Effectiveness of the quality assurance systems of Québec’s colleges
In 2013, the Commission launched the operation for evaluating the effectiveness of quality assurance systems in college-level institutions. The evaluation process, done in the form of an audit performed on a known schedule, stems from the strong desire to improve its own practices, and acknowledging the evaluation expertise developed by colleges. In the context of this exercise, the Commission reviews the effectiveness of quality assurance systems in each college, focusing on the effectiveness of mechanisms relating to the different facets of the colleges’ missions. This way, the Commission evaluates the capacity of the functioning systems and the ways they are managed, to ensure quality in the different aspects of college undertakings.
With the exception of the implementation of a validation phase and the production of annual progress reports, the audit cycle includes the same steps as the previous Commission evaluations, that is, a self-assessment procedure done by the institution, the audit visit, drafting the Commission’s evaluation report, both in the preliminary draft and final versions, the college’s reaction to the report draft, the evaluation follow-up and a summary report of the audit cycle.