The OCQAS sets out clear, specific, and actionable quality assurance expectations that guide its external quality assurance activities across the Ontario public college system. These are publicly accessible on the OCQAS website and form the basis for both the College Quality Assurance Audit Process (CQAAP) and the Credential Validation Service (CVS).

CQAAP Standards
The CQAAP-Standards and requirements table define the expectations that all Ontario public colleges must meet to demonstrate effective institutional quality assurance. Each of the six Standards is accompanied by detailed requirements, guiding information, quality assurance mechanisms, and explicit examples of supporting evidence. These materials ensure that expectations are precise, actionable, and easily understood by the colleges.

The CQAAP Guidelines and Framework further operationalize these standards by clarifying the intent of the activity, outlining the processes for demonstrating compliance.

Both documents are publicly available under CQAAP Resources – Guidelines on the OCQAS website, ensuring transparency and system-wide access.

CVS Requirements
For the Credential Validation Service (CVS), the underlying standards and criteria are established externally by the Ministry through the Minister’s Binding Policy Directive – Framework for Programs of Instruction and the Ontario Qualifications Framework. The OCQAS does not set these provincial requirements; rather, it operationalizes them through publicly available CVS Credential Validation Guidelines, tools, templates, training materials, and explanatory resources that translate the Ministry’s expectations into a clear and consistent validation process for colleges.

To support effective engagement with these requirements, the OCQAS provides supplementary materials and regular guidance opportunities, including In Focus resources, recorded guidance videos,  workshops (Training Videos, YouTube Channel), and direct advisory support during program development and validation. In this way, the OCQAS helps colleges understand and apply the Ministry’s requirements consistently, while maintaining institutional responsibility for program design and compliance.

Together, these public documents and support resources ensure that OCQAS external quality assurance activities are grounded in clear, actionable, and widely accessible expectations.

The OCQAS ensures that colleges understand exactly what is required to demonstrate compliance by providing explicit minimum requirements, structured guidance, and multiple support mechanisms tailored to the needs of the sector.

CQAAP Minimum Requirements

The CQAAP-Standards and requirements table define the minimum expectations for compliance. This table includes the required evidence for each requirement, descriptions of acceptable documentation, and guiding information that clarifies intent and interpretation.

The CQAAP Guidelines and Framework[1] builds on this by outlining the structure and required components of the audit package, expectations for triangulation and consistency of evidence, and the role of data and institutional mechanisms.

In the CQAAP Guidelines and Framework document, the OCQAS sets out the expectations of what is required to demonstrate compliance.

Extract from CQAAP Guidelines and Framework (p.10):

“The effectiveness of a college’s quality assurance system, specifically its ability to ensure continuous improvement in achieving its stated objectives, will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• • Implementation of quality assurance mechanisms.
  • Effectiveness of these mechanisms, which includes their capacity to measure and ensure continuous quality improvement by:
  • Conducting a critical assessment of how well the mechanisms meet their stated objectives.
  • Identifying strengths and areas for improvement to ensure these objectives are achieved.
  • Implementing corrective measures for improvement, such as through an action plan, within a context of continuous quality improvement.
  • Review and enhancement of quality assurance mechanisms to maintain their effectiveness.”

Communication and College Support
The OCQAS reinforces clarity through templates and structured audit package instructions, examples of appropriate evidence, informal draft review, and comprehensive guiding materials, including videos.

The OCQAS hosts community-of-practice drop-in bi-weekly sessions, facilitating a standing forum for institutions to ask questions, learn from peers, and receive direct guidance from the OCQAS. This ongoing engagement builds collective expertise, ensures consistent communication and information sharing across the sector.

CVS Minimum Requirements

The minimum requirements are established through the Minister’s Binding Policy Directives (MBPD) and the Ontario Qualifications Framework, which have remained unchanged since their 2009 review. The OCQAS’ CVS Credential Validation Guidelines, guides, tools and templates support colleges in interpreting these requirements and navigating the program validation process effectively.

Over time, the Ministry has introduced additional reporting elements — such as Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes, National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes, and Experiential Learning (EL) requirements — to support system-level data collection, labour market alignment, and accountability objectives. The OCQAS has incorporated these elements into its CVS Credential Validation Guidelines (pp. 17-20) and developed complementary training materials and workshops to ensure colleges are well supported in meeting these evolving expectations.

[1] The CQAAP Guidelines and Framework is reviewed and republished each year by September; the year reference reflects OCQAS’s annual document review.