The Ontario College Quality Assurance Service (OCQAS), undergoes regular external reviews of its systems, practices, and operations by independent and credible experts and is currently undertaking the internal review against the INQAAHE Standards and Guidelines (ISG) as reflected in the OCQAS Organizational  Objectives 2025-2026.

Since its establishment, the OCQAS has been subject to multiple formal external evaluations. These include an external evaluation following the first year of operation of the audit process expressed in the William F Massey Report 2006, the J Randall Report 2010, and an external review against the INQAAHE Guidelines of Good Practice completed in 2020, which resulted in formal recognition by INQAAHE in 2021 (INQAAHE Statement on OCQAS- January 2021).

The OCQAS had originally planned to undergo a subsequent INQAAHE review in 2024–2025; however, this was deferred in order to align with the revised ISGs. This self-assessment has therefore been prepared against the updated ISGs to support the next external review cycle.

These reviews provide independent scrutiny of the OCQAS’ governance, quality assurance frameworks, and operational practices and demonstrate the OCQAS’s sustained commitment to external accountability and alignment with international quality assurance expectations.

The OCQAS proactively and constructively engages with the outcomes of external reviews and uses review findings to inform continuous improvement.

Recommendations arising from external evaluations have been formally considered by the OCQAS’ governance and have informed the ongoing development and refinement of OCQAS policies, quality assurance frameworks, and operational practices. Evidence of this most recent engagement includes follow-up reporting of the recommendations from the INQAAHE Guidelines of Good Practice Alignment – External Review Report – January 2021.

The OCQAS reported annually to the Management Board:

• Update on Status from recommendations from INQAAHE Review 2021- Sep6_2022 (Minutes of Meeting where update on INQAAHE Recommendations were reported 23 Sep 2022)
• Update on Status from recommendations from INQAAHE Review 2021- June 2023 (Minutes of Meeting where update on INQAAHE Recommendations were reported 20 Jun 2023)
• Update on Status from recommendations from INQAAHE Review 2021- April 2024 (Minutes of Meeting where update on INQAAHE Recommendations were reported 26 Aug 2024)

These relate the progress arising from the recommendations of the INQAAHE review, ensuring that the Board remained informed of implementation activities and ongoing improvements.

OCQAS makes the self-assessments and reports of its external evaluations publicly available through its website, supporting transparency and accountability.

This sustained engagement with external review outcomes demonstrates the OCQAS’s commitment to reflective practice, continuous improvement, and responsiveness to international expectations.