Program Evaluation
It is critical to Niagara College to have input from all stakeholders, internal and external, to ensure quality and ongoing improvement in our programs. Both practices and processes ensure standardized and regular quantitative and qualitative data from stakeholders is gathered to inform plans and actions with regards to continuous improvement.
Stakeholder Input
Niagara College receives stakeholder input from industry through Program Advisory Committees and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) surveys; from students through course feedback surveys, curriculum meetings, and KPI surveys; from graduates through Job Centre graduate surveys and KPI surveys; and from faculty and staff through regular and annual departmental meetings and annual curriculum review. Details about stakeholder input are below.
Annual Curriculum Review
Associate Deans, Program Coordinators, and Faculty review and revise program and course curriculum, incorporating input from recent Student Course Feedback and KPI surveys, curriculum meetings with students, and PAC committee meetings.
Textbooks and course materials are updated as appropriate to meet program and course outcomes.
Evaluation methodologies are aligned with learning activities and specific course learning objectives on the Course Outline to ensure their relevance to course content and design.
College Quality Assurance Audit Process (CQAAP)
Once every five years, Niagara College participates in a provincially legislated College Quality Assurance Audit Process (CQAAP).
The CQAAP involves the regular and cyclical external review of the college’s program quality assurance processes at an institutional level, culminating with a report that documents the degree to which those processes confirm to the quality criteria defining exemplary quality assurance processes, and in recommendations aimed at improvement and enhanced consistency with the quality criteria.
The Ontario College Quality Assurance Service shows the CQAAP stages of the audit process.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Surveys conducted annually with employers and graduates provide vital feedback on program quality delivery from the stakeholders involved. Quantitative data is collected and analyzed to determine areas for attention and improvement, both annually and throughout the six-year program review cycle.
For information and KPI results visit Planning and Institutional Research.
Program Advisory Committees (PAC)
All Niagara College programs, or clusters of programs, have a Program Advisory Committee, comprised of a broad representation of employers, associations, and other stakeholders, who provide a vital link between the community at large and the College. These committees play a key role in program quality assurance, providing essential advice and input on the currency and relevance of curriculum and other aspects of the program as well as feedback on the knowledge and skills of graduates when they enter the workforce.
Student Feedback
Feedback from students is gathered in a variety of ways including curriculum committees, the Program Experience Survey, and the Course Feedback Survey.
Learn more about Course Feedback SurveysProgram Review and Renewal
Program review and renewal follows a continuous improvement cycle with 4 key steps.
Learn more about Program Review and RenewalProgram Experience Survey
Every year students are invited by email to participate in Niagara College’s online Program Experience Survey. The information shared by students helps inform program planning and improvements for current and future students through our continuous improvement and program review processes. The survey is conducted by the Planning and Institutional Research (PaIR) department on behalf of Niagara College.