An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme 2003 – 2004
REVIEW OF
IRISH CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Final Report
5th, April 2004
Irish Centre for Human Rights: Review Group Report
This report arises from a visit by a review team to the Irish Centre for Human Rights
on the 10th-11th February, 2004. The Department had already prepared and submitted
a 'Self Assessment Report' that, with other documentation, was made available to the
review team well in advance of the visit.
The review team consisted of: Ms Angela Hegarty, School of Law,
University of Ulster, (Chairperson); Professor Colin Harvey, School of Law,
University of Leeds; Ms. Jane Liddy, Former President of the first Chamber of
European Commission of Human Rights; Dr. Niall Ó Dochartaigh, Department of
Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway; and Dr.
David O’Sullivan, Department of Industrial Engineering, National University of
Ireland, Galway acting as Rapporteur.
The report is structured to cover the following main topics:
1. Aims and Objectives
2. Organization and Management
3. Programmes and Instruction
4. Scholarship and Research
5. Community Service
6. Summary and Concluding Remarks
1.
Aims and Objectives
The reviewers acknowledge the effort and significant amount of work in preparing the
documentation received before and during the review visit. The documentation was
helpful in informing the reviewers of the work of the centre. Documentation included
a comprehensive five year strategic plan. Informally, the aims and objectives of the
centre were articulated by all staff interviewed. Staff displayed a very high esprit de
corps, collegiality and shared purpose. The annual reports and bulletins produced by
the centre are rich in information about the centre’s achievements and plans for the
future. The review group acknowledges and supports the emphasis on research as a
primary activity of the centre and also acknowledges the contribution to teaching. We
recognise that the centre has become a world class human rights centre in a
remarkably short period of time. The reviewers would like to offer the following
recommendations to underpin the centre’s aims and objectives:
1.1
1.2
The centre should continue to explore its relationship and work to strengthen
lines of communication on a routine basis with the law faculty and school of
law with a view to participating in ‘law’ development within the University
and collaborating across research and learning programmes. The reviewers
recommend the establishment of annual or biannual meetings between senior
personnel in the Law Faculty, Law School and the Centre to discuss areas of
common interest in research and teaching.
In preparing for future quality reviews we recommend that more attention be
given to ensuring that the documentation adhere to the quality assurance
guidelines e.g. provision of external examiner reports and student surveys.
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Irish Centre for Human Rights: Review Group Report
2.
Organisation and Management
The high esprit de corps within the centre allows for a relatively informal and
cooperative approach to organisation and management. We also recognise that this
can entail managerial limits and difficulties. Staff display an eagerness and flexibility
in dealing with organisational and management issues. Staff meet regularly for both
formal and informal meetings. The diversity of staff (from all continents of the world)
and with diverse yet complementary interests is a major strength in helping the centre
achieve its aims and objectives. Staff appear empowered to act on the aims and
objectives of the centre with the active support of senior management. The
engagement of PhD students in some of the administrative tasks (arranging
conferences and workshops etc.) of the centre is very helpful to staff and allows
students to gain experience. The reviewers would like to offer the following
recommendations to improve the centre’s organisation and management:
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
In order to facilitate the aims and objectives of the centre that a clear and
effective management structure be put in place.
These procedures should address issues such as absence of staff, in particular
senior staff, during the normal academic year and the increased workloads of
administrative and academic staff. A clear description of the respective roles
of director and deputy director should be produced.
More structured management of all staff loads at the centre with visible and
written allocation of workloads,
The administrative burden in the centre has naturally increased and there is a
need to set clear limits to the workload of administrative staff.
The centre needs to do more to ensure that the workload on PhD fellows does
not expand beyond contractual requirements. This is necessary in order to
protect students’ research time.
3.
Programmes and Instruction
The centre has a major post graduate teaching commitment. The range of teaching
programmes based both on campus and abroad (e.g. Malta and Venice) is to be
commended. All staff appear to have a fair teaching load. The reviewers believe it is
time to consolidate the teaching load of the centre while honouring the commitment to
the existing student population. Students were a delight to talk to, regarding the
running of the taught programmes and a continuum of views were expressed. The
reviewers would like to offer the following recommendations to improve the centre’s
programmes and instruction:
3.1
The centre should institute quality assurance mechanisms for its teaching such
as the following: staff-student committee with formal minutes and actions; a
comprehensive student handbook; induction sessions for new students
including PhD students; the circulation of external examiner reports to staff;
avail of staff training programmes available on campus; timetables and class
rescheduling which is sensitive to the learning needs of all students; ensure the
consistency of the application of assignment deadlines; ensure consistent
moderation of marking across all programmes;
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Irish Centre for Human Rights: Review Group Report
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
The centre should conduct student surveys for all courses and programmes run
through the centre.
This is a time to consolidate rather than expand teaching activity and ensure
than commitments to existing students are underpinned by appropriate
resources particularly in the area of library and computer facilities
The University should make an investment in significantly upgrading the book
collection relating to human rights available to student through the University
library
Channel some resources into significantly upgrading the centres web site to
make it more collaborative and central to the exchange of communications
between staff and students.
The centre should consider cutting back on the range of optional courses
available to LLM students as the range of courses is wider than is necessary.
4.
Scholarship and Research
The centre is highly research active and produces a research output which is regarded
by reviewers as world class. The information provided regarding research output is
extremely impressive. The centre is a major contributor to the University’s stated
research aims and objectives. Reviewers noted the high dependence on external
research funds to support its research activities. The use of research reports and
annual PhD presentations were regarded as useful by researchers towards their
research objectives and this was noted by the reviewers.
The reviewers would like to recommend the following:
4.1
4.2
4.3
There should be clear guidelines regarding supervision routines and
expectations for Ph.D students.
PhD completion rate needs to be monitored
The University should develop measures to gauge research output.
5.
Community Service
The centre is very active in its community service and outreach activities. Reviewers
were very impressed with the range of national and international outreach activities.
The proactive engagement with NGO communities through seminars, workshops and
various other events is commendable. The centre’s activities are thoroughly
international and in this regard its engagement with communities as far afield as
China and Sierra Leone are impressive. The reviewers would like to offer the
following recommendations to improve the centre’s service to the broader
community:
5.1
Feeding back knowledge to Irish community: in this respect the reviewers
cannot ignore the fact that the European Convention on Human Rights with its
body of 50 years case law has been incorporated into Irish law with effect
from this year and that Irish society would benefit greatly from expertise of
the calibre to be found within the centre.
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Irish Centre for Human Rights: Review Group Report
6.
Summary and Concluding Remarks
This is a centre of very high international standing and regard, which it has achieved
in a remarkably short period of time. In many ways the centre is a global model of its
kind and the reviewers were tremendously impressed with the energy, commitment,
work rate and entrepreneurial approach adopted throughout the centre. Its contribution
to the University, to the country and to the global understanding and promotion of
human rights is significant and unique.
The centre has very clear aims and objectives and a very highly motivated staff and
student body. The range of activities is impressive and its primary focus is and should
remain research. There is also a natural focus on teaching, which complements good
research. The teaching focus brings with it a continuous and uninterrupted need for
the delivery of quality teaching and pastoral care of students.
In conclusion the review group expresses its gratitude to all of those at the centre and
the university who facilitated its visit and who allowed the reviewers to learn more
about the very important work being undertaken at the centre. We make our
recommendations in the hope that they will, if implemented, make that work even
better.
Ms Angela Hegarty (Chair)
Professor Colin Harvey
Dr. Niall Ó Dochartaigh
Ms. Jane Liddy
Dr. David O’Sullivan (Rapporteur)
(Thursday, 19 February 2004).
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