When an Audit Report has identified at least one Cause for Concern, the Report will describe the deficiencies related to the aspect(s) of the university’s quality assurance processes in question. The Audit Committee will then recommend to the Quality Council that the specific area(s) of concern may require closer scrutiny and further support through a Focused Audit.

A Focused Audit may also be triggered by the Quality Council when it has some concerns about the quality assurance processes at a particular university. In such instances, the Quality Council will ask the Audit Committee to initiate a Focused Audit.

A Focused Audit may take the form of a desk audit and/or an additional site visit. The Audit Committee will also recommend to the Quality Council a proposed timeframe within which the Focused Audit should take place.

A Focused Audit does not replace the Cyclical Audit.

6.3.1     The Focused Audit Report

Following the conduct of a Focused Audit, the auditors prepare a report that will be considered “draft” until it is approved by the Quality Council. The report, which is to be suitable for subsequent publication will:

1. Describe the Focused Audit methodology and the verification steps used;
2. Respond to the area(s) of focus the auditors were asked to pay particular attention to; and
3. Indicate whether the Cause(s) for Concern has been satisfactorily addressed, or whether any further action is required.

The Focused Audit Report may also include Suggestions, Recommendations, and/or Cause(s) for Concern. The report will be published on both the Quality Council and university websites. Other standard elements associated with a Cyclical Audit, such as the requirement for a one-year response, will be determined on a case-by-case basis.