Quality Office
About
Mary Immaculate College is committed to ensuring the very highest standards of excellence in its teaching, learning and research activities. The Quality Office endeavours to promote and facilitate continuous quality improvement across all the College’s Academic and Professional Service units.
The Quality Office has responsibility for the establishment and implementation of procedures directed at maintaining and improving quality. To achieve this, the Quality Office will:
- Support the development of College policy and procedures in relation to quality assurance and improvement in line with best international practice
- Develop, maintain and evaluate the College’s Academic and Professional Service review processes while promoting a sense of ownership by the individual department
- Provide the necessary help and support to all departments within the College in implementing the quality review process.
The work of the Quality Office is guided by the Strategic Plan, the Quality Policy and statutory quality requirements enshrined in the 2012 Education & Training Act.
Staff
Quality Assurance
Background & Statutory Context
MIC is a linked provider of the University of Limerick as defined in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012. The University of Limerick (UL) is the designated awarding body (DAB) for all higher education programmes (NFQ Levels 6-10) at MIC, save where other arrangements are jointly agreed by UL and MIC. The terms of the linkage are set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between UL and MIC. As a linked provider of UL, MIC is subject to review and external quality assurance by UL or, if requested, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). MIC Quality Assurance Policies and Procedures as outlined in the MIC Quality Manual are underpinned by the following statutory guidelines:
- Core Statutory Quality Assurance (QA) Guidelines
- Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (2015)
- Statutory Quality Guidelines for Designated Awarding Bodies
- Topic Specific Quality Assurance Guidelines for providers of Research Degree Programmes
- Topic Specific Quality Assurance Guidelines for Blended Learning
Each year MIC submits to the University of Limerick an Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR). This report forms the basis of the Annual Dialogue Meeting (ADM) between MIC and UL. The AIQR is subseqently published on both UL and MIC's website.
Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2017-2018
Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2018-2019
Institutional Review
An institutional review process was formally initiated at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in November 2015, when the University of Limerick wrote to QQI (Quality and Qualifications, Ireland), requesting it to undertake an institutional review of MIC.
The review was in six stages:
| Stage/Process/Timeline |
|---|
| 1. The Publication of Terms of Reference by QQI: February 2016 |
| 2. Development of an Institutional Self-Evaluation Review Report (ISER): February-September 2016 |
| 3. An external assessment and site visit by a team of reviewers: September-November 2016 |
| 4. Publication of a Review Report (Summary Report / Full Report) including findings and recommendations: July 2017 |
| 5. Development and Adoption of an Institutional Review Implementation Plan (IRIP): March 2018 |
| 6. Follow up report by MIC to UL: October 2018 |
The next institutional review will take place in 2023 (in line with a seven year review cycle).
Quality Reviews
Internal Academic Quality Review Cycle (Current)
The schedule for the current academic quality review cycle which runs from academic year (AY) 2018/19 until AY 2026/27, is presented below. The schedule was approved by the MIC Quality Committee and by the University of Limerick.
Academic Department Quality Review Schedule 2019-2026
Academic reviews will be conducted in accordance with the MIC Academic Quality Review Guidelines.
The schedule for the current professional service quality review cycle which runs from 2020 to 2026, is presented below. The schedule was approved by the MIC Quality Committee and by the University of Limerick.
Professional Service Quality Review Schedule 2020-2026
Professional Service reviews will be conducted in accordance with the MIC Professional Service Quality Review Guidelines.
The quality review process consists of three phases:
- Self-Assessment
- Peer Review
- Quality Improvement
Quality Review Reports (Current Cycle)
Quality Review Reports (Previous Cycle)
Surveys
StudentSurvey.ie
StudentSurvey.ie is an annual national student engagement survey that is open to First Year and Final Year Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate students in all Irish Higher Level Institutions. PGRStudentSurvey.ie is a national biennial student engagement survey that is open to Research Postgraduate students in all Irish Higher Level Institutions.
The survey asks students about their experiences of higher education. It is designed to inform developments within institutions while also providing a national set of data.
The survey runs in February/March (Semester 2) to ensure that first years have enough experience of higher education to comment in an informed way, while avoiding the additional demands on all students' time towards the end of the academic year.
StudentSurvey.ie 2021 will be open to first year, final year and taught postgraduate MIC students from February 8th - 28th 2021 (weeks 3,4 and 5 on semester 2).
PGR StudentSurvey.ie will be open to MIC research postgraduate students from February 8th - 28th 2021 (weeks 3,4 and 5 on semester 2).
Further information is available at www.studentsurvey.ie.
Eligible students can access the survey here.
HEA Graduate Outcomes Survey
This is a national survey of graduates approximately nine months after completion of study.
The survey instrument is defined centrally by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and is administered locally by Higher Education Institutions to their graduates. The MIC graduate outcomes survey is administered by the MIC Quality Office.
The 2021 survey will open to 2020 MIC graduates in April 2021.
The 2020 survey did not proceed due to the closure of Irish Higher Education Institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019 Graduate Outcomes Survey Report (Class of 2018) is available here.
The 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey Report (Class of 2017) is available here.
Exit Survey
The Exit Survey is open to all exiting Level 8 Undergraduate and PME students after final exams via a link sent to their MIC email address.
The 2020 Exit Survey was cancelled due to the closure of the College in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Survey Working Group
The Quality Office has established a Survey and Data Management Working Group which brings together members of both staff and the student body to collate, analyse and disseminate the large volumes of data generated through our surveys. The purpose of the group is to extend and deepen our understanding of what the data from our student body indicates and how this might be used in developing effective strategies for supporting student success. Click here for details of the membership and purpose of the group.
Enquiries about surveys administered and / or promoted by the Quality Office should be sent to: Quality@mic.ul.ie.
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- Quality Assurance
- Quality Reviews
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