Quality assurance and enhancement is the development planning, implementation, monitoring, review, evaluation and reporting for continuous improvement and development of all work and operations of the University and its academic, administrative, support and service units. This involves internal and external stakeholders, quality assurance and accreditation agencies, quality auditing and reporting.
The Quality Assurance Office has responsibility for servicing, developing, maintaining and enhancing the processes and outcomes by which the University assures and continuously improves the quality and standards of its operations, activities, administration, programmes and awards. It works closely with the University and its units (academic, administrative, support and service) to discharge its role and to ensure that there is a collaborative and concerted, mission-led approach to all aspects of quality assurance and enhancement (QAE) within and across the University.
The Quality Assurance Office is formally accountable to the Rector and the Executive Council of the University. It also has a duty to provide all relevant members of the University with relevant information, support, training and development in all QAE matters and to ensure that QAE requirements are met across the University, its units and members.
The terms of reference of the Quality Assurance Office are:
- To provide leadership and support for, and development and implementation of, QAE across the University.
- To lead, manage, administer and support the formulation, dissemination, monitoring, review and continuous development of strategies, policies, frameworks, systems, procedures, practices and documentation for the University’s QAE in all units.
- To promote, implement, monitor, review, audit, evaluate, report on, and continuously improve strategic developments and practices of QAE requirements, policies, frameworks and procedures across the University and its units, aligned to the University’s vision and strategic planning.
- To continuously improve the standards and QAE of the University’s strategies, frameworks and procedures for all its work, together with identifying, promoting, reporting and disseminating ‘best practice’ in QAE and QAE-related matters across the University, and promoting excellence and achieving international standards.
The QA office meets these terms of reference in several ways, by:
- Leading, managing and conducting QAE, quality audit and accreditation;
- Informing, advising, reporting and recognising;
- Development and support;
- Development and support;
- Review and updating.