Programme Framework

Quality assurance and enhancement (QAE) at the programme level are designed to ensure continuous improvement to the programme and to ensure that the steps taken to continuously improve the programme lead to positive effects on students’ learning and performance in the programme, and the achievement of its intended learning outcomes. This Framework for Quality Assurance and Enhancement at the Programme Level (hereafter abbreviated to ‘the Framework’) is designed to ensure full coverage of key elements of a programme, to ensure that these are evaluated, that evaluation leads to subsequent intervention, and that the subsequent intervention leads to improvement in the programme and students’ performance. Coupled with this is the recognition that judgements and evaluation should be evidence-based and evidence-informed.

This document provides a framework for addressing QAE for each academic programme at the University.  The Framework comprises seven sections:

1. Scope of QAE at the programme level
2. Policies, documentation and main strategies
3. Alignment of the programme
4. Programme elements
5. Programme monitoring and review
6. Programme enhancement and development
7. Quality Assurance and Enhancement

Each of these areas of focus is addressed in this document.

Each of the seven section considers:

1. what arrangements there are for quality assurance and enhancement;
2. how effectively these are operating;
3. how these are monitored, reviewed and evaluated;
4. what evidence is gathered for quality assurance and enhancement on the programme;
5. how the evidence is used for monitoring, review, evaluation and development of the programme;
6. what criteria and evidence are used for judging the quality of the programme;
7. what action is taken on the programme, and by whom, as a consequence of the monitoring, review and evaluation of its quality assurance of the programme;
8. what impact the quality assurance is having on programme improvements and student achievement and performance, and how the programme assures itself of this (i.e. based on what evidence).

This document is designed to ensure that the programmes at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) are of international quality and meet external benchmarks, meet the demands of the society of Macao and beyond, meet the needs of students and stakeholders, conform to the laws and requirements of the Macao SAR and its offices, and are continually being reviewed, developed and improved.