Program-Based Quality Assurance Model with Decision Support System

Quality education is regarded as an essential provider to the country’s economic advancement. This study aimed to design and develop a Program-Based Quality Assurance Model with Decision Support System for St. Paul University Philippines. The researcher created a model and developed a database management tool to assess the quality assurance mechanism employed by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) and Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) to ensure a reliable delivery of quality education on the program it provides. The study employed the Rapid Application Development Model for the software development and Quantitative method using descriptive survey was used to gather data. The problems, issues, and challenges in accreditation with respect to preparation, document and records management and reporting were utilized by the researcher for the development of the system. The developed system is a web-based application, thus, can be easily accessed. As a result, the system effectively stores and retrieved data needed for the preparation of documents and records for accreditation. Thus, the features of the developed system were accepted to be useful based on the results of the evaluation in accordance with the software compliance criteria of ISO 25010 Software Quality Standards with overall weighted mean of 4.12 12 with a descriptive interpretation of “Great Extent”. The developed system can be of great help to the Accreditation Team to monitor accomplishments of all programs along with the recommendations for proper documentation and record keeping.

Enhancing assessment literacies through development of quality rubrics using a Triad based peer review process

Peer review is viewed as a valid quality assurance mechanism in higher education. Peer review of teaching is common practice at universities in Australia. However, peer review of assessment is a relatively new innovation in tertiary education. Peer review of assessment in a Triad structure utilised data, via interviews with academics and students, to develop a peer review of assessment framework. This project was modelled on a Triad based peer review of teaching process at a major university in Brisbane Australia. A 10 question framework was used initially to facilitate conversations between assessors in a range of undergraduate courses (teacher education, business, visual arts, occupational therapy, outdoor education). The benefits for all stakeholders were widespread and significant, impacting students and assessors and provided a response to sector wide, national and international criticisms of tertiary assessment by students, who are driven by successful assessment experiences and shaped by the clarity of assessment rubrics.

The development of National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards

Objective: Digital mental health services offer innovative ways for individuals to access services but are not without risk. Our objective was to develop National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards that improve the quality of digital mental health service provision and protect service users from harm. Method: The NSQDMH Standards were developed by adapting the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards and adding components highlighted through a national consultation process as critical to the safety and quality of services. Further public consultation and pilot testing assisted in refining the NSQDMH Standards. Results: The NSQDMH Standards comprise three standards—Clinical and Technical Governance, Partnering with Consumers, and Model of Care—and were launched in November 2020. Conclusions: The NSQDMH Standards provide a quality assurance mechanism to improve digital mental health care in Australia.

SMS feedback system as a quality assurance mechanism: experience from a household survey in rural India

The increasing use of digital health solutions to support data capture both as part of routine delivery of health services and through special surveys presents unique opportunities to enhance quality assurance measures. This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of using back-end data analytics and machine learning to identify impediments in data quality and feedback issues requiring follow-up to field teams using automated short messaging service (SMS) text messages. Data were collected as part of a postpartum women’s survey (n=5095) in four districts of Madhya Pradesh, India, from October 2019 to February 2020. SMSs on common errors found in the data were sent to supervisors and coordinators. Before/after differences in time to correction of errors were examined, and qualitative interviews conducted with supervisors, coordinators, and enumerators. Study activities resulted in declines in the average number of errors per week after the implementation of automated feedback loops. Supervisors and coordinators found the direct format, complete information, and automated nature of feedback convenient to work with and valued the more rapid notification of errors. However, coordinators and supervisors reported preferring group WhatsApp messages as compared with individual SMSs to each supervisor/coordinator. In contrast, enumerators preferred the SMS system over in-person group meetings where data quality impediments were discussed. This study demonstrates that automated SMS feedback loops can be used to enhance survey data quality at minimal cost. Testing is needed among data capture applications in use by frontline health workers in India and elsewhere globally.

Quality Assurance of Online and Distance Learning Education for SAARC Region during Covid-19 Situation

The outbreak of second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has again halted routine life of normal citizen across the globe. The nature always support the change for better future and covid-19 has provide chance to change challenges into opportunities. This study is sought to examine post Covid-19 effects on ICT infrastructure for e-learning education and its quality assurance mechanism in SAARC countries. This research is descriptive in nature and use comparative analysis of numerous challenges faced by SAARC member countries for implementation of E-learning. Challenges and limitation are also brush-up for further refinement in future in these areas. Future researchers may conduct survey techniques in explanatory research on implementation of ICT infrastructure of SAARC region countries. SAARC member countries may take lead from this study to address challenges and their solutions for development and implementation of E-learning.

Interrogating the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry in Nigerian Private Universities: Matters Arising

The indispensability and vast career possibilities associated with Chemistry notwithstanding, there is a palpable growing decline enrollment in Chemistry in Nigerian universities, particularly the private universities. The paper interrogated the teaching and learning of Chemistry in Nigerian private universities with a view to re-awakening the students’ interest for effective mastery of the subject. It relied on secondary sources and critical analysis and found out that major inhibiting factors include: Students’ faulty foundation in Chemistry, syndrome of area of concentration, absence of competitiveness in the admission process, poor attitude of students and lecturers as well as the ambience for effective scholarship. The paper concluded that the current downturn in the students enrolment in Chemistry and the seemingly poor interest in the subject portend sufficient threat to the future of Chemistry, chemical-related industries and the replacement of ageing Chemistry lecturers in Nigeria. It recommended the following strategies to mitigate the vicious cycle: targeted tutorial system, adoption of digital modes of teaching and learning, problem-based learning, capacity building initiatives for Chemistry lecturers, quality assurance mechanism, overhauling science education at the primary and secondary school levels, need-based assessment and provision of quality materials as well as adequate funding.

Towards Adopting Software Quality Assurance in Agile Development Methodology

In agile software development methodology, software product is developed through a few iterations and delivered incrementally. In spite of the known benefits of the agile methodology, yet issue still exists in developing high-quality software product using this methodology. Hence, quality assurance mechanism should be in place in agile development to ensure quality adherence to the software product. However, taking up quality assurance in agile software development is not an easy task as it has its own manifesto and principles that need to be met. Thus, this paper highlights the issues and challenges towards adopting quality assurance in agile development methodology. Particularly, in aniteration where we need to assure that the product increment meets the requirements as well as to decide the requirements for next increment and iteration planning. Subsequently, few measuresare identifiedconcerning the issues. The discussion in this paper is based on Scrum case, yet still relevant to other types of agile methodologies.

Barriers impacting the POINT pragmatic trial: the unavoidable overlap between research and intervention procedures in “real-world” research

Background This manuscript provides a research update to the ongoing pragmatic trial of Project POINT (Planned Outreach, Intervention, Naloxone, and Treatment), an emergency department-based peer recovery coaching intervention for linking patients with opioid use disorder to evidence-based treatment. The research team has encountered a number of challenges related to the “real-world” study setting since the trial began. Using an implementation science lens, we sought to identify and describe barriers impacting both the intervention and research protocols of the POINT study, which are often intertwined in pragmatic trials due to the focus on external validity. Method Qualitative data were collected from 3 peer recovery coaches, 2 peer recovery coach supervisors, and 3 members of the research team. Questions and deductive qualitative analysis were guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results Nine unique barriers were noted, with 5 of these barriers impacting intervention and research protocol implementation simultaneously. These simultaneous barriers were timing of intervention delivery, ineffective communication with emergency department staff, lack of privacy in the emergency department, the fast-paced emergency department setting, and patient’s limited resources. Together, these barriers represent the intervention characteristics, inner setting, and outer setting domains of the CFIR. Conclusion Results highlight the utility of employing an implementation science framework to assess implementation issues in pragmatic trials and how this approach might be used as a quality assurance mechanism given the considerable overlap that exists between research and intervention protocols in real-world trial settings. Previously undocumented changes to the trial design that have been made as a result of the identified barriers are discussed.

A Comparative Exploration of Quality Assurance Results by the Third-Party Pharmaceutical Education Evaluation in Japan

Background: The Standards for the Establishment of Universities in Japan were revised; subsequently, the number of schools or universities of pharmacy/pharmaceutical sciences increased from 46 in 2002 to 74 in 2016.The pharmacy education programme was also changed from four to six years, which was implemented in 2006. In this study, we provide the comparative results of the first cycle of the third-party accrediting organization, the Japan Accreditation Board for Pharmaceutical Education (JABPE); Methods: The results of the first cycle of all universities or schools of pharmacy assessed by the JABPE from JABPE website were retrieved, and we collated and compared the results based on the 13 areas of the assessment standards; Results: In “improvements”, the number of public universities or schools was less than that of private universities or schools, and the number of old private universities or schools was also less than the number of new private universities or schools in all assessment areas. Conclusions: These results suggest that new universities or schools established since 2003 have not yet established their own quality assurance mechanism within the institutions. We need to review the Japanese pharmacy education system or the assessment criteria for it to bring about essential change.

Community Monitoring Improves Public Service Provision at Scale: Experimental Evidence from a Child Development Program in Nicaragua

Expanding small-scale interventions without lowering quality and attenuating impact is a critical policy challenge. Community monitoring overs a low-cost quality assurance mechanism by making service providers account-able to local citizens, rather than distant administrators. This paper provides experimental evidence from a home visit parenting program implemented at scale by the Nicaraguan government, with two types of monitoring: (a) institutional monitoring; and (b) community monitoring. We find d a positive intent-to-treat effect on child development, but only among groups randomly assigned to community monitoring. Our findings show promise for the use of community monitoring to ensure quality in large-scale government-run social programs.