Quality assurance documents

Quality Assurance Framework (QAF)

The Quality Assurance Framework was originally approved in 2010 by the Executive Heads of Ontario Universities and the Council of Ontario Universities (COU).  COU then established the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (Quality Council) as an arm’s length body to administer the framework and provide oversight of quality assurance in the province.

As mandated in Section 6.2 of the Framework, an external review of the QAF and its administration by the Quality Council must be undertaken once every eight years, and the first such review occurred in 2018.  The stated primary purpose of the review is to ensure that policies and procedures meet or exceed international standards of quality assurance.

The 2018 external review of the Framework resulted in revisions which were approved by COU through OCAV (the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents) in February 2021.  The QAF now includes an explicit set of principles which explain the underlying reasons for Ontario’s quality assurance procedures and has undergone revision to the protocols for new programs, cyclical reviews, major modifications and program discontinuations.

Degree Level Expectations (DLEs)

In 2010 the Brock University Senate adopted the OCAV guidelines for University undergraduate and graduate degree-level expectations.  DLEs now serve as the base-line standards for all programs at universities in Ontario, while allowing individual universities, faculties and programs to customize them for their use.  Self Studies which are prepared for the cyclical review of existing programs and Program Proposal Briefs which are developed for new programs are required to map program learning outcomes to the appropriate undergraduate (UDLE) and graduate (GDLE) degree level expectations.

Institutional Quality Assurance Processes (IQAP)

Following approval of the Quality Assurance Framework in 2010, every university in Ontario developed an IQAP outlining quality assurance processes at the institutional level.  The Quality Council assessed each IQAP for adherence to the Framework and Brock received approval on May 16, 2011.  The Brock University Senate subsequently approved the IQAP on June 2, 2011.

The Quality Council conducted an audit of Brock in 2012/13 to determine whether the institution was acting in compliance with its IQAP.  Brock received an Audit Report from the Quality Council in October 2013 and a One-Year Report in December 2014 describing progress made on implementing the audit’s recommendations.  The IQAP was revised to address issues raised by the audit in consultation with institutional stakeholders and the Quality Council.  The revised IQAP was approved by the Quality Council on March 24, 2016 and by Senate on May 25, 2016 and served as the official version of the document.

In 2021 with the revised QAF in effect an IQAP Codicil was approved by Senate on Dec 15, 2021, serving to address key requirements of the new QAF until the completion of Brock’s revised IQAP.

The Quality Council conducted an audit of Brock in February 2023, to determine whether the institution was acting in compliance with its IQAP, and will be receiving their report.

Brock 2018-2025 Strategic Plan

The Brock 2018-2025 Strategic Plan describes Brock University’s history and its current environment, including challenges and opportunities that this entails. The University’s mission, vision and guiding values are outlined, as well as four strategic priorities, each with goals and actions, to be achieved over the next seven years:

  • Offer a transformational and accessible academic and university experience
  • Build research capacity across the University
  • Enhance the life and vitality of our local region and beyond
  • Foster a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, reconciliation and decolonization

These will inform the specific tactics and objectives being developed by academic and administrative units. The realization of the strategic priorities will advance Brock as a comprehensive university that offers a transformational and accessible academic and university experience; fosters a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, reconciliation and decolonization; enhances the life and vitality of our local region and beyond; and further builds the University’s research capacity.

Brock Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA)

The Brock Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and Brock University is a key component of the Ontario government’s accountability framework for the postsecondary education system. The Strategic Mandate Agreement:

  • Outlines provincial government objectives and priority areas for the postsecondary education system
  • Describes the elements of Ontario’s performance-based funding mechanism, including the university’s annual performance-based funding notional allocation for the five-year SMA3 period
  • Establishes the corridor midpoint that will form the basis of enrolment-related funding over the five-year SMA3 period
  • Supports transparency and accountability objectives, and
  • Establishes allowable performance targets for 10 metrics upon which institutional performance will be assessed. This SMA is for the fiscal period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2025.