LIFE is committed to providing high quality education to post-secondary students. All sub-degree programmes are developed and assessed under the rigorous quality assurance system of Lingnan University on the appropriate QF level before the qualifications are uploaded onto the Qualfications Register (QR) of Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).
LIFE has devised a set of systematic policies and procedures on quality assurance for sub-degree, Diploma of Applied Education and part-time lifelong learning programmes. Primarily premised on the model of the University Proper, the quality assurance policies of the LIFE draws on the strengths of the programmes of the University. Besides, LIFE has a stringent quality assurance process with wide participation from both of her teaching staff as well as representatives of the University Proper in various quality assurance related committees.
The governance is divided into administrative and academic realms. Administrative matters are monitored by the LIFE Management Board. Academic matters are considered and / or approved by the LIFE Management Board, which reports to the Committee on Academic Quality Assurance of Sub-degree Programme, and/or the University Senate. LIFE adopts the same programme-level, institutional-level and university-level governance structure for Associate Degree, Higher Diploma and Diploma programmes. All quality assurance matters are well taken into account before and during programme planning and development and all academic and quality assurance policies, regulations and guidelines are well thought and followed through.
All programmes are managed by the Programme Quality and Management Committee (PQMC) of LIFE which make recommendations to higher level committees on all matters relating to the effective planning, development and implementation of programmes/courses.
Annual Programme Reports (APRs) are prepared every year to review the overall implementation and management of programmes. The Course Teaching and Learning Evaluation (CTLE) are collected from students for reviewing their feedback on programme delivery. Staff-Student Consultation Committees (SSCCs) are set up to provide a chance for members of each academic division to meet student representatives face-to-face for improvements in various aspects of teaching and learning. Graduate survey on further studies and employment are conducted to collect feedback on the effectiveness of courses and programmes. Clear guidelines are set for modifications of programmes, concentrations or courses to continuously improve the curriculum and to respond to changing learning needs.
Qualified teaching staff is recruited and given support for further development. Teaching staff is invited to join various task forces or advisory committees. LIFE is dedicated to providing continuous learning opportunities for teaching staff. The Outstanding Teacher Award is launched to encourage the sharing of good teaching practices and to recognize those who have demonstrated high quality teaching and active participation in the community and pastoral care for students.
Senior academics, with considerable standing and in possession of substantial professional status in the relevant sectors from outside of Lingnan University, are invited to serve as External Academic Advisers of LIFE to provide views and to evaluate the overall standards of the courses and programmes. Classroom Observation System is set up. Senior college staff at times visits classes of selected teachers to gain an overall understanding of classroom teaching and learning for developmental purpose. LIFE will continuously strive for excellence through a constantly improving system of quality assurance for the programmes, management, structure, processes and procedures.
The Quality Assurance Council (QAC) established under the University Grants Committee (UGC) conducts institutional audits to promote quality assurance and enhancement and the spread of good practice. A quality audit on the sub-degree operations of Lingnan University was conducted by the QAC in January 2019 and a final report was issued for public access in November 2019. The University provided an Institutional Response to the Audit Findings subsequently while a 7-month Progress Report was also submitted to the QAC in September 2020.
The Lingnan University welcomes the QAC’s recognition of the positive attitude and the proactive course of actions that have been taken, and is confident that the University have taken a crucial step in the right direction for future development.