Quality

The ATN has developed an internationally recognised approach to quality assurance, improvement and innovation. This approach recognises that effective quality management is essential to the success of the ATN partners in an environment characterised by increased competition, decreased government support, closer external scrutiny and increasing community expectations.

The ATN commitment to quality:

Balances responsiveness to the needs of students, professions and other interest groups whilst maintaining each ATN university’s distinctive mission, standards and objectives
Combines a focus on sustaining and improving current provision with a willingness to (explore) new directions when this is justified
Concentrates on tracking user satisfaction with provision and the quality of impact which this is having on students, clients and other groups it is intended to benefit.

ATN quality management principles

The ATN approach to quality management is underpinned by ten key operating principles derived from research on how successful universities manage ongoing change.

They ensure that:

there is a shared language and understanding of key quality terms and concepts as they apply in the unique operating context of a university
It is clear which processes and systems are set up to prove quality and which are set up to improve quality
There are clear links between quality developments in core activities like teaching and research and changes in the infrastructure and administrative systems which support them
Decision-making about quality accreditation, improvement and innovation is responsive and evidence-based not ad hoc or anecdotal and that it is agile and efficient
There is an efficient and comprehensive set of tracking mechanisms in place which is used to inform decisions about quality accreditation, improvement and innovation
Explicit attention is given to the university’s core values, mission and objectives when priorities for improvement and innovation are determined and new programs accredited
There are systems in place which ensure that agreed quality improvement and innovation priorities are addressed promptly, wisely and collaboratively.
Careful attention is given to assuring and developing the quality of all staff, especially leaders.
The support given to staff during the implementation of key quality improvements and innovations acknowledges that change is a learning process for all concerned and not a single event.
Everyone involved understands that the processes of quality assurance, improvement and innovation inevitably unfold in a cyclical not a linear process. It is against these operating principles that ATN Universities evaluate and improve their quality management systems and performance.