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Reports & Publications

Review Group Reports for Periodic Quality Review are typically finalised 8-10 weeks after the Review Group site visit, and are published here following consideration by the UCD Governing Authority. Reports are titled by the name of the unit (at the time the review was conducted; this may not reflect the current name of the unit following organisational restructuring at UCD), followed in brackets by the month and year the review took place.  The Quality Improvement Plans (QIP) are also included.

UCD Schools

  • UCD School of Information & Communication Studies, QIP
  • UCD Sutherland School of Law, QIP

UCD Support Units

  • UCD Global, QIP
  • UCD Research, Innovation & Impact, QIP

Only the most recent Review Group Reports and related Quality Improvement Plans are listed here. For Review Group Reports and Quality Improvement Plans dating before 2010, please contact the Quality Office to obtain a copy.

UCD Schools

UCD College of Arts and Humanities

UCD College of Business (07/2019), QIP

UCD College of Engineering and Architecture

UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences

UCD College of Science

UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

UCD Support Units

 

Note: Only the most recent Review Group Reports and related Quality Improvement Plans are listed here. For Review Group Reports and Quality Improvement Plans dating before 2010, please contact the Quality Office to obtain a copy.

Periodic Quality Review and Annual Programme Monitoring of UCD's taught collaborative programmes is an important element in the University's quality assurance and quality enhancement framework. These quality assurance and enhancement tools allow Programme Teams, Schools, Colleges and the University to assure themselves that the programmes delivered, in conjunction with collaborative partners, meet the expectations of staff and students, as well as facilitating ongoing opportunities to develop and enhance provision. 

The University's approach to quality assurance and enhancement of collaborative arrangements is also informed by:

Periodic Quality Review Reports

Reports are titled by the name of the unit and/or programme, followed in brackets by the month and year the review took place.  The Quality Improvement Plans (QIP) are also included.  

Annual Programme Monitoring Reports

Programme Co-ordinators responsible for the management of collaborative programmes are required to submit Annual Programme Monitoring reports.  The aggregated annual submissions, which are reviewed by the Academic Council Qualiaty Enhancement Committee (ACQEC) are included below:

(opens in a new window)QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) is an independent State agency responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland. It was established in 2012 by the (opens in a new window)Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 (revised and updated to 18 November 2014).

The information leaflet (opens in a new window)QQI - Who we are and what we do provides an overview of QQI services and the organisations they work with. 

QQI publishes a number of statutory (that is, legally-binding) and other guidelines which help to inform quality assurance and enhancement across the entire Irish Higher Education sector. QQI documents of specific relevance to UCD are included below.

UCD also provides an Annual Quality Report (AQR) to QQI, the most recent version of which is included below.‌

The (opens in a new window)Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) were first adopted by the Ministers responsible for higher education in 2005 following a proposal prepared by the (opens in a new window)European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) in co-operation with the (opens in a new window)European Students’ Union (ESU), the (opens in a new window)European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) and the (opens in a new window)European University Association (EUA).

The ESG are used by institutions and quality assurance agencies as a reference document for internal and external quality assurance systems in higher education.  Moreover, they are used by the (opens in a new window)European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR), which is responsible for the register of quality assurance agencies that comply with the ESG.  The ESG are not standards for quality, nor do they prescribe how the quality assurance processes are implemented, but they provide guidance, covering the areas which are vital for successful quality provision and learning environments in higher education.

The focus of the ESG is on quality assurance related to learning and teaching in higher education, including the learning environment and relevant links to research and innovation.  In addition, institutions have policies and processes to ensure and improve the quality of their other activities, such as research and governance.  The ESG apply to all higher education offered in the EHEA regardless of the mode of study or place of delivery.  Thus, the ESG are also applicable to all higher education including transnational and cross-border provision.  In the ESG the term "programme" refers to higher education in its broadest sense, including that which is not part of a programme leading to a formal degree.

The ESG have the following purposes:

  • They set a common framework for quality assurance systems for learning and teaching at European, national and institutional level;
  • They enable the assurance and improvement of quality of higher education in the European higher education area;
  • They support mutual trust, thus facilitating recognition and mobility within and across national borders;
  • They provide information on quality assurance in the EHEA.

These purposes provide a framework within which the ESG may be used and implemented in different ways by different institutions, agencies and countries.  The EHEA is characterised by its diversity of political systems, higher education systems, socio-cultural and educational traditions, languages, aspirations and expectations.  This makes a single monolithic approach to quality and quality assurance in higher education inappropriate.  Broad acceptance of all standards is a precondition for creating common understanding of quality assurance in Europe.