Since May 2016, the COE C-IED has been certified with the Quality Assurance Accreditation Certificate as the core processes and procedures of the COE C-IED were reviewed and identified as being aligned with NATO Quality Standards.
Quality processes as used by this institution pertain to two different concepts: Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA):
- Quality Control is a systematic approach to identifying and rectifying problems at each step of the process in any specific activity.
- Quality Assurance widens the responsibility for quality to include other functions beyond the main/direct activities. The focus is aimed at preventing errors, mistakes and defects.
C-IED COE personnel, instructors, staff, admin, military and civilian are selected on the base of Peacetime Establishment (PE) job descriptions and are formally evaluated by their direct superior according to national and NATO standards.
C-IED COE’s principles for quality assurance include:
Transparency
A publicly available Quality Assurance (QA) policy for the continuous enhancement of quality, including the C-IED COE Organization, and the description of the students’, SMEs’ and instructors’ involvement.
Use of the C-IED COE website and NATO C-IED information portals to provide public information on QA policy and detailed information on content, courses plan, job descriptions and facilities to ensure full transparency.
System approach
Formal mechanisms for the approval, periodic review and monitoring of C-IED COE’s provision of E&T.
Compliance
Course QA Battle Rhythm to collect, analyse and use relevant information for the effective management of C-IED COE’s courses (e.g. student satisfaction criteria, instructor satisfaction criteria).
Professionalism
Teaching staff quality assurance program to best ensure that staffs involved in teaching, students are qualified and competent, including procedures to identify the current level of expertise of SMEs, guest speakers/contract lectures.
Customer focused
Learning resources, means of support and instruments which ensure that the resources available to support the student’s learning process are adequate and appropriate for each course offered.
Key performance indicators.
Key Performance indicators (KPIs) represent a set of measures focusing on those aspects of institutional performance that are the most critical for the current and future success of the center. KPI should be measure frequently, tracked on a regular basis, and if they are not meeting the target then processes or systems need to be modified. In order to achieve this, CIED COE identify the below described KPIs:
- Planned vs executed events: It provides percentage of executed events versus the planned ones. Considered events are no-training-related events such as conferences, workshops and seminars.
- Planned vs executed courses: It provides percentage of accomplished courses versus the planned ones
- Attendee application Rate: It provides percentage of available seats versus demanded ones.
- Attendees from NCS/NFS: It presents acceptance of the course at NCS/NFS. Shown as a percentage of attendees.
- Attendees from SN: It presents acceptance of the course at SN. Shown as a percentage of attendees.
- Value of course in current job: For attendees assigned to a NCS/ NFS position, it lets us know if the course fulfils requirements. Information obtained from post-course (6-month) questionaire.
- Quality of our Courses by attendees. (Critic Sheets): It lets us know if attendees meet their expectations
- C-IED CoE webpage visits: It presents a trend on relevance and worldwide interest.
