3 Quality Standards
Learning Outcomes
Examine program quality within the Ontario College System.
- Describe Mohawk College’s quality assurance strategy.
- Define the four main categories of Quality Standards.
Quality Assurance – The Strategy
At Mohawk College, the quality assurance strategy includes a combination of the standards, policies, people, and processes which ensures quality in every area of the college. Program review is a component of the larger college quality assurance strategy.
Quality Standards
The program quality standards are reinforced by the College’s Vision, Mission, Strategic Directions, Academic Plan, and the standards and guidelines established by the MTCU and other accreditation and professional bodies. These quality standards have been developed to be applied to all programs. These standards fall into four main categories which Curriculum Development Specialists will use to form the foundation for the program review process:
Program Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes represent culminating demonstrations of learning and achievement. In addition, learning outcomes are interrelated and cannot be viewed in isolation of one another. As such, they should be viewed as a comprehensive whole. They describe performances that demonstrate that significant integrated learning by graduates of the program has been achieved and verified.
The Curriculum
The curriculum design refers to the arrangement of the elements of a program into a substantive entity. That is, it refers to the naming of the arrangements of certain components, including its title, mission, aims, the courses that make up the program and the explanation of those course outlines, generally in fully developed course outlines. The design often is influenced by the curricular approach and the philosophical orientation of the policy makers and those responsible for the design of the curriculum.
Delivery Methodology
The success of a program will be derived largely from the methods of instructional delivery employed. It is therefore important that program development and/or reviews, consider the appropriate mix of leading and cutting edge delivery options that will allow learners to develop their skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Assessment Methodology
Assessment is about grading and reporting student achievements and about supporting students in their learning, hence should be carefully considered during the program planning stages. Assessment should also be relevant to learning outcomes and consequently be current.
It is expected that the college will be familiar with, and follow, current, accepted, evidence-based practices and research related to the quality of programs and student learning, and have in place related policies and practices (Program Curriculum Policy) that are consistent with this evidence and research.