Ensuring quality in education (https://www.unisi.it/ateneo/assicurazione-della-qualita/procedure-assicurazione-qualita-didattica) means guaranteeing that the entire educational pathway offered is effective, consistent with stated objectives, and capable of meeting the needs of students, the workforce, and society. Quality monitoring is a continuous and systematic process that allows evaluation of how study programs are designed, managed, and improved over time. This process includes data collection and analysis, active involvement of faculty and students, and the development of corrective and developmental actions.
Through monitoring, fundamental elements are analyzed such as:
- Consistency between educational objectives and actual outcomes achieved,
- Regularity of students' study paths,
- Quality of teaching and educational materials,
- Student satisfaction,
- Level of innovation and update of educational offerings.
The objective is twofold: on one hand, ensuring transparency and accountability towards students and the community; on the other, promoting continuous improvement to enable the University to offer increasingly effective, accessible, and internationally and nationally compliant educational paths. In this context, each study program within the Department of Surgical Medical Sciences and Neuroscience has specific bodies responsible for monitoring the program and conducting periodic reviews. These bodies play a fundamental role in ensuring that study programs meet high standards of educational quality, promoting continuous improvement in teaching practices and student experience. This participatory and integrated approach allows for timely identification of any issues and targeted interventions, thereby strengthening confidence in the quality of academic offerings.
Bodies:
Quality Assurance of study programs within the Department of Surgical Medical Sciences and Neuroscience is ensured through the actions of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMSS), the Joint Commission of Teachers and Students (CPDS), and the Teaching Committees (CpD).
The School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMSS) (https://medicina.unisi.it/it/scuola/organi-della-scuola) consists of the Departments of Medical Biotechnologies (DBM), Molecular Medicine and Development (DMMS), and Medical, Surgical, and Neuroscience Sciences (DSMCN). These departments, each specialized in distinct areas of medicine and health sciences, are connected through disciplinary affinities, teachings, and shared services management. The main goal of the school is to ensure high standards of quality, optimization, and effectiveness in educational offerings for first and second level courses, specialization schools, and doctoral courses. Teaching-related activities and student support are coordinated through various offices, including the Office of Teaching Design and Programming, the Student Services Office for areas of biotechnology, medicine, dentistry, and health professions, the Specialization Schools Office, and the Access Procedures Office.
The Joint Commission of Teachers and Students (CPDS) of the SMSS (https://medicina.unisi.it/it/scuola/organi-della-scuola) focuses on detailed monitoring of educational offerings and teaching quality. It uses specific indicators harmonized with ANVUR guidelines to assess achievement of educational objectives. Its work includes collecting and analyzing student feedback, identifying areas for improvement, and specific issues for each study program.
The Teaching Committee (CpD) consists of faculty and student representatives. Its task is to continuously supervise and improve study programs through redesign, management, and review activities. This body plays a crucial role in adapting educational offerings to current needs and ensuring high quality standards.
Documents related to quality:
The operation of the Quality Assurance system for each study program is based on the following documents:
- The Annual Single Report of the study program (SUA-CDS) is a functional management tool for designing, implementing, self-assessing, and redesigning the study program.
- The Annual Report of the CPDS, structured for each study program, is a document that considers the entirety of the educational offering, with specific reference to student feedback surveys, indicating any specific problems with individual study programs.
- The Annual Monitoring Sheet (SMA) is a self-assessment document prepared annually by the CpD based on AVA system guidelines (Self-assessment, Periodic Evaluation, Accreditation). Its purpose is to verify the adequacy of the learning objectives set by the course, the correspondence between objectives and outcomes, the effectiveness of how the study program is managed, and includes the identification of causes of any unsatisfactory results. In particular, SMA analyzes indicators on student careers and other quantitative monitoring indicators, which the CpD must succinctly comment on.
- The Monitoring of improvement actions is an annual document prepared by the CpD describing improvement actions taken in response to feedback and suggestions reported in the CPDS annual report.
- The Cyclical Review Report is a self-assessment document prepared at least every 5 years or as necessary by the CpD, representing the most significant self-assessment moment for the study program, during which preset objectives are critically analyzed, and achieved performances and results are evaluated.