Round two of UP’s institutional audit to intensify in 2022

In mid-2021 our Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Tawana Kupe, announced that the Council on Higher Education (CHE) will be conducting the second round of institutional audits.

“The purpose of the audit is to determine whether or not, and to what extent, an institution’s internal quality assurance systems, policies and procedures ensure the effective provisioning of good quality higher education that enhances the likelihood of student success through quality learning and teaching, research opportunities and integrated community engagement,” said Prof Kupe.

 “The CHE quality audit is an opportunity for us to showcase our strong sense of institutional direction as manifested in our various planning documents, our strong culture of academic excellence and research, and our deep commitment to student success, and our culture of reflection and improvement while also being candid about the areas we seek to improve and the challenges we face,” added Prof Kupe.

Institutional audits are meant to ensure quality and build trust, confidence, and a sense of shared values, aspirations and purpose within the higher education sector; between the sector and its stakeholders; and between the sector and the public, according to Prof Norman Duncan, Vice-Principal: Academic.

The audit covers four broad focus areas:

• Focus area 1: Governance, strategic planning, management and leadership to support core academic functions.
• Focus area 2: Design and implementation of the institutional quality management system to support core academic functions.
• Focus area 3: Coherence and integration of the institutional quality management system to support core academic functions.
• Focus area 4: Curriculum development, learning and teaching to support the likelihood of student success.

“UP follows a continuous and integrated approach to the planning and implementation of institutional priorities,” said Prof Gerald Ouma, Senior Director: Institutional Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. “The planning process identifies goals, strategic priorities and targets, which are implemented by faculties and professional service departments. The implementation process is regularly assessed through a robust monitoring and evaluation [M&E] process, which ensures that implementation is on track, identifies areas in need of improvement and removes challenges that may affect the successful implementation of priorities.

“The M&E feedback is used to strengthen implementation, refresh strategy, identify corrective measures and engender continuous improvement. This approach applies to all four focus areas of the CHE institutional audits.”

The Steering Committee – led by Prof Norman Duncan, Vice-Principal: Academic and Prof Sunil Maharaj, Acting Vice-Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies – is overseeing preparations for this institutional audit, which include the development of a self-evaluation report (SER) based on the CHE Standards, and a portfolio of evidence (PoE), both of which will be made available online to the CHE by 31 May 2022, after Senate approval.

The outcome of the audit is determined holistically; it is based on the overall validation of the claims made in the SER and the evidence in PoE, which should demonstrate how the institution meets certain standards, and through the auditing panel’s overall engagement with interviewees during the site visit. The panel will then draft a report and submit it to the CHE. The report will include an overall assessment based on the panel’s evaluations of the identified focus areas in accordance with the standards identified, and with a view to continuous improvement.

In concluding the audit, the panel will make a list of appropriate commendations and recommendations based on the standards applied during the audit. A four-point scale with the following metrics is used in the assessment of an institution’s quality assurance systems: not functional, needs substantial improvement, functional or mature.

After the adoption of the report, and depending on the outcome of the audit, UP will be required to submit an improvement plan to the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) and CHE, and will have to report regularly until all improvements have been implemented, after which the HEQC and the CHE will approve a close-out report.