An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme 2006-2007
Report to Údarás na hOllscoile
Review of Academic Affairs
Admissions Office including Postgraduate Admissions, Academic Records,
Mature Students Office, Schools Liaison Office
Self-Assessment
Review Group Visit
Follow Up Meeting
September 2006 to February 2007
27th February to 1st March, 2007
11th June 2007
This Report was compiled for members of Údarás na hOllscoile, NUI Galway and its
committees as a readily accessible but comprehensive source of information on the above
review, its context and its outcomes.
Quality Office, August 2007
Report to Údarás – Review of Academic Affairs 2006–2007
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1. Overview of Academic Affairs
1.1 Admissions Office
The mission of the Admissions Office is to provide a quality admissions service which strives to
meet the needs of students (prospective, current and graduate, and their representatives) and the
requirements of the academic community.
Staff: The total was 14 and their grades include one administrative officer, two grade 4, three
grade 3, six grade 2 and two grade 1.
Accommodation: Contiguous offices in Aras Uí Chathail
1.2 Postgraduate Admissions Office
The mission of the Postgraduate Admissions Office is to provide a high quality customerfocused service that is in line with the University’s Strategic Plan.
Staff: The total was 6 and their grades include one grade 4, one grade 3, four grade 2 (two on
contract, one of which a ten month contract).
Accommodation: Contiguous offices in Aras Uí Chathail
1.3 Examinations Office
Reviewed in 2005–06, see separate reports.
1.4 Academic Records Office
The mission of Academic records is to ensure an accurate and complete record is maintained for
all NUI Galway students and alumni. Academic Records is responsible for the graduation
ceremonies guaranteeing a very special occasion in the lives of our graduands and their families.
Staff: The total was 5 and their grades include one grade 5, three grade 4, and two grade 1.
Accommodation: Contiguous offices in Aras Uí Chathail
1.5 Mature Students Office
The Mature Students Office aims to provide a professional guidance and support service to 750
or so mature students undertaking full-time undergraduate degrees in order to assist them in
deriving maximum benefit from their programmes of study and in order to enhance the success
and retention rate of this cohort. As part of this objective the Mature Students Officer provides
information and advice to prospective mature student applicants in relation to application
procedures and admissions criteria and in relation to financial and institutional supports.
Staff: One, Mature Students Officer, grade 4
Administrative support: 20-25% of administrative assistant, grade 2
Accommodation: One office of good standard with good facilities nearby in Aras Uí Chathail.
1.6 Schools Liaison Office
The Schools Liaison Office is responsible for developing and implementing marketing and
promotional activities on behalf of NUI Galway, focussed on Irish secondary level schools, in
order to maintain undergraduate student numbers at NUI Galway, in the face of a declining
cohort of students emerging from the second level system.
Staff: One, Schools Liaison Officer, grade 4
Support: Contract appointment for period November–February
Accommodation: One office in Block T, a prefabricated building on Distillery Road.
Report to Údarás – Review of Academic Affairs 2006–2007
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2. Review Group Report: Context, Concluding Remarks and
Recommendations
The Report of the Review Group arises from a visit by the Group to the university on 27th
February – 1st March 2007. The Review Group consisted of: Mr. Con O’Brien, Academic
Secretary, University College Cork (Chair); Mr. Kevin Kelly, Director of Undergraduate
Admissions, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Dr. Pat Morgan, (former Dean of Science
faculty) Department of Biochemistry, NUI Galway, and Ms. Jennifer Lally, Buildings Office,
NUI Galway (Rapporteur).
Academic Affairs had already prepared a 'Self Assessment Report' that, with other
documentation, was made available to the Group in advance of the visit.
Context
Over the past ten years NUI Galway has experienced substantial development and growth in
student numbers and academic programmes, both undergraduate and post-graduate programmes.
This accelerated expansion has placed enormous pressures on academic administration and on
the delivery of services. In particular, the development of appropriate management and
organisational structures has lagged behind this growth. These pressures have been
compounded by serious complexities in curricular design and assessment. In the context of
rapid institutional growth and development, greater complexity in administrative processes and
evolving management structures, the Review Group was impressed by the performance of staff
members in Academic Affairs in successfully delivering core academic administrative services.
The Review Group was struck by the professionalism, hard work and commitment of staff in
Academic Affairs to NUI Galway. The Group was also struck by the real commitment of staff
to the change agenda. Indeed it sensed an impatience on the part of staff members to proceed
quickly with implementing restructuring.
Concluding remarks
The Review Group offer its recommendations, both for Academic Affairs and the University as
a whole, with the objective of improving the overall performance of an Office which it found to
be stretched but functioning well, due in no small part to the professionalism and commitment
of staff. Its overall finding is that Academic Affairs is in need of a new dynamic in order to
serve the University in its current stage of development and future ambition. The Review Group
are confident that the recommendations for improvement will create this new dynamic and
provide a more rational basis for Academic Affairs to discharge its functions more efficiently
and more effectively. Most of the recommendations have both strategic and management
implications and, with few exceptions, have relatively modest resources requirements for their
implementation. The Review Group hope its recommendations will assist the development of
Academic Affairs and ongoing quality improvement.
Recommendations
1. The current arrangements whereby the Secretary for Academic Affairs devotes only part of
his time to Academic Affairs might be reviewed, as part of a wider review of senior
University Management roles, reflecting the growth and development of the University and
necessary changes in workloads and responsibilities of senior management.
2. The proposal in the Lande Report to create a post of Director of Student Administration to
coordinate all student related administrative activities at the operational level should be
proceeded with as a matter of some urgency.
3. The Schools Liaison Office should become part of the Admissions Office and should be
resourced adequately.
Report to Údarás – Review of Academic Affairs 2006–2007
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4. There should be close connections between the proposed Director of Marketing and
Promotion and the recruitment of students.
5. The registration and student record functions should be moved from the Admissions office
and relocated within Academic Records in a new office, Registration and Academic
Records. This single office would provide a more coherent service to registered students and
allow the Admissions office to focus more on prospective students and the admissions
process.
6. Given the national priority to expand the numbers of mature students, and the particular
needs of these students, there is a strong case for appointing a second staff member to the
Mature Students Office.
7. There should be closer interactions between the Access Office, the Mature Students Office
and the Disability Office to achieve important university-wide synergies.
8. Consideration be given to establishing Postgraduate Admissions as a separate office within
Academic Affairs to give greater focus and impetus to graduate studies including marketing
and recruitment.
9. There should be a higher number of senior posts in Academic Affairs with a view to building
effective work teams. This would also have the advantage of increasing the number of
individuals who had authority to make decisions, leading to greater efficiencies.
10. Regular use should be made of surveys of customer groups as a management tool.
11. Each functional area should hold regular staff meetings to maintain effective
communications within their area. This will facilitate two-way communications and staff
participation in the workings of the office.
12. Heads of Offices and Faculty Administrative Officers should meet weekly with the Secretary
for Academic Affairs and these meetings should have an agenda and minutes with action
points.
13. A User Group should be established with MIS, comprising representatives from Academic
Affairs, academic staff and students, as a means of identifying priority areas for development
and the progression of current projects.
14. The web should be developed as a major communications vehicle for students. In that
regard the planned one-stop-shop facility might be reconsidered in the context of the web
being the major source of student information.
15. Improvements should be made in the drafting of official documentation which students
consider terse and difficult to understand. The proposed restructuring of the offices should
address students’ confusion about which office to go to in order to access services.
16. Thought should be given to putting in place further mechanisms to ensure good
communications with academic staff.
17. There should be a complete overhaul of the Academic Affairs website and a review of the
content and availability of the prospectuses.
18. As a priority, IT development support needs to be redirected towards Admissions and
Academic Records.
19. An IT training needs assessment should be undertaken to identify the level of IT skills of
individual staff members and related training needs.
20. Sufficient resources should be assigned to successfully completing the full rollout of Self
Service Registration (SSR).
21. MIS should address the issue of dependability of infrastructure as a matter of urgency.
22. Service Level Agreements should be put in place between MIS and Academic Affairs.
23. The Group recommends improvements in the provision of physical and human resources to
Report to Údarás – Review of Academic Affairs 2006–2007
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better support the operational side of this important function.
24. There should be single source of information for the production of the syllabus file, the
academic calendar and the undergraduate and post-graduate prospectuses. It is envisaged
that this function would lie with the new Registration and Academic Records Office.
25. It is recommended that all of the offices serving students in Áras Uí Chathail should have the
same opening hours. Opening hours may need to be extended in the evenings to provide
services for the non-traditional students such as evening and distance students
26. Changes suggested by the Career Guidance Teachers should be made and a benchmarking
exercise with promotional material from other institutions would also be helpful.
27. Students should be listed for a module, rather than a course instance, as a means of
immediately resolving and decreasing the administrative load on academics. Improved
communications between academic staff and Academic Affairs would better allow for easy
resolution of small, but significant, problems.
28. The Group recommends that the concerns of academic staff in relation to Postgraduate
Applications Centre (PAC) should be addressed, as far as possible, as part of the ongoing
review of PAC and evaluation of desirable enhancements.
29. Information boards should be developed in Áras Uí Chathail which would help students
select the right queue for services.
30. Provision should be made for students to be able to discuss issues in private in Áras Uí
Chathail.
31. The Perspex roof in Áras Uí Chathail should be replaced with a more suitable roof.
3. Action Plans
Follow Up Meeting, Monday 11th June, 2007
Present: Professor J Gosling – Director of Quality (chair), Professor J Browne – Registrar, Dr S MacMathúna –
Secretary for Academic Affairs, Dr P Morgan – review group, Dr I MacLabhrainn – Director of CELT, Mr C
McNairney – Director of Human Resources, Mr S O’Farrell –Director of MIS, Ms A Cunningham – Director of
International Affairs, Mr M Kavanagh – Assistant Secretary, Ms M Sweeney, Ms M Spelman, Ms C O’Connell, Mr
J Barnett, Ms G Morahan, Ms S Coyle, Ms G Gannon, Ms M Hughes, Ms M Liddy, Ms B Ryan, Ms E Joyce, Ms
AM Duggan, Ms I Murphy, Mr M Faherty, Ms B Carr, Ms F Bohan, Ms Y O’Hara, Ms M Small, Ms G Lyons (in
attendance).
Apologies: Ms J Lally – review group.
3.1 Action Plans for Academic Affairs:
1.
Organisation and Management: The recommendations that may be implemented
internally are seen as logical and are accepted as actions by the Secretary for Academic
Affairs and staff. However, while some can be dealt with in the short-term, others will
have repercussions outside of Academic Affairs and will take more time to implement.
a. A Director of Academic Administration (as already approved by UMT, see below)
has already been appointed, with responsibility for overall coordination of the
restructured sections - Admissions (to include Postgraduate Admissions and Schools
Liaison), Examinations and Academic Records (including student registration). All
staff will continue to be consulted on the details of the proposed restructuring and on
its implications.
Report to Údarás – Review of Academic Affairs 2006–2007
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2.
b. The UMT has approved the creation of a number of new roles within the existing
staff complement in Academic Affairs, with a view to facilitating the creation of
distinct and effective work teams.
c. Consideration will be given by the Secretary for Academic Affairs and the Director
of Academic Administration to the resourcing needs of the Mature Students Office.
d. Academic Affairs will conduct regular surveys of customer groups starting in
October 2007.
Communications: To improve staff effectiveness and more effectively target services to
students, the Secretary for Academic Affairs, managers and staff will act to ensure that:
a. Heads of Offices and Faculty Administrators will meet regularly with the Secretary
for Academic Affairs. Each meeting will have an agenda and minutes with
highlighted items for action.
b. Each functional area within Academic Affairs will hold regular meetings to maintain
internal cohesion and facilitate staff participation.
c. The integrated Contact Centre for students, which will be completed by January
2008, will be supported by a continuously upgraded Academic Affairs ‘student
information’ website, more clearly presented documentation, new information
display boards/screens and revised sign-posting.
d. Issues related to the availability of the prospectuses to career guidance teachers will
be addressed.
3.
IT operations: The management of Academic Affairs will:
a. Develop a service level agreement with Management Information Services.
b. In consultation with the Director of MIS, form a representative ‘MIS user group’ that
meets regularly to prioritise more effectively areas for development and the
progression of current IT projects.
c. Rebalance IT support to ensure that the urgent needs of Admissions are addressed.
d. Undertake a needs assessment of staff IT skills and training needs.
4. A range of other issues arose during the review and in relation to these the management
and/or relevant staff of Academic Affairs will:
a. Annually, after the main set of conferring ceremonies in October, convene a meeting
of all contributing staff to evaluate procedures and arrangements with a view to
maintaining and improving the already high standards.
b. By March 2008, ensure that there is a single source within the new ‘academic
records/registration’ section for the syllabus file, the academic calendar and the
undergraduate and postgraduate prospectuses.
c. Seek to extend opening hours in the evenings to provide services to evening and
distance students by September 2008.
d. Explore the advantages and technical feasibility of recording students’ results against
a module instead of a course instance.
e. Work with relevant academic staff concerned with the administrative burden that the
PAC places on them, as part of the ongoing national review of PAC.
f. Address the needs of students seeking advice and information and needing to discuss
confidential matters in private, by March 2008.
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Report to Údarás – Review of Academic Affairs 2006–2007
3.2 Action Plans for University Management
1.
The Registrar and Deputy President recognises the fundamental roles of Academic
Affairs in the effective operation of the University and will continue to work with the
Secretary for Academic Affairs and through UMT to ensure that Academic Affairs is
well structured and staff members have the resources (and appropriate linkage with other
services) needed to provide the high levels of service they aspire to. For example:

Sufficient resources will be assigned to successfully complete the full rollout of SSR
by September 2007.
2.
A Quality Review of the University Management Team (UMT) is scheduled for later this
year when the operation of UMT will be considered. Any proposals for management
restructuring affecting the role of the Secretary, which may emerge from that review, will
be addressed in the context of the implications for Academic Affairs.
3.
UMT have approved the appointment of a Director of Academic Administration with
responsibility for overall coordination of the restructured sections - Admissions (to
include Postgraduate Admissions and Schools Liaison), Examinations and Student
Records (including student registration).
4.
A new position of Director of Marketing and Communications has been approved by
UMT, which will ensure interaction between the Schools Liaison / student recruitment
and the broader marketing and communications functions in the University. A second
Schools Liaison Officer post is also being filled.
5.
The Academic Affairs Contact Centre advice and information point for students will be
located on the ground floor of Áras Uí Chathail and will be ready to open in January
2008.
6.
A significant benefit of the reform of the examination procedures for students from
2007-‘08 will be that examination results will be known earlier, thus making autumn
conferring easier to organise.
7.
Management Information Services are working with Computer Services to ensure the
dependability of their infrastructure and avoidance of difficulties like those experienced
two years ago during registration.
8.
The Quality Office accepts that, despite the costs involved, there are definite benefits to
be gained from a formal benchmarking exercise being a formal part of many if not all
reviews. Provision for controlled cost benchmarking will be included in the review
guidelines from next year (2007-08).
9.
The excessive solar heat-gain and noise during heavy rain associated with the Perspex
roof in the public area of Áras Uí Chathail will be assessed by the Building’s Office with
a view to their rectification or amelioration by September 2007.
Approved by: Secretary for Academic Affairs, An Dr. Séamus MacMathúna, 25th July 2007.
Approved by: Registrar, Professor Jim Browne, 1st August 2007.
Approved by: VP Physical Resources, Mr Keith Warnock, 23rd August 2007.
Approved by: VP Strategic Initiatives & External Affairs, Professor Gerard Hurley, 30 th July 2007.
Approved by: Director of Human Resources, Mr Chris McNairney, 31st July 2007.
Finalised: Jim Gosling, Director of Quality
27th August 2007