S.L. 607.3 Art. 39Procedures and standards for quality audits and accreditation decisions.

(1) The Authority shall conduct quality audits and take accreditation decisions in accordance with the procedures and standards referred to in this regulation.

(2) In making arrangements for quality audits, the Authority shall adhere to the following procedures:

(a) it shall require the provider to undertake a self-assessment, internal evaluation or comparable procedure at the provider or programme level, as the case may be;

(b) it shall appoint external experts to carry out quality audits, including, as appropriate, one or more students, ensuring that such experts are chosen on the basis of their expertise and on the requirement that there arises no conflict of interest in undertaking the quality audit with respect to the provider undergoing such quality audit;

(c) it shall include, as part of the quality audit, a site visit by the external experts, which shall involve the governing bodies, staff and students of the provider, as appropriate;

(d) it shall publish the report of the quality audit, including any decisions, recommendations, conditions or other formal outcomes; and

(e) it shall establish with the provider a follow-up procedure to review actions to be taken by the provider for the implementation of recommendations and conditions made upon the provider in accordance with the previous paragraph.

(3) In making arrangements for quality audits, the Authority shall adhere to the following standards:

(a) quality audits shall be designed specifically to ensure the fitness and properness for purpose of providers or programmes and to assess whether they achieve the aims and objectives set for them;

(b) quality audits shall examine the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance processes used by the provider, including an examination of the system’s structure, the documentation it produces and the evaluations of quality conducted by the provider;

(c) quality audits shall examine the compliance by providers with obligations of licence holders under these regulations, where applicable, as well as any conditions or restrictions imposed by the Authority on the licensee under these regulations;

(d) terms of reference, aims and objectives of any quality audit shall be determined before the undertaking of any quality audit and shall be published with a description of the procedures to be used;

(e) providers shall be allowed to comment on the composition of the panel of external experts which shall undertake the quality audit and the Authority shall consider such comments before a final decision on the expert panel is made;

(f) quality audits shall apply the relevant European and international standards, guidelines and criteria for external quality assurance applicable to the subject of the evaluation and shall be based on written material and discussion with proponents of the provider; and

(g) provider quality audits shall include appropriate investigatory mechanisms to ensure financial probity, and where the provider is a body corporate, to ensure that the members of the body corporate, the legal representative and the persons occupying a headship position are fit and proper persons to establish a provider of further or higher education and deliver further or higher education programmes: Provided that the Authority may seek additional expert advice to assess the financial capacity of the provider.