Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA)

Welcome to the Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA) of ESOFT Metro Campus. The CQA is responsible for enhancing the quality of education in all the study programs of the ESOFT. It was established as a separate independent entity under the instruction of the Non-State Higher Education division of the Ministry of Education for controlling and managing the QA function. The CQA is managed with the direction of the Head of CQA. The CQA executes the best practices of quality assurance at ESOFT.

The CQA has a management committee to execute the QA activities, obtain strategic decisions, and review the progress. The committee consists of the Chief Executive Officer, Head of CQA (Chairperson), Dean-School of Business, Dean – School of Computing, Head of School- School of Computing, Head of Department- School of Business, Head of Department- Undergraduate (School of Computing), Registrar, Chief Financial Controller,, Head of Human Resources, Librarian and any other invitees.

CQA Goals: 

• Creating the best graduate profile accepted by the industry:

Embed graduate profiles and employability in the  curricula, and enable our students to compete in the marketplace.

• Excellent in the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment process:

Utilize our strengths/experience to strengthen and Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment mechanisms

• Establishing the best quality control system:

Establish the best monitoring and quality control system to improve teaching, learning and assessment mechanisms and improve the students’ standards, satisfaction, and completion rate through counseling. 

• Excellent in facilitation for academic delivery:

Establish high standards and technological mechanisms to improve the supportive functions and resources;  and make education more accessible with technology and standards procedures.

• Develop and retain the competent human capital : 

Empower and strengthen the Human Resources function of the institute to support for excellent in education

Functions of CQA: 

a) Promote quality enhancement activities within ESOFT.

b) Facilitating the conduct of external reviews in the Institute.

c) The CQA shall support for preparing for Institutional and Programme Review.

d) Carry out the collection of Student Feedback and Peer Reviews of the lecturing staff .

e) The CQA shall submit recommendations to uplift the status of the institute based on stakeholder feedbacks and other information/statistics.

f) CQA shall ensure that institute procedures and academic programmes are in line with UGC guidelines and institute requirements. 

g) Involve in achieving the goals of the CQA.

h) The following duties related to the Head of CQA are also a function of CQA to achieve.

• Manage the periodic quality audits of the institute.
• Develop regulations for the CQA and obtain approval from the ESOFT Academic syndicate.
• Prepare operational guidelines for the CQA in accordance with the general guidelines developed by QAC of the UGC, and customized for the ESOFT governance structure/organogram and specific implementation arrangement.
• Develop a 5-Year Strategic Plan for the CQA; obtain approval from the Academic Syndicate and concurrence of the QAC of the UGC before implementation.
• Develop the annual work plan for the CQA and obtain approval from the Academic Syndicate at the commencement of each calendar year.
• Develop the annual budget for QA activities and obtain the approval from the management and academic syndicate.
• Ensure that the CQA is established on the ESOFT website and details are updated.
• Report regularly on QA activities and progress to the academic syndicate.
• Circulate notices of QA activities of CQA to the ESOFT community.
• Conduct awareness programs on QA.
• Initiate and support the preparation of a Self-Assessment Report (CER) for Institutional Reviews.
• Motivate and support Study programs to prepare SERs for Program Reviews.
• Provide necessary  training and workshop for Self-Assessment Report (SER) preparation.
• Motivate and support academic staff to showcase best practices in QA.
• Develop relationships and liaise with international agencies and universities on QA activities.
• Support academic staff in the process of preparing proposals for the conduct of new degree programmes, and ensure that applications submitted to the UGC for approval in this regard are compliant with the Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework.
• Report on university QA activities at the UGC Standing Committee on QA.
• Submit an annual report of the CQA to the QAC of the UGC.
• Convene and facilitate all meetings of the CQA.
• Assist manual preparation on QA aspects in schools.
• Make available to all staff and external stakeholders the results of external and internal reviews, including student surveys.