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Instruments and Mechanisms

Portal UMinho > EN > Institutional > Quality > SIGAQ-UM > Instruments and Mechanisms

Instruments and Mechanisms of SIGAQ-UM
The University of Minho's Internal Quality Assurance System (SIGAQ-UM) adopts an integrated and holistic approach to quality assurance across the core areas of the University's institutional mission: Teaching, Research and Services. This approach includes the organisation of instruments (questionnaires and reports) and mechanisms (primarily alerts, audits, compliments, suggestions and complaints).

You can search the instruments and mechanisms currently in operation within SIGAQ-UM below.



Introduza um termo de pesquisa ou selecione um instrumento.

📘 Teaching

Coverage of degree and non-degree programmes.

🔬 Research

Coverage of research activities.

⚙ Services

Coverage of the activities carried out by service units, offices and teams.

CALENDAR AND OTHER RESOURCES

SIGAQ-UM Calendar | Teaching

 

Degree Programmes


Video | Explore the instruments 

 
SIGAQ-UM Produced by Júlia Lopes


DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Intruments

 

Questionnaires

Quick Course Unit Questionnaire– Optional Version [QRUC-fac]

To continuously collect alerts relating to the teaching and learning process within individual Course Units (CUs).

Quick Course Unit Questionnaire – Mandatory Version [QRUC-obr]

To collect students opinions on general aspects relating to the operation of a Course Unit and, based on predefined flagging criteria, identify whether further feedback should be gathered through the administration of the QUCe questionnaire.

Course Unit Questionnaire – Student Version [QUCe]

To collect detailed feedback from students on the aspects that led to a Course Unit being flagged following the administration of the QRUC questionnaire.

Course Unit Questionnaire – Teacher Version [QUCd]

To collect faculty opinions on aspects relating to the operation of a Course Unit.

Procedure

Gather detailed feedback from faculty members regarding the operation of the course unit.

View document

Degree Programme Questionnaire [QC]

To collect students' opinions on general aspects relating to how their degree programme operates.

Procedure

Students provide feedback on how their degree programme operates. The questionnaires are administered electronically through UMinho's Intranet (alunos.uminho.pt > Teaching Quality) and the UMinho app, available for Android and iOS. 

View document

International Student Questionnaire [QEI]

To collect students' opinions on aspects relating to their academic integration.

Procedure

The questionnaire is administered systematically to all international students after they complete their first academic year of enrolment. The data collected is used by members of the University's Rectorate team with responsibilities for Education and Internationalisation.

View document

Graduates' Career Path Questionnaire – Recent Graduates Version [QP2D]

To collect recent graduates' opinions on aspects relating to their social and professional trajectories, employability skills, and satisfaction with the academic education they received.

Reports

Course Unit Report [RUC]

To foster reflection among the teaching staff on the functioning of the curricular unit.

Procedure

To characterize, in a concise and systematic manner, the organization and operation of a specific instance of a course unit (in terms of time and space), using automatically obtained data and additional information derived from the teaching team's reflections. Final versions of these reports (RUCs) are made available to the course unit's teaching team, the Program Director of the course in which the unit is taught, the Head of the Department to which the course unit coordinator belongs, the Head of the Department to which the Program Director belongs, the Chair of the Pedagogical Council, the Head of the Organizational Unit responsible for the course, and the Head of the Organizational Unit to which the course unit coordinator belongs.

View document

Degree Programme Report – annual variant [RCa]

To foster reflection on the functioning of the degree programme by the course committee.

Procedure

To characterize, in a concise and systematic manner, the organization and operation of the program, using automatically obtained data and additional information derived from the program committee's own reflection. Final versions of RCa-type reports are made available to the Program Committee, the Director of the Department to which the Program Director belongs, the President of the Pedagogical Council, and the President of the organizational unit responsible for the program.

View document

Organic Unit Report – Teaching Stream [RUOe]

To foster reflection on the organization and operation of the courses by the Pedagogical/Scientific Council.

Structure

The report comprises a general overview, an analysis of course demand and operations, an analysis of training efficiency and effectiveness, a SWOT analysis, an improvement plan, and reflections across all areas under the purview of the Pedagogical/Scientific Council.

View document

Mechanisms

 

Audits

 

Audits

Evaluation and continuous improvement processes

Pedagogical Audit [AP]

Engage students and faculty in an in-depth analysis of the context of courses requiring improved results..

Auditability criteria

Auditability criteria include a combination of critical signaling conditions based on the status of SinUC mechanism parameters, QUCe and QUCd results, academic performance in the course units (UCs) during the term under review and previous terms, and the audit history of the UCs.

View document

Administrative Audit [AuditAdminUC]

Ensure the completion of the DUC, QUCd, and RUC, guaranteeing the monitoring of course units and courses by the Pedagogical Council.

Stages

The process comprises the following stages in sequence:

01Determination of the designated Flagged Units
→
02Information for CPs
→
03Consultation with faculty and course unit coordinators
→
04CP opinion
→
05Audit report  - Approval
→
06Presentation,
discussion and approval

Other Mechanisms

Curricular Unit Dossier [DUC]

Promote the planning and organization of the curricular unit by the teaching team.

Curricular Unit Pre-signaling [SinUC]

Inform the decision to launch intervention plans at the course unit level, based on results obtained from questionnaires and academic performance.

Pre-signaling

The PreSinUC sub-mechanism (pre-signaling of a curricular unit) evaluates the operation of a curricular unit based on a set of parameters and their corresponding trigger conditions. A parameter is signaled when a value exceeds a defined threshold—based on a specific operational analysis metric—indicating a potential issue. This mechanism aims to identify curricular units that may require further student consultation regarding various aspects of their operation. Students are informed when curricular units are pre-signaled.

View document

Compliments, Suggestions, and Complaints [CSC]

Continuously gather information from students and faculty regarding the quality of teaching.

Scope

Continuous receipt of compliments, suggestions, and complaints from any interested party regarding the quality of the institution.

 
NON-DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Intruments

 

Questionnaires

Programmes with Two or More Training Units (UFs)

Programmes with Only One Training Unit (UF)

Course Questionnaire – variant for non-degree courses, 1 Training Unit [QC-CNCG-1UF]

Gather student opinions on general aspects related to the functioning of the course and the performance of the teaching staff.

Procedure

The questionnaires are administered digitally via UMinho's Moodle ULearn platform.

View document

Mechanisms

 

Other Mechanisms

Compliments, Suggestions, and Complaints [CSC]

Continuously gather information from students and faculty regarding the quality of teaching.

Submission

Submission via the intranet portal or the UMinho app requires the author of the commendation, suggestion, or complaint to use their access credentials. A response is guaranteed if the author includes their contact details in the form.

Form
UMINHO LEARNING PORTAL (PAUM)

Intruments

 

Quick Learning Unit Quiz [QRUA]

It aims to gather opinions on general aspects of the organization and functioning of the Learning Unit.

Structure

The questionnaire contains two (2) questions regarding the level of satisfaction with the content and delivery of the learning unit, as well as the trainee's experience.

View document

Learning Unit Quick Quiz Results Report[RR-QRUA]

Report containing the comprehensive analysis of the PAUM and the results of the rapid learning unit questionnaire [RR-QRUA] administered to participants who successfully completed the various learning units; published annually.

Structure

An instrument designed to characterize, in a concise and systematic manner, the functioning of the various Learning Units available within the training and information content plan on the Learning Portal (PAUM), using data extracted from the Moodle platform and additional information derived from reflections prepared by CA-SIGAQ.

01LU Characterization
→
02QRUA Characterization
→
03LU Analysis
→
04Analysis by learning areas
→
05Aggregated analysis for UMinho
→
06Comments List

SIGAQ-UM | Instrumentos — Vertente Investigação

Questionnaires

Research Unit Questionnaire [QUI]

Gather detailed feedback from doctoral researchers regarding general aspects of research at the FCT/UMinho Research Unit (UI).

Structure

The questionnaire contains fifteen (15) questions regarding facilities, environment, and support services; the Research Unit's performance in terms of project management; research activity; knowledge transfer; and training initiatives.

View document

Reports

Research Unit Report [RUI]

To foster reflection on research activity within the Research Unit.

Procedure

The reports aim to characterize, in a concise and systematic manner, the activities carried out by the Research Units (UIs). This is achieved through automatically obtained data—covering contextual information and indicators from the *Livro da Pesquisa* (Research Book) and SIGAQ-UM—and additional information derived from the analysis conducted by the Steering Committees. These reports are to be prepared biennially, except during years when the UIs are preparing reports for submission to the FCT for the external periodic evaluation.

View document

Mecanismos

Compliments, Suggestions, and Complaints [CSC]

Continuously gather information from researchers and faculty members regarding quality in the area of ​​research.

Procedure

Commendations, suggestions, and complaints may be submitted anonymously via the UMinho portal and the Academic portal simply by leaving the contact information fields—specifically name and email—blank on the respective form. Anonymous submission does not prevent the matter from being reviewed; however, there is no guarantee that actions requiring feedback to the submitter will be carried out.

View document

SIGAQ-UM | Instruments — Teaching

Questionnaires

Reports

Service Unit Reports [R-S]

To encourage managers to reflect on the functioning of the service unit.

Structure

The report preparation form comprises five distinct parts, detailed below: 1. Basic information, directly available for consultation and organized into optional viewing screens, covering the following items: a) Information contained in the QUAR/Service Unit Activity Plan; b) Results obtained based on data derived from the annual execution of the QUAR/Activity Plan—collected electronically from management support modules on the Intranet and through the analysis of survey results involving Service users and personnel; c) Result indicators, based on parameters and criteria linked to the achievement of objectives (in accordance with the attached specifications), including the presentation of values ​​associated with these criteria (where applicable).

View document

Mecanismos

Compliments, Suggestions, and Complaints [ESR]

Continuously collect information from users and workers regarding service quality.

Procedure

Commendations, suggestions, and complaints may be submitted anonymously via the UMinho portal and the Academic portal simply by leaving the contact information fields—specifically name and email—blank on the respective form. Anonymous submission does not prevent the matter from being reviewed; however, the implementation of actions requiring feedback to the submitter cannot be guaranteed.

View document

NP EN ISO 9001 Process

Manage the quality of services provided through the processes outlined in the Quality Management Manual for UMinho Service Units, within the scope of the requirements established by the NP EN ISO 9001 standard.

Certification

Service Units undergoing formal certification processes under the NP EN ISO 9001 standard must implement quality processes regarding: (1) monitoring beneficiary satisfaction; (2) evaluating external suppliers; (3) analyzing conformity and identifying corrective actions; (4) managing documented information; and (5) monitoring and controlling quality processes. Any other quality processes required for certification purposes within the scope of the NP EN ISO 9001 standard as applied to each Service Unit must also be implemented.

TÜV Austria Certificates



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✓Última revisão: 13/10/2026|Responsável: Júlia Lopes

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