Internal Quality Assurance Policy

The Postsecondary Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB) declares its commitment to quality in the fulfillment of its mandate. This internal quality assurance policy delineates the Board’s commitment to quality and outlines the general framework for work on assuring and improving the quality of the Board’s activities, processes, and procedures, now and in the future.

Objective

• ensure the rigor and transparency of its criteria, processes, and publications;
• ensure that the Board conforms to best practices; maintains its leadership in quality assurance; and continues to implement its criteria in a fair, full, and consistent manner;
• secure and develop the Board as a professional organization and workplace; and
• enable the Board to account for its activities by highlighting whether the Board’s activities and results reflect its vision and guidelines; and providing measurements which document the quality of the Board’s activities internally and for external stakeholders.

Some of the Board’s commitments to quality are identified in the following formal documents:

• the Postsecondary Education Quality Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act, 2000, which outlines the Board's mandate;
• the Terms of Reference between the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board and the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, which define the Board’s operational, administrative, financial, auditing, and reporting relationships and arrangements; and
• the Board members’ legislated obligations set out in Ontario’s Agency Establishment & Accountability Directive.

Quality Assurance Principles

• Strategic: The Board follows a comprehensive strategy and standard for assuring its own continuous quality.
• Systematic: The Board ensures that all components of internal quality work are consistent and documented.
• Learning: The Board utilizes experience from activities and processes for future improvement.
• External stakeholders: The Board actively involves its stakeholders in internal quality work.
• Internal reflection: The Board draws on the interpretation of internal quality work outcomes and of development activities as the basis for open and unbiased debate.
• Follow-up: The Board follows up all its surveys and stakeholder feedback, and there are clear guidelines for performing follow-up initiatives.
• Openness: The Board communicates the results of its internal quality work to relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, applicant institutions, and visitors to the Board’s web site.
• External evaluation: The Board is evaluated by an external panel at least every seven years.

Main Elements

The Board commits to an internal quality assurance system, which consists of the following main elements:

• The Board Member Code of Conduct which establishes rules of conduct that govern the professional and ethical responsibilities of Board members in carrying out the responsibilities of the Board.
• The PEQAB Assessor Code of Conduct which establishes rules of conduct that govern the professional and ethical responsibilities of organization reviewers, quality assessor’s and any other expert assessors appointed by the Board.
• Conflict of Interest Policies in place for Board members and all external experts who participate in the Board’s quality assurance processes.
• An internal feedback mechanism to collect and track feedback from the Board and its secretariat.
• An internal reflection mechanism to respond to internal recommendations for improvement.
Procedure for reporting survey findings and stakeholder feedback, and for following up the results with necessary actions.
• Ongoing monitoring of the degree and quality assurance environment to ensure its criteria are in accordance with educational standards recognized in Ontario and other jurisdictions.
• Where possible and supported by the ministry, participation in Canadian and international quality assurance, conferences, and activities.
• External feedback mechanism to collect and track feedback from stakeholders for future development, including meetings/interviews with the different stakeholders carried out on an ad-hoc basis; external expert and applicant surveys after the completion of assessments; annual surveys administered and analyzed by an independent party; and a comprehensive survey of stakeholders every five to seven years.
• A comprehensive internal review of its activities, based on internationally recognized best practice, conducted at least every seven years addressing at least the Board’s accountability; transparency; resources; legislative mandate; relationship with postsecondary institutions; requirements for institutional/program performance and institutional self-evaluation and reporting; review of institutions; and collaboration with other quality assurance agencies.
• An external review of the quality of the Board’s operation and its compliance with international best practice at least every seven years.