1. Management of Effective English Language Education QUALITY ASSURANCE Breakout Session
QQI
22 November 2017, Dublin

2. Some Key Concepts QUALITY and ASSURANCE
Quality: Standards against others / benchmark
Assurance: Confidence of mind / No doubts
Quality Control vs Quality Assurance
Product vs Process Orientation
Find vs Avoid problems
Focus on the Process

3. Translated to
Relevant legislation
Institutional vision, mission
Policies
Procedures
Systems
Practices
Activities
Processes
Informed by

4. Quality Assurance Model
Plan
Implement
Evaluate
Improve

5. Quality Assurance Processes in an Educational Institutions
Structures, Systems, Practices, Activities
Processes
Curriculum and Course Design
Teaching and Learning
Student assessment
Talent Management
Resource generation and management
Internal and external communication
Documentation
Clarity in systems/structures
Guidelines
Procedures
Written reference documents
Handbooks
Standards
Clarity of expectations (of Ts / Sts)
External benchmarking
Stakeholder Views and Participation:
Feedback mechanisms (internal and external stakeholders)
Periodic Reviews and Re-visit:
Evaluation (external benchmarking)
Analysis of and learning from data

6. Quality Assurance Model
Documentation
Plan
Implement
Evaluate
Improve
Standards
Periodic review and
re-visits
Stakeholder views & participation

7. Culture of ‘Quality’ not Culture of ‘Audit’!
Core ’values’
Accountability
Focus on Continuous Improvement
Culture of trust (internal / external stakeholders participation)
Management by fact

8. Indicators of quality Completion rate (Drop-out rates)
Teacher turn-over rate
Test/Exam results (External benchmarking)
Employability / Placeability of graduates

9. QUALITY ASSURANCE Processes in Educational Institutions
Examples from my context
(Structures, Systems, Practices, Activities)
Processes
Curriculum and Course Design
Teaching and Learning
Student assessment
Talent Management
Resource generation and management
Internal and external communication
Aligned with Mission and Vision of the institution? External benchmark? i.e. the CEFR levels / Clear SLOs
BALEAP Teacher competency framework / Classroom observations / HTU system / Evaluation of learning surveys / Class-spokespersons
Correlation studies TOEFL, IELTS / External exams TOEIC / Pre- Post Testing / External stakeholder views
Teacher and other staff selection, development and evaluation) (BALEAP Teacher competency framework / Cambridge ICELT/DELTA in-service training/ EAP Cert program / Appraisal systems / CIDER events and conferences / Bonus for performance system)
External projects with retired staff to finance additional teaching/learning needs (STUDENT WELFARE??)
NftW / webpage / leaflets

10. Four Frame Model of Leadership to oversee Quality Assurance
4 distinctive frames from which people view their world
Each frame has its
own
Concepts
Metaphors
Values
GOOD TO
GREAT
Structural
Organizations as machines
Dummy Title 1 2 . 3
Symbolic
Organizations as theatre 4
Political
Organizations as competitions
Human Resources
Organizations as family

11. Some questions to kick off discussion:
Does your institution have well-defined curriculum? Course / level objectives? Student learning outcomes?
Does your institution have in-house produced tests, with ‘specifications’ closely linked to course objectives / student learning outcomes?
Are there clearly specified quality expectations from your teachers / of their teaching? Mechanisms to evaluate this / give feedback to teachers? Classroom observations? Teacher appraisal schemes?
Are there professional / staff development / training opportunities for teachers provided by the institution?
Are there written handbooks, guidelines , documents to set standards and ensure common understanding?
Are there systems for internal (students / teachers / other staff / parents) and external (recruiters / employers / next level of education administrators) stakeholders to provide feedback?
Are there systematic data collection and analysis of indicators of quality?
Are there systems to ensure teacher and student welfare?

12. Alternative type of questions to kick off discussion:
How does your institution define curriculum? Course / level objectives? Student learning outcomes?
Does your institution produce tests in-house, with ‘specifications’ closely linked to course objectives / student learning outcomes?
How does the institution communicate its expectations from your teachers / of their teaching? How does it evaluate teaching and learning? give feedback to teachers on their performance?
What professional / staff development / training opportunities are there for teachers provided by the institution?
How does the institution set set standards and ensure common understanding?
How does the institution get feedback from internal (students / teachers / other staff / parents) and external (recruiters / employers / next level of education administrators) stakeholders?
How does the institution measure and evaluate the indicators of quality?
How is the teacher and student welfare e?