Development and Implementation of Quality Management System
Academic Planning Directorate facilitates development, review and development of the Quality Management System, which includes:
- Establishing the quality management system (QMS), including, policies, processes, plans and guidelines to maintain and continuously improve the quality and academic standards.
- Verifying that all academic planning and quality assurance developments processed by Academic Committee of Senate (AC) follow prior deliberations and recommendation by the relevant institutional structures.
- Compile trend analysis and close-out reports on quality reviews, module/teaching evaluations, and PQM reviews to inform strategic quality and programme developments.
Quality Reviews of Academic Departments, Programmes & Support Units
AP facilitates participation in external quality reviews by faculties,
academic departments, and support units to facilitate continuous improvement of the quality of teaching and learning,
curriculum, research, community engagement and other activities:
- Quality reviews are conducted on five-year cycle basis.
- The faculties, academic departments, and support units follow a four-phases, which ends in the development and implementation of a quality improvement plan (QIP).
Short Learning Programmes Quality Assurance
This unit also provides support to the university in determining the standards, approaches, and other key considerations of quality assurance applicable to short learning programmes (SLPs). All applications to offer, adapt and review as well as requests for endorsement of successful completion of the SLPs are consulted with AP, which offers support to the university stakeholders for the SLP proposals to undergo robust quality assurance process as established by the university.
The unit provides guidance on quality matters including:
- curriculum design and delivery;
- soliciting of student/participant voice to monitor the quality of learning experience;
- assessment criteria validity;
- and recognition of achievement of the learning outcomes.
Upon verifying that the SLP proposals satisfy the established threshold quality standards, AP clears the proposals for recommendation by the Faculty Boards, followed by the Academic Committee of Senate’s approval. At the end of offering of the SLP, the unit offers programme completion quality assurance support, ensuring appropriate awarding of certification.
Applications for new SLPs and renewal of SLPs must be directed to the Kovsie Phahamisa Academy at https://www.ufs.ac.za/kpa/about-us/home.
Teaching/Module Evaluations
This unit also provides support to the university in determining the standards, approaches, and other key considerations of quality assurance applicable to short learning programmes (SLPs). All applications to offer, adapt and review as well as requests for endorsement of successful completion of the SLPs are consulted with AP, which offers support to the university stakeholders for the SLP proposals to undergo robust quality assurance process as established by the university.
- We also facilitate participation in teaching/module evaluations through students' surveys to assist the academics to monitor the quality of their teaching/modules.
- We further offer support to the academics with the development and monitoring of quality improvement plans emanating from the teaching/module evaluations