Quality Assurance
In Québec, the only institutions authorized to offer college education are colleges established under the General and Vocational Colleges Act, colleges holding a permit under the Act respecting private education, and affiliated public institutions under the jurisdiction of another Ministère.
The College Education Regulations provide the general framework for the organization of college education and cover admissions, programs of study and the administration of these programs, evaluation of learning and certification of studies. They may also establish the respective responsibilities of the Minister and colleges in this regard.
They also state that every college must adopt an institutional policy on program evaluation (IPPE) and an institutional policy on the evaluation of student achievement (IPESA).
The Commission d’évaluation de l’enseignement collégial (CEEC) was established in 1993. Its mission is to contribute to and demonstrate the development of the quality of college education. The law attributes three main powers to the commission: the power to verify, the power to make recommendations and a declaratory power.
The mandate of the Commission is to evaluate the implementation of college programs, IPPEs and IPESAs. It also evaluates the success plans and strategic plans of each college. The Commission’s reports on each college and its summary reports are made public and may lead to recommendations to the Minister, as well as mandatory recommendations to colleges.
