Review - Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research

Comment
The current system of quality audit is a compliance focused model. As the sector has
matured and increased its focus on improving outcomes, the focus of ongoing
quality assurance is changing.
Over the last three years, a common framework for an evaluative approach to quality
assurance has been developed in New Zealand. The framework applies to all parts of
the sector, but allows for the distinctive contributions of the different parts of the
sector, for example, wānanga.
Although universities are part of the common framework, they have their own
separate legislation for quality assurance and they are therefore developing their
approach to the framework independently of the rest of the sector.
There are two key components of the new arrangements for tertiary education
quality assurance:
• ongoing tertiary education organisation self-evaluation
• periodic external evaluation.
There are two key tools for self-evaluation and external evaluation. These are:
• key evaluation questions which assist the organisation and QAB to focus on
the organisation’s evaluation of the quality and value of outcomes
• tertiary evaluation indicators which provide a framework for how quality
and value might be evaluated.
It is anticipated that effective self-evaluation and external evaluation will result in
improved quality of learning and teaching in relation to courses and qualifications
and improved outcomes overall.
Each external evaluation will conclude with two publicly available statements of
confidence. One statement is about a tertiary education organisation’s ability to
undertake self-evaluation, while the other is about its educational performance. Both
the statements of confidence and the resulting evaluation report will be published.
The evaluation report will be quite different from the current quality audit reports.
Tertiary education organisations commenced self-evaluation in early 2009 and will
participate in external evaluation progressively from September 2009.
All tertiary education organsations will participate in at least one external evaluation
every four years.
Comparisons of international quality assurance systems in vocational education and training Page 98 of 115