QAA Institutional Audit 2008
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Transcript of QAA Institutional Audit 2008
QAA Institutional Audit 2008
Why are we here?
• provide and gather information
• ask and answer questions; discuss issues
• reassurance - we're confident
• reassurance - this shouldn't affect you very much
• nice cup of tea and a biscuit
Who are QAA?
• Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)'s mission: to safeguard the public interest in sound standards of HE qualifications and to inform and encourage continuous improvement in the management of the quality of HE
What is Institutional Audit?
• an evidence-based process carried out through peer review ... with an emphasis on students and their learning
• publicly credible, independent and rigorous scrutiny of institutions
• encourages institutions to be self-evaluative
Audit focuses
• everything! – at the institutional management level
• PGR• collaborative courses• published information; Europe• enhancement: deliberate steps at
institutional level to improve the quality of learning opportunities
What is Institutional Audit?
• an evidence-based process carried out through peer review ... with an emphasis on students and their learning
• publicly credible, independent and rigorous scrutiny of institutions
• encourages institutions to be self-evaluative
What evidence?
• Institutional Briefing Paper (IBP)
• Student Written Submission (SWS)
• strategies, policies, reviews, minutes...
• meetings with staff and students
Institutional Briefing Paper (IBP)• key document
• 30 pages
• description, self-aware reflection and analysis
Student Written Submission (SWS)
• prepared by Students' Union
• piece of evidence for audit team
• TQ and SU talking frequently
What is Institutional Audit?
• an evidence-based process carried out through peer review ... with an emphasis on students and their learning
• publicly credible, independent and rigorous scrutiny of institutions
• encourages institutions to be self-evaluative
Who are our peers?
• 4 people, plus Audit secretary
• Julia Clarke, Leeds
• Richard Gadsden, Loughborough
• Richard Tong, UWIC
• Denis Wright, Imperial
• Louise Walmsley, Manchester (Audit secretary)
Clarke
Tong
Gadsden
Audit timeline
• 1 Sept: IBP and SWS to QAA
• 7-9 October: Briefing Visit
• 10 Oct-9 Nov: busy, busy, busy
• 10-14 Nov: Audit visit
After the Audit
• by end Nov: key findings letter
• 16 January: draft report
• 13 March: final report
• 10 April: report published
Findings• Judgement on standards
– "present and likely future management"– confidence– limited confidence– no confidence
• Judgement on quality– "present and likely future management"– confidence– limited confidence– no confidence
Report
• 2-page summary
• main report
• technical annex
Briefing Visit
• 7-9 October
• Audit team learns more about university
• meets the VC
• meets key TQ people
(academic & admin)
• meets student reps
Audit Visit
• audit trails– likely to be based on recent SDRs
• 10-14 November• Audit team tests evidence, makes
judgements• 4/5 meetings, 8 people in each, 1 with
students• "high-value" people - range of roles
Preparations
• Departmental healthcheck
• drafting IBP now
• QAA Code of Practice check
Key issues
• course specs
• enhancement
• assessment conventions
• information flows
TQ website
• www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/quality
• warwick.ac.uk/go/quality
• .../categories/institutionalaudit/
Questions?
• Karen O’Brien: 23342, [email protected]• Julian Moss: 22707, [email protected]• Jenny Bradfield: 74464, [email protected]• Helen Hutchings, 50239, [email protected]