CIQA

Uttaranchal University (UU) has established the Centre for Internal Quality Assurance (CIQA) for programs under Online mode under “Centre for Distance & Online Education (CDOE)” to impart the quality education to the learners. As per the UGC (ODL & Online Programs) Regulations, 2020, the Centre for Internal Quality Assurance was established in 2022. The main aim of the CIQA is to maintain & check the quality in the courses offered through online mode by CDOE. The Centre has been established with the primary focus to shoulder the responsibilities of generating and promoting awareness for quality assurance and to work out the procedural details.

To realize an ecosystem where, quality is strived for in all processes of Programs offered under online mode.

• To conduct regular academic and administrative audits.
• To encourage self-evaluation, accountability, autonomy and transparency through quality circles in all processes.
• To promote the effective use of latest technical know-how for automation of activities.
• To develop protocols for all activities and refine them based on stakeholders’ feedback.
• To develop human resources (Academic & Non-academic) for overall quality delivery of online resources.

The CDOE is dedicated to deliver quality education for all round development of the students to meet the changing requirements of industry, business and society. There would be a periodic review of all the processes followed for the smooth conduct of online programs to ensure that the quality parameters are within the range as defined by the university.

• To maintain quality in the services provided to the learners.
• To undertake self-evaluative and reflective exercises for continual quality improvement in all the systems and processes of the CDOE.
• To contribute in the identification of the key areas in which CDOE should maintain quality.
• To devise mechanism to ensure that the quality of Online Learning programs matches with the quality of relevant programs in the conventional or regular mode.
• To devise mechanisms for interaction with and obtaining feedback from all stakeholders namely, learners, teachers, staff, parents, society, employers, and external agencies for quality improvement.
• To suggest measures to CDOE for qualitative improvement.
• To facilitate the implementation of its recommendations through periodic reviews.
• To organise workshops/seminars/symposium on quality related themes, ensure participation of all stakeholders, and disseminate the reports of such activities among all the stakeholders in Higher Educational Institution.
• To develop and collate best practices in all areas leading to quality enhancement in services to the learners and disseminate the same to all concerned in CDOE.
• To collect, collate and disseminate accurate, complete and reliable statistics about the quality of the Programs.
• To ensure that the Program Project Report for each Program is according to the norms and guidelines prescribed by the Commission and wherever necessary by the appropriate regulatory authority having control over the Program.

• To put in place a mechanism to ensure the proper implementation of Program Project Reports.
• To maintain a record of Annual Plans and Annual Reports of CDOE, review them periodically and generate actionable reports.
• To provide inputs to the CDOE for restructuring of programs in order to make them relevant to the job market.
• To facilitate system-based research on ways of creating learner centric environment and to bring about qualitative change in the entire system.
• To act as a nodal coordinating unit for seeking assessment and accreditation from a designated body for higher level ranking and accreditations.
• To adopt measures to ensure internalization and institutionalization of quality enhancement practices through periodic accreditation and audit.
• To coordinate between CDOE and the Commission for various quality related initiatives or guidelines.
• To obtain information from other Higher Educational Institutions on various quality benchmarks or parameters and best practices.
• To record activities undertaken on quality assurance in the form of an annual report of Centre for Internal Quality Assurance.
• It will be mandatory for “Centre for Internal Quality Assurance” to submit Annual Reports to the Statutory Authorities or Bodies of the UU about its activities at the end of each academic session. A copy of report in the format as specified by the Commission, duly approved by the statutory authorities of the UU shall be submitted annually to the Commission.

The guidelines on quality monitoring mechanism will be adopted by the Centre for Internal Quality Assurance for conducting institutional quality audits, to promote quality assurance and enhance as well as spread best-in-class practices of quality assurance.

• Governance, Leadership and Management
• Organisation Structure and Governance
• Management
• Strategic Planning
• Operational Plan, Goals and Policies
• Articulation of Higher Educational Institution Objectives
• Program Development and Approval Processes

This area of concern relates to the development and approval mechanism for the program (s) to be launched covering the following key aspects, namely:

• Curriculum Implementation
• Academic Flexibility
• Learning Resource
• Feedback System
• Program Monitoring and Review
• Infrastructure Resources
• Learning Environment and Learner Support
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Teaching Quality and Staff Development

• Academic Planning
  UU has a robust and appropriate academic planning procedure to ensure that the programs offered by it are relevant to national economy, reflects the institution‘s strategic direction and offers a high quality value-added‘ learner experience. The institution has adequate and appropriate teaching and other support staff along with infrastructure and technology support to ensure that the curriculum remains up to date and the institutional goals are achieved.
• Validation
  UU has a mechanism in place for validation to ensure that its programs are academically viable, that academic standards have been appropriately defined and that these offer learners the best opportunity to learn.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Enhancement Plans
  Quality deliverance of the Online Learning programs and the outcome attainment and continual quality improvements ensured by UU, shall be broadly as follows:

• Report from Examination Centre
  Report of conduct of examinations in Online mode, along with report of observers/proctors for all examinations will be collected periodically from Examination Centre.
• External Auditor or other External Agencies report
  UU consider the comments made by external auditors and experts related to quality auditing and ensures to implement it accordingly.
• Periodic Review
  UU has an effective system for collecting feedback from the stakeholders regularly to improve its programs. The CDOE conduct self-assessments regularly and use the results to improve its systems and processes to finally improve the quality of programs.
CIQA Report 2022-23 CIQA Report 2023-24 CIQA Report 2024-25