The report aims to illustrate and evaluate the Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement processes, procedures and initiatives taken by Further Education Providers, with Newcastle College FE as example for providing excellent educational services for students. Further, the report gives a personal review and analysis the role of tutor in the quality cycle
Definition of quality assurance
According to the International Organisation for Standardisation “Quality assurance is a set of activities intended to establish confidence that quality requirements will be met” (Praxiom, 2011)
Why is quality important in education?
In recent years quality assurance in education has become a very important factor Tutors spend a lot of time in quality for administrative procedure such as internal quality system, answering of internal emails and adhere to governmental policies contradicts with the quality of time to spend for professional development and lesson preparation.
Curriculum should focus more on inclusive and diverse teaching strategies to satisfy all learning needs in terms of assessment for learning in numeracy. IFL focus only on achieving 3o hours a year on CPD, which might be not sufficient for offering teaching to a very differentiated group of learners. However, many teachers do not even have sufficient time to do that.
Positive and negative aspects of quality assurance
The self assessment process in the quality cycle (see appendix 1) offers tutors not only to be a vital part in the teaching and learning process, but also gives tutors opportunities for self development. Newcastle College provide effective ways for tutors to achieve OFSTED quality assurance aspects through training programmes and internal CPD framework. Peer /mentor observation helps tutors to exchange experience and resources
Appraisals help tutors to create an action plan with SMART targets for own development. The college is also a member of LSIS and offers tutors to take part at free Math CPD events to improve own subject specialism. The last one was on the 13th December.
