Canadas Approach to Quality Assurance in Higher Education

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Canadas Approach to Quality Assurance in Higher
Education Presentation by Alana J.
Yuill A/Director, International Relations,
AUCC Canadian Bureau for International
Education Québec City, Québec 12 15 November,
2006
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Presentation Objectives

• Discuss quality assurance at the institutional,
  provincial, professional body level in Canada
• Point to AUCCs international involvement to
  promote the leadership role of higher education
  institutions in quality assurance namely via the
  Sharing Quality Higher Education Across Borders
  A Checklist for Good Practice
• Draw parallels between QA at the institutional
  level in Canada and other initiatives, e.g., the
  EUA quality culture project

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About AUCC

• Established in 1911
• Mandate to foster and promote the interests of
  higher education in Canada
• AUCC is a member organization that represents 91
  public and private not-for-profit universities
  and university-degree granting colleges across
  Canada
• Governed by university executive heads
• Interaction with various levels within
  institutions

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AUCC Functions

• Federal advocacy for higher education
• International representation for Canadas
  universities
• Service to members
• Research and publications on PSE
• Program administration (e.g. international
  development programs, scholarships, etc.)

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AUCCs QA Project

• Given the need to share information in a
  proactive way on Canadian approach, AUCC formed a
  working group to
• articulate Principles
• devise an institutional survey for all members
• AUCCs quality assurance website www.aucc.ca/qa
  showcases the results of this survey. The site
  was created to act as a clearing house of
  information for national and international
  audiences.

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AUCCs QA Project

• Each AUCC members has its own page which provides
  information on its institutional QA policy
• scope
• aspects under review
• actors involved in implementation
• frequency of reviews
• role of professional bodies in accrediting
  professional programs
• overarching provincial/regional policy framework

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AUCC QA Principles

• Principles of institutional quality assurance in
  Canadian higher education endorsed by the
  executive head of each member of the AUCC
• Central tenets
• Quality assurance and improvement
• Scope and frequency of reviews
• Key characteristics of the quality review
• Information to the public

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Provincial/Regional Engagement in QA

• Overview of provincial and regional quality
  assurance mechanisms in Canadian Higher Education
  
• Alberta
• Campus Alberta Quality Council
• British Columbia
• Degree Quality Assessment Board
• Manitoba and Saskatchewan
• Manitoba-Saskatchewan Universities Program Review
  Audit Council

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Provincial/Regional Engagement in QA

• New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island
• Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission
• Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission -
  Association of Atlantic Universities Joint
  Quality Assessment Committee
• Ontario
• Council of Ontario Universities
• Undergraduate Program Review Audit Committee
• Ontario Council on Graduate Studies

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Provincial/Regional Engagement in QA

• Quebec
• Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec
  Universities
• Commission d'évaluation des projets de programmes
• Commission de vérification de l'évaluation des
  programmes
• The province of Newfoundland and Labrador does
  not have a provincial quality assurance agency.

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AUCC Membership Criteria

• Canada has no system of institutional
  accreditation
• Key membership criteria
• Legislative authority
• Governance and administrative structure
• Mission statement
• Faculty
• Students
• Academic programs
• Library holdings
• Robust QA policy
• Respects academic freedom, intellectual integrity
  and intellectual property
• Operating on a not-for-profit basis
• As of 2005, AUCC members have been invited to
  reaffirm their adherence to the membership
  criteria every five years

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The Checklist for Good Practice

• AUCC and its sister organizations ACE, CHEA, and
  IAU, have developed tools to promote good
  practices in quality cross border education
• The Checklist transforms the principles of the
  Statement into a series of questions which guides
  the institutions self-assessment
• Sharing Quality Higher Education Across
  BordersA Statement on Behalf of Higher
  Education Institutions Worldwide
• List of signatories
• Sharing Quality Higher Education Across Borders
  A Checklist for Good Practice

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Points of Convergence

• Establishing parallels between QA in Canada and
  the European University Association (EUA) quality
  culture project
• Similarities
• Both processes recognize the importance of
  institutional autonomy and public accountability
• Focus goes beyond program review and acknowledges
  the value of instilling a broader culture of
  quality
• Leadership and good governance within
  institutions are principles that both
  associations promote
• EUA and AUCC have diverse members and can share
  best practices in managing diversity whilst
  striving for a high quality standard across the
  membership
• Future directions can associations facilitate
  cross-institutional learning through workshops or
  seminars?

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For More Information

• Please visit
• http//www.aucc.ca/qa/index_e.html