quality promotion office - History of the Irish University Quality Review Process
history of the irish university quality review process
Quality Processes in Irish Universities (pre-1995)
The current approaches to quality improvement and quality assurance are effectively a development of those that have served higher education well for many years. Approached from this perspective, QI/QA sits well with the nature of higher education, motivated as it is by quality. Quality assurance procedures that Irish Universities have long followed include:
- the external examination of courses and post-graduate research by academics from comparable domestic and overseas universities
- peer review in the form of refereed publication
- research grants from Irish, EU and other funding agencies being contingent upon favourable reports from panels of experts, both domestic and overseas
- the regular monitoring by statutory professional bodies (in areas such as Engineering and Accountancy, for example) of the quality of professional or vocational degrees.
The Conference of the Heads of Irish Universities (CHIU) has been the forum through which the university sector in Ireland has responded, in an overall sense, to the challenge of the contemporary quality movement. This challenge may be traced to the Government's Green paper Education for a Changing World (1992), which stated, inter alia, that the "Department (of Education) will ask all third-level institutions to ensure that more systematic procedures for quality are in place within their institutions". A subsequent white paper (1995) drew upon the intervening debates at the National Education Convention and called for QI/QA guided by recognition of the need for public accountability, but emphasising that quality was the primary responsibility of the individual institutions. The CHIU documented its response in the paper "Proposal for a Process of Quality Improvement (QI) and Quality Assurance (QA) and established an Inter-University Quality Steering Committee (IUQSC).
Pilot Quality Projects 1995-1997
A series of pilot programmes were begun in each institution, ownership of which remained with those directly involved.
The experience of implementing the pilot projects emphasised the importance of embedding the QI/QA process into the organisational structure of the university. The following aspects were identified as essential:
- the creation of an appropriate management structure with a dedicated budget and clarity in the assignment of responsibilities to designated persons
- establishment of a broadly based committee to oversee, organise and implement policies, guidelines and procedures
- publication of a forward plan over an agreed cycle so that staff have maximum notice and schools and units can plan in advance
- available of documentation, including guidelines for both the self-assessments and the review process
Taken together these ensure that the process is transparent, familiar to staff and can be planned in such a way as to minimise disruption and maximise the sense of ownership.
Universities Act 1997
The Universities Act (1997) established, for the first time, a formal statutory Quality Assurance framework for the Irish Universities. Between 1997 and 2002, the Inter Unviersities Quality Steering Committee (IUQSC) acted to provide a coherent and common approach to the implementation of the quality assurance framework set out in Section 35 of the 1997 Act.
Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB) 2003
In 2003, the Governing Authorities of the seven Irish Universities approved the establishment of the Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB). The board consists of a representative from each of the Universities and 7 external members.
The IUQB also has an Executive Committee, consisting of 2 members from each university, on of whom is the Senior Officer responsible to the Chief Officer for Quality Assurance in the university. The IUQB Executive Committee has replaced the IUQSC.