ABOUT US

Quality

Quality must exist in everything we do. It is a demanding task, and it is a legitimate expectation from all who choose us to study, research, collaborate and develop a business.

Going far beyond the required parameters, Politécnico da Guarda’s quality policy aims to place the institution as a reference for high-quality standards in training, technical services, and regional leadership, building solutions for sustainable development while promoting innovative areas of action in which highly qualified human resources contribute to solving regional problems in a global context.

Internal Quality Assurance System

About Us

This service is diverse and comprehensive, and its management is stratified between four bodies. The presidency, with top management, the Council for Assessment and Quality, which ensures coordination, and the Quality Assessment Office, with an operational focus, working with the support of the Quality Work Group, which handles extensive monitoring of implemented processes.

The Council for Evaluation and Quality (CAQ) is the department of Politécnico da Guarda responsible for, under article 47 of the Statutes of the Instituto Politécnico da Guarda (Available only in Portuguese), establishing the mechanisms for regular self-evaluation of the Institute’s performance, its organic units, as well as scientific and pedagogical activities subject to the national system for evaluation and accreditation, under the terms of the law. It must also guarantee compliance with the law, compliance with legal obligations and collaboration with the competent bodies (cf. Article 46 of the Statutes). The powers of the CAQ fall within the strategy and policy of evaluation and quality to be pursued by Politécnico da Guarda:

  • To coordinate all the processes of self-assessment and external assessment of the performance of the Institute, of its Organic Units, as well as of scientific and pedagogical activities subject or not to the national evaluation and accreditation system.
  • To develop a multi-annual plan showing the functional areas that must be evaluated.
  • To propose evaluation norms to be applied and define quality standards.
  • To present and schedule the levels of proficiency that each quality standard must achieve.
  • To analyse the evaluation processes carried out and prepare the respective appraisal reports.
  • To propose measures to the President of Politécnico da Guarda to correct identified weaknesses.

The Quality Evaluation Office (QEO) is an operational support service of the Council for Evaluation and Quality (CEA), under article 10 of the Organic Regulation of the Central Services of the IPG (Available only in Portuguese), focusing its strategic action on implementing a culture of quality at Politécnico da Guarda, supporting the processes of self-evaluation and external evaluation of the study cycles. And implementing and managing the Internal Quality Assurance System of Politécnico da Guarda (IQAS-IPG). It is, therefore, responsible for:

  • Supporting the internal and external evaluation processes and the implementation and development of the IQAS.
  • Collaboration in the development of guidelines and policies defined by the CEA.
  • Preparing an annual plan of internal audits following directions from the CEA.
  • Preparing and streamlining internal audits and, in a more general scope of internal control, the procedures and initiatives that allow them to be carried out.
  • Supporting Top Management in implementing improvement actions.
  • Cooperation in the diagnosis of internal training needs with Top Management and the Human Resources Division.
  • Ensuring the update of the WeMake document management platform;
  • Developing and reviewing the Quality Manual (QM).

Team

  • Graça Tomaz
  • Teresa Teodoro

According to order nº 18/P.IPG/2021 (Available only in Portuguese), the Quality Workgroup (QW) is an organic and flexible structure aimed at providing support in specific activities to be developed within the scope of the Assessment and Quality Office (AQO), when an assessment of planned processes is essential, involving the consultation and incorporation of perspectives, interests and, also, ways of participation of Schools, Services and the Unit for the Development of the Interior (UDI) in the Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS).

The AQO is responsible, namely:

  • For collaboration in the construction and review of procedures and processes within the scope of quality.
  • To promote the implementation of good quality practices in the respective Organic Unit or Functional Unit, based on Politécnico da Guarda quality policy.
  • To report information to the GAQ on possible situations of non-compliance in the Organic Unit or Functional Unit to promote continuous improvement.
  • To contribute to continuously evaluating and monitoring the improvement processes in the respective Organic Units and/or Functional Units.

QW members:

  • Carolina Vila-Chã (School of Education, Communication and Sports)
  • Maximiano Ribeiro (School of Health)
  • Joaquim Mateus (School of Technology and Management)
  • Ricardo Guerra (School of Tourism and Hospitality)
  • Maria Cristina Castro (Interior Development Research Unit)
  • Susana Pereira (Mobility and Cooperation Office and other Functional Units)

DOCUMENTS FOR CONSULTATION

Available only in Portuguese

GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS

Here you will find both internal and external guideline documents.

Studies, Enquiries, Reports

Here you will find studies, surveys and reports resulting from the periodic monitoring mechanisms IPG has deployed to develop its activity, meeting the needs and expectations of the interested parties.

INTERNAL AUDITS

Here you will find information about the Internal Audit Program annually defined for periodic verification of the levels of execution and compliance of the IQAS-IPG procedures.

BENCHMARKS

Here you will find the IQAS indicators foreseen within the scope of the procedures, work instructions, QUAR and Strategic Plan, thus covering the various areas of the IPG’s mission.

EXTERNAL EVALUATION

Here you will find the results of the external evaluation and accreditation processes of the IPG (Institutional Evaluation), respective IQAS (Certification of Internal Quality Assurance Systems) and Study Cycles (Evaluation of Study Cycles).

CAN WE HELP?

Contact the Evaluation and Quality Office

Instituto Politécnico da Guarda
Avenida Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro, n.º 50
6300-559 Guarda

Phone: 271 220 100 (extension 2064)

Email: gaq@ipg.pt