Micro-Learning Courses
Introduction to Institutional Audits
This course provides an in-depth understanding of institutional audits, their purpose, objectives, and the audit cycle. It explores how these audits ensure quality assurance in higher education institutions and their role in continuous institutional improvement.
Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) Overview
The Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) provides a structured approach to assessing and enhancing quality in universities and colleges. It is designed to support institutions in delivering high-quality education, research, and community engagement, while also ensuring accountability to stakeholders such as students, government bodies and employers.
Types of Audits in Higher Education
Equips higher education staff with the knowledge and skills to understand different types of institutional audits, their purposes and their impact on quality assurance and institutional governance.
Focus Areas in Institutional Audits
This course aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of focus areas in institutional audits, their importance and their alignment with an institution’s mission. Participants will learn how these focus areas guide quality assurance and institutional improvement.
Governance and Leadership in Quality Assurance
This course aims to equip higher education leaders and administrators with a comprehensive understanding of governance structures, leadership roles, and strategic planning principles in ensuring quality assurance in higher education institutions.
Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals
This course provides a structured understanding of how vision, mission, and strategic goals shape higher education institutions. It explores how these elements contribute to governance, institutional quality, and stakeholder engagement while ensuring alignment with national and global education priorities
Quality, Culture and Ethics
This course explores the essential principles of quality culture and ethics in higher education institutions. It aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of how institutions can build, sustain, and integrate ethical considerations into their quality assurance mechanisms.
Quality Management Systems (QMS) Overview
This course provides an in-depth understanding of Quality Management Systems (QMS) in higher education institutions. It aims to equip participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to design, implement, and maintain an effective QMS to enhance institutional quality and compliance.
Policies, Procedures and Plans in Quality Assurance
Equips staff with the knowledge and skills to develop effective quality policies, implement procedures for quality assurance and align these policies with the institution's strategic goals, ensuring compliance with Council on Higher Education (CHE) standards in South Africa.
Quality Monitoring and Evaluation
This course aims to equip higher education administrators and quality assurance professionals with a thorough understanding of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms within institutional quality assurance systems. The course explores how monitoring, evaluation, and data-driven insights contribute to continuous quality improvement.
Quality Enhancement and Improvement
This course provides an in-depth understanding of quality enhancement and improvement strategies within higher education institutions. Participants will learn how to initiate, implement, and measure quality enhancement initiatives to foster continuous institutional growth and academic excellence.
Data Management and Utilisation
This course provides a structured understanding of the role of data in institutional quality assurance. Participants will explore methods for collecting, managing and using data effectively to drive informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
Coherence and Integration in QMS
This course provides a structured understanding of the role of coherence and integration in institutional quality management systems (QMS). It explores how institutions can establish a well-structured QMS, integrate various quality assurance components, and evaluate their effectiveness to support academic excellence, student success and institutional improvement.
Evidence-Based Decision Making
This course explores the role of evidence-based decision-making in higher education quality assurance. It provides practical guidance on gathering, validating, and applying data to drive strategic decisions, ensuring continuous institutional improvement and regulatory compliance. Evidence-based decision-making ensures that higher education institutions remain accountable, efficient and aligned with national and international academic standards.
Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (SER)
This course provides an in-depth understanding of the purpose, development, and utilisation of an Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (SER). It highlights the role of SER in quality assurance, accreditation and continuous institutional improvement.
Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) Compilation
This course provides an in-depth understanding of how to compile, organise, and present a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) for institutional audits and quality assurance processes. It focuses on ensuring that PoEs effectively support accreditation, self-evaluation, and continuous improvement initiatives. A well-structured PoE strengthens institutional credibility, supports data-driven decision-making, and ensures that institutions remain compliant with national and international quality standards.
Institutional Audits and Compliance
This course provides a structured understanding of institutional audits and compliance requirements in higher education. It explores the role of audits in ensuring regulatory compliance, institutional quality, and continuous improvement, based on the standards and guidelines set by the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Institutions that fail to comply with regulatory requirements risk losing accreditation, financial penalties and reputational damage. This course will equip learners with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of institutional audits and develop a culture of continuous compliance.
Audit Panels and Their Roles
This course provides an in-depth understanding of the composition, roles, and ethical considerations of audit panels in institutional audits. It explores how audit panels contribute to quality assurance, governance, and institutional accountability in higher education. Institutions rely on audit panels to provide an independent, objective and structured assessment of their quality management systems, ensuring that they remain aligned with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
Site Visits and Interview Protocols
Equip staff with the knowledge and skills to effectively prepare for and conduct site visits and interviews as part of institutional audits, ensuring compliance with Council on Higher Education (CHE) standards.
Post-Audit Feedback and Improvement Plans
This course provides a structured understanding of how higher education institutions can use post-audit feedback to develop and implement effective improvement plans. It explores the role of structured feedback, continuous improvement strategies, and monitoring mechanisms to enhance institutional quality and compliance. Post-audit processes are essential for sustaining institutional credibility, fostering accountability, and ensuring that audit recommendations translate into meaningful reforms.
Curriculum Development and Review
This course provides a structured understanding of curriculum development and review within higher education institutions. It explores the principles of curriculum design, the importance of alignment with institutional and national standards, and the role of continuous improvement in maintaining academic excellence. By following an evidence-based approach, institutions can ensure that curricula remain relevant, responsive, and impactful.
Learning and Teaching Innovation
This course provides a structured understanding of how innovative teaching approaches, technology integration, and evaluation methods contribute to the continuous enhancement of learning and teaching in higher education. It explores practical strategies for fostering student engagement, improving curriculum delivery, and ensuring alignment with institutional and national quality assurance standards.
Student Experience and Success
This course provides a structured understanding of how student success is defined, the factors influencing student experience, and how institutions can support diverse student needs. It explores best practices in student support, retention strategies and the role of institutional quality management in fostering a positive student experience.
Ethical Guidelines and Confidentiality
This course provides an in-depth exploration of ethical guidelines and confidentiality in institutional audits. It highlights the importance of ethical standards, information security and managing conflicts of interest in higher education audit processes. By understanding these principles, institutions can ensure transparency, fairness and credibility in quality assurance practices.
Quality Assurance in Research
This course provides an in-depth understanding of quality assurance in research within South African higher education institutions. It explores the importance of research quality, ethical considerations, and strategies for evaluating the impact of research outputs. Ensuring rigorous quality assurance in research is critical for maintaining academic integrity, institutional credibility, and alignment with national and international standards.
Community Engagement and Quality Assurance
This course explores the role of community engagement in higher education institutions and its integration into quality assurance frameworks. It examines best practices for ensuring quality in community engagement activities and methods for evaluating their long-term impact and sustainability.
Student Support and Quality Assurance
This course provides an in-depth understanding of student support services and their role in maintaining and enhancing quality assurance in higher education institutions. It explores strategies for implementing high-quality student support structures, aligning them with institutional objectives, and ensuring their effectiveness in fostering student success.
Graduate Attributes and Employability
Data Management and Utilisation covers effective data handling, analysis, and application to support decision-making and efficiency.
Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
This course explores the role of stakeholder engagement and communication in higher education quality assurance. It examines how institutions identify key stakeholders, establish effective communication channels, and use feedback to drive quality improvement. By fostering transparent and meaningful stakeholder engagement, institutions can ensure accountability, credibility, and continuous development in their quality management systems (QMS).
Institutional Culture and Change Management
Evidence-Based Decision Making teaches data-driven approaches to making informed, effective, and strategic decisions.
Risk Management in Quality Assurance
Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (SER) guides learners in assessing institutional performance, identifying improvements, and ensuring quality standards.
Benchmarking and Best Practices
Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) Compilation covers structuring and compiling proof of competencies, achievements, and compliance.
Quality Enhancement Project (QEP)
Policies, Procedures, and Plans explores the development, implementation, and management of organizational policies and procedures. Participants will learn to create clear, compliant, and effective guidelines that support operational efficiency and strategic goals.
Accreditation and Re-Accreditation Processes
Quality Monitoring and Evaluation covers key methods for assessing and improving organizational performance, ensuring effectiveness, and maintaining standards.
Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Systems
This course provides an in-depth understanding of Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) systems in higher education institutions. It explores the components of an effective IQA framework, strategies for implementation, and the role of continuous improvement in sustaining academic quality.
External Quality Assurance (EQA) Systems
This course provides a structured understanding of External Quality Assurance (EQA) systems in higher education, focusing on their purpose, the roles of EQA agencies, and the process of preparing for external audits. It explores how EQA frameworks support institutional quality, accreditation, and compliance with national and international standards.
Digital Transformation and Quality Assurance
This course explores how digital transformation is reshaping quality assurance (QA) processes in higher education. It examines the role of digital tools in online learning, their impact on institutional audits, and strategies for maintaining high-quality standards in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The course provides insights into best practices for evaluating digital learning platforms and ensuring compliance with QA regulations in an online environment.
Ethical Leadership and Governance
This course explores the principles of ethical leadership and governance in higher education institutions. It examines the role of governance structures in ensuring accountability, ethical decision-making, and transparency while fostering institutional integrity and quality assurance.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance in Higher Education
Equip higher education staff with the knowledge and skills to
navigate legal and regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance and
institutional credibility in South Africa.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
This course provides an in-depth understanding of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in higher education institutions. It explores the principles of CQI, implementation strategies, and monitoring mechanisms that ensure sustainable quality enhancement and institutional effectiveness.