The Role of the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA)
The Australian Ministerial Council on Education, Training and Youth Affairs has established the independent Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) to scrutinise every one of Australia’s universities. Quality agencies like AUQA have been established in all developed countries. They reflect the internationalisation of university education, and the presence of AUQA will assure prospective students and staff that Australian universities are of sound national and international standing.
The quality assurance practices of each institution will be examined in five year cycles, by trained AUQA Audit Panels. AUQA will report publicly on the adequacy of quality assurance practices in each university, and universities will be required to remedy any weaknesses that are revealed.
AUQA will audit universities to ensure that each has the appropriate processes in place to focus it on its objectives, the appropriate monitoring and measurement systems in place to measure its progress, and the appropriate implementation mechanisms to institute corrective action if necessary.
The AUQA process is an important opportunity for JCU to sharpen up its vision of the distinctive role it defines for itself, and then to reflect on its practices as they are directed towards the realisation of that vision – disciplined, of course, by the requirements of an external authority.
James Cook University is preparing for the AUQA audit by conducting an internal quality assurance audit as a dry run. This involves:
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spelling out in more detail objectives and strategies developed from Into the Third Millennium: Our Future and How We Get There
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documenting the evidence that we collect that tells us how effectively we are achieving our objectives
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ensuring that the evidence is used to improve practices throughout the University.
Key foci for the James Cook University audit are:
- Teaching and Learning
- Research and Research Training
- Support Services for Students
- Service to the Region and the Community
In addition, all of our governance, leadership, management and evaluation practices will be examined.
The JCU audit is being coordinated by Professor Robin McTaggart, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Staff Development and Student Affairs).