Critical Friend Reviews for institutions, programmes and joint programmes
In this innovative approach to external quality enhancement reviews and accreditation procedures, MusiQuE organises visits by international Critical Friends focusing on a specific discipline, department or on a transversal area.
These visits are part of an overarching review process that ends with a visit of a full review panel.
The results of the procedure and the feedback are more specific, more personal and more recognisable.
In practice:
- The Critical Friends’ visits are spread across the years (ideally each area is visited every three years)
- A Critical Friend can be a specialist in Jazz, Composition, Early Music, but also Research, Ensemble Music-Making, Governance, Quality Culture, etc.
- Each visit results in a report including recommendations for further improvement.
- After 5-6 years, a Review Team visits the institution/programme(s) and oversees the entire external review process (including the work of the Critical Friends) as part of the overall quality enhancement review / accreditation procedure.
Objectives–
- To link the internal and external quality assurance cycles and develop a quality culture in the institution
- To bring a more content-driven focus to external quality assurance processes
- To increase the relevance of the quality enhancement and accreditation processes to students and teachers,
The Handbook for Critical Friend Review can be downloaded below:
Critical Friend Review Poster
See in the poster:
- the potential benefits for your institution
- the main stages of a Critical Friend visit
- details on how the individual visits of each Critical Friend involved in the review spread over the whole review procedure
Two types of Critical Friend review are depicted in the poster: one focused on fields of study and another one reviewing transversal areas to different departments of an institution.
The Critical Friend Review Poster can be downloaded here.
