QA News April 2010 - Issue 67

External reviews of value

Private Training Establishments (PTEs) have found the new External Evaluation and Review (EER) process to be of value.

The new process (replacing audit) began last September and 46 EERs were completed by the end of January, with most PTEs receiving judgements of "confident" or "highly confident" in relation to their educational performance and self-assessment.

"In six instances "not yet confident" judgements have been given. In these instances, NZQA is working with the PTEs concerned to agree on acceptable action plans," says Paul Stone, Manager External Evaluation and Review.

The overall response from the sector response has been positive.

One PTE reported, "This evaluative process was very valuable to our organisation because we had confirmation from an outside source, being NZQA, which highlighted areas we do well and have strength in, and identified areas that require further strengthening. There is always room to improve what we are doing and to go through this process was very beneficial to us."

Another said, "The preparation for the external evaluation was very useful for us. We took a very different approach to the preparation and involved a lot more people than we had done in the past for audits. This had several unintended consequences for us as an organisation and we were enriched by it: the team became stronger and more insightful and more confident and competent in giving their contributions. The lead evaluator was very helpful in the lead up."

EER reports for those organisations who have been reviewed, as well as a timetable for upcoming EERs are available online.

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