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Carlow CollegeSelf-EvaluationReportInstitutional Review2011

ContentsMap: Salient features of Carlow Town Centre. iiMap: Carlow College Campus. iiiSummary of Institutional Review Process. ivObjective 1 – Public Confidence. 1Objective 2 – Strategic Planning and Governance. 4Objective 3 – Element 1 – Policy and Procedures for Quality Assurance. 10Objective 3 – Element 2 – Approval, Monitoring and Periodic Review ofProgrammes and Awards. 13Objective 3 – Element 3 – Assessment of Learners. 20Objective 3 – Element 4 – Quality Assurance of Teaching Staff. 22Objective 3 – Element 5 – Learning Resources and Learner Support. 27Objective 3 – Element 6 – Information Systems. 34Objective 3 – Element 7 – Public Information. 38Objective 4 – Qualifications Framework, Access, Transfer and Progression. 40Objective 6 – Recommendations for Enhancement. 45

Salient features of Carlow Town Centre

1

Carlow College CampusSummary of Institutional Review ProcessThe Carlow College Self-Evaluation Report (hereafter SER) has been undertaken in the contextof Government policy as set out in the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 (Dublin,2011). This policy statement is commonly known, and is hereafter referred to, as the HuntReport throughout the SER.Work on Carlow College’s Institutional Review has been ongoing over the last twoyears. College staff members attended Institutional Review Workshops conducted by the HigherEducation and Training Awards Council (hereafter HETAC) in both 2010 and 2011. InstitutionalReview preparations took place in tandem with the Programmatic Review; the latter wassuccessfully completed in mid-2011. The internal Institutional Self-Study took place in theperiod September-November 2011. The Carlow College community – lecturing andadministrative staff, Students’ Union and management – engaged with the Institutional Reviewprocess over three days in the Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow from 5 - 7 September 2011. During thisworkshop there was input on Institutional Review from, and dialogue with, senior academicsfrom the university and Institute of Technology (IT) sector.Forty-two members of staff along with learners considered the Terms of Reference forInstitutional Review, a new mission statement, and a new strategic plan for the College, 20122017. All present were involved in Working Groups under Group Leaders established to studyeach objective and element of the Review. Each joined the Working Group of his or her choice.They analysed the feedback from students and stakeholders (see p. 20). The task of each Groupwas to examine and reflect upon all submission documentation and to submit their comments tothe Registrar’s Office by 21 October 2011. The major part of this work was the review andupdating of the Quality Assurance (QA) policies and procedures which were approved in 2006.Quality Assurance policies were compared with the ENQA, Standards and Guidelines forQuality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (3rd ed., Helsinki, 2009). This SER isalso informed by key HETAC policy documents such as Assessment and Standards 2009, andGuidelines and Criteria for Quality Assurance Procedures 2011. Policies and procedures weremodified in the context of administrative changes in the College, 2010-2011, outlined below atpp. 10-12.The period from 21 October to 4 November 2011 was spent on the refinement and coordination of all submission documents which were made available to the staff and learner bodyfor comment. The documents were placed on a secure page on the College Website(www.carlowcollege.ie) with an invitation to comment and respond. A full day session of alladministrative, lecturing and management staff with learner invitees was held on 16 November2011 to consider the SER, objective by objective, and all responses to it. There was an openended discussion of all aspects of the SER. There was a special focus on the Quality AssuranceHandbook and the Strategic Plan, 2012-2017. The Students’ Union and class representativesresponded to the SER on behalf of the learner body. The Institutional Review documentationwas then finalised in four volumes – Self-Evaluation Report (hereafter SER), SER Appendices,Quality Assurance Handbook and Supporting Documentation. It was approved by the AcademicCouncil on 6 December 2011, by the Management Board of the College on 8 December, andsubmitted to HETAC in hard copy and electronically before 15 December 2011.Caoimhin S. Ó NéillPresidentDr Thomas Mc GrathRegistrar2

Objective 1 – Public Confidence.The aim of this objective is to enhance public confidence in the quality of education and trainingprovided by Carlow College and the standards of the awards made.Carlow College provides information to the general public through its Prospectus, Website,Admissions’ Office activities, Central Applications Office (CAO) seminars, school visits topotential students, careers and guidance events, open days, placement agency visits in social careand catechetics, and through media coverage of activities such as Graduation ceremonies. Theseare also considered under Objective 3-Element 7 below at p. 39.In reviewing the extent of public confidence in Carlow College, the College examined theReport of the Peer Review Group on Carlow College’s Programmatic Review 2011 which wasapproved by HETAC in July 2011. The College also analysed its external examiner reports. TheCollege communicated with stakeholders, internally and externally, and sought their comments.See the Programmatic Review Report in SER Appendices p. 1, the external examiner reports inibid from p. 22 and the questionnaires issued to stakeholders and the results of these surveys inibid from p. 75.Public confidence in Carlow College can be seen in its student intake which has increased byover fifty-three percent in the last five years from 446 in 2006-2007 to 709 in 2010-2011. TheCollege draws its students principally from County Carlow and the counties which border Carlow,namely Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wicklow, and Wexford. This is the immediate catchment areaof the College but the College also draws student representation from throughout Ireland. Thiscan be seen for the years 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011 in the following charts whichdocument the percentage of students from each county.Westmeath, 9, 1.7%Waterford, 8, 1.5%Wexford, 42,7.8%Wicklow, 31,5.8%Tipperary, 17, 3.2%Carlow, 129, 24.0%Sligo, 1, 0.2%Roscommon, 4, 0.7%Cavan, 5, 0.9%Offaly, 10, 1.9%Clare, 4, 0.7%Monaghan, 5, 0.9%Meath, 8, 1.5%Louth, 2, 0.4%Cork, 3, 0.6%Donegal, 8, 1.5%Dublin, 22, 4.1%Mayo, 12, 2.2%Laois, 58, 10.8%Galway, 10, 1.9%Limerick, 4, 0.7%Kildare, 68, 12.6%Kerry, 2, 0.4%Longford, 4, 0.7%Leitrim, 6, 1.1%Kilkenny, 66, 12.3%Number (and %) of Students by County of Origin (2008-2009)1

Wicklow, 32, 5.1%Westmeath, 3, 0.5%Waterford, 7, 1.1%Tipperary, 20, 3.2%Sligo, 1, 0.2%Roscommon, 4, 0.6%15, 2.4%Monaghan,Offaly,2, 0.3%Wexford, 48,7.7%Carlow, 167, 26.6%Meath, 10, 1.6%Mayo, 10, 1.6%Cavan, 9, 1.4%Louth, 9, 1.4%Longford, 7, 1.1%Clare, 5, 0.8%Cork, 3, 0.5%Laois, 67, 10.7%Leitrim, 4, 0.6%Donegal, 11, 1.8%Dublin, 21, 3.3%Kildare, 78, 12.4%Galway, 7, 1.1%Kilkenny, 86, 13.7%Kerry, 1, 0.2%Number (and %) of Students by County of Origin (2009-2010)Wicklow, 38, 5.4%Wexford, 43, 6.1%Sligo, 1,0.1%Westmeath, 8, 1.1%Waterford, 12, 1.7%Tipperary, 24, 3.4%Roscommon, 5, 0.7%Offaly, 21, 3.0%Monaghan, 2, 0.3%Mayo, 13, 1.8%Louth, 7, 1.0%Longford, 5, 0.7%Limerick, 1, 0.1%Carlow, 207, 29.2%Cavan, 9, 1.3%Laois, 68, 9.6%Clare, 5, 0.7%Leitrim, 6, 0.8%Cork, 7, 1.0%Donegal, 10, 1.4%Kilkenny, 96, 13.5%Kildare, 91, 12.8%Dublin, 20, 2.8%Galway, 7, 1.0%Kerry, 3, 0.4%Number (and %) of Students by County of Origin (2010-2011)2

Public confidence is also indicated by the strategic links which Carlow College hasdeveloped with colleges and universities in the U.S. and with Trinity College, Dublin.Each semester, up to twenty American students, register at the College, from StAmbrose University, Davenport, Iowa, and from the colleges and universities of theIllinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP). These studentsattend a range of Carlow College courses which are accredited in their home colleges.The U.S. students are also immersed in the social, cultural and educational life of theregion through ‘The Irish Experience’, a course which is specially designed to meet theirneeds. U.S. staff members usually accompany the students and a corridor of cultural andeducational co-operation has now been developed between administration and staff ofthe partner-colleges, on either side of the Atlantic.Another U.S. partner, Carlow University, Pittsburgh has, over the past decade,co-operated with the College on postgraduate courses, workshops and round-tablediscussions. The University began sending undergraduates to Carlow College inSeptember 2011 and they intend to act as a gateway to Carlow for other U.S. universitieswith which they have historic affiliations.In 2007 Carlow College signed a strategic partnership with Trinity College,Dublin with a view, inter alia, to developing postgraduate courses from Trinity atCarlow. This partnership has the potential to open up an exciting educational vista.Discussions are ongoing. The Slattery Lecture series has been the most successful aspectof this initiative so far. This partnership represents a strategic move on Carlow’s part toposition itself, in the event of possible HEA moves to cluster smaller colleges. TheMemorandum of Understanding for each partnership mentioned above is included inSupporting Documentation, from p. 8.In terms of public confidence, Carlow College has always had good workinglinks with statutory bodies in education and with its local community. In the past fifteenyears these links have been formalised into working partnerships with one hundred andfifty Social Care Institutions for work placements, with over twenty local schools forcatechetical placements, and with the local authorities in the Arts.There has always been goodwill towards Carlow College with family and friendsof students returning to it. The activities of student societies such as the Drama Society,Literary Society, History Society, and College sports’ teams also help to bring the nameof the College to the attention of a wider audience.The presence of College personnel on boards of management of schools in theGreater Carlow area, on the Board of VISUAL, the Arts Centre, on cultural and heritagecommittees of the local authorities, on Irish language organisations, on local radio, onprofessional bodies at national level, as well as lectures by staff to local societies,ensures that the College is actively involved in the life of the wider community.On the business front, the College has close links with Carlow County Council,Carlow Enterprise Board and Carlow Tourism. The College is recognised as one of thedriving forces behind the development of the eighteen million euro Arts Centre on thecampus.Objective 2 – Strategic Planning and Governance3

This objective is to contribute to strategic planning and governance in Carlow College.History of Carlow CollegeCarlow College was founded in 1782 and opened in 1793. From the beginning it had atwo-fold aim, to train young men for the noble professions and to prepare candidates forministry in the Roman Catholic priesthood. It was affiliated to the University of Londonin 1840. For almost five decades, in the nineteenth century, students at Carlow tookBachelor of Law and B.A. degrees of the University of London. In 1892 Carlow Collegeceased to accommodate lay students and became exclusively a seminary for theeducation of priests. It remained so for almost a century. In 1989 Carlow College openedits doors to the wider public. It was recognised by the National Council for EducationalAwards (NCEA), now HETAC, for the award of its degrees and diplomas. Today it is aCollege of the Humanities and no longer a seminary although it retains strong churchlinks and values its Catholic ethos.GovernanceThe Governance structures of Carlow College are as follows:Board of TrusteesThe College is vested in a Board of Trustees which consists of eight members. TheChair is the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. The secretary is the President of CarlowCollege. The members are past presidents and past staff of Carlow College andKnockbeg College. The trustees are the custodians of the property and of the ethos ofCarlow College. They meet for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and as necessaryfor other purposes. The President of the College is appointed by the trustees. He reportsto the trustees at the AGM.The trustees of Carlow College have directed the President to explore theestablishment of a Governing Body which will be more representative of the widercommunity and past students. The College’s legal consultants are examining theimplications of such a move.The Management BoardThe Management Board is the executive body in the College. It is responsible for theday-to-day governance of the College, the maintenance of staffing levels, the order andimprovement of the plant and it leads the ongoing strategic planning process of theCollege.The Management Board comprises the President as Chair, VicePresident/Bursar, Secretary, House Manager, Registrar, Assistant Registrar, President ofthe Student’s Union (ex officio from January 2012) and whomsoever the Presidentinvites to sit on the board to enhance its effectiveness.The Management Board draws on the advice and expertise of legal, architecturaland academic consultants. It has consulting lines to the Irish Business and Employers’Confederation (IBEC), Carlow Local Authorities, Carlow Enterprise Board, CarlowTourism, Carlow University Pittsburgh, St Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, theExecutive of the Illinois Consortium of Colleges, Higher Education Authority (HEA)and HETAC.4

StaffThere are 31 academic staff, 18 full-time, 13 part–time, 17 of whom have Ph.D.s and 5of whom are completing Ph.D.s. The academic staff is complemented by eighteenadministrative, student services and library staff. There are eight experienced andcommitted house-keeping and maintenance staff. The College prides itself in theegalitarian culture which contributes to a positive esprit de corps among all echelons ofstaff.The Human Resources (HR) functionThe HR function is being exercised by the Management Board up to the end of the2011-2012 academic year. A staff person has been designated and is in training to takeover the HR function from the start of the Academic Year 2012 - 2013.The HR function has responsibility for the following areas:Provision of advice and support to College staff in relation to employment legislation,the College’s policies and procedures and staff management issues; development,implementation and review of the College’s policies and procedures; the promotion ofgood practice in the areas of equality and dignity at work; management of the College’sHR management information system; the management of the recruitment and selectionprocess for all job vacancies; the management of training and development includingstaff development; representation of the College in the Labour Court, EmploymentAppeals Tribunals and other statutory settings.The Academic CouncilThe Academic Council reports to Management Board. It supervises the academicactivities of the College, researching and planning academic programmes, ensuring theirsafe delivery and conducting the examination, correction and review of course work. Inall its functioning the Academic Council rigorously adheres to HETAC guidelines andthe College’s own QA processes, which it is constantly updating.The Academic Council comprises of the following ex officio members: thePresident, the Vice-President, the Registrar, the Assistant Registrar, the Chairs of theCourse Boards, the Librarian, the Chair of the Library Committee, the Chair of StudentAffairs Team (SAT), Admissions and the Academic Resource Officer. Elected membersare: a Students’ Union representative; a Staff representative.Depending on the agenda, others may be invited to attend for part or all of themeeting. Elected members serve for a term of three years, with the possibility of asecond term. For more on the Academic Council see Objective 3 – Element I, in thisSER; and for specific functions and standing orders of the Academic Council see thefirst section of the Quality Assurance Handbook.Analysis, 2006-2011.5

In the College Strategic Plan, 2006–2011, the emphasis was on consolidating CarlowCollege’s position as a provider of Humanities Courses in the catchment area of South–East Leinster.Since 2006 the College has achieved the following:It has developed its organisational and physical infrastructure;It has developed new degrees;It has developed an Academic Resource Office service for students;Its staff has become more highly qualified;Its student numbers have increased by 50%;Its student retention levels have been maintained at a very high level at over 90%;It has opened a new Library and Archive and appointed a Librarian and Archivist;It has opened a Students’ Resource Centre;It has engaged to mutual benefit with Health and Education agencies in the region;It has contributed to the cultural life of the region;It has initiated a partnership with Trinity College Dublin;It has developed its international partnerships and put in place a robust ‘IrishExperience’ Course for US students;It has helped the local authorities and the cultural organisations to fulfil a dream ofhaving a word-class arts facility in the town.The building of VISUAL, Centre for Contemporary Arts and the George Bernard ShawTheatre, on the campus (on land given by the College) by Carlow Local Authorities is aby-product of thirty years of work on the part of Carlow College in promoting andaccommodating the arts.College lecture halls and their facilities are in very good order. See Lecture HallCapacity in Supporting Documentation, p. 7. The approval of plans for two new lecturetheatres, one with a capacity for 266, and the other for 166 students, to be completed bySeptember 2013, represents the achievement of the goal of providing better learningfacilities for the growing student body. It also represents a further practical embodimentof the aspiration to provide infrastructural amenities which will enhance the social andcultural life of the wider community, as these facilities will also serve the artscommunity and the civic population.The College has yet to achieve the following:A Governing Body reflective of the wider community and past students; a productiverelationship with the new Arts facility in the matter of offering joint courses in artsrelated areas; and an Alumni Association (though progress is being made here).In its plan for 2012-2017, the College will build on its past achievements andseeks to achieve the following: a culture of awareness of and adherence to qualityassurance policies and procedures, more participative organisational structures, moreformal community links, more representative governance and the expansion of itsportfolio of courses.However, it must be noted that the Hunt Report questions the future of smallstand-alone colleges. Section 8.5 of the Hunt Report refers to consolidation across thehigher education system and uses the languages of clusters, close co-operation andreciprocal arrangements. This informs our planning process.Carlow College had already anticipated such possibilities. In late 2007, CarlowCollege signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Trinity College Dublin as part of6

establishing a strategic partnership. See Supporting Documentation at p. 9. The intentionis that such a development will facilitate the expansion and scope of the programmesdelivered at Carlow College in Humanities and Social Sciences. The partnership will inturn give Trinity a foothold in the South-East. Collaboration has commenced and isongoing. Carlow College is aware of the challenges the Hunt Report presents and willrespond creatively to them.VisionCarlow College will continue to strengthen its position as a Humanities provider for theSouth-East Midlands and South-East Leinster through strategic alliances and strategicplanning.MissionIn the shared enterprise of education, through teaching, learning, practice placement, andresearch activity, we seek excellence in all we do and endeavour to respond creatively tothe needs of our students and of society.Strategic Plan, 2012-2017Strategic planning at Carlow College has been a function of the Management Board inconsultation with staff and students and with advisers such as the College architects,College lawyers, members of the boards of the Local Authorities and officials of theHealth Service Executive (H.S.E.) the Department of Education and Skills, the HEA andHETAC.As part of the current Institutional Review a strategic planning andimplementation committee has been established. It comprises the President, Registrar,Bursar/Vice-President, Assistant Registrar and Marketing Officer. It is planned thatexternal expertise will be included on the expanded panel by February 2012.This committee has researched strategic plans from other Higher EducationInstitutions (HEIs) and is drawing on this information to assist with the development ofthe Strategic Plan for 2012-2017.The plan includes detailed aims and objectives around clearly statedgoals/strategies. Mechanisms for monitoring progress around each goal have beenidentified as well as the timeframe in which each goal will be achieved. The AssistantRegistrar will monitor compliance with agreed strategies and evaluate outcomes on acontinuous basis.Institutional Review WorkshopIn September 2011 a three-day workshop on the Institutional Review was held in theSeven Oaks Hotel involving 42 staff members and external facilitators including expertsfrom the university and IT sector. The following are the areas of strategic focus thatwere discussed at the IR workshops and which form the basis of the new Strategic Plan.1.2.3.4.5.6.Contribution to Society Strategy.Human Resources Strategy.Infrastructural Resources Strategy.Strategic Alliance Strategy.Programme Strategy.Advertising Strategy.7

7. Placement Practice and Supervision Strategy.8. International Student Strategy.9. Cultural Integration Strategy.10. Governance Strategy.Careful monitoring and evaluation will ensure that implementation will be in line withbest QA procedures.1. Contribution to Society StrategyBased on the evidence over the past decade of growing local awareness of andparticipation in third-level education at Carlow College it is intended to develop astrategy to interpret, evaluate and respond to the emerging educational needs of ourstudent catchment area.In dialogue with current stakeholders, the wider constituency of the voluntaryand statutory community, the local Enterprise Boards and the Chamber of Commerceand educational services, it is intended to provide courses which will contribute toimproving the social capital of the region, thereby enhancing the viability of the regionas an employment location.Carlow College shall train Social Care professionals and teachers and preparewell-formed Humanities graduates for further education at postgraduate level and for theemployment market.Carlow College shall dialogue with the voluntary sector with a view to servingtheir training of leaders’ needs and of empowering the socially and educationallydisadvantaged through providing better access to its courses.2. Human Resources StrategyAs stated on p. 5, Carlow College is putting in place a coherent policy for the continuousprofessional development of staff. A HR professional will assist the management inrecruitment and in servicing the needs of staff in the HR area, keeping them informed oftheir terms and conditions and of their employment rights and obligations.3. Infrastructure Resources StrategyBuilding on the infrastructural improvements of the past two decades and in line withthe Hunt Report the College plans to develop further amenities such as a computercentre and a facility for group skills and counselling training as soon as the new lecturehalls are completed. The recent acquisition of new data bases and of Moodle, Academy,and Turnitin systems, together with the installation of Wi-Fi will allow the College tocreate optimum access to Library and Academic Resources from outside as well insidethe College.4. Strategic Alliance StrategyThe College proposes to progress its relationship with Trinity College Dublin. TheCollege is currently exploring postgraduate initiatives with Trinity College. Inaccordance with the Hunt Report the College will also explore other avenues of cooperation with other third-level institutions with a view to clustering possibilities. It willendeavour, however, to preserve its unique identity in every scenario as allowed for inthe Hunt Report.8

5. Programme StrategyIn order to maintain high standards in its degree programmes the College will expand itsmechanisms for review and improvement. This will involve consultation withstakeholders and employers. Particular attention will be paid to the development ofstrategically relevant postgraduate courses. Quality Assurance policies will inform thisstrategy.6. Advertising StrategyCarlow College will continue to advertise and will develop its profile regionally andnationally. It will develop its web links and utilise social networks to reach a wideraudience.7. Placement Practice and Supervision StrategyCarlow College has enjoyed a high profile in the area of placement and supervision forSocial Care and Teaching Experience. It will continue to develop effective supervisorysystems for both.8. International Student StrategyCarlow College will build on its very successful ‘Irish Experience’ programme which ithas developed for U.S. students and actively seek to expand its complement of U.S.students. It will seek a HETAC minor award for the ‘Irish Experience’ course.9. Cultural Integration StrategyHaving made available a site for VISUAL, Carlow’s Art Centre, on its campus, CarlowCollege will endeavour to capitalize on the proximity of this fine facility by workingwith the management of VISUAL to develop new courses in areas germane to the arts. Itwill also endeavour to involve students more actively in the work of promoting the arts.10. Governance StrategyIt has been recognised that Carlow College needs to establish a Governing Body whichwill be more representative of the wider public it now serves than is the present Board ofTrustees. Such a body will bring to the ongoing governance of the College, financial,educational, legal, administrative and strategic expertise. Such a Governing Body willhave to be legally constituted. That is work in progress.Over the past two years the College has worked constructively to put in place amore collaborative organisational structure and has invited more participativeinvolvement of staff in the day to day running of the College. The response of staff hasbeen generous and it is intended to streamline the developments already in place and tocontinue to promote creative and participative governance of the College.Objective 3 – Element 1 – Policy and Procedures for Quality Assurance.The aim of this Objective is to assess the effectiveness of the quality assurancearrangements operated by the College.9

The Quality Assurance Policy of Carlow College provides a framework for and drivesthe College’s quality assurance procedures. It has been formulated in keeping with theguidelines of the validating body, HETAC, and in conformity with the Standards andGuidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (3rd ed.,Helsinki, 2009). The Quality Assurance Handbook is available in hard copy andelectronically to each member of College staff and to students through the CollegeLibrary. It is also available on the College’s website.Primary responsibility for the formulation of quality assurance policy and formaintaining and improving institutional quality rests with the Registrar supported by theAssistant Registrar under the aegis of the Academic Council and the ManagementBoard.The College is committed, within the reasonable restrictions of its budget, toensure that adequate resources are available to implement the necessary qualityassurance procedures.Quality assurance policies at Carlow College are designed to ensure the qualityof College programmes. The College is committed to a culture of quality in all its workand it believes in the continuous enhancement of its quality procedures. The QualityAssurance procedures include roles for staff, students and other stakeholders.Quality Assurance procedures are approved by the Academic Council whichoversees the academic affairs of the College. Over the last five years Quality Assuranceprocedures have evolved and they have been improved incrementally as required, andnew procedures have been brought forward for approval by Academic Council. Theappointment of an Assistant Registrar with a specific brief to monitor ongoing QualityAssurance is a commitment to a systematic approach into the future.Academic CouncilThe Academic Council assists the Management Board in the planning, co-ordination,development and sup

Another U.S. partner, Carlow University, Pittsburgh has, over the past decade, co-operated with the College on postgraduate courses, workshops and round-table discussions. The University began sending undergraduates to Carlow College in September 2011 and they intend to act as a gatew

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