Teaching quality | communication engineering

Quality Assurance is an indispensable process that involves all those who work in the University in which each individual's progress benefits the entire University and stimulates the healthy confrontation to which it is necessary to strive in order to make the social role played by the University effective and concrete.
‘QUALITY ASSURANCE’ means:
⦁   defining quality policies in tune and synergy with the University's strategic directions and reliable and robust procedures through which the governing bodies can implement them;
⦁   implementing activities to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in all the University's internal processes, first and foremost in the service of the quality of education and research;
⦁   creating awareness in all those who work in the University so that everyone's tasks are carried out competently and promptly, the services provided are effective, and a record is kept of what has been done to monitor and measure results.

For more information on Quality Assurance, please consult this page: https://www.unipr.it/AQ

Student Opinion Survey Questionnaire (OPIS)

The student opinion survey questionnaire (OPIS) is a tool designed to detect student opinion with a view to improving teaching, quality and the organisation of degree courses and is an integral part of the evaluation system. For students, it is an important opportunity to make their voice heard and actively participate in the life of their degree course, as a guarantee of better Quality Assurance: this is why the University recommends that it be filled in punctually and accurately.
More information on the OPIS questionnaires can be found on the following page: https://www.unipr.it/didattica/i-corsi-di-studio/compilazione-del-questionario-di-valutazione-della-didattica-line

Organisation and responsibility for Course QA

The general aspects of the organisation and responsibility for quality assurance (QA) at Department level are described in the attached document at the end of this framework.

With regard to the Second-cycle degree course in Communication Engineering, a Quality Assurance Review Group (RG) has been set up for the purpose of quality assurance of the degree course, consisting of the President of the degree course, the Course Quality Assurance Manager (QAM), a student representative and a Education Manager from the Department of Engineering and Architecture to which the degree course belongs.

The current members of the Review Group are listed in the 'Presentation' section of the SUA Form, 'Referents and Structures' panel.

The RG has the task of guiding the degree course towards the goal of continuous improvement of its results and of managing the self-assessment process, i.e. the process by which the degree course monitors its performance and assesses its results, also in accordance with the guidelines established by ANVUR. In particular, the Governing Board draws up the Single Annual Report Card (SUA-CdS), the Annual Monitoring Report Card (SMA) and the Cyclical Review Report. In this process, the Course Council also plays an important role. The analysis and discussion of the SMA and the cyclic review report, as well as the verification of the contents of the SUA-CdS, is the responsibility of the Course Council. The Course Council also thoroughly analyses student evaluation questionnaires, course unit by course unit.

In addition to the Governing Board, a Steering Committee has been active since 2017, the current composition of which can be found in Section A1.b of the SUA Form, which is periodically consulted in order to check whether the training objectives are still appropriate for the world of work.

The other QA figures listed on the Course Council page are:
- the Delegate for guidance
- the Delegate for Tutoring
- the Delegate for career guidance
- the Delegate for Internships
- the Delegate for International Mobility
- the Delegate for Student Files

Finally, the Tutors listed in the "Presentation" section of the SUA Form, "Referents and Structures" framework, contribute to the QA.

Work scheduling and implementation deadlines for initiatives

The quality assurance of the Course Council consists in the implementation of the QA Model proposed and coordinated by the Quality Presidium and in the planning and implementation of corrective actions, the effectiveness of which is assessed annually through the analysis of indicator trends in the Annual Monitoring Form and, in depth, periodically in the Cyclic Review Report.

Corrective actions under the control of the Department and/or the Course Council are planned according to the organisational and management modalities of the Department and/or the CSD and are coordinated and monitored by the Quality Assurance Manager (QAM).

The Course Council appoints an internal review group (review panel) whose activities are organised as follows:

- Survey of the demand for training (through the steering committee and the other initiatives indicated in framework A1.b): every year by 31 December;
- updating of the training objectives: every year by 31 January;
- redesigning of the course catalogue: every year, if necessary, within the ministerial deadlines for the modification of the frameworks;
- harmonisation of the course unit programmes: every year by 31 July;
- updating of the teaching syllabuses (Syllabus) for the following academic year every year by 31 July;
- evaluation, by the QAM and the Course Council, of the students' questionnaires: every year by 31 October;
- compilation of the SUA-CdS: every year according to ministerial deadlines, normally between the end of May and the beginning of June;
- compilation of the Annual Monitoring Form: every year by 31 October;
- meetings of the Review Group aimed at monitoring actions and proposing improvement initiatives: at least three per year and in particular (i) once in January
- analysis of the training demand survey and possible redesign of the course catalogue, analysis of the Evaluation Committee's annual report, monitoring of drop-outs and proposals for improvement (teaching mentoring); (ii) once in March/April
- analysis of the report of the Joint Instructors and Students' Committee, preparation of the SUA-CdS, harmonisation of programmes, updating of course unit records, preparation of the Prospectus; (iii) once in September/October
- analysis of the results of the student opinion survey, analysis of the Course Council indicators and preparation of the AMF, assessment of the status of the actions reported in the CRR, preparation of the SUA-CdS.

The overall planning of QA activities leads to daily contact with student representatives, tutors, instructors and staff in the academic office and central offices. In correspondence with deadlines for documents or fulfilments (review, SUA form, beginning and end of semesters, examination and graduation sessions), activities intensify and take the form of drafting texts or collecting information.

To these activities must be added those at the University/Department level:

- the compilation of the annual report of the Joint Teachers-Students Committee;
- the compilation of the annual report of the Evaluation Committee;
- the redefinition of the policy, organisation and responsibilities for the QA of the degree courses, the scheduling of work and the deadlines for the implementation of initiatives at the University level.