Instituto Superior Técnico

Área de Estudos, Planeamento e Qualidade

AEPQ  Assessment and Planning  Quality Assessment

Quality Assessment

In response to identified gaps in various processes of self-evaluation, were developed various instruments of internal control and  quality assessment of education (in Portuguese) (PDF, 40KB) over the years, which contributed substantively to the institutionalization of a culture of quality in Tecnico Lisboa.

In addition, following the experience of various assessment exercises, Tecnico Lisboa understood that a five-year evaluation of its courses was not enough. Thus, a tool was developed to support monitoring of the courses’ annual results, aiming at stimulating improvements of teaching activities quality – Annual Self-Assessment (in Portuguese) – and for which contribute the various instruments previously mentioned.

In 2007. Tecnico Lisboa assumed the developement of an Integrated Quality Management System (SIQuIST) as a strategic objective, taking into account and joining efforts with European best practices. The final goal of this process was valuing the quality culture that has been developed, institutionalizing a set of procedures that printed the continuous improvement and adjustment, in internal processes real time.

Based on that purpose, in May, 2010, were constituted two working groups:

One within the various schools of Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa (UTL) to the development of a proposal to the Rector, that integrated the main documents SIGQ-Internal Quality Assurance System:  Regulation (in Portuguese)  (PDF, 223KB) and Quality Management Council (PDF, 231KB),  Manual and Quality Plan for UTL (PDF, 1MB);
another under the IST, for the development of your own system, which should be aligned with the quality assurance system of UTL, and whose works were initiated even in the year 2007 with the establishment of some guidelines. At this point has already been approved the Regulation of the SIQuIST as well as the Council for the management of quality of the IST, the quality Manual (PDF, 1.49MB) and the quality Plan (PDF, 635KB) — Annex Quality Plan (PDF, 246KB).Neste sentido, foram constituídos em Maio de 2010 dois grupos de trabalho:

  1. One within the various schools of Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa (UTL) to the development of a proposal to the Rector, that integrated the main documents SIGQ-Internal Quality Assurance System:  Regulation (in Portuguese)  (PDF, 223KB) and Quality Management Council (in Portuguese) (PDF, 231KB),  Manual and Quality Plan for UTL (in Portuguese) (PDF, 1MB);
  2. Another within Tecnico Lisboa framework, for the development of its own system, which should be aligned with the Quality Assurance System of UTL, and which initiated during 2007 with the establishment of some guidelines. At this point, the SIQuIST’s Regulation (in Portuguese) has already been approved, as well as the Tecnico Lisboa’s Quality Management Council (in Portuguese) , the Quality Manual (PDF, 2MB) and the Quality Plan (in Portuguese) (PDF, 635KB) — Annex Quality Plan (in Portuguese) (PDF, 246KB).

As early as 2012, Tecnico Lisboa applied for a trial audit exercise to the Internal Quality Assurance Systems of HEIs, conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (A3ES), and coordinated by the  newly appointed Quality Management Council. AEPQ collaborated in the preparation of Tecnico Lisboa’s Self-Assessment Report, which objective was to present a reflection on the scope and effectiveness of the procedures and on Tecnico Lisboa’s  strategic areas of operation quality assurance structures, in accordance with the A3ES guidelines, namely:

  1. Assess the degree of estimated development (non-existent, emerging, developing and consolidated)
  2. Substantiate the assessment through evidence and examples
  3. Present a synthesis of aspects identified as needing improvement
  4. Present a SWOT analysis

At January 8, 2013 meeting, the A3ES Board of Directors decided to certify Tecnico Lisboa Quality Management System (SIQuIST), for a 6 years period. A favorable ruling for certification required an appreciation of “emerging” in all areas of analysis and an assessment of at least “in development” in relation to items “Teaching & Learning” and “System as a All”. Tecnico Lisboa was appreciated with “in development” in all areas, with the exception “information systems” area, which was considered to be consolidated (the fourth and highest level of appreciation).

Following the SIQuIST certification, Tecnico Lisboa mapped the main quality mechanisms, in an effort to consolidate the system, by promoting a reflection on coordination level mechanisms, planning, regulation, evaluation and improvement of school’s activities (please check the SIQuIST Self-Assessment in the document below, Tecnico Lisboa’s community reserved document).

Regarding ASIGQ 2019 process (Internal Assurance System Audit), IST systematized SIQuIST alignment with the A3ES referencials, which can be found in the “Framing Guide for the Instituto Superior Técnico Integrated Quality Management System (SIQuIST) within the scope of A3ES Reference Framework”.

Documents