The overall aim of the RAQ is to inspect centres of Further/Tertiary and Higher Education where Award, Certificate, Diploma and Higher Education Diploma qualifications are being provided. This inspection process informs the centre, students and the wider community about the quality of standards in the following areas
1. Management of Health & Safety and Student Welfare
- • Business Registration Confirmation and Confirmation from the local government to conduct educational activities
- • Lease agreement or evidence of ownership
- • Adequate lighting, heating and ventilation, and sanitary provision and overall safety in the premises
- • Public access to the centre with external and internal signage
- • General safety, first aid, fire precautions and safety in areas of particular hazard and satisfactory level of fire safety
- • Suitability of the premises for the programmes offered -class room facilities with adequate space for the numbers of students
- • Comprehensive and pertinent policies in relation to health and safety with periodic health and safety risk assessment
- • Student hand book with sufficient information for students
- • Mechanisms exist for students’ complaints and grievances
- • Opportunity given for students to declare special learning, medical or physical needs
- • Prevention of bullying and harassment
- • Safeguarding and prevent training and completed training logs
- • Pastoral support
2. Effective Management of Governance and Leadership
- • Role and extent of authority of any owners, trustees or governing body with distinct organisation structure
- • Effective terms of references (TR) for providers’ committees and boards in relation to articles of association of the company
- • Setting up strategic priorities by owners and senior management team
- • Channels of communication between owners, management and staff
- • Employer led stakeholder engagement
- • Change of ownership or control
- • Institution owned, managed and run by ‘fit and proper persons
- • Effective procedures and policies in place for the recruitment of suitably qualified and experienced staff employment.
- • Monitoring the progression and destination of students
- • Student Staff Ratio (SSR) is sufficient for the provision of delivery and assessment
- • Financial sustainability evidenced by financial statements and forecasts
3. Effective Student Recruitment, Selection and Admission
- • Transparent and justifiable criteria for selection
- • Meet the academic and language requirements
- • Criteria for appointment of agents and monitoring
- • Initial assessments and interview checklist and records
- • Diagnostic Assessment
- • Students’ induction programme and registrations
- • Maintenance of an accurate admission and attendance register
- • Registration with the relevant Awarding Organisations /Bodies
- • Fee Plan and refund policy
- • Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
- • Student files checklist and maintenance
- • Review and update the admissions policy procedures
4. Effectiveness of Teaching, Learning and Assessment
- • Detailed Course rational or Programme Specification to learners
- • Appropriate programme assessment schedule with assessment instruments
- • Classes are timetabled and appropriate rooms allocated with appropriate qualified teachers appropriately
- • Lesson plans and scheme of works and assessment standardisation
- • Timely and constructive feedback on assessments and progress review on personal tutorials and analysis
- • Formative assessments appropriately reflect the nature and standards of summative assessments
- • Promoting assessment literacy skills
- • Team based activities and student voice, representation and engagement
- • Career Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG) - monitor the progression and destination of students
- • Sustained progress from different starting points and analysis of student achievement records
5. Management of Academic Quality Standards
- • Annual programme monitoring and review
- • Expectations awarding organisations / Awarding bodies
- • Internal external verification, and moderation
- • Formulation and review of academic policies
- • Peer evaluation and annual appraisal review and analysis
- • Academic staff recruitment procedures and training
- • Analysis of students’ registration retention and completion data
- • Staff Training Need Analysis (TNA), CPDs and CPD logs
- • Analyses of student performance by programme and cohort wise in Assessment boards
- • Publish information describes providers’ mission, values and strategy
- • Accurate, Current and Comprehensive information on Programme details for prospective students
- • Approval of promotional literature and website contents
6. Destination of Leavers and students’ Employability and Entrepreneurial Skills
- • Design initiatives to develop Work Based Learning (WBL) programmes
- • Guidance for employment through contracts and employer’s engagement during the learning
- • Guidance on pre-requisites on overseas higher education and employment on post study
- • Initiatives to promote employability and entrepreneurial skills
- • Indicators and bench mark on students’ satisfaction
- • Address local and regional employment needs and opportunities
- • Core Metrics Assessment Framework for destination of leavers’ head count
- • Highly Skilled Employment Metrics Assessment
7. Canadian Quality Assurance Systems (for providers delivering Canadian programmes only)
- • Annual internal academic programme review process
- • External curriculum review
- • Programme quality management and continuous improvement
- • Conformity with Canadian government requirements
- • Monitoring and communication of academic policies and practices
- • Programme delivery and student assessment
- • Resources availability and allocation
- • Data analysis on student success
- • Curriculum review
8. Online Distance Learning (ODL) Programme Delivery – (Online and Blended Learning delivery centres only)
- a. Student identification verification
- b. Student identification during assessment and authenticity
- c. Backup systems and contingency procedures to prevent failures
- d. Access to compatible hardware and software for staff and students
- e. Technical support for students for whole learner journey
- f. Contact hours and attendance on online
- g. Assistive technologies are made available to all students
- h. Assessments and feedback