QA in Higher Education
Content
Quality Assurance in Higher Education
Dr. Tanveer Hussain
Key Terms*
Quality Assurance
• Making sure that the academic standards and the quality of provision is satisfactory
Academic Standard
• The level of learning achievement that a student has to reach to gain an academic degree • Defined in terms of ‘learning outcomes’ and ‘curriculum contents’
Quality of Provision
• Quality of ‘curriculum delivery’, learning resources and support services
Quality Enhancement
• Working continually to make things better, however good the existing quality of provision
*http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/section2.shtml
Defining ‘Quality Education’
• We can define ‘Quality Education’ as the one which ensures:
‘professional competence’ along with good ‘moral character’ in students through a positive cognitive and behavioural change.
Quality of life of citizens of any nation cannot be better than the quality of their education
Quality Enhancement Cells
• A mechanism of establishment of QECs has been developed by the Quality Assurance Committee to improve the standards of quality of higher education in a systematic way with uniformity across country
Quality Enhancement Cells
In 2006-07, the Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) were established at ten public sector universities,
In 2007-08 twenty more QECs were established in the public sector universities for improvement of their academic, teaching and learning standards. The QEC family is being extended to another fifteen public sector and seventeen private sector universities in 2009-10. QEC's will be established in the remaining universities in a phased manner
QAA OPERATIONS: An OUTLINE
Selection of Peers. Peer Orientation University Rating Standards and Evaluation Guidelines
Program Self Assessment Guidelines
Q.E.C
Q.E.C
QAC
Programs
University Self Assessment
QAA
Self Assessment / External Review By Councils
Accreditation by External Bodies
University Evaluation by External Peers (Council Members)
QAA Reports Published
Q.E.C. Functions
• The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is to be headed by a Dean reporting directly to Vice Chancellor/Rector. He is to be the correspondent with the outside bodies. QEC is responsible for promoting public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees are enhanced and safeguarded. QEC is responsible for the review of quality standards and the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area. QEC is responsible for the review of academic affiliations with other institutions in terms of effective management of standards and quality of programs. QEC is responsible for defining clear and explicit standards as points of reference to the reviews to be carried out. It should also help the employees to know as to what they could expect from candidates.
• • •
•
• QEC is responsible to develop qualifications framework by setting out the attributes and abilities that can be expected from the holder of a qualification, i.e. Bachelors, Bachelor with Honors, Master’s, M. Phil., Doctoral. • QEC is responsible to develop program specifications. These are standard set of information clarifying what knowledge, understanding, skills and other attributes a student will have developed on successfully completing a specific program. • QEC is responsible to develop quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities.
• QEC is responsible to ensure that the university’s quality assurance procedures are designed to fit in with the arrangements in place nationally for maintaining and improving the quality of Higher Education. • QEC is responsible to develop procedures for the following: – Approval of new programs – Annual monitoring and evaluation including program monitoring, faculty monitoring, and student’s perception. – Departmental review – Student feedback – Employer feedback – Quality assurance of Master’s, M. Phil. And Ph. D. degree programs. – Subject review – Institutional assessment – Program specifications – Qualification framework
QEC Organizations
V.C.
QEC
HEC
PROGRAM ASSESSMENT CENTER
TEACHING AND LEARNING CETNER Fostering an Environment of Continuous Academic Development Assisting Faculty Members to Attain Highest Standards in Teaching & Research Assisting New Faculty in learning techniques for teaching
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CENTER
Promote Culture of Assessment Improve and maintain highest Academic Standards Enhance Student Learning Provide Feedback for Quality Assurance Program Accreditation by Councils
Promoting Public Confidence Affiliations Entrance Exams. Organizing Workshops on Test Construction Techniques Studying Student’s PreUniversity Performance and Performance in Specific University Subjects.
Dr. Tanveer Hussain
Key Terms*
Quality Assurance
• Making sure that the academic standards and the quality of provision is satisfactory
Academic Standard
• The level of learning achievement that a student has to reach to gain an academic degree • Defined in terms of ‘learning outcomes’ and ‘curriculum contents’
Quality of Provision
• Quality of ‘curriculum delivery’, learning resources and support services
Quality Enhancement
• Working continually to make things better, however good the existing quality of provision
*http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/section2.shtml
Defining ‘Quality Education’
• We can define ‘Quality Education’ as the one which ensures:
‘professional competence’ along with good ‘moral character’ in students through a positive cognitive and behavioural change.
Quality of life of citizens of any nation cannot be better than the quality of their education
Quality Enhancement Cells
• A mechanism of establishment of QECs has been developed by the Quality Assurance Committee to improve the standards of quality of higher education in a systematic way with uniformity across country
Quality Enhancement Cells
In 2006-07, the Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) were established at ten public sector universities,
In 2007-08 twenty more QECs were established in the public sector universities for improvement of their academic, teaching and learning standards. The QEC family is being extended to another fifteen public sector and seventeen private sector universities in 2009-10. QEC's will be established in the remaining universities in a phased manner
QAA OPERATIONS: An OUTLINE
Selection of Peers. Peer Orientation University Rating Standards and Evaluation Guidelines
Program Self Assessment Guidelines
Q.E.C
Q.E.C
QAC
Programs
University Self Assessment
QAA
Self Assessment / External Review By Councils
Accreditation by External Bodies
University Evaluation by External Peers (Council Members)
QAA Reports Published
Q.E.C. Functions
• The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is to be headed by a Dean reporting directly to Vice Chancellor/Rector. He is to be the correspondent with the outside bodies. QEC is responsible for promoting public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees are enhanced and safeguarded. QEC is responsible for the review of quality standards and the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area. QEC is responsible for the review of academic affiliations with other institutions in terms of effective management of standards and quality of programs. QEC is responsible for defining clear and explicit standards as points of reference to the reviews to be carried out. It should also help the employees to know as to what they could expect from candidates.
• • •
•
• QEC is responsible to develop qualifications framework by setting out the attributes and abilities that can be expected from the holder of a qualification, i.e. Bachelors, Bachelor with Honors, Master’s, M. Phil., Doctoral. • QEC is responsible to develop program specifications. These are standard set of information clarifying what knowledge, understanding, skills and other attributes a student will have developed on successfully completing a specific program. • QEC is responsible to develop quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities.
• QEC is responsible to ensure that the university’s quality assurance procedures are designed to fit in with the arrangements in place nationally for maintaining and improving the quality of Higher Education. • QEC is responsible to develop procedures for the following: – Approval of new programs – Annual monitoring and evaluation including program monitoring, faculty monitoring, and student’s perception. – Departmental review – Student feedback – Employer feedback – Quality assurance of Master’s, M. Phil. And Ph. D. degree programs. – Subject review – Institutional assessment – Program specifications – Qualification framework
QEC Organizations
V.C.
QEC
HEC
PROGRAM ASSESSMENT CENTER
TEACHING AND LEARNING CETNER Fostering an Environment of Continuous Academic Development Assisting Faculty Members to Attain Highest Standards in Teaching & Research Assisting New Faculty in learning techniques for teaching
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CENTER
Promote Culture of Assessment Improve and maintain highest Academic Standards Enhance Student Learning Provide Feedback for Quality Assurance Program Accreditation by Councils
Promoting Public Confidence Affiliations Entrance Exams. Organizing Workshops on Test Construction Techniques Studying Student’s PreUniversity Performance and Performance in Specific University Subjects.
