physical-meta production brings together the creative arts, design and technology to pioneer interdisciplinary research using AI, VR, motion capture, immersive audio and collaborative robotics.
Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), the largest research centre in the UK, supports AI, 3D environments, and virtual reality, and in collaboration with the University of Bristol, is home to a vibrant community of over 450 academics, researchers and industry practitioners.
As a member of the PlayStation®First Academic Programme, computing and engineering students have access to industry-standard software development kits and hardware allowing them to gain practical experience developing technology for PlayStation consoles.
5 Stars rating programme strength for BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
UWE Bristol’s BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy programme maintains its competitiveness and ensures graduate success through:
- High-quality, research-led and practice-based teaching delivered by a diverse academic team, with curricula regularly updated through student feedback and current research.
- Strong emphasis on applied learning through scaffolded and spiral teaching, supported by real-world simulation environments and specialist facilities that develop practical clinical skills safely.
- Comprehensive student support and strong industry partnerships, providing academic and pastoral guidance alongside networking opportunities and direct pathways to employment.
Leading the Way to Carbon Neutrality with Best Practices for Environmental Impact
UWE Bristol is committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 and to achieve this we have implemented many best practices which include:
- Providing sustainable living for students, Purdown View and is the largest Passivhaus-certified student housing project in the UK, and one of the largest in the world. Each room reduces energy by 81% and carbon by 79% compared with the accommodation it replaced.
- Being part of a circular economy promotes waste reduction and decreases pollution and initiatives such as the Repair and Reuse Declaration and Repair Café, foster a community and culture of reuse and recycling.
- Sustainable transport and travel action plans improve transport for staff and students.
- Expanding Biodiversity and green spaces with initiatives such as a 22-metre polytunnel for growing pollinator-friendly plants.
- Providing healthy food options across all campuses, reducing food waste, and implementing ISO 14001 certified procurement processes. (Sustainable food and procurement).
- Installing sub-meters in high-use areas and using rainwater harvesting in new buildings to conserve water.
- Establishing a smoke-free campus with clean air zones.
- Promoting sustainability through educational outreach and student-led projects such as the Placement Uniform Swap Shop - helped 381 students save £7,358 on healthcare uniforms and Green Fortnight - hosted 58 sustainability events and engaged over 1,300 students.
The Impact of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives on Academic Excellence
UWE Bristol’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) initiatives continue to have a positive impact on representation, student experience, academic outcomes and progression.
The introduction of EDI Champions, responsible for leading on plans to close awarding gaps and diversify the staff body has improved conversations in EDI across the University community.
High levels of staff engagement with the Union Black training online course has helped address some of the challenges Global Majority students face which in turn has helped to minimise the impact on their academic performance and overall wellbeing.
The award-winning Equity Programme for Global Majority students develops their leadership identity and increase their sense of belonging through coaching skills workshops, speaker events and employer mentoring.
Participation in the national 10,000 Black Interns programme also provides Global Majority students with opportunities to undertake paid internships through the Strive Internship Scheme.
The Speak Up campaign for safer environments and the Report and Support online platform for reporting hate incidents/ get practical support provides assurance to staff and students, giving them the confidence ‘to speak up’ and ‘speak well’ of UWE Bristol.
Our approach to removing barriers for undergraduate students who are care leavers, estranged students or student carers through UWE Cares has positively impacted on widening access, the student experience and success outcomes.
The Curriculum and Practice Toolkit and a CPD programme for teaching staff to develop inclusive best practices ensures that curriculum design is diverse, inclusive and representative.
The introduction of a Low Income Bursary, a financial initiative to widen access and participation has resulted in just about equal attainment, progression, and retention rates between bursary and non-bursary groups.
The Women in Industry project saw a 60% increase in the number of women applying for UWE Bristol STEM related degree apprenticeship programmes over the past 2 years with ambitions to further increase applications, especially from Global Majority females.
A targeted recruitment campaign resulted in an increase in the proportion of Global Majority staff and an increase in staff with disabilities in senior roles.
The introduction of EDI Champions, responsible for leading on plans to close awarding gaps and diversify the staff body has improved conversations in EDI across the University community.
High levels of staff engagement with the Union Black training online course has helped address some of the challenges Global Majority students face which in turn has helped to minimise the impact on their academic performance and overall wellbeing.
The award-winning Equity Programme for Global Majority students develops their leadership identity and increase their sense of belonging through coaching skills workshops, speaker events and employer mentoring.
Participation in the national 10,000 Black Interns programme also provides Global Majority students with opportunities to undertake paid internships through the Strive Internship Scheme.
The Speak Up campaign for safer environments and the Report and Support online platform for reporting hate incidents/ get practical support provides assurance to staff and students, giving them the confidence ‘to speak up’ and ‘speak well’ of UWE Bristol.
Our approach to removing barriers for undergraduate students who are care leavers, estranged students or student carers through UWE Cares has positively impacted on widening access, the student experience and success outcomes.
The Curriculum and Practice Toolkit and a CPD programme for teaching staff to develop inclusive best practices ensures that curriculum design is diverse, inclusive and representative.
The introduction of a Low Income Bursary, a financial initiative to widen access and participation has resulted in just about equal attainment, progression, and retention rates between bursary and non-bursary groups.
The Women in Industry project saw a 60% increase in the number of women applying for UWE Bristol STEM related degree apprenticeship programmes over the past 2 years with ambitions to further increase applications, especially from Global Majority females.
A targeted recruitment campaign resulted in an increase in the proportion of Global Majority staff and an increase in staff with disabilities in senior roles.