Policy and Procedures for Quality Assurance

Quality PolicyThe Institute seeks to ensure that the following standards, guidelines, requirements and procedures are adhered to:· European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area;· All relevant HETAC Standards and Guidelines;· National Framework of Qualifications Standards;· Policies and Procedures approved by the Institute’s Academic Council;· All other relevant regulatory and professional requirements.The Institute also seeks to ensure that its education provision and services meet the requirements of its students in a learner centered and supportive environment.1.2 CommunicationThis Policy is published on the Institute website and communicated to stakeholders through email alerts. It will be formally published in Institute Yearbook from September 2009.1.3 ImplementationIt is the responsibility of the President, the Registrar, the Academic Council, Heads of School, Heads of Department and Heads of Function to ensure that this policy is implemented.1.4 MeasurementThe policy is measured by internal audits, Programmatic Review and external peer review.1.5 EvaluationEach quality process will be audited for compliance by the Registrar’s Office annually. This audit can include recommendations for minor changes to the process. The audit reports will be placed before the Academic Council.The Academic Council will conduct an evaluation of each process against national and international best practice on a three year cycle. The environmental scanning technique discussed in the Institute’s Self-Study 2009 will support this evaluation.1.6 Continuous ImprovementRecommendations for improvement will be generated through the measures indicated in 1.4 and 1.5 above. The implementation of these recomendations will ensure continuous improvement.1.7 Key Performance Indicators(i) Each of the seven areas identified under the European Standards and Guidelines will be revised on a three year cycle. See 1.8 below.(ii) Best practice will become an embedded feature of the process and external peer review reports will testify that minimum standards are surpassed.