Quality Office
About
Mary Immaculate College is committed to ensuring the very highest standards of excellence in its teaching, learning and research activities. The Quality Office endeavours to promote and facilitate continuous quality improvement across all the College’s Academic and Professional Service units.
The Quality Office has responsibility for the establishment and implementation of procedures directed at maintaining and improving quality. To achieve this, the Quality Office will:
- Support the development of College policy and procedures in relation to quality assurance and improvement in line with best international practice
- Develop, maintain and evaluate the College’s Academic and Professional Service review processes while promoting a sense of ownership by the individual department
- Provide the necessary help and support to all departments within the College in implementing the quality review process.
- Assist Professional Services in the development of Quality Management Systems.
- Gather stakeholder feedback through surveys, focus groups etc.
- Facilitate MIC’s participation in national and international student and graduate surveys and ensure that stakeholder feedback is included in MIC’s quality assurance processes by collecting stakeholder feedback through surveys and focus groups.
- Provide timely analysis of data for internal and external stakeholders.
The work of the Quality Office is guided by the Strategic Plan, the Quality Policy and statutory quality requirements enshrined in the 2012 Education & Training Act.
Staff
Quality Assurance
Background & Statutory Context
MIC is a linked provider of the University of Limerick as defined in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012. The University of Limerick (UL) is the designated awarding body (DAB) for all higher education programmes (NFQ Levels 6-10) at MIC, save where other arrangements are jointly agreed by UL and MIC. The terms of the linkage are set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between UL and MIC. As a linked provider of UL, MIC is subject to review and external quality assurance by UL or, if requested, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). MIC Quality Assurance Policies and Procedures as outlined in the MIC Quality Manual are underpinned by the following statutory guidelines:
- Core Statutory Quality Assurance (QA) Guidelines
- Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (2015)
- Statutory Quality Guidelines for Designated Awarding Bodies
- Topic Specific Quality Assurance Guidelines for providers of Research Degree Programmes
- Topic Specific Quality Assurance Guidelines for Blended Learning
Each year MIC submits to the University of Limerick an Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR). This report forms the basis of the Annual Dialogue Meeting (ADM) between MIC and UL. The AIQR is subseqently published on both UL and MIC's website.
- Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2017-2018
- Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2018-2019
- Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2019-2020
- Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2020-2021
- Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report (AIQR) 2021-2022
Institutional Review
Institutional Review 2023-24
Every seven years, the University of Limerick conducts an Institutional Review to evaluate both the adequacy of MIC’s quality assurance procedures and the extent to which MIC is implementing the procedures effectively. The last review was held in 2016 and we have now entered the self-evaluation phase for the 2023-24 Institutional Review. The Terms of Reference for the current Institutional Review of MIC are available here.
In order to fulfil its obligations under the terms of the review, MIC must submit an Institutional Self-Evaluation Report to the University of Limerick in December 2023. An Institutional Self Evaluation Team (ISET), a small task and finish group, has been formed to assist in the development of the Institutional Self Evaluation Report. The Terms of Reference and membership of the ISET are available here.
Institutional Review 2016
An institutional review process was formally initiated at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in November 2015, when the University of Limerick wrote to QQI (Quality and Qualifications, Ireland), requesting it to undertake an institutional review of MIC.
The review was in six stages:
| Stage/Process/Timeline |
|---|
| 1. The Publication of Terms of Reference by QQI: February 2016 |
| 2. Development of an Institutional Self-Evaluation Review Report (ISER): February-September 2016 |
| 3. An external assessment and site visit by a team of reviewers: September-November 2016 |
| 4. Publication of a Review Report (Summary Report / Full Report) including findings and recommendations: July 2017 |
| 5. Development and Adoption of an Institutional Review Implementation Plan (IRIP): March 2018 |
| 6. Follow up report by MIC to UL: October 2018 |
Quality Reviews
Internal Quality Reviews
The schedule for the current academic quality review cycle which runs from academic year (AY) 2018/19 until AY 2026/27, is presented below. The schedule was approved by the MIC Quality Committee and by the University of Limerick.
| Academic Department Quality Review Schedule 2019-2027 |
|---|
| Revised Schedule - December 2023 |
| 2019 |
|
| 2020 |
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2023 |
| Roinn na Gaeilge |
| 2024 |
|
| 2025 |
|
| 2026 |
|
| 2027 |
| School of Education Thurles, including Thurles Campus Office |
| Notes: The dates in this schedule indicate the year in which the quality process will commence. |
Academic reviews will be conducted in accordance with the MIC Academic Quality Review Guidelines.
Déanfar athbhreithnithe acadúla de réir Threoirlínte CMgS um Athbhreithniú Cháilíocht Acadúla (leagan Gaeilge).
The schedule for the current professional service quality review cycle which runs from 2020 to 2028, is presented below. The schedule was approved by the MIC Quality Committee and by the University of Limerick.
| Professional Services Quality Review Schedule 2020-2028 |
|---|
| Revised Schedule - December 2023 |
| 2020 |
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2023 |
|
| 2024 |
|
| 2025 |
|
| 2026 |
|
| 2027 |
|
| 2028 |
| Student Academic Administration (SAA) incl. Admissions & Exams functions |
| Notes: The dates in this schedule indicate the year in which the quality process will commence. |
Professional Service reviews will be conducted in accordance with the MIC Professional Service Quality Review Guidelines.
The quality review process consists of three phases:
- Self-Assessment
- Peer Review
- Quality Improvement
- Department of Psychology Peer Review Report 2020
- Department of English Language and Literature Peer Review Report 2021
- President's Office Peer Review Report 2021
- Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive & Special Education Peer Review Report 2021
- Department of History Peer Review Report 2021
- Information Compliance and Records Management Office 2022
- Department of Arts Education and Physical Education 2023
- Department of Music 2023
- Department of Media and Communication Studies 2023
- Academic Learning Centre 2023
- Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Centre (LEAD) 2023
- Roinn na Gaeilge 2023 Leagan Gaeilge (English Translation)
- Department of English Language and Literature Quality Improvement Plan Final Report
Surveys
HEA Graduate Outcomes Survey
The HEA Graduate Outcomes Survey is a national survey of graduates approximately nine months after completion of study.
The survey instrument is defined centrally by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and is administered locally by Higher Education Institutions to their graduates. The MIC graduate outcomes survey is administered by the MIC Quality Office.
The 2024 HEA GOS survey has closed. The 2025 survey will be administered to 2024 MIC graduates from April to August 2025.
StudentSurvey.ie
StudentSurvey.ie is an annual national student engagement survey that is open to First Year and Final Year Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate students in all Irish Higher Level Institutions. A review of StudentSurvey.ie is currently underway and the revised survey is due to run in the Spring of 2026.
PGRStudentSurvey.ie is a national biennial student engagement survey that is open to Research Postgraduate students in all Irish Higher Level Institutions. PGR StudentSurvey.ie will run again in the Spring of 2025.
The surveys asks students about their experiences of higher education. It is designed to inform developments within institutions while also providing a national set of data.
Further information is available at www.studentsurvey.ie.
Enquiries about these surveys should be sent to: Quality@mic.ul.ie.
- About
- Staff
- Quality Assurance
- Quality Reviews
- Surveys
