Quality Promotion Office - DCU Issues Groups
DCI Issues Group
Quality Promotion Office
EUA Quality Review of Universities in Ireland (organised jointly by IUQB and HEA)
DCU Issues Groups
As part of the consultation process the Steering Committee established 4 issues groups, who held meetings on the Weeks beginning 1 March and 8 March. Each Issues Groups consisted of meeting with 1/2 Staff Groups (10 members each) and a student Group (10 members). The feedback from these groups will be used as part of the self-evaluation report.
The 4 areas covered by the groups were:
- Issues Group #1 - Teaching & Learning
- Issues Group #2 - Research & Commercialisation
- Issues Group #3 - Quality Review Processes
- Issues Group #4 - Strategic Planning, Decision-making & Communication
Meetings of Issues Groups:
The issues groups met for 60-90 minutes in the week beginning 1 March 2004.
| Issues Group 1 | Issues Group 2 | Issues Group 3 | Issues Group 4 | |
| Teaching & Learning | Research & Commercialisation | Quality Review Processes | Strategic Planning, Decision-making & Communication | |
| Convenor | Eilis O'Brien | Padraig Walsh | Brian Trench | Malcolm Smyth |
| other Steering Comittee members | Anne Sinnott Anja Friedrich |
Tony Glynn (Declan Raftery*) |
Margaret O'Flanagan | Billy Kelly |
| Student Group | Wed, 3 March 2.00-3.00 QG04 |
Wed, 3 March 10.00-11.00 PostGrad Building |
Tue, 2 March 12.00-1.30 A204 |
Thu, 4 Mar 1.00-2.00 H206 |
| Staff Group A | Wed, 3 March 3.15-4.15 QG04 |
Wed, 3 March 9.00-10.00 PostGrad Building |
Tue, 2 March 2.00-3.30 A204 |
Fri, 5 March 1.00-2.30 H206 |
| Staff Group B | Wed, 3 March 4.30-5.30 QG04 |
Wed, 3 March 11.00-12.00 PostGrad Building |
Fri, 5 March 2.30-4.00 H206 |
* Declan Raftery stood in for Tony Glynn, who was away in the US for the first two weeks in March
Each Issues Group was asked to consider the same 3 core questions and also 2 questions specific to their issues group
- Core Questions:
- 1. What's the Plan and do you care?
- 2. If you were in charge, what would you change?
- 3. Recent changes: have things got better or worse?
- Group Specific Quesions:
- Teaching & Learning
- 4. How does infrastructure affect the teaching and learning experience?
- 5. What is the balance between teaching and learning and is it correct?
- Research & Commercialisation
- 4. Has DCU got the balance right between Group-based research and the needs of the individual researcher?
- 5. Are you satisfied with the University's approach to commercialisation, in all its forms?
- Quality Review Processes
- 4.What did you, or do you, expect from the quality review process? What did you get out of it?
- 5. In view of the external pressures for greater accountability, does our present quality review model fulfill our obligations?
- Strategic Planning, Decision-making & Communication
- 4. A Strategic Plan is necessary in positioning the university in the external environment and to set a scene for quality improvement: Is "Leading Change" responding to that challenge?
- 5. Decision making is key to an organisation's ability to effect change.
- Has DCU's organisational restructuring made this more effective, and do you feel more involved and empowered?