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Parallel Session Presentations
Wednesday 30 March
United Kingdom
Can
institutional evaluations help higher education institutions? Overview: • Explore impact issues • Quality processes and how they relate to conceptions of quality • Evaluations/critique of external quality processes • Evidence, methodology and politics of quality • Conclusion: Are we making progress?
Sarah Carr/Emma Hamilton/ Phil Meade
New Zealand
Is it Possible? Investigating the Influence of External Quality Audit on University Performance
This paper explores whether it is possible to isolate independent effects of external quality audit (EQA) and concludes that effectiveness evaluations are on a sounder base when the combined effects of the array of government initiatives and University governance and management initiatives together with EQA are examined. These effects often overlap and interact, and, combined with the multidimensional structure of university performance, results in both positive and negative influences. The issue of how successful these influences have been is addressed, in relation to changing the processes of a university to the benefit of the learning outcomes, teaching effectiveness, enhancements in the quality of research outputs and improvement in the application of quality processes. The paper looks at the subject of how to measure quality and whether there is value in the use of a research-led, evidence-based approach. Drawing on worldwide literature relevant to the New Zealand context and using the University of Otago as an illustrative case study, the authors endeavour to investigate the influences using the data available.
Oman
The effect of external quality assurance on students' learning experience
This paper is based on research into the experience of students in Omani higher education institution, whose goal is to explore how successful candidates experience external quality assurance (QA), and particularly to discuss a question that interests all stakeholders higher education: How is the student affected by external quality assurance? The focus in this paper is on the students' perception- specifically whether students view their experience with external QA as negative or positive. By analyzing the data from the responses of a random sample of successful BA candidates in a higher education institution, the paper will reveal statistical significance of students' perception of external QA and its relationship with their perception of quality of education in the same institution. The study will highlight the different implications of students' responses. This will help with identifying opportunities to develop the design and implementation of QA measures in the context of Omani higher education. This in turn will help the continuous efforts to improve the quality of the student's learning experience.
New Zealand
Navigating the Labyrinth of Transnational Education: The New Zealand Experience
New Zealand is an active participant in transnational education. Activity is increasing in modes of transnational education, involving taking education products and services offshore in a variety of partnership arrangements. The paper discusses the challenges in off-shore provision which are both newer for New Zealand to consider and also often more complex. The underlying thesis is that there is a trend within countries to develop systems that enable greater consistency in the recognition of qualifications leading to greater international portability. The paper discusses the challenges and potential ways forward using recent New Zealand experience and policy reviews as an examplar.
Trinidad and Tobago
Quality assurance of TNE in the English Speaking Caribbean
The paper discusses the various manifestations of TE, within the context of globalization, in the English-speaking Caribbean with a focus on the three main campus countries of The University of the West Indies (UWI): Barbados , Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago . National and regional developments relating to quality assurance and accreditation systems are analysed from the perspective of quality issues relating to TE. Specific issues addressed include domestic regulations for setting qualifications, quality standards and licenses for quality of both imported and exported education programmes and the roles and responsibilities of the key players in quality assurance with respect to TE. The paper concludes with suggested guidelines for monitoring the quality of TE in the English-speaking Caribbean .
India
Transnational Providers and the Indian Education Market
The on going debate about (WTO) GATS framework brings out conflicting views about cross-border education (CBE) the world over. Between enthusiastic views of the trade promoters at one end and the skeptical reflections of the academics of traditional outlook at the other, there are many different viewpoints; at least three major views deserve a mention. Firstly, there are those who support public policies that foster internationalisation in higher education and they defend cross-border education in all forms on academic, cultural, social and political grounds. Secondly, academics who support the view that education should not be treated as a tradable commodity, argue that cross-border education would always have a revenue generation approach that would be to the disadvantage of the developing countries. Thirdly, there are trade enthusiasts who are convinced that commercialization of higher education at the global level is unavoidable in the near future and it is up to the countries to prepare themselves to benefit from the new opportunities of the global market. Some times the strong criticisms of the academics are based on false understandings. It is also true that the views of trade promoters might be equally wrong in some national contexts, based only on optimistic overestimations than on ground realities. This paper explores these false understandings and true overestimations that shape the arguments about CBE, in the Indian context.
Abu Dhabi
The Accreditation of Gender
Gender is an issue that seems to trouble the waters when nations have either money or oil deficits, or both. The Middle East is the context for this discussion, and it follows the oil and money rule, only from the reverse perspective: the Middle East 's gender troubles arise from plenty of each, minus the water.
The central claim of this paper is that accreditation of higher education in the Middle East a) reinforces and extends existing gender roles, b) absolves itself of the responsibility of doing so, and c) allows governments to undermine some of the claims they purport regarding educational quality, equal access, and marketplace ambition.
The paper concludes that accreditation is able to transform education when it brings to bear its unique ability to maneuver between policy and procedure. David Woodhouse & Robert Carmichael
Australia
Diversity through Quality Audit
Systematic external QA processes may engender conformity and conservatism. This is because the approval criteria carry official sanctions and are based on what is known to ‘work', and the assessors draw on their own experience as they apply these criteria.
One approach to EQA that does not have this built in imbalance is quality audit. This is because quality audit starts by asking the institution what it intends to do, rather than telling the institution what it is required to do in order to be ‘approved'.
In this approach, the institution sets its own goals, which is consistent with the interpretation of quality as ‘fitness for purpose'. For mature institutions, the purpose can be self-specified, whereas if society requires an independent specification, the purpose may be externally directed (perhaps through legislation or through professional accreditation). Therefore accreditation and audit can be complementary, with accreditation setting the boundaries, within which audit can encourage diversity.
The paper concludes with practical techniques for achieving audit's potential for the support of diversity.
Adrian Caillón/ Adriana Rodríguez/ Ana Filippa
Argentina
Convergence of national and regional accrediting processes
This paper discusses Argentina 's experience on linkage and convergence of MERCOSUR accreditation processes and national processes, which has attended diversity situations derived from disciplines, institutional histories, accrediting experience, overlapping and simultaneity, peer profiles, interests from academic communities involved and other, with the target of avoiding superposition and effort duplications. CONEAU's participation will be analyzed in this frame, with the objective of bringing into attention the different alternatives that were considered, the arguments on which decisions were founded and the differences with other cases.
Hungary
Evaluations of the third kind. External evaluations of EQA agencies
The paper reviews several actual cases of external evaluations of EQA agencies. Characteristics, methodology and findings of six such evaluations from three continents are discussed, similarities and differences are analysed. The lessons drawn from these six cases show that external evaluation of agencies is a powerful means of assuring and enhancing the quality of operation of agencies serving both their improvement and accountability. Moreover, external evaluations can facilitate the process of mutual recognition of agencies, evaluation results, and national quality assurance systems.
Australia
Challenges for an Accrediting Agency – the Queensland Experience
The Queensland Office of Higher Education has statutory responsibility, on behalf of the State Minister for Education, for regulating higher education in the State, and conducting higher education approval processes. Queensland policy is to regulate both sent and received transnational higher education, and this position is adopted, with some variation, throughout Australia . This policy position gives rise to a number of challenges, which the paper will discuss with reference to case studies.
The paper will conclude that it is a valid policy position to regulate both sent and received transnational higher education, but a range of issues need to be resolved to implement effective processes that are not unnecessarily restrictive. In the main, common sense should prevail, particularly in regard to on-line and flexible provision. Mutual recognition of quality assurance agencies would be a major step towards streamlining the approval processes for transnational higher education. However, this is probably some way off in Australia , where there is not even mutual recognition between jurisdictions!
Chile
Linking accreditation and pedagogical approaches - lessons learned at Universidad De La Frontera, Temuco - Chile
The Universidad de La Frontera is a public institution located in southern Chili. With over 8.000 students the university offers 31 undergraduate programs in the Health Professions, Agriculture, Education, Social Sciences and Engineering. Twenty five of these programs have been involved in self-evaluation processes with the purpose of accreditation.
As a result of the evaluations all the programs identified the need for curricular change and the incorporation of new methodologies to their courses. The reduction of content, the use of more active strategies for teaching and learning, the development of remedial courses, as well as the improvement of the instruments to assess learning are the main changes incorporated to the programs.
Marjorie Peace Lenn/ Maria Jose Lemaitre
USA/Chile
Access, Mobility and Quality in the Americas : The Role of Quality Assurance in Transnational Education
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, higher education in a globalized world is bringing new realities and challenges. The knowledge economy, innovations in information technologies, and trade liberalization are combined with the massification of education to pose major challenges to the also growing national systems of quality assurance. Electronic and virtual delivery of educational services; transnational delivery and skills development outside of formal learning arrangements (including commercial providers) pose new questions for the regulatory capacities and boundaries of existing policy frameworks. The purpose of this session is to review how these dynamics are changing the role of quality assurance in the Americas and throughout the globe.
Thursday 31 March
Bohdan Macukow/Marek Witkowski
Poland
Accreditation and evaluation – does it really work ?
The necessity of improving the educational systems is obvious. We are faced with an urgent need for improvement, for modernization and internationalization of higher education.
Educational institutions increasingly have to show that they use procedures to assure and improve the quality of provision. Each educational institution has to introduce its own quality culture: • to improve the quality of the student experience, • to improve the quality of teaching and learning, • to enhance the quality of research, • to enhance the quality of the general working environment, • to satisfy the aspirations of staff and students.
Academic quality is used to describe the quality of course design and delivery and to match between course intention and course outcomes; it also refers to the research. Quality assurance refers to validation and review process, quality control to ongoing monitoring – both are concerned with the quality of the student experience. Quality assurance exists to ensure achieving by the quality control mechanisms their purposes. We will focus on the process of evaluation of higher education, mainly using the accreditation process.
New Zealand
Do the Post-Graduate Students Agree with the Academic Auditors ?
This paper considers whether the issues that postgraduate students state need improvement are consistent with those issues contained in the recommendations made by academic auditors.
The paper proposes that the academic auditors do not necessarily know what postgraduate students really want. Having said this, the students do not always know what they want. Or, for that matter, what is “good” for them. The challenge for each university is to use a multi-method approach to quality assurance by triangulating the results from its student surveys with the reports of the academic auditors. Further triangulation then has to be done with student focus groups, anecdotal feedback, government directives and policy, and with research and data from other sources. Finally, the information gained must be used to benefit students.
The principal focus of this paper will be on three primary data sources. First, the recommendations contained in the eight reports of the New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit, second, a satisfaction survey of Masters and PhD postgraduate students at Lincoln University and, third, unstructured interviews with postgraduate students at Lincoln University .
India
‘Student Satisfaction Cycle' in Accredited Institutions of India
The first cycle of institutional accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of India has triggered several new initiatives among the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country. Institutional self-study as the backbone of the accreditation exercise – drawn on national/international experience – has brought in many tested concepts and initiatives in the Indian higher education system. Phenomenal rise in learning resources, innovations in pedagogy and increased focus on student satisfaction can be seen as clearly visible outcomes of the assessment and accreditation process by the NAAC. However, at the juncture of implementing the re-accreditation methodology, the sustenance of these initiatives has emerged as an important aspect to be analysed.
Sustenance of quality initiatives is given an emphasis in the re-accreditation methodology. This paper makes an attempt to analyse this ‘sustenance issue' with respect to students. While this analysis would document the sustenance level of impact of assessment and accreditation on student life in general, its focus is on ‘Satisfaction Cycle' ( Harvey , 2003) as sequel to student feedback.
The NAAC has suggested six different formats to obtain students feedback namely: • Student feedback on courses • Student feedback on course teachers • Students' course and teaching evaluation • Students' evaluation of programme of study • Overall rating of programme of study by students • Exit questionnaire for graduating students
Institutions are expected/advised to choose the relevant formats, modify them to suit the institutional context and use the data collected as an important feedback for quality enhancement initiatives. Even though these formats and also the exercise are only suggestive, many institutions have undertaken this exercise. This paper would focus on whether this feedback collection and analysis has resulted in to a continuous cycle of student satisfaction.
The NAAC also advocates formation of Internal Quality Assurance Cells (IQAC) to strengthen the internal quality assurance in the accredited institutions and the institutions have to submit the Annual Quality Assurance Reports (AQARs) to the NAAC. The information sought through AQAR consists of forty different areas which includes students' assessment of teachers and courses and the action taken on student feedback, besides information on various student related activities like placement services, guidance and counselling unit, alumni association, infrastructure facilities etc. This paper would include analysis of the information provided in the AQARs on these areas. This analysis has thrown light on sustenance of various quality initiatives and also the extent to which student feedback and its analysis is taken up by the institutions to complete the feedback – action loop.
The data available with the NAAC in the reports submitted by the first batch of HEIs that underwent Assessment and Accreditation 5 years ago is a good resource for comparative analysis of reported quality sustenance and improvement over the period of 5-6 years. The first batch of HEIs – 19 Colleges and 1 University – that were assessed during the academic year 1998 – 99, having completed 5 years of accredited period, have submitted themselves for re-accreditation. Most of these institutions have also submitted their Re-accreditation Reports (RARs) that provides a wealth of information on the impact of first assessment, sustenance of quality initiatives triggered during the first assessment and quality enhancement in key aspects of functioning. The data with special reference to student support services taken from these sets of reports throws light on areas that need to be strengthened further in the Student Satisfaction Cycle. This paper discusses all these issues.
South Africa
The Regulation of Higher Education: The South African Council on Higher Education and The Withdrawal of Mba Accreditation
The South African Council on Higher Education (CHE) withdrew its accreditation of 15 Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees in May, 2004. MBAs for which accreditation was withdrawn include those offered in South Africa by Bond University ( Australia ) and De Montfort University ( United Kingdom ). CHE's decisions have significant implications for students, graduates, the labour market, the international credibility of national higher education quality assurance systems, and for international trade in higher education.
CHE regulates “fitness of purpose” by specifying the MBA programme mission as well as important aspects of teaching and learning; provider governance structures and procedures; employment matters; and research. The particular research method, for example, to be used by universities in MBA programmes is prescribed by CHE. In general, CHE regulates closely various decisions historically made by universities. The philosophy and processes which together constitute the CHE MBA regulatory model are, however, significantly inconsistent with important aspects of the South African government's higher education and human resource development strategies, modern regulatory theory and the principles of good regulation.
Takahiro SAITO/ Takayuki HAYASHI
Japan
Experience and Lessons Learned on the Trial University Evaluations Conducted by the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE) in Japan
From 2000 to 2003 fiscal year the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE) implemented evaluations of selected universities and inter-university research institutes on a trial basis in order to enhance education and research quality of institutions and to promote their accountability. Analysis of the trial evaluation was conducted to clarify the successful aspects and problems through questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted to universities and inter-university research institutes evaluated, evaluators and concerned organizations. As a result it was made clear that the evaluation process in the universities and the evaluation result shown by NIAD-UE led to improvement of universities' education and research activities. However, many persons engaged in making a self-report and many evaluators pointed out considerable burden to the evaluation process. Apathy of both the other university staff and the public about the evaluation also still remain as a problem to be solved.
USA
The Asia Pacific Quality Network (APQN), a newly organized organization representing over 20 countries, has received a major multi-year grant from the World Bank to enable activity among the region's national quality assurance bodies. It is the primary purpose of this session to share: the diversity of the region's quality assurance bodies; the dynamics shared in the region related to the role of quality assurance and how the proposed elements of the grant (including but not limited to regional training and quality assurance services; staff exchanges; a region-wide external reviewer pool and information services) can serve to provide common activities to strengthen national and regional capacity in quality assurance.
Although a highly diverse region, there are dynamics common to all member states. Among these is the important role of the trade agreements and how these will have impact on higher education in the areas of: national higher education policy liberalization; common standards for professional education (leading to greater professional mobility); cross-border provision of higher education by private providers; and mutual recognition of academic credentials. Responding to these and other national dynamics, quality assurance has grown dramatically in the most populated countries and region of the world. Of the approximately 27 accrediting bodies in the region, half were founded since 1991 and the other half since 1994.
Most important to this session are two key messages: that highly diverse regions can find common themes around which they can organize their activities; and that the program evolving quickly in the Asia Pacific Region is a Demonstration Project replicable in other diverse regions of the globe.
Nick Harris / Carolyn Campbell
United
Kingdom Trust and understanding in trans-national quality assurance: some findings from the TEEP and QCS projects in Europe
The TEEP (Trans-national European Evaluation Project) and QCS (Quality Convergence Study) projects have been undertaken through ENQA. The projects involved quality assurance agencies in nine countries and HEIs in more. Although each project had a different focus, their findings overlap in significant ways. In additional to their detailed conclusions, the outcomes emphasise the problems than can arise through presumptions and suppositions about ‘shared' understandings in higher education within trans-national collaborations. They emphasise the importance of developing a real understanding of both the general approaches, often with clear legal and pedagogical bases, and the use of particular language within national contexts.
It is only seven years since the QAA was formed, yet during this time a series of ‘revolutions' has taken place. These have impacted directly on HE institutions, their staff and particularly their students, and upon the QAA itself. A set of reference points has been established to provide clarity about what HE is providing, and expecting, and despite initial worries they are increasingly regarded as beneficial to academic development and innovation. The bases, methods and costs of QA have altered dramatically, with increasing emphasis on institutional ‘quality culture'. Devolution within the UK has also had major impacts, particularly for students.
Germany
Exploring the possibilities for mutual recognition in the Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEEN)
In autumn 2003, the Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEE-Network) initiated a joint learning experience amongst its member agencies. By conducting a survey on concepts and practices of evaluation and accreditation procedures, the CEE-Network sought to chart common denominators on the one hand, and differences and diversity on the other hand. The purpose of this survey is to get a picture of quality assurance practices in the member agencies of the CEE Network. It is a first step toward exploring the possibilities for mutual recognition on a bi- or multi-lateral basis. In how far are we fit to achieve the joint purpose of mutual recognition?
In some aspects, there is a high degree of convergence. In other aspects, there is a considerable degree of diversity. In general, similarities in accreditation concepts and procedures will certainly make mutual recognition much easier. Only if the cooperating agencies do provide procedures of external assessment, e.g., a cooperation, i.e. exchange of peers, will be possible. As the survey shows, the CEE-Network agencies show a high degree of convergence with respect to the sequentiality of the evaluation and accreditation procedure. On the other hand, diversity in concepts and practices may indicate differences in tradition and cultural background. E.g., the involvement of students varies across all agencies to a high degree, which may be a result of differing understandings of the youths' role in society. But we also have to take into consideration that especially where there are differences, the close analysis of other solutions may reveal examples of good practice. Both differences and similarities will need to be read in context. The development of a European Area of Higher Education translates into a number of new challenges, first of all for the higher education institutions themselves, but also for those agencies accompanying, supporting and monitoring the success of the higher education institutions in this endeavour. In this sense, the Communiqué signed by 40 ministers of education all throughout Europe in Berlin , September 2003, points out the direction as well as the milestones for the further development of all QA systems in Europe . Therefore, the CEE-Network agencies will need to be charted on a European map. As the survey shows, a number of CEE-Network agencies strives to cooperate on a global scale – as members in the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education ( INQAAHE ), they put themselves in relation to global principles of good practice. The paper will not only summarize the findings of the survey but will also refer to a set of examples of factual co-operations of CEEN members with respect to transnational education. Hence, the paper will not only provide an analysis of the situation in the CEEN region. Moreover, it will also indicate the implications of these similarities and differences for the transnational co-operations. Up to now, mutual recognition between any of the agencies with partner institutions is not yet achieved. As the Accreditation Commission of the Czech Republic concludes: All this is still in the state of intentions. However, some of the agencies have already started to conceptualize ways and means in order to remove obstacles and impediments, they have strategically planned and intensified their cooperation with partner institutions in order to build up mutual trust and to prepare for the mid- or long-term objective of mutual recognition. The first steps envisaged are:
• Systematic exchange of information • Networking with the explicit purpose to achieve mutual recognition • Bilateral cooperation agreements • Mutual participation in on site-visits with the status of observers • Exchange of peers • Joint accreditation (i.e. collaboration in all steps of the evaluation and accreditation procedure)
The paper will highlight some of these activities and will show both the results and impact of these co-operations. In their statement on the Berlin Communiqué, the CEE-Network members declared: The members of the CEE Network consider it their duty to work out a roadmap for setting up the methodology for future mutual recognition of their respective accreditation systems.
The survey conducted by the CEEN member agencies is an important starting point. The CEE-Network members have already identified ways and means for the achievement of this objective. This requires a gradual harmonising of the standards and procedures of evaluation and quality assurance, always taking into account the historical and social context of the given country. All endeavours in this joint project will need a direction. The harmonisation shall therefore take both the national background as well as the external, i.e. European and global, developments and discussions into consideration.
The process of change – which is implied by harmonisation – will need a clear set agenda, with clear set objectives and milestones. The fulfilment of the agenda will need time. The CEE Network emphasises that the pace of introducing procedures for mutual recognition must be such that the standard of quality of the criteria and methodologies to be set is not impaired.
In its conclusion, the paper will endeavour to present some of the CEEN's already agreed milestones.
Nigeria
Transnational Education and the Quality Assurance imperative
Transnational education has become a customer – driver commercial venture, which is considered in some, cases a form of exploitation of national system and culture. But given the increasing mobile, communications-driven world, the trend remains on the increase and calls for a greater recognition of ways to step up standards. Quality assurance in the context of transnational education offers a means of verifying the provider's formalized accountability as an institution of higher education and therefore a useful indicator of quality. This paper examines the recruitment of students across national borders, the way it is perceived and how quality assurance can influence the acceptance and accreditation of transnational education whilst impacting on external quality monitoring of students learning.
Netherlands
Mutual Recognition of Accreditation Decisions: A European Perspective
Mutual recognition of accreditation or other quality assurance systems is being discussed in several regions of the world. In Europe, this process is very much connected to the Bologna process leading to the introduction of bachelor and master programmes and stimulating accreditation in many European countries. As a consequence twelve accreditation organisations from eight European countries have founded the European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA) in November 2003. The ultimate aim of ECA is mutual recognition of accreditation decisions among the participants before the end of 2007.
The members of ECA believe that mutual recognition of accreditation decisions will contribute to the recognition of qualifications in higher education and the mobility of students in Europe. It will also make life easier for institutions and study programmes operating across borders. In addition, it can be expected that the process leading to mutual recognition of accreditation decisions will make the different national accreditation systems more transparent and enhance trust in these systems.
This paper will address the following issues: • The objectives of ECA and the definitions of accreditation and mutual recognition; • The standards of the Code of Good Practice for accreditation organisations which have been adopted by ECA members as a first step towards mutual recognition; • Further steps towards the aim of mutual recognition; • The way in which mutual recognition of accreditation decisions is linked to the Bologna process (including the European Qualifications Framework) and the mutual recognition of qualifications (e.g. Lisbon Recognition Convention); • A comparison with similar developments in Latin America and South East Asia; and, a reflection on the diversity and mutual acceptance of institutional and programme accreditation in the United States.
USA
Quality Assurance and Indigenous Epistemology: Triangulating Our Way to Meaning
What
is the nature of energy, intelligence and excellence in an indigenous
Finland
Diversity of QA systems in Finnish Higher Education Institutions - FINHEEC, national agency's auditing approach in the context of European development
As a consequence of the Bologna process, FINHEEC started a planning of a national wide auditing of QA systems. In order to make planning sensible and suitable for the situation of the HEIs, FINHEEC has analysed all their QA systems. FINHEEC has planned an auditing in order to reach the multiple forms of QA systems.
The Polytechnics (29) have developed the QA systems some years ago due to a permanent position application. The systems follow the known models such as EFQM, BSC, CAF, ISO. There is, however, academic staff's critical feedback against some features of massive quality work.
Most of the universities (20) have developed their quality assurance systems although many of them have had no known model for it. As a result of this each one of them uses different and even new quality concepts. In a couple of seminars universities have evaluated one another's systems through papers and group discussions. As a result of that process some criteria have been formed also to the developing phase of the systems.
Canada
Building a Pan-Canadian Consensus on Quality Assurance for Degree Programs
In response to the emergence of new degree programs and new degree providers, including private institutions, cross-border delivery, and hybrid diploma/degree granting institutions, the question of how to fit individual degree programs and non-traditional degree providers into a context of academic credibility defined by public universities has arisen in Canada. In a context where provincial governments are responsible for education and there is no national department of education, representatives of the ten provinces and three territories have initiated a process to develop a shared degree qualifications framework and quality assurance standards and procedures to guide government approvals for new degree programs and providers. Coping with diverse interests and perspectives is the very stuff of the work. This paper describes the origins, course and initial consequences of the interprovincial initiative on quality assurance for degree granting.
Akiyoshi Yonezawa/ Jannette Cheong/ Tsutomu Kimura
Japan
Beyond ‘Lost in Translation' to an Approach that Supports Diversity - The role of Japan-UK Higher Education Collaboration Programme mutual understanding
This paper aims to explain the role of the Japan-UK higher education collaboration programme for the mutual understanding of different approaches to contemporary issues in higher education, mainly focusing on diversity and its impact in the two countries. Both Japan and UK have a diversified higher education system, and share common policy issues in encouraging the diversity of institutional mission under increasing individuality in university management. The reformation process is highly complex, and the simple borrowing of a foreign model, especially for quality assessment and finance, is ineffective and even dangerous. This paper explains the role of the exchange programme in involving various stakeholders to avoid misunderstanding of a context where various policy devices were utilised. Through the exchange (at both national and institutional levels), institutional management and a quality assessment system were developed in Japan, and a different approaches to diversity was understood mutually thorough regular based exchanges between the two countries.
India
Indian Higher Education: Contemporary Challenges of Quality Assurance
The concern for quality and the need to assure it is expected to remain a major issue in the future. The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by the Indian Higher Education System with reference to quality Assurance which has a wider impact when linked to the globalization of Education and the free market economy. In this context it becomes imperative to develop and implement internationally acceptable quality assurance practices, which would avoid duplication of efforts. Accreditation is often seen as a step to ensure acceptability of certification/assessment outcome across the borders. International market needs has been the main driving force behind Accreditation in the Indian context. However there could be other reasons including governmental concerns about credibility of the schemes that are administered with the involvement of many agencies. In order to avoid duplication of efforts there need to be a coordinated effort to ensure that all assessment and accreditation efforts need to be harmonized. While he primary focus of this paper is on Indian Higher Education Institutions providing non professional courses and mainly catering to the under privileged communities , other professional institutions like the technical and teacher education etc. have also been dealt to some extent. The paper also attempts to address a few of the questions and reviews the measures taken by various agencies in harmonizing the procedures.
New Zealand
Can We Fatten a Hog by Weighing It?
“You
can't fatten a hog by weighing it” is a caveat often heard among
US farmers. Many academics voice similar doubts about the effectiveness
of quality assurance processes. Simply “weighing up” staff qualifications,
research outputs, teaching evaluation ratings, or professional development
activities is unlikely to lead to more effective practice or better
learning outcomes. This paper argues for a research-led approach to quality assurance. Info rmed by a review of relevant tertiary sector research and theory in Australasia, the UK, and North America, the paper first identifies those quality indicators and processes most clearly empirically linked to improved teaching effectiveness and high quality student learning experiences, outcomes, and satisfaction. It then offers related policy and practice guidelines for more effective academic quality assurance and enhancement at institutional and programme levels.
Mongolia
The development of an effective quality assurance system in Mongolia: assumptions, reality checks and future considerations
This paper considers the development of an effective quality assurance system in higher education in Mongolia. Accreditation processes in higher education – at institutional and program levels – have been conducted by a solo organization, named the National Council for Education Accreditation (NCEA) for six years since its establishment in 1998. Based on past years experience of accreditation implementation and assumptions to be credible enough to be trusted, innovative enough to develop quality assurance system that respond to the needs of the times, the Council came to the point to review and assess its own conduct, answer the question: how satisfied is the Council that the accreditation processes are achieving its mission and goals to assure quality, improve effectiveness, and offer quality management assistance and consulting services? The paper explores the application of some quality tools and techniques of TQM (Total Quality Management) and BPR (Business Process Reengineering) used in the field of business in the education system, starting from the National Council for Education Accreditation.
Hong Kong
The VTC's Quality Assurance System: Impact of External Evaluations
The Vocational Training Council (VTC) provides a second chance for students who do not do well in Hong Kong's mainstream education. It has a very diverse student population, and offers a very large number of courses across many disciplines and awards, and in many different delivery modes and campuses. This paper examines the effect that external monitoring has on the VTC's quality assurance system and the quality of the experience, outcome, competence and employability of its students. It finds that the accreditation and validation of the VTC's courses by professional bodies and overseas universities respectively, and the institutional review and programme validations by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation have led to improvements in curriculum design and delivery, links with industry, the teaching of communicative skills, staff development programmes, and the quality assurance system. All these have improved the lifelong learning and employability of the VTC's graduates. Fabrice Hénard, Bruno Curvale, et al.
France
In charge of institutional evaluations in France, Cné considers that assessing quality is a very complex task to be carried out. The context and the various stakeholders in addition to their different needs and expectations (from students, rectors, teachers, public authorities, economic world…) always keep evolving. Fixed standards can not be set up to evaluate quality, which is connected to a dynamic process. Cné projects that evaluating quality as such brings about a too weak added value for the French universities.
Cné thinks that quality assessment is closely related to the question of confidence in the institution's capacity to react to problems and to find out solutions. To appraise confidence and to enhance the confidence in the French HEIs, Cné positions itself now as a mediator among the various stakeholders. The methodology has been adapted and tends to link quality audit to the evaluation of the outcomes arising from the HEIs. However, the internationalisation of the HEIS activities is calling for new debates at Cné: to what extent Cné should adapt the evaluation reports to the needs of European and other foreign readers?
Hong Kong
The quality of cross border education: whose responsibility and what can the major stakeholders do ?
The issue of the quality assurance of international education / cross-border education has held the attention of quality assurance organizations, governments, students and employers in recent years because of the increasing trend in the import and export of education, including distance learning courses, and the problems of uneven standards in such cross-border education, and problems of a lack of adequate information to assist students and consumers. The paper attempts to discuss the issue from the following different perspectives:
• What are the problems often encountered that are associated with the quality of cross-border education? • What are the likely roots/ sources of such problems? Are they unavoidable? • What roles can or should the quality assurance bodies of the importing and exporting country play, and to what extent can they be effective in upholding quality? • What are the standards expected of cross-border courses of study? Who should set those standards?
The
paper will lastly touch on current international initiatives in
promoting the quality assurance of cross border education, such
as the initiatives of UNESCO/ OECD, and comment on the possible
role that can be played by INQAAHE
. Friday 1 April
Canada
The Effectiveness of an External QA Process on Doctoral Programs in a Regional System of Universities, 1990-2003
This paper examines whether an external quality assurance (QA) process, conducted by the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, has influenced time-to-completion, and graduation rates, in doctoral programs in universities in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The study utilizes a unique database, the OCGS Macroindicators (annual), which provides time-series data concerning each graduate program in all universities in the Province. As this database includes median program time-to-completion in doctoral programs, new admissions, and the number of graduates, it is possible to estimate trends in time-to-completion and graduation rates, and thus infer the effectiveness of the QA process over time. The data suggests that the process has been reasonably effective in the areas most in need of encouragement – in the humanities and social sciences, times-to-completion appear to have decreased by about six months, and graduation rates increased by about twelve percentage points.
Canada
Transnational Quality Assurance: In Pursuit of Global Cooperation
The internationalization and globalization of Higher Education, the transparency of standards in graduate education and the influence these are having in Canada and on the Ontario public system in terms of greater collaboration and cooperation are the focus of this paper. After presenting a brief overview of movements elsewhere, the paper introduces the process through which the Canadian policy-making structures in higher education are mediating, interpreting and reinterpreting transnational trends, and influencing the relationships at the regional and national levels. By taking one Province ( Ontario ) as an example, we can see the interaction that is occurring at the institutional, provincial and national levels. Before delving into the case study, however, the paper considers more closely the meaning of the term “standards” as it has been and is more commonly now being used, and some of the weakness and strengths of pursuing more broadly recognized standards.
Belize
Diversity, Quality and Emerging Quality Assurance
The Belizean higher education system is a multi-tiered, diverse system composed of several institutional types serving differing needs and granting an assortment of awards. Approaches to quality assurance have traditionally included a reliance on external examinations, relevance to the emerging job market, and the transferability of credits to US institutions. Formal, institutionalized quality assurance was only recently introduced both by the Association of Tertiary Level Institutions in Belize (ATLIB) as part of an emerging quality culture, and by the Ministry of Education in a dual response to a mandate by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of State as a tool to facilitate the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), and to the Central American commitment to establish a regional accreditation body. This paper will discuss the diversity within the Belizean higher education system as it responds to differing mandates to establish a National Accreditation Council, and to cultivate a culture of quality enhancement within institutions and across the system.
Slovenia
Managing diversity and moving towards quality assurance in Slovenian higher education
Diversity in European higher education (HE) area is a product of different languages, cultures, and institution types. Common European market demands the comparability of various systems, and transparent quality assurance system is one of the guarantees for required confidence. Ministers of education undertook to attain the promotion of European cooperation in quality assurance with a view to develop comparable criteria and methodologies. Slovenia is in the process of building its quality assurance system in HE: forming of an independent Agency for Evaluation of HE, formulating the needed acts that should allow the system to work. We were involved in the process of writing the criteria for evaluation, defining the transition period and the tasks to be done: to test the criteria, the external evaluation trials, to evaluate the quality of HE institutions and programmes. All this without suffocate the diversity, which is the salt and pepper of creativity and innovation.
Indonesia
Gradation of accreditation results: Experiences from Indonesia
In a developing country where higher education quality is very variable having a pass/fail accreditation system may have political implications. The difficulty is in setting standards. If standards are set too high only few will pass thus depriving many of the opportunity to attend higher education. If the standards are set too low, then the quality of higher education will also be very low. A system of gradation in accreditation results is used in Indonesia and the results can be used to improve quality nationally and gain international recognition of the accreditation results for the top grades.
Trinidad and Tobago
Different Perspectives on Educational Quality: Implications for the Role of Accreditation in the Caribbean Economic Community – CARICOM
One of the key words in tertiary education discourse in CARICOM nowadays is quality. Governments, tertiary institutions, potential and actual students, employers and the general public all demand and except assurances in terms of adequate measures of the quality of tertiary education offerings, even though there is generally no shared understanding of quality in the various contexts. An integral aspect of this concern with quality is the need for information both in terms of public information and at the institutional level in order to support decision-making, management and accreditation needs.
It is now increasingly being recognised internationally that expectations of accreditation now outpace the purposes for which accreditation purposes were originally designed.
In CARICOM, the tertiary education systems regionally and nationally are still in embryonic form. Here for the most part unlike in the United States where the original audience for accreditation was the academy itself, in the regional context it was bureaucracy (CARICOM) and in professional groups such as Engineering, Medicine, Law and Accounting whose principal concern was with specialised programmes. Basically, the accreditation imperative in CARICOM has its genesis in a range of concerns about tertiary education which are generally designated as quality.
Accreditation does not automatically provide the kinds of information that certain audiences see as addressing quality. The purpose of this paper is to systematically examine the needs and expectations of the different audiences in CARICOM for information about educational quality and the ability of accreditation as it is currently being adapted to respond to these needs.
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