Accountability framework: quality cycle
Overall, the aim is to provide University Council, the Vice-Chancellor, Deans, Heads of Department and senior managers with systematic feedback on the performance of the programs for which they are responsible, and to promote a culture of rigorous self-analysis and review from which continuous improvement initiatives are identified and implemented.
- Evaluation Cycle surveys - domestic and international students
- Vice-Chancellor's Operational Performance Reviews.
- Strategic risk management assessments.
- Academic Board Teaching and Learning Performance Review.
- Quality domestic and international self-audits
- Academic Department Audits.
- Administrative Department Reviews.
The University of Melbourne seeks to conduct a comprehensive, integrated program of quality assurance that is both tailored to its own particular needs and satisfies the reasonable expectations of external quality review agencies. The University is committed to ensuring that its internal quality assurance programs are able to validate the extent of progress towards the fulfilment of its mission at University, Faculty, Department and Administrative unit levels. The University also undertakes its quality assurance activities in a manner that obviates, to the greatest level possible, the need for rework or duplicated effort in order to meet external reporting obligations.
Overall, the aim is to provide University Council, the Vice-Chancellor, Deans, Heads of Department and senior managers with systematic feedback on the performance of the programs for which they are responsible, and to promote a culture of rigorous self-analysis and review from which continuous improvement initiatives are identified and implemented.
A key feature of the quality assurance cycle is a systematic evaluation program through which key constituencies are surveyed to provide feedback on the quality of the University programs, services or outcomes in which they have a particular interest.
Through this matrix of evaluation:
- students enrolled in coursework programs are surveyed towards the end of each teaching period to provide feedback on their perceptions of the teaching and learning experience provided in each of the subjects in which they have been enrolled;
- students are also surveyed every two or three years to provide feedback on the quality of student administrative and support services provided at both University and Faculty levels; international students are surveyed every three years to ascertain perceptions of the quality of their 'Melbourne experience';
- postgraduate coursework students undertaking substantive research projects are, from 2004, to be surveyed to provide feedback on the quality of project supervision;
- research higher degree students are surveyed annually to provide feedback on the quality of research supervision and Departmental support from their research candidature. Feedback from this survey is supplemented by University of Melbourne participation in the Commonwealth-sponsored Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire;
- graduates are surveyed, both immediately after graduation through the Graduate Career Council of Australia's Course Experience Questionnaire and some years after graduation through the University's own Graduate Experience Survey, to gauge perceptions of their course and the 'Melbourne student experience';
- employers are surveyed every two to three years to gauge their perceptions of the quality of Melbourne graduates and their capacity to be effective members of the workforce;
- academic and administrative managers provide feedback on the quality of the University management and the services for which it has responsibility; and
- through the internal quality audit process staff within academic departments and administrative units have the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of leadership and management of their work areas.
The conduct of this program of evaluation on a regular and systematic basis provides valuable trend data which enable successes in continuous improvement activities to be monitored. A commitment to reporting to the Academic Board and Council on the outcomes of the evaluation surveys and the action proposed in response to survey findings ensure that academic managers are held accountable for initiating actions that will result in improved outcomes in areas identified as requiring improvement.
Academic departments and administrative units complete annual quality self-assessments, a concise but targeted appraisal as to whether they have the systems and processes in place to enable them to contribute effectively to the goals and strategies in the Strategic Plan. As indicated above, quality self-assessments will be progressively incorporated into the annual operational planning now being adopted by academic and administrative departments. A rolling four-year program of academic department audits and administrative department reviews, both reporting through to the annual Operational Performance Review, ensures that heads of department and senior administrators have the opportunity to demonstrate to the wider University community the value of their activities and the validity of their processes.
Identifying and managing risk is an inherent component of a quality assurance program within any large and complex organisation. At the University faculties and administrative divisions undertake on an annual basis a strategic risk assessment across each of their broad program responsibilities. The risk profile and management reports that result from such assessments are integrated into a University risk assessment which is reported annually to Council through its Audit and Risk Management and Finance Committees. Faculty and Administrative Division risk assessments are scheduled to coincide with preparation of annual operational plans so that the implications associated with managing identified risks are appropriately recognised and taken into account at the time of decision-making about future planning and budget priorities.
Three annual processes provide structure and strategic focus for the University's quality assurance activities:
- The Academic Board's Teaching and Learning Performance Review, with its annual program of undergraduate and postgraduate course reviews, monitors the quality of the University's academic programs including specifically, where relevant, courses delivered outside Australia, making use of faculty specific data including feedback from student, graduate and employee surveys;
- The Operational Performance Review enables the Vice-Chancellor and other senior officers to audit the overall performance of faculties and the University Administration and, progressively over a four year cycle, their constituent departments; and
- The mid-year Taking Stock allows the Vice-Chancellor to report to Council and others on the effectiveness of the University and its processes in advancing the goals set out in the Strategic Plan. Through reliance on a rigorous application of the various components of its quality assurance cycle the University seeks both to be able to demonstrate continuing and sustained performance against the strategic objectives identified as part of the Melbourne Agenda and to secure, without the need for additional work, a favourable outcome at all levels of the University to the periodic external audit undertaken by the Australian Universities Quality Agency.