Questions in Quality Assurance
Quality assurance (QA) addresses questions such as:
- How high is the quality of the education and research given and received?
- How do we know?
- How can the quality be improved?
QA addresses major questions such as:
- What does the university/faculty/department/school/program say it is doing and values about the education/earning/research?
- What procedures does the university/faculty/department/school/program have for planning, monitoring, reviewing, developing what it says it does and values about its work?
- What processes does the university/faculty/department/school/program have for planning, monitoring, reviewing, developing what it says it does and values about its work?
- How does the university/faculty/department/school/program know and inform itself and stakeholders if these procedures and processes are working/being used?
- Are the procedures and processes in place, operating and effective in meeting the university/faculty/department/school/program stated mission, values, purposes, policies, self-evaluation contents and criteria for the effectiveness of its work?
- How does the university/faculty/department/school/program inform itself and stakeholders about the procedures and processes for planning, monitoring, reviewing, developing what it says it does and values about its work?
- How does the university/faculty/department/school/program inform itself/stakeholders about how these procedures and processes for its work are effective in terms of outcomes and quality (i.e. impact analysis)?
- How high is the quality of the work and its elements?
- What benchmarks and benchmarking does the university/faculty/department/school/program operate?
- How has the university/faculty/department/school/program improved its quality over time, and how do we know?
- What recommendations can be made for needed interventions and developments?
- How and where can the quality be improved and enhanced, by whom and in what time frames?
The intention is to show that the university, its departments and programs have proper procedures and processes for quality assurance, that these are actually operating, that they are making a positive difference, and that they are impacting on the work of the university and its departments.
Quality assurance is conducted by internal members of the university and also by external reviewers. It comprises a self-evaluation by the university/department in question and the relevant committee(s), together with a review by members of the university (including its senior officers) external parties.