UCD Quality Office Oifig Cáilíochta UCD

Reports & Publications

Review Group Reports for Periodic Quality Review are typically finalised 8-10 weeks after the Review Group site visit, and are published here following consideration by the UCD Governing Authority. Reports are titled by the name of the unit (at the time the review was conducted; this may not reflect the current name of the unit following organisational restructuring at UCD), followed in brackets by the month and year the review took place.  The Quality Improvement Plans (QIP) are also included.

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UCD Schools

  • UCD School of Psychology (04/2019) (Report pending)
  • UCD School of Education (04/2019) (Report pending)
  • UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems (03/2019) (Report pending)
  • UCD College of Business (03/2019) (Report pending)
  • UCD School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science (02/2019) (Report pending)
  • UCD School of Archaeology (02/2019), (QIP pending)
  • UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies & Folklore (11/2018) (Report pending)

UCD Support Units

  • UCD Access & Lifelong Learning (04/2019) (Report pending)
  • UCD Human Resources (02/2019) (Reporting pending)

UCD Schools

UCD College of Arts and Humanities

UCD College of Business (02/2012), QIP

UCD College of Engineering and Architecture

UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences

UCD College of Science

UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

UCD Support Units

 

Note: Only the most recent Review Group Reports and related Quality Improvement Plans are listed here. For Review Group Reports and Quality Improvement Plans dating before 2010, please contact the Quality Office to obtain a copy.

Periodic Quality Review and Annual Programme Monitoring of UCD's taught collaborative programmes is an important element in the University's quality assurance and quality enhancement framework. These quality assurance and enhancement tools allow Programme Teams, Schools, Colleges and the University to assure themselves that the programmes delivered, in conjunction with collaborative partners, meet the expectations of staff and students, as well as facilitating ongoing opportunities to develop and enhance provision. 

The University's approach to quality assurance and enhancement of collaborative arrangements is also informed by:

Periodic Quality Review Reports

Reports are titled by the name of the unit and/or programme, followed in brackets by the month and year the review took place.  The Quality Improvement Plans (QIP) are also included.  

Annual Programme Monitoring Reports

Programme Co-ordinators responsible for the management of collaborative programmes are required to submit Annual Programme Monitoring reports.  The aggregated annual submissions, which are reviewed by the Academic Council Qualiaty Enhancement Committee (ACQEC) are included below:

Autonomy and quality enhancement are key elements in the irish higher education quality framework.  UCD is committed to the principle of continuous quality enhancement. Quality enhancement is taking deliberate steps to bring about improvement in the activities of the University.  The dissemination of examples of positive practice/indicators contributes to this process.

Examples of innovative and/or good practice are identified in reports below.

A number of reports are prepared annually which consolidate the recommendations relating to specific key areas - Teaching and Learning; Research; and Human Resources. These reports are considered by the Academic Council Quality Enhancement Committee (ACQEC) and are distributed to key stakeholders within the respective areas, to assist with planning and training activities.

Teaching and Learning

Research

Human Resources

Furthermore, Key Themes arising from the annual Periodic Quality Review Reports are likewise summarised in a consolidated report, which is also considered by the Academic Council Quality Enhancement Committee (ACQEC).

QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) is an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland. It was established in 2012 by the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012. 

The information leaflet QQI - Who we are and what we do provides an overview of QQI services and the organisations they work with. 

QQI publishes a number of statutory (that is, legally-binding) and other guidelines which help to inform quality assurance and enhancement across the entire Irish Higher Education sector.  The full range of relevant guidelines are available on the Navigating QQI Quality Assurance Guidelines website. QQI documents of specific relevance to UCD are included below.

UCD also provides an Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) to QQI, the most recent versions of which are included below.‌

 

The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) were adopted by the Ministers responsible for higher education in 2005 following a proposal prepared by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) in co-operation with the European Students’ Union (ESU), the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) and the European University Association (EUA).

The ESG are used by institutions and quality assurance agencies as a reference document for internal and external quality assurance systems in higher education.  Moreover, they are used by the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR), which is responsible for the register of quality assurance agencies that comply with the ESG.  The ESG are not standards for quality, nor do they prescribe how the quality assurance processes are implemented, but they provide guidance, covering the areas which are vital for successful quality provision and learning environments in higher education.

The focus of the ESG is on quality assurance related to learning and teaching in higher education, including the learning environment and relevant links to research and innovation.  In addition, institutions have policies and processes to ensure and improve the quality of their other activities, such as research and governance.  The ESG apply to all higher education offered in the EHEA regardless of the mode of study or place of delivery.  Thus, the ESG are also applicable to all higher education including transnational and cross-border provision.  In the ESG the term "programme" refers to higher education in its broadest sense, including that which is not part of a programme leading to a formal degree.

The ESG have the following purposes:

  • They set a common framework for quality assurance systems for learning and teaching at European, national and institutional level;
  • They enable the assurance and improvement of quality of higher education in the European higher education area;
  • They support mutual trust, thus facilitating recognition and mobility within and across national borders;
  • They provide information on quality assurance in the EHEA.

These purposes provide a framework within which the ESG may be used and implemented in different ways by different institutions, agencies and countries.  The EHEA is characterised by its diversity of political systems, higher education systems, socio-cultural and educational traditions, languages, aspirations and expectations.  This makes a single monolithic approach to quality and quality assurance in higher education inappropriate.  Broad acceptance of all standards is a precondition for creating common understanding of quality assurance in Europe.

Useful publications from other agencies, including the Irish Higher Education Quality Network (IHEQN) and the Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB, the predecessor of QQI), include the following: