Expanding pathways into higher education: NCI’s CINNTE review published
The National College of Ireland (NCI) is the fourth independent/private higher education institution (HEI) to complete the CINNTE review process - an institution-wide review process – which assesses and reports on the effectiveness of internal quality assurance systems. To date, only publicly regulated HEIs have undertaken CINNTE reviews. In 2024, NCI was one of four larger independent/private HEIs to undertake institutional review and this is the final report to published.
Through its CINNTE cycle of reviews, QQI assesses and reports on how effectively HEIs are maintaining and enhancing quality in education. The reviews explore how institutions have improved their teaching, learning and research systems, and how well institutions have aligned with their own mission, quality indicators and benchmarks.
An independent team of national and international experts completed a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the QA system in NCI, recognising instances of good practice which deliver impact for students and staff, and making recommendations on areas for improvement.
The review report is now published by QQI.
The review team commends:
- NCI for the shared, strong and deep commitment to the institutional mission, how this is made manifest across the work of the institution, strategically, operationally and at all levels and the real sense of belonging to the organisation.
- the strategic approach and extensive range of initiatives designed to support access and progression, in particular the Early Learning Initiative (ELI) and P-TECH and the significant contribution they make to expanding pathways into higher education.
- the progress across ELI and the schools in building an impactful base of research activity [which] provides an excellent platform for further growth and development. The alignment of the work of the ELI in this space with the social aspects of the NCI mission is noteworthy.
- the enhancement of the physical environment through the acquisition of an additional campus and the decisions on the use of the expanded space to improve the supports for students.
- the institution on its continued and dedicated engagement with the Athena Swan Charter and the embedding of EDI principles in its core activities.
The review team also made a number of recommendations for improvements in NCI to:
- complete the vital review, revision and publication of its academic governance structures within the 2024/25 academic session as planned to ensure that all academic decision-making that should be the responsibility of an academic council and an appropriate set of committees and sub-committees is principally considered by or through that governance forum.
- […] ensure that all policies, procedures and other information in the QAES […] is accurate, complete, accessible and functions effectively as a single source of truth.
- ensure that each of its strategic objectives is SMART, with clear indicators of performance, agreed milestones and targets to allow better tracking of progress and performance.
- prioritise and expedite its work to determine the optimum balance of full-time faculty and associate faculty to support the overall NCI strategy and for effective learning on each programme […].
- establish a Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) for all institution staff so that formal performance quality assurance is conducted and that development needs are recorded and addressed in a systematic, transparent and timely way.
Speaking on the publication of the report, Rowena Pelik (Independent HE Consultant and a former director in the QAA, UK), who chaired the NCI review, commented:
“The team reviewing National College Ireland was impressed by the shared, strong and deep commitment to the institutional mission “to change lives through education”. This was manifest across the work of NCI, strategically, operationally and at all levels. NCI is embedded in the local community it serves and is valued by it. The strength and importance of community and employer relationships was evident in the pioneering work of the Early Learning Initiative and in work in social justice. It was also seen in the proactive approach of the careers service and the involvement of many industry-based faculty in ensuring the relevance of learning to current and future challenges. The review team was equally impressed by the clear student-centred ethos that permeated the approach of the institution. Both the commitment to mission and to students was an active driver of actions, shaping the evolution of the campus, the provision of supports for students and the developing portfolio of programmes. The team also identified improvements to enable NCI to fulfil its ambitions, and to take full responsibility for quality assurance and quality enhancement, as it continues its intended progress towards Delegated Authority”.
Responding to the publication of the report, Professor Gina Quin, President, National College of Ireland commented:
“The publication of our CINNTE review report is an important milestone for National College of Ireland. This review commends the high level of expertise across our academic and support staff and specifically remarks on the strong alignment of academic endeavor with NCI’s mission “to change lives through education”. The team commended our strategic approach to initiatives to increase access to higher education and learner progression, the progress made in building an impactful base of research activity, the enhancement of the physical environment through the acquisition of an additional campus building and our dedicated engagement with Athena Swan and EDI.
The review team reinforced the importance of the priorities NCI had identified in our comprehensive self-evaluation. We will now complete the planned review and re-publication of QA policies and academic governance structures and further enhance strategic planning by adopting a SMART approach; we will work to achieve an effective balance of permanent and associate faculty to deliver learning outcomes while also supporting NCI staff through systematic performance monitoring and development approaches.
I’d like to thank the review team for their constructive insights that will inform the College as we continue to grow, and QQI for their guidance throughout the process. I also acknowledge the great work of our QIE team, our CINNTE Advisory Group, staff and students, as well as our external partners, and so many others within NCI who participated in our self-evaluation and the Review Team site visit”.
Finally, Cliona Curley, QQI Interim CEO, commended NCI on its engagement with the CINNTE review process, remarking,
"QQI's CINNTE review cycle is crucial for ensuring the quality of higher education in Ireland. This report marks a significant milestone as larger independent/private institutions are now part of the institutional review cycle. We welcome the review team's findings, which highlight NCI's deep commitment to ensuring a sense of belonging across the institution through strategically developed initiatives to support access and progression, as well as a dedication to embedding EDI principles in its core activities. Equally, the recommendations in the report provide a pathway for NCI to strengthen the governance and management of its internal quality framework and support the strategic priorities of the institution to ensure high-quality outcomes for all students."
CINNTE reviews are one element of the broader quality framework for institutions which also includes Quality Assurance Guidelines; each institution’s Quality Assurance Procedures; Annual Quality Reports (AQR); and Dialogue Meetings.
The CINNTE review cycle has run from 2017-2024, having been extended by a year to include four newly established technological universities and the four largest independent/private HEIs. During this period, QQI has organised and overseen the independent reviews of each of the universities, technological universities and institutes of technology.
