Internal Quality Assurance at Universities: The Irish perspective

1. Internal Quality Assurance at Universities:The Irish perspective Dr Padraig Walsh Chief Executive Irish Universities Quality Board OAQ-CRUS Conference Internal quality assurance at higher education institutions – requirement and good practices 2 December 2005, Bern, Switzerland

2. Irish Universities Quality Board established 2003 Website: www.iuqb.ie

3. Irish Universities Quality Board Independent, non-statutory body 17 member Board 7 nominees from rectors conference (IUA) 10 other nominees Funding Council, Qualification Authority, Employers, Trade Unions, Students European, American university system Funded by Universities, Higher Education Authority Currently being incorporated

4. Outline of Presentation • Irish Higher Education System • Quality Assurance History and Legislation • Experiences of Irish Universities with QA/QI • (External) Review of effectiveness of (internal) QA procedures

5. Background to Irish Higher Education System • Population of Ireland – 4 million (and <!) • c. 55% of school-leavers in HE in 2004 • Binary HE system • 7 universities • Autonomous • Funded by Higher Education Authority • 14 non-university Institutes (of Technology) • Funded by Department of Education & Science

6. Quality Assurance in Irish Higher Education • Universities • Regulated by Universities Act (1997) • Universities and IUQB responsible for QA • Institutes of Technology • Regulated by Qualifications Act (1999) • Higher Education Training and Awards Council (HETAC) responsible for QA

7. QA in Universities Before the 1997 Act • External examiners for UG and PG (taught and research) programmes (all universities) • Validation and external accreditation of all new programmes (some universities) • Periodic external accreditation for professional programmes (all universities) • External members on panels for staff appointments (all universities)

8. Universities Act 1997 Legislation that requires the university to put in place “quality assurance procedures aimed at improving the quality of education and related services provided by the university”

9. Universities Act 1997 “The (QA) procedures shall include the evaluation of .. each department (of the university) .. and each faculty (of the university) .. and any service provided by the university by employees of the university and by persons .. who are competent to make nationaland international comparisons on the quality ofteaching and research and the provision of services at university level”

10. Universities Act 1997 “The procedures shall include assessment by those, including students, availing of the teaching, researchand otherservices provided by the university”

11. Universities Act 1997 primary legislation that defines basis for: • Internal QA procedures for individual universities • autonomously • External QA of individual universities • Periodic audits (organised by IUQB) of the effectiveness of QA procedures in individual universities • External QA of university sector • Review (organised by HEA) of QA procedures in university sector

12. (Internal) Quality Assurance in Irish Universities What happens in practice?

13. Legislationto Methodology • Self-assessment • of Academic/Administrative Departments • assessment by students/stakeholders • Peer Review (from list of nominees) • National experts • International experts • Stakeholders • Publication of Findings • Implementation of Recommendations • Follow-up

14. Self Assessment Lessons learned since 1995

15. Self Assessment • A statement consisting solely of functions, activities and outputs is not a self-assessment Report • A good self-assessment report implies no surprises for Review Team • Review visit is a validation of the self-assessment report

16. Self Assessment good practices • Have a small Quality committee representative of all staff at all grades • Involvement of the Head • Regular communication with all staff not on the Quality Committee

17. Self Assessment Good self assessment Good peer review! “ . . . during the course of the two days of meetings, it was notable that no significant areas of criticism were identified which had not already been noted in the (self-assessment) report . . . ”

18. Quality Assurance in Irish Universities Follow-up / Implementation

19. Follow up Good Practices • Circulate Review Report to all staff • Agree a (Quality Improvement) plan of action with timescales and deliverables • 1 year and 5 year • Publish the Review Report (visibly!) • Publish the Quality Improvement Plan (visibly!) • Agree to report on progress with the 1 year plan 1 year later • Perhaps invite members of review group back

20. Review of (internal) QA in Irish Universities EUA were jointly commissioned by IUQB and the Higher Education Authority to review the: • (internal) quality assurance procedures in the Irish University sector • 1 report • effectiveness of (internal) quality assurance procedures in the individual Irish Universities • 7 reports

21. EUA Review of QA - strengths • “(the) systematic organisation and promotion of QA at the initiative of the universities themselves .. is unparalleled in any other country in Europe, or indeed in the United States and Canada” • “A common framework for QA has been agreed collectively by all the Irish Universities through IUQB”

22. Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB) IUQB was established voluntarilyby the Irish Universities in 2003 with the aim of increasing the level of inter-university co-operation in developing quality assurance processes

23. EUA Review of QA - strengths • “The system would appear to strike the right tone and combination of public interest, accountability and university autonomy” • “The agreed IUQB focus on quality improvement is particularly to be commended”

24. QA in a university Required Practice v Good Practice

25. EUA Review of QA - weaknesses • no system in place for the performance appraisal of individual staff members • Review focus tends to reinforce existing academic structures • Quality review cycle is not linked to strategic planning cycle • Inconsistent support from senior management • Insufficient monitoring of quality improvement plans

26. Quality Assurance Finals thoughts

27. EUA Trends IV survey • findings • “Institutions with the most systematic approach to quality are also those that benefit from the greatest institutional autonomy” • “Institutions find that a well developed internal quality culture should be associated with a light external quality control”

28. EUA Sectoral Report on Irish Universities • “While the Irish universities are pioneers in developing and implementing a systematic quality review and quality improvement system by themselves, .. they are not yet leaders in using the outcomes of the system to stimulate strategic change inside the universities” • “This should be a priority during the next phase of developing the QA system”

29. IUQB and Universities Challenge of ‘Bergen’ Standards • Standards for internal QA within higher education institution (responsibilities of universities) • Standards for external QA of higher education (IUQB with involvement of universities) • Standards for external QA agencies (IUQB with universities as customers) • Update of Framework Document as joint IUQB/IUA publication • Establishment of IUQB on a legal basis