The University of the West Indies demonstrated its commitment to the development of a university in which quality is a central feature with the establishment of a Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) in the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (OBUS) in 2001.
The implementation process for the academic QA system was spearheaded in 1996 by the first Pro Vice Chancellor and Chair of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (BUS), Professor Marlene Hamilton, and the late Dr. Peter Whiteley, Senior Programme Officer, and later Director of the Quality Assurance Unit.
The QAU, under the leadership of Pro Vice Chancellor and Chair (BUS), Professor Alvin Wint, is currently staffed by Dr. Sandra Gift, Senior Programme Officer (St. Augustine), Ms. Jacqueline Moniquette, Senior Programme Officer (Cave Hill) and Dr. Anna Perkins, Programme Officer (Mona). Administrative support is provided by: Ms June Wheatley, Snr Administrative Assistant, Ms Sandra Mahon, Secretary and Ms Alysha Deonanan, Administrative Assistant.
The Quality Assurance Unit operates a system of Quality Assurance reviews of the teaching of the different disciplines, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The primary aim of the system is to:
Improve the quality of the learning experience of UWI students
Provide assurance to stakeholders as to the quality of provision and standards at the University
The understanding of quality adopted by UWI for its reviews is one of fitness for purpose, the 'definition' of quality adopted by many policy makers in the higher education sector. The intention is to relate quality to the stated purpose of the service provided. Quality is then judged in terms of the extent to which a product or service meets its stated purposes. This allows decisions as to the aims and objectives of the teaching of a discipline, the content of the programmes and courses, teaching methods, assessment practices, etc. to reside with the teaching staff, while an evaluation of the outcomes may be performed by others.
Reviews of the teaching of the different disciplines at UWI are undertaken in a five-year cycle. These reviews are separate from the assessment, for renewal of contract or promotion, of individual members of staff, for which the Campus or University Appointments Committee is responsible. A Review is undertaken by a Team of Reviewers who visit the campus for 4-5 days. The Team usually comprises a representative from the same discipline on another campus (the internal academic), a senior academic in the field from outside the region (the external academic/Chair) and a professional with expertise in the area, usually from the campus country but, where necessary, from the Caribbean but external to UWI.
Quality and UWI Strategic Planning
Quality was one of the nine strategic objectives of the University's Strategic Plan II, 2002 - 2007. The continuing focus on quality is clear in the 2007-2012 Strategic Plan which outlines as a key strategic aim the preparation of a “distinctive UWI graduate for the 21st century”. Among the key strategies for achieving this aim is the strengthening of quality assurance and instructional development as well as curriculum renewal. The OBUS, through the QAU, has an important role to play in operationalizing the Teaching and Learning component of the current Strategic Plan and has the task of creating a deeper quality culture at the University to support continuing quality enhancement.