Monitoring Means

Having paused to reflect on whether your intended destination is the right one and how well you are progressing towards it, the last element required is to consider whether the way in which you are travelling is still fit for purpose. What is therefore required is a constant review of the effectiveness of the measures you have put in place to achieve your strategic objectives.

Further Education institutions will be well versed in the concept of annually reviewing the effectiveness of their leadership and management as part of sector-wide Self Assessment Reporting (SAR) which is submitted to the primary FE funder. Further information on this is available from the Ofsted website.

There is certainly much to be said for making the monitoring process a regular, annual one. For example, one university has an annual evaluative process owned by Faculties and reporting through the committee structure to arrive eventually at the Governors meeting for their approval; resulting in a feedback loop into next year's planning. In this manner the strategic aims are monitored from student/module level upwards on a pre-planned, annual basis.

Nor should we overlook the value of the external perspective. Whether it be from an independent external quality assessor or auditor, or as part of a peer-review process by representatives from another local institution; including the views of dispassionate, detached observers can add an extra dimension to your monitoring processes by pointing out the obvious and seeing through the fog of over-familiarity.