Quality Assurance: The Concept

and itsWhat
Elementsis
quality ?

1
Why do you think quality
assurance is a concern
these days?
Rationale for QA
 an expansion in the size of student populations
 the move from elite university to institutes of
mass higher education
 the increasingly competitive nature of HE
 greater expectations of students as paying
customers
 more flexible provision at both UG and PG level
 an increase in collaborative provision
 student exchange and international cooperation

 the issue of consumer protection

3
Rationale for QA
 labor market expectations
 a growing climate of accountability

 internationalization of professions and globalization

 diminishing resources with which to deliver programs of
study
 regional and global higher education trends
 pressure to meet societal needs

4
Stakeholders need reassurance
 Students: attach quality to study conditions,
employability, short duration/ low cost studies
 Parents/families/sponsors: invest financially and
personally in higher education
 Employers/industry look for highly skilled and
productive work force at the lowest possible cost
 Academics: more concerned about the level of
interaction between teaching and research
 Government: keep the cost low

 The society: high quality services and low cost studies

Stakeholders need reassurance
 Professional associations: interested in the quality of the
educational offerings + prestige
 Alumni: interested in the reputation of the HEI

 Private providers: Invest funds, often for business

sustainability or betterment of the community as well as
for enhancement of their reputation
 Staff: their livelihood is influenced by the quality of HE
QA has two components
 QA can be used to describe all activities and
mechanisms related to quality, both at
 the system level (external quality assurance)

 at the level of teaching and learning in HEIs

(internal quality assurance).
 An HEI or a program should answer to external
expectations and internal purposes and goals,
organizing its processes in a consistent way to achieve
the expected outcomes.
External QA
 EQA refers to periodic monitoring of quality of HEIs
by an EQA body

 EQA system concerns regulations, policies and

practices that take place at the national HE system
level to assure quality of HEIs and programs

 The HEI or program organizes its resources and

processes in order to meet the standards and
expectations defined by EQA body
Internal QA
 refers to the HEI’s mechanisms for ensuring and
improving its own quality

 in national HE systems based on the principles

of HEI autonomy, the HEIs themselves are seen
as the key agents and experts responsible for
QA of HE

 some studies proved that IQA have a greater

impact on the actual quality of teaching and
learning in comparison to accountability-driven
EQA mechanisms
Function of QA in HE
 Knowing the function and purpose of QA is crucial
when planning and designing a QA framework, as this
will determine the nature of the overall system and
detailed processes.

 based on their fundamental or dominant purpose

quality assurance systems are categorized as

1. Quality assurance for accountability

2. QA for improvement/ Enhancement

Function of QA in HE
Quality assurance for accountability
 accountability – to those who pay for HE
 a mechanisms used to demonstrate efficiency in public
spending
 reassure external stakeholders of maintaining sufficient
or high standards of quality
 the information collected through QA processes is
usually publicly available.
 provide the public with information and certify that the
expectations /minimum requirements have been met
 evaluation outcomes are often in the form of a pass or
fail result.
Function of quality assurance in HE
 QA for improvement/ Enhancement
 focuses more on the internal audience and HEIs
 instead of relying on the one-off certificate, the QA
process serves as a forward thinking cycle for
continuous improvement
 acknowledges both strengths and weaknesses and
recommends paths leading to quality improvement
and the sharing and dissemination of good practice
 recommendations typically targeted at an academic
audience, whose involvement in the process is crucial
to successful quality improvement
 evaluation outcomes are often in the form of
recommendations rather than a pass or fail result.
 Focus of QA
QA systems vary in terms of what they assess:
 Institution

 Program

 Function

 Unit

 Course

 Activity/Process level
14
The “traditional” five stage QA model
1. formulation of a set of regulations and
guidelines
2. an internal self study or assessment
3. appointment of a peer group whose
review would start with a review of the
self evaluation
4. external on site peer review based on the
self assessment
5. the publication of a report
6. monitoring and follow up
Thank You!