Internal Quality Assurance System (SIGQa-IPCA)

The Internal Quality Assurance System (SIGQa-IPCA) plays a fundamental role in the definition and implementation of the institutional quality strategy and policy by defining procedures and tools for quality assurance, monitoring and continuous improvement in all aspects of the institutional mission.

In developing the SIGQa-IPCA, the benchmarks of the Higher Education Assessment and Accreditation Agency (A3ES) have been taken into account, as well as the guidelines established by the legal framework and the European standards and guidelines for quality assurance.

The specific aims of SIGQa-IPCA are

i. To define and document the procedures and mechanisms for monitoring, analysing and evaluating the core processes of the institutional mission;
To define the timetable for the self-evaluation processes of the study cycles, the organic units and the institution itself, and to ensure that the deadlines are met;

iii. Establishing the rules for the collection, storage, management and use of data and information;

Ensuring the application of evaluation tools, and the collection and analysis of their results;
Facilitating the implementation and monitoring of improvement actions;
Ensure the internal dissemination of the analyses carried out and of the conclusions and recommendations/improvement plans resulting from the evaluation processes;

vii. Promote the regular review and updating of the Quality Policy and the SIGQa-IPCA.

Based on the defined quality strategy and policy, the SIGQa-IPCA has as its object all the dimensions of the institutional mission, namely (1) education and training, (2) research, development and innovation, and (3) interaction with society, applicable to IPCA in general and to each of its schools, R&D units, transversal units and common services.

Education and training is one of the most important dimensions of IPCA and is currently the main strategic axis of its mission, which is why the Quality Manual provides more detailed information on this dimension and identifies the mechanisms and procedures for evaluating it. Within the framework of the SIGQa-IPCA, various procedures have been defined to monitor it with a view to continuous improvement.

Structure

The establishment and implementation of an internal quality assurance system is not a legal requirement, but should be an integral part of the management and planning mechanisms, with a view to continuous improvement, the satisfaction of all stakeholders and the fulfilment of the institution’s mission.

In this context, IPCA’s bodies include the Council for Assessment and Quality, whose fundamental responsibility is to develop proposals for self-assessment mechanisms for the performance of IPCA, its organisational units and its scientific and teaching activities. Articles 44 and 45 of IPCA’s Statutes define the composition, functioning and powers of the Council, with a focus on establishing the guidelines for the assessment and quality policy to be followed by IPCA.

In order to institutionalise IPCA’s quality assurance policy, the following coordination and support structures have been created

– A Pro-Presidency for Academic Management and Quality Affairs, which assumes responsibility for coordinating processes related to IPCA’s assessment and quality areas;

– Assessment and Quality Coordinators, who oversee and coordinate the implementation of the system in their respective schools;

– Assessment and Quality Office, as a support structure in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of assessment processes.

Location and contacts

Teaching Assessment Questionnaires - QAPa

The QAPa are an important tool in the internal quality assurance system of the teaching and learning process. The information provided by the questionnaires makes it possible to monitor the functioning of each curricular unit, enabling those responsible for pedagogical management to identify the weaknesses/successes of these units and the respective courses, and to define the necessary improvement actions to guarantee quality teaching.

The surveys are made available online to all students at the end of each academic semester and cover the following dimensions

– Performance of the course units;

– Teachers’ pedagogical performance; and

– Student participation in the teaching and learning process.

This evaluation allows students to intervene actively and constructively in the continuous improvement of the teaching and learning process. The collected responses, after statistical treatment and analysis, are an important tool for self-reflection and support for action.