Quality Assurance

The UPOU QA Office shall take primary responsibility in ensuring the quality of UPOU’s processes, procedures, and standards in instruction, research, public service, and administration for institutional quality, inclusion, agility and flexibility, public accountability and trust, and institutional confidence. The office is in charge of demonstrating alignment of programs with institutional mandate, strategic thrusts, learning outcomes and standards, and developing a process for systematic collection and assessment of data for continuous improvement of and innovation in the program, office or unit.

It shall perform the following functions:

• Analysis, Planning, and Development of QA Frameworks. To develop, refine, and contextualize quality frameworks for an open and distance e-learning institution and administrative systems, including the development of assessment policies and procedures and preparation of assessment plans.
• Information Systems Development. To identify and develop the system for collection, reporting, and use of data for quality assurance, including  coordinating the development and management of data collection tools, databases, decision-support systems and learning analytics systems for QA and documentation of QA processes and activities for the purpose of identifying QA best practices.
• Internal and External Assessments. To lead and facilitate the conduct of assessments, systems and process review, and development and refinement of performance measurements emanating from the assessments.
• Capacity Building. To conduct QA training for internal stakeholders and provide technical assistance to external partners as provided for in RA 10650. 
• Evaluation Research. To coordinate the conduct of research for the purpose of evaluating and improving the QA processes and systems.

The UPOU QA Committee shall coordinate and facilitate the implementation of QA initiatives and processes across the different units in the university, including the following:

1. assisting the university in implementing QA initiatives through capacity-building activities and meetings, faculty and CU-level, aligned with UP System’s QA thrust;
2. leading in academic data collections [e.g., University Rankings; data collection in compliance with the data request of various bodies such as the Senate Committee/Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), etc.];
3. spearheading the internal and external review of the self-assessment reports (SAR) of programs of the Faculty;
4. recommending revisions and develop policies, where necessary, towards a UPOU-appropriate QA; and
5. addressing concerns and directives of the UP System in relation to its QA thrust.

The Committee shall advise the QA Office by providing recommendations on the following:

1. review, refinement and/or development of the UPOU QA Framework in the light of the changing context of national, regional, and global developments that profoundly impact higher education worldwide and cognizant of the recent perspectives on and practices in ODeL;
2. enhancement of existing QA processes, systems, and procedures;
3. unit self-assessment reports (SARs) that are ready for external review; and
4. mechanisms that will facilitate the incorporation of assessment results in the planning activities of and/or improvement of practices/processes in the University or units therein.