Introductory description

The module is the third and final in a suite which will contribute to professional development activity for established and prospective inspectors of school, college and higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This module introduces inspectors to the principles and processes adopted by the UAE in the post-institutional visit phase of an inspection. It focuses on each inspector’s evidence and judgement reviews, report writing to publication standard and independent quality assurance checks on the sufficiency and reliability of judgements which are finalised in a publication ready inspection report.

The module is distinctive because of its bias towards each individual inspector’s performance and much less on the team working that exemplifies module 1 and 2. Inspectors are required to write accurate and clear reports that astutely capture violations with the UAE’s laws and regulations. It draws from the prospective inspector’s experience in formulating evidence-based judgements and capturing them in elements of a formal inspection report that will subsequently be published.

Independent quality assurance checks culminate in a capacity building and improvement process review conducted by a lead inspector.

The module concludes with a critical self-evaluative narrative embracing personal lessons identified in all three modules and the production of a time-bound comprehensive personal improvement action plan.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

1. Quality assurance of the inspection visit; analysing and reviewing evidence bases.
2. Consolidating judgements: fact or fiction?
3. Managing feedback to organisations.
4. Report writing

• house writing style
• language used
• ensuring judgements are supported by compelling evidence (evidence used, what was found, alignment with standards, judgement), remedial action (if required).

1. Writing for different audiences, clarity, editing and proof reading.
2. Driving quality improvement (if applicable): supporting organisations to move forward

• leadership for learning
• quality improvement plan - intervention and impact
• supporting whole organisational and teacher development.

1. Personal and inspection time management. Clarity over the responsibilities of each inspector, during the on-site inspection and generating the post-inspection reports.
2. Preparedness to internally challenge and be challenged on interpretation of the evidence.
3. Team roles, collective responsibilities, dynamics. Adherence to inspection protocols and procedures.
4. Team-working skills, to include reviewing evidences, contributing recommendations, contributing to process reviews that lead to improvement in inspection practice.
5. The development of key competencies in the QFEmirates Corelife skills strands; including Literacy and numeracy, Information assimilation and application, Communication, Organising self, Working with others, Mathematical/problem solving, effective use of Technology (ICT) and Societal participation or practice.
6. The evidenced development of specific Knowledge, Skill and Aspects of Competence associated with QFEmirates level 8 qualifications.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• 1.1 Draw on examples from research and practice to evaluate approaches to post-inspection reporting.
• 1.2 Identify the characteristics of a good inspection report.
• 2.1 Apply QFEmirates CoreLife skills (handling information, communication, organizing self, working with others, mathematical/problem solving, ICT, societal) to post-inspection activities.
• 3.1 Ensure that recorded judgements are valid, sufficient and reliable and matched to evidences so that they withstand external scrutiny.
• 4.1 Apply subject knowledge, cognitive skills and CoreLife skills to practice in post inspection evaluation and reporting in general, professional and vocational, or higher education settings.
• 4.2 Critically reflect on their own post inspection practices and those of their peers.
• 4.3 Develop a special set of skills required for effective report writing: • writing skills (Plain English) • writing for a non-technical audience of readers with English as a second language • reviewing and improving text • spelling, punctuation and grammar tools (e.g. Flesch-Kincaid grade levels) • syntax • active-voice sentences.

Indicative reading list

Asiyai, R. I. (2020) Best practices for quality assurance in higher
education: implications for educational administration, International Journal of Leadership in Education. Available from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603124.2019.1710569.

Baxter, J. (ed) (2018) School inspectors: Policy implementers, policy shapers in national policy contexts, Springer: Cham, Switzerland.
Coffield, F. (2017) Will the Leopard Change its Spots? A new model of inspection for Ofsted, UCL Institute of Education Press, University College, London.

Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) (2019) Standards for Institutional Licensure and Program Accreditation 2019, CAA: UAE. Available from https://www.caa.ae/caa/images/Standards2019.pdf.

Gray, A. (2019) European school inspection and evaluation, Bookworm: Retford.

Grek, S. and Lindgren, J. (Ed) (2014) Governing by inspection, Routledge: Abingdon.

Hislop, H. (2017) A co-professional approach to inspection for accountability and improvement: progress and prospects in the Irish context, The Irish Journal of Education, xlii, 3-27.

Laar, B. (2007) Inspection and accountability, David Fulton: Abingdon.
Macbeath, J. (2006) School inspection and self evaluation, Routledge: Abingdon.

National Qualifications Authority (NQA) (2012).The Qualifications Framework Emirates (QFEmirates) Handbook, NQA: UAE. Available from
http://www.qualifications.ae/pdf/QF%20Handbook_v1b_28_Feb_2012.pdf.

National Qualifications Authority (NQA) (2012). Know about National Qualifications Framework (QFEmirates) of UAE, NQA: UAE. Available from
http://www.qualifications.ae/pdf/QFEmirates%20Summary_Feb_28_2012.pdf.

Ofsted (2019).The Education Inspection Framework, Ofsted: London. Available from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/801429/Education_inspection_framework.pdf.
Ofsted (2019). School inspection handbook, Ofsted: London. Available from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/843108/School_inspection_handbook_-_section_5.pdf.
Ofsted (2020). Further education and skills inspection handbook, Ofsted: London. Available from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/861500/Further_education_and_skills_handbook_Jan_2020.pdf.
QAA (2014). The frameworks for higher education qualifications of UK degree-awarding bodies, QAA: Gloucester. Available from https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/qualifications-frameworks.pdf?sfvrsn=170af781_16.

QAA (2018). The revised quality code for higher education, UKSCQA/QAA: Gloucester. Available from https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/revised-uk-quality-code-for-higher-education.pdf?sfvrsn=4c19f781_8.

QAA (2020). Types of review, QAA: Gloucester. Available from https://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviewing-higher-education/types-of-review [accessed 20 February 2020].

Ryan, P. (2015). Quality assurance in higher education: A review of literature. Higher Learning Research Communications, 5(4). Available from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/hlrc/.

Wilson, J. (2012) Tales and travels of a school inspector, Birlinn: Edinburgh.

Research element

The principles of practitioner research are embedded in the module. All participants - students, their professional mentors, and inspected institutions - have a stake in the inspection, and students (prospective inspectors) use the inspection environment as the focus of their study, drawing from their observation of qualified inspectors and their own experience of post inspection activities. Evidence from ‘real-time’, ‘live’ inspection activity, and practice from previous inspections, both in the UAE and elsewhere, will inform reflection, and will thus improve subsequent practice.

Students draw from their inspection activities during inspection observation, and from their learning diaries, to summarise their experience in an assessed end-of-module critical reflective narrative.

This narrative will further inform the development of the final synoptic summative portfolio and a final overarching critical reflection at the end of the programme, and which forms the
final element of assessment in this module. The portfolio will include personal reflective diaries based upon inspection activities and will gather evidence from both participants’ professional practice as well as from a range of activities and resources gathered during the modules.

Interdisciplinary

The module develops interdisciplinary knowledge and practice through the integration of sightlines from psychology, sociology and economics in order to explore the current state of general, professional and vocational, and higher education settings in the UAE.

International

The module requires students to engage critically with a number of different international models for the evaluation of institutional condition in general, professional and vocational, and higher education settings

Subject specific skills

This module is designed specifically as part of a suite of professional development activities for UAE Government employees who will be engaged in inspection activities in general, professional and vocational, and higher education settings.

They will identify and develop effective post-inspection practices, critically reflecting on both, the practices of their peers by observation of post inspection activities and of themselves in their first mentored inspection. A number of international case study examples will be used as benchmarks.

In particular, students are required to apply subject knowledge, cognitive skills and key skills in analysing the judgements of their first inspection, applying educational theory to practice, and practice to theory.

They will draw from the findings of an inspection to author evidence-based elements of the post inspection published report.

Transferable skills

Within the UAE, the national qualifications framework (QFEmirates) requires that the development of CoreLife Skills is embedded within the curriculum of all levels of the education sector (Section 7.4 of http://www.qualifications.ae/pdf/QF%20Handbook_v1b_28_Feb_2012.pdf). The UAE CoreLife Skills are therefore adopted as the framework for the development of transferable skills within the module curriculum. This will provide prospective inspectors with opportunities to reflect upon their personal skill development through the lens of CoreLife Skills.

The mapping below demonstrates alignment of CoreLife skills with the module learning outcomes articulated in section 2:

CoreLife Skills Module Learning Outcomes
Handling information: 1.1; 1.2; 3.1; 4.2; 4.3

Communication: 1.1; 1.2; 3.1; 4.2; 4.3

Organizing self: 1.2; 3.1; 4.3

Working with others: 4.2; 4.3

Mathematical/ problem solving: 1.1; 1.2; 3.1; 4.2; 4.3

ICT: 1.1; 1.2; 3.1; 4.3

Societal: 1.1; 3.1; 4.2; 4.3