Increasingly across many jurisdictions, external quality assurance agencies are requiring higher education institutions to develop internal quality assurance systems that grant ownership of programme improvement to those implementing teaching and learning. Whilst this development is laudable, the quality assurance frameworks used for this process appear to focus on a comprehensive list of 'cells' and criteria against which to assess academic standards. However, these standards vary in their degree of relevance to teaching and learning and are not always evidence-based. An internal quality assurance framework used across East Africa is analysed and comparisons are made with indicators of quality that are known to affect teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes. These comparisons highlight the need for quality assurance agencies to develop internal quality assurance frameworks for programme review that focus on the quality of the learning experience to ensure improved programme provision.