The University of Queensland is committed to providing a framework for quality management and assurance. All members of the university community can contribute to continuous improvement through an ongoing cycle of strategic planning, reporting and review. The University's approach to quality management and assurance seeks to ensure that processes for all activities, at all levels of the University, are quality driven. Quality assurance is embedded in the University's organisational processes and culture.
Quality management and assurance at UQ is an integral focus of ongoing strategic planning, reporting and review systems. It comprises a number of key elements, including:
- annual, rolling strategic and operational planning and reporting processes, and the periodic re-evaluation of portfolio plans and major strategic directions;
- a comprehensive cycle of reviews of schools, centres and institutes, central organisational units, academic programs and policies, and a commitment to professional accreditation of all relevant professional programs;
- an annual school-based performance framework (SBPF) that identifies performance expectations for a set of 20 key performance indicators (KPIs) relating to learning, discovery and engagement;
- a cycle of review of schools, institutes and academic programs that is overseen by the Academic Board;
- extensive annual monitoring processes in both research (e.g. citation analyses) and teaching and learning (e.g. curriculum and teaching quality appraisal processes);
- annual performance appraisals for academic and general staff, involving goal setting and reporting on achievements;
- budget allocation mechanisms that link resource allocations to performance; and
- ongoing benchmarking excercises that are carried out at a number of levels within the University.
Since the cycle 1 AUQA audit, UQ's approach to quality assurance has been strengthened through the introduction of the SBPF and a strengthening of the University's rolling cycle of reviews, both in terms of the spread of reviews and the requirements for benchmarking that are embedded in the school review process. The latter change to the University's cyclical review process was made in response to the cycle 1 AUQA recommendation that UQ underake further structured benchmarking. The SBPF identifies a common set of KPIs for schools, based on the strategic priorities of the University, and complements the school review process.
To support preparation for the 2009 cycle 2 audit, the AUQA Audit Steering Committee, chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), was appointed to oversee the University's preparation for the AUQA Audit. A University-wide AUQA Audit Reference Group was established, comprising representatives of University organisational units whose activities were within the scope of the audit, to advise the AUQA Audit Steering Committee and facilitate communication within the University community.