scholarly journals Implementation of Internal Quality Assurance in Polytechnics: Evidence from Ghana

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Mary Afi Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Performance ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Quality Culture ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance

Quality assurance in higher education has become a global issue. There has been a growing interest of governments around the world that higher education institutions in their countries need to provide quality education to their students. This study investigated the implementation of internal quality assurance in two purposively selected Ghanaian Polytechnics. Qualitative methodology was employed using in-depth interviews based on a case study research design. The participants indicated that the internal quality assurance systems and practices in place in the Polytechnics included areas such as the availability of internal quality assurance policy, teaching and learning processes, curriculum design, evaluation and review, research performance, extension activities, student assessment practices, student-lecturer assessment and student support services. Infrastructure challenges, funding and budget constraints, human capacity constraints and lack of quality culture were found to militate against the implementation of quality assurance in the Polytechnics. It was recommended that Ghanaian Polytechnics should have clear policies and associated procedures for the assurance of quality and standards of their programmes and awards. They should commit themselves explicitly to the development of quality culture and quality awareness. Also, the necessary learning facilities, resources and support systems should be provided by the Polytechnics to ensure quality of teaching and learning. The products, environments, programmes and services provided by the Polytechnics should be accessible and usable, to the greatest extent possible, by all categories of students. Assistive devices should be provided for persons with disabilities where needed. Building internal capacity for quality assurance was also recommended.

scholarly journals Quality Culture and Internal Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ta Thi Thu Hien ◽  
Nguyen Thi Thu Huong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Quality Assurance System ◽  
Quality Culture ◽  
Assurance System ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance ◽  
World Class Universities

Internal quality assurance is an important management tool in higher education. World-class universities have established and developed their internal quality assurance system together with buiding and developing the institutional quality culture. Research and practice from many universities worldwide showed that there are good connections between quality culture and internal quality assurance. This paper aims to analyse and evaluate the relationship between internal quality assurance and quality culture in the international higher education context. Consequently, the outcomes of the study are recommendations for the establishment and development of the quality culture together with the development of the internal quality assurance system for Vietnamese higher education institutions.

scholarly journals Assessing the quality of third mission activities in Portuguese universities

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46
Author(s):  
Cristina Sin ◽  
Orlanda Tavares ◽  
Sónia Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Third Mission ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance ◽  
Portuguese Higher Education

Since 2009, Portuguese higher education institutions have been developing their own internal quality assurance systems and policies as a result of the reforms of higher education quality assurance in Europe and Portugal. This paper analyses how far Portuguese universities, within the remit of their internal quality assurance systems, define and employ mechanisms and procedures in order to assess the quality of their third mission activities. The analysis was conducted on documents submitted by institutions to the Portuguese Agency for the Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) under the institutional evaluation process. Findings suggest that although the analysed Portuguese institutions apparently embrace the third mission, the quality assurance of this core activity is still in an embryonic stage of development. This suggests that quality assurance systems need to be developed so as to integrate the various core missions of an institution (e.g. teaching and learning; research and third mission), ensuring they receive similar levels of consideration.

scholarly journals Evolution of quality culture in an HEI: critical insights from university staff in Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naureen Rahnuma
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Quality Culture ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Administrative Leaders ◽  
Framework Document ◽  
Western Perspective

AbstractThis paper evaluates experiences of quality culture as actualized by academic and administrative leaders in a nonprofit, private Bangladeshi university, ensuing the recent implementation of a state-stipulated national quality framework. Based on the data derived from ten interviews integrated with the Quality Assurance Framework document objectives, the purpose of this paper is to gain critical insight on what is working and what might need changing or developing in the future to support quality culture at higher education institutions. The article translates the key themes and elements of the evaluation process into a logic model to show the processes and structures through which the university can support the development of its internal quality culture. It offers a focused pathway for quality assurance activities, crucial in reinforcing and strengthening a culture of quality in Bangladeshi universities. As such, the paper seeks to make a contribution to Bangladesh’s higher education by providing a broad, evaluative insight into the preparedness and receptivity of the institutions to integrate sustainability into their teaching and learning as guided by the new quality assurance framework, mindful of the imperatives for quality assurance and enhancement coming mainly from the Western perspective, hence placing its development in the regional, and then global, context.

scholarly journals Conceptual Framework and Development of Quality Management for Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
pp. 43-60
Author(s):  
Khairul Azan ◽  
Kemas Imron Rosadi ◽  
Muntholib Muntholib
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Quality Assurance System ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Quality Culture ◽  
Assurance System ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance

Quality is a determining indicator of the existence of Islamic higher education institutions in the future. Higher education with quality will be in demand by the community. Therefore, quality must be a priority indicator in the implementation of Islamic-based higher education. In order for the quality to continue to increase, universities should implement the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) in all areas of university administration. Integrated quality management requires the existence of an Internal Quality Assurance System (SPMI) which aims to ensure the implementation of ducation according to standards. In order for the Internal Quality Assurance System (SPMI) to run well, it is necessary to have a quality culture that is well understood and implemented by stakeholders. The quality culture contains several aspects, namely: 1) focus on customers, 2) obsession with quality, 3) scientific approach, 4) long-term commitment, 5) teamwork, 6) continuous improvement of the system, 7) education and training, 8) controlled freedom, 9) respect for everyone, 10) unity of purpose, 11) involvement and empowerment of employees. Efforts that can be made in developing and maintaining the quality of Islamic higher education include: 1) Strategic Plan as a basis for implementing education, 2) building a higher education brand image, 3) consistency in implementing the internal quality assurance system.

scholarly journals Conceptualising External and Internal Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Pragmatist Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Ansah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Practical Relevance ◽  
Higher Education Quality ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Education Quality Assurance

The traditional tension between external and internal quality assurance implementation in higher education appears to be declining, based on a rethinking of the relationship between the two concepts. Although there are quality assurance agencies that still consider external and internal quality assurance as separate entities, most quality assurance agencies now regard the two concepts as complementary. In this paper, a case is put that the present rethinking of external and internal quality assurance in most higher education settings is guided by pragmatism, but not explicitly acknowledged in the literature. For a better appreciation of pragmatists’ influence on the current understanding of the relationship between external and internal quality assurance in higher education, this paper provides a further pragmatist conceptualisation of the two concepts to enhance stakeholders’ appreciation of employing a pragmatist approach to quality assurance practices in higher education. The conceptualisation is done through a pragmatist analysis of selected international accounts on higher education quality assurance. The paper concludes that pragmatism helps to understand external and internal quality assurance as nested concepts with reciprocities of accountability and improvement roles, and influences which call for alignment of perspectives through negotiations and settlements in order to focus on their practical relevance for implementation in higher education. La tension traditionnelle entre l’implémentation de systèmes d’assurance qualité interne et externe dans l’enseignement supérieur semble s’affaiblir grâce à la reconsidération de la relation entre ces deux concepts. Bien qu’il existe des agences d’assurance qualité qui continuent à considérer les assurances qualité interne et externe comme deux entités distinctes, la plupart des agences considèrent désormais qu’elles sont complémentaires. Cet article soutient que la nouvelle manière de penser les assurances qualité interne et externe dans l’enseignement supérieur est guidée par un souci de pragmatisme mais est encore peu reconnue dans la littérature. Pour mieux apprécier l’influence des pragmatistes sur la compréhension actuelle de la relation entre les assurances qualité interne et externe, cet article offre une conceptualisation pragmatique approfondie de ces deux concepts dans le but d’augmenter l’appréciation des parties prenantes pour l’utilisation d’une telle approche. La conceptualisation proposée provient d’une analyse pragmatique d’un choix d’expériences internationales en matière d’assurance qualité pour l’enseignement supérieur. En conclusion, cet article affirme que le pragmatisme aide à comprendre les assurances qualité interne et externe comme des concepts imbriqués qui ont des rôles réciproques en ce qui concerne la responsabilisation du système et son amélioration. Ces rôles ainsi que l’influence exercée par ces deux types d’assurance qualité requièrent des négociations et accords, pour s’accorder sur les perspectives et pouvoir ensuite se concentrer pleinement sur la pertinence pratique de leur implémentation dans les systèmes d’enseignement supérieur. 

scholarly journals Main Features and Challenges of Implementing Internal Quality Assurance Within African Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Eduardo Mondlane University

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Casimiro Zavale ◽  
Luisa Alcantra Santos ◽  
Maria Da Conceição Dias
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance ◽  
Reflection On Action ◽  
First Time ◽  
Eduardo Mondlane University

Founded in 1962, Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), Mozambique’s largest and most prestigious university, established an Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) system for the first time in 2013. Based on UEM’s case, this paper examines the features and challenges faced when implementing an IQA system within African higher education institutions. Literature on higher education quality assurance has widely examined the features of, and challenges faced by national QA systems, or by a QA system established across several higher education institutions (HEIs). However, this literature has rarely targeted single HEIs, particularly (African) HEIs that are establishing, for the first time, their IQA systems. Besides, even when IQA at a single HEI is targeted, this is often done by outsiders. Based on reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action, this paper addresses the perspectives of both insiders and outsiders. The authors analyse a system that they have been involved in establishing. The paper’s findings enable to conclude that the main challenges of implementing an IQA system in an African HEI are associated with linking QA to decision-making and to a funding strategy; training human resources and allocating funds for the system to operate and to be sustainable; enabling the system to be assimilated by the university community; and defining measurable and objective quality standards to enable unbiased performance classification. Fondée en 1962, l’Université Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), la plus grande et la plus prestigieuse université du Mozambique, a créé pour la première fois en 2013 un système interne d’assurance qualité (IAQ). A partir de l’étude du cas de l’UEM, cet article examine les caractéristiques et les défis qui attendent les institutions d’enseignement supérieur africaines qui désirent implémenter un IAQ. La littérature sur l’assurance qualité de l’enseignement supérieur a largement examiné les caractéristiques des systèmes nationaux d’AQ (ou de systèmes communs à plusieurs institutions), et les défis auxquels ils sont confrontés. Elle s ‘est cependant rarement concentrée sur des cas uniques d’institutions, notamment des institutions (africaines) qui ont créé pour la première fois leur propre IAQ. Par ailleurs, même quand elle s’attarde sur une institution en particulier, l’analyse est souvent effectuée par des personnes étrangères à l’institution. Fondé sur la réflexion dans l’action et la réflexion sur l’action, cet article présente les perspectives de personnes internes et étrangères à l’établissement. Il permet de conclure que les principaux défis à affronter lors de l’établissement d’un IAQ sont dus à la difficulté de lier l’AQ à la prise de décision et à une stratégie de financement ; à la formation des ressources humaines et l’allocation des fonds nécessaires pour que le système fonctionne et perdure ; à l’assimilation du système par la communauté universitaire ; et à la définition de standards de qualité mesurables et objectifs pour permettre une classification de la performance impartiale. 

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