DCU at "cutting edge of academic quality improvement"

15 June 2010

DCU “can fairly claim to be at the cutting edge in terms of academic quality improvement”, according to an international expert group. But some of the university’s gains of recent years are threatened by the government’s restrictions on recruitment and replacement.

A quality review of DCU reported “evidence of damaging consequences for students of the reductions the University has been required to make to its support for learning, teaching and research”. The reviewers encouraged the university to let policy-makers know about the detrimental effects of cut-backs.

Six international experts reviewed DCU’s quality assurance processes as part of the Institutional Review of Irish Universities. The review confirms that DCU has been diligent in identifying matters that require improvement and “that there is abundant evidence that Dublin City University pays careful attention to the findings and recommendations of internal and external reviews of its work and arrangements”.

According to the report, DCU has taken a “prudent approach to its finances” which has enabled it “to support a carefully thought through programme of improvements to its estate and its teaching, learning support and research provision”.

The reviewers complimented DCU on shifting the emphasis in its academic work to focus on students’ learning and on learning outcomes.

The report highlights the following examples:

• Teaching and Learning DCU’s Academic Framework for Innovation (AFI) aims to ensure the sustainable development of DCU’s portfolio of diverse, flexible and innovative programmes. The report commends the “boldness and vision” in conceiving and managing the AFI project and “the dedication and energy with which its staff have developed programme descriptors, revised its stock of taught modules and developed learning outcomes linked to assessment criteria for them”.
• Research The report emphasises the “distinctive profile” DCU has won through its “commitment to multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research”. It recognises that DCU has improved its research performance significantly “while at the same time paying close attention to the projected impact of the research on Ireland’s economic and social development”. The review group found the innovation and enterprise centre INVENT “to be highly commendable and to exemplify good practice”.
• Quality Assurance The report concludes that DCU has taken innovative steps in quality assurance and enhancement that go well beyond the requirements of legislation. Specifically, the review team described the university’s programme validation and accreditation arrangements as “soundly conceived and responsibly operated”. It commended the positive action following from “admirable reviews of the common themes in its internal review reports”, and highlighted DCU’s innovative Topic Reviews, introduced in 2008. While traditional quality reviews look at academic schools and faculties, and administrative and support departments, Topic Reviews are focused on university-wide issues, such as the first year student experience (2008) and the postgraduate student experience (2009). According to the report such overarching reviews “have potential for wider application in other higher education institutions in Ireland and beyond”.
• The University management has welcomed the expert group’s comments and advice and said that work is already under way to “introduce further ways for students to provide feedback on their experience with tutors, supervisors and other teaching staff” and to create more opportunities for university staff to provide “timely feedback to students on their assessed work”. This will be complemented by “a robust performance appraisal system for staff”.
• The review noted that universities are subject to ongoing accountability through regular audits and reviews by many agencies, especially those which fund research in the university sector and those professional bodies which recognise and accredit university programmes. The report advises DCU to “analyse and co-ordinate the many internal quality review procedures” with the aim “to reduce the burden of … reviews on staff, and to maximise their benefits to the University”.
• DCU welcomes the findings of the external review of its quality assurance and improvement processes and procedures at a time when the 10-year term of office of DCU’s second president, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, is nearing its conclusion and his successor, Professor Brian MacCraith, has been announced. Entering a new phase in DCU’s development, the review offers the opportunity to recognise its excellent achievements and innovations in quality assurance and enhancement and to take a positive and proactive approach in further deepening its quality culture in the next decade.

The full report can be viewed here (PDF)
The summary report can be viewed here (PDF)