After months of preparing, the PQAPA audit date has arrived. Next Monday, April 14th, three PQAPA auditors will begin their review of Durham College's quality assurance measures.
The auditors will begin their process with a tour of the Oshawa and Whitby campuses. They begin the tour on Monday at 2:00 pm at the Oshawa campus followed by a Whitby tour beginning at 4:00 pm. Our three auditors will be guided by our PQAPA task group members, Jackie Bathe, Susan Sproul, Kevin Dougherty and Al Martin.
As the auditors make their way around our campuses, I am sure they will engage those they meet in conversation and question. I encourage you to answer their questions honestly and openly, as we have much to be proud of. This process is not designed to evaluate individuals, specific programs or services. It is designed to evaluate our policies, practices and quality assurance mechanisms.
On Tuesday it's down to business and the auditors will meet with ten different groups throughout the day. The groups include the Academic Leadership Team, program development and review teams, faculty, Student Services, Admissions and the Office of the Registrar, academic quality assurance teams and, of course, students. The groups requested by the auditors, include internal stakeholders and external representatives.
Tuesday evening the auditors will be busy summarizing their findings, and the next morning they meet with DCLT and deans to debrief and present a preliminary report. The official audit report will follow a few weeks later.
Our next steps will be determined by the auditors report, and I anticipate there will be points to celebrate and others that will require our attention. This is all about quality assurance and helping us deliver the best possible post-secondary education and services to our students. At Durham College, the student experience comes first, and to accomplish that vision we must have processes, practices and policies that support teaching, learning and ongoing quality assurance.
Good luck to everyone on the audit. It will be a good day for Durham!