Transcript Slide 1

Tempus Project
517340-TEMPUS-1-2011-1-IT-SMGR
DOCUMENTATION FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE
OF STUDY PROGRAMMES IN PARTNER COUNTRIES
Responsibilities and facilities for internal quality assurance
in Azerbaijani Universities
(parts 1 and 2)
Ruslan SADIRKHANOV
Odlar Yurdu University
Azerbaijan partners of DoQuP: Baku State University, Khazar University, Azerbaijan
Medical University, Qafqaz University, OdlarYurdu University and Ministry of Education
of Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku 2013
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Preface
Over two years, we have been successfully working together on the DoQuP project.
Certainly, in the implementation process of the project, a vital role plays the project
coordinator of DoGuP Prof. Alfredo Squarzoni, University of Genova. Largely due to his
outstanding work, our activities have a logically clear and rational character.
From the long list of important cases performed, I would like to highlight two of them,
which are of particular interest for the project.
This is primarily the Questionnaire’s outcomes for the Gathering of the Students’ Opinions
on the Information and Data for Quality Assurance of Study Programs (was held on
December 2012).
The aim of this questionnaire is to gather the students’ opinions on the usefulness of the
proposed information and data. The opinions of students are very useful for the improvement
of the education process at any university.
The second one is developed under the leadership of Prof. Squarzoni “The dictionary of
terms for DoQuP” (draft version) in English.
It worth to note, that the terminological framework for a qualified understanding of the
various aspects of the Bologna process in general, as well as with respect to our DoQuP
project, is not yet sufficiently developed in the Azerbaijani language.
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In this regard, expanding the dictionary for the Azerbaijani version is timely.
The first Azerbaijani version has been prepared already. Among a number of terms
that are added to the Azerbaijani version of the dictionary, special attention was
paid to the following terms: COPS and SWOT analysis (for university), as well as
the Dublin Descriptors, Reflection and Curriculum. These terms are explained in
detail in the relevant Annexes 1 and 2.
The Azerbaijani version of the dictionary is one of the important ancillary
products of the DoGuP project and will benefit the university community of
Azerbaijan.
In the nearest future this dictionary in Azerbaijani will be improved by all
Azerbaijan universities – DoGuP partners and access to the dictionary will be free
on their websites.
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Part I
Responsibilities and facilities for internal quality assurance
in Azerbaijani Universities
(overview in brief)
Responsibilities
The internal quality assurance will be carried out at all Azerbaijani Universities – members
of DoQuP. All levels of study programs – General, Bachelor, Masters (including MBA
program) – are going to be involved.
The quality assurance of study programs will be carried out for the improvement of the
existing quality standards of Universities study programs by supervising of Quality
Assurance Centers’ specialists or by specially organized group of experts.
The quality assurance of study programs gives us the opportunity to use internet resources
for study programs, to orient the students better, to expand the possibilities of study
opportunities. Students will be able to plan and do what is expected from them by the
university. Thus the mechanism of quality assurance is going to be guaranteed.
It is necessary to create a solid technical basis for the reasonable and effective access of
students to the study programs both in and outside the country.
The quality assurance will be carried out according to the working document on quality
assurance of study programs at the corresponding University.
There is a need to carry out internal seminars for the proper implementation of the quality
assurance of study programs at each University.
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Facilities
The facilities for the quality assurance at the Universities will be created by the team of
experts from the all faculties. These are experts who had education abroad and are
Western-oriented.
The necessary technical equipment for the implementation of the program is also
available.
But, we need to understand the real problems and their causes in the field of higher
education of Azerbaijan for the effective implementation of the DoGuP project.
Some of them will be explained below which are based on the part of the research
provided at the request of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan for the period of
December, 2010 - July, 2011 within the framework of preparations for the project of
support for the assurance of quality in higher education.
The purpose of this material is to draw attention to the problems that today are seriously
hindering the development of the system of higher education in Azerbaijan.
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Part II
The quality assurance
in the higher education system of Azerbaijan
(overview in general)
§1. About the format of research of the quality of higher education
1.1. Any discussions of quality in higher education in isolation from the specific financial
costs of higher education and its overall resource capabilities are improper. It is reasonable
to consider this issue, first, in the context of adequate funding of higher education. A more
reasonable approach is to study the following question: how does the quality of higher
education correlate to the level of current funding of higher education and what should be
done to improve this correlation?
This format of study allows:
firstly, to raise the question of goals and objectives in achieving the maximum quality of
higher education at the current level of education funding,
secondly, to assess more accurately the need for and the amount of additional funding, if
the objective is to strengthen the quality of education comparable. For example, with
requirements of the Bologna process or requirements of a number of leading universities in
Europe or the United States, selected as a model; and,
thirdly, to carry out objectively comparative analysis of the pair of objects - the quality
of higher education and the current level of funding of higher education - in different
countries.
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It is hard to believe that, for example, in the U.S. or Germany an indicator of the quality of
higher education would be higher than in Azerbaijan, if their expenditures per capita on
higher education would be the same.
(For example, the levels of real financing in the USA and Azerbaijan per capita,
accordingly, in education and tertiary education (the last covers higher education and all
post-secondary programs) are as following: in the USA in 2011 (population 311.4 million):
Federal State and Local Government spending in Fiscal Year 2011 per capita in respectively
education/tertiary education is USD2842/USD734; in Azerbaijan in 2011 (population 9.1
million): government spending per capita, respectively, in education/tertiary education is
USD184/USD27. This comparison explains the fundamental reasons of backlog in higher
education of Azerbaijan from the level of developed countries.)
Of course, ultimately, the development of higher education is determined by the appropriate
level of development of the country’s economy and its needs. Even the most simplistic
estimates indicate how much the positive dynamics of development of higher education have
been changing over the last 5-6 years in Azerbaijan.
Economic power of Azerbaijan, an absolute regional leader, stimulates the immediate
solution of the question of effectiveness and modernization of education, its greater adequacy
to economic achievements taking into account the realities and peculiarities of the country.
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1.2. PROPOSAL. The required conditions for the modernization of education in
Azerbaijan are:
Resources (experts and financing) necessary for the development and implementation of
tasks, including the tasks of primary importance for short-term (2-5 years) and mediumterm (10 years) periods; and these are
the task of forming a portfolio of education programs in the Azeri language that will
meet the best requirements worldwide;
widespread adoption of advanced multimedia technologies in teaching;
definition and implementation of the policy of incentive financing of teachers
depending on the level and quality of the tasks tackled by them, including the creation
of a mechanism of the financial incentives of the process of training highly qualified
teachers and the continuous improvement of their professional level;
establishment of a permanent mechanism for monitoring/evaluating the quality of
education at all levels with the ability to quickly correct any arising deficiencies.
Stimulation by the state of the country’s business community involvement in the process
of modernization of the education system.
Stimulation of the demand for quality education within the society.
Extensive use of electronic resources by all educational institutions.
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§2. Factors influencing the quality of higher education
2.1. In general, establishment of a fair competitive environment, irrespective of the ownership
of a university, will become one of the most important factors influencing the quality of higher
education. The state can and should play a major role in this process. Another no less important
factor should be the stimulating demands of the society and business.
2.2. PROPOSAL. The most important factors reducing the quality of higher education
are:
2.2.1. Teachers’ low wages and equalization in wage payments;
2.2.2. Lack of widespread use of modern study programs (particularly in the Azerbaijani
language) and technologies;
2.2.3. Lack of opportunities for students to receive a full-scale practical training;
2.2.4. Lack of modern system of management and transparency in the administration of a
university and its educational process;
2.2.5. Lack of system of translation into the Azerbaijani language of world-class modern
(advanced, contemporary) training aids (tutorials) (including multimedia-based) on a number of
important subjects (mathematics, physics, computer science, biology, chemistry, economics,
business, etc.) for the universities in Azerbaijan;
2.2.6. Lack of affordable and financially motivated regular training courses for teachers of
universities;
2.2.7. Lack of mutually beneficial ties between universities and the business community;
2.2.8. Lack of modern electronic databases and interactive websites in universities that reflect
the real process of teaching in the university.
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§3. Institutional framework for the self-regulating mechanism of quality assurance
at the level of the higher education system on the whole
3.1. Today the role of the body, controlling the quality of higher education in Azerbaijan is
performed by the Accreditation Department. The department also issues licenses for the
setting-up of private universities. For public universities, there is no requirement of
licensing. Thus, for private universities, to obtain a license is the primary task, and the
accreditation is a secondary thing.
The programs of study (curriculum), various conformity standards for students, educators,
etc. are verified in the accreditation process. So far, accreditation in Azerbaijan is free of
charge. (There are about 150 programs on the training of specialists. Among them the
elective courses make up 20-25% of the total number of courses.)
Accreditation rules do not contain explicit requirements leading to a continuous
improvement of the teaching process (note that the next review of the university will be
carried out no earlier than after 5 years).
In the process of accreditation, the current level of training programs is not assessed,
since these programs are transferred to the universities from the Ministry of Education.
There is no mechanism which prevents the use of outdated literatures, computers and
the corresponding software.
There is no mention of modern technologies in teaching.
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3.2. In essence, the current Mission of the Accreditation Department is the quality
assurance of education based on state standards through the necessary set of assessment
and verification procedures covering the main aspects of the education institution.
Because the current format of the accreditation is a one-time operation with a five-year
period of validity, there is a question of entering such changes in accreditation
rules/requirements so that quality in the higher education institutions is represented
constantly in the improved process. Consequently, the new mission should reflect this
dynamic feature of accreditation.
3.3. PROPOSAL. The following version of the Mission of the Accreditation Department
is proposed: The main goal of the Accreditation Department is to assure a continuous
development of quality education based on state standards through the necessary
set of assessment and verification procedures.
The adoption of such a mission dictates what requirements and additional changes need
to be incorporated in the rules of accreditation.
The most important reasons which affect the quality of education should be noted in the
requirements of the accreditation process. Some of them are contained in mentioned
above Proposal 2.2.
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Other requirements, related to improving the quality of education, are presented below:
Firstly, the university should have a structure that would be responsible for the
organization and functioning of the quality assurance system.
The university should have a website, which would objectively reflect the basic
parameters of the organization, including: the average wages of teachers, the average
admission score, the number of candidates and doctors of sciences of the faculties and their
wages, the number of departments, information about the process of ensuring the quality of
education, information on the level of provision with modern IT; data on the participation
of teachers in national and international conferences and seminars, information on the
participation of students in national and international contests and competitions,
conferences and seminars.
Each university must submit SWOT and COPS - analysis.
There should be carried out an annual monitoring of the universities selected for
individual parameters to determine how the requirements of the Accreditation Department
are being implemented (the object of this test may be the level of organization and
functioning of the university’s website, or one of the programs of study).
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There must be defined a specific requirement of the minimum wage for teachers of
universities, depending on their level of professionalism, academic degrees and
other achievements. The minimum wage for the candidates and doctors of sciences,
for example, may be commensurate with the amount of the average wage in this
country or with a share of GDP per capita in the prices of the current period,
respectively, with a double and triple multiplier on them.
(It is obvious that a low wage leads to the following negative phenomena - corruption, as
well as a low level of professionalism and responsibility. In 2010, the average salary in
Azerbaijan made up AZN325 (USD406); gross national product per capita in the prices of
the current period was AZN380.3 (USD475.3) per month. Certainly, this issue must be
decided on at the governmental level, but not in the Accreditation Department.
Nevertheless, justification of the importance of consideration of the problem of minimum
wage may originate from the Department with the attraction of local and foreign
experts.)
3.4. The current accreditation process needs reforms and strengthening to achieve the
main objectives - ongoing compliance with national standards of high quality,
harmonized with the Bologna process.
For self-regulation of this process a new institutional framework is needed. Selfregulation of this process also implies independence in decision-making. The successful
experience of developed countries shows that relevant structures for Higher Education
Accreditation must have a real independence.
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§4. About the mechanism of quality assurance at the university level
4.1. It should be noted that it is impossible to develop a common format for the conditions
defining the quality assurance for all universities. This is due to their great diversity and
fundamental differences among themselves as to the form of ownership - public private universities - municipal ones, as well as by the nature and scope of their
activities.
Obviously, it is necessary to give priority to those conditions that are achievable in the
current period of time, and takes into account the specifics of the university and its
resource capabilities (potential). The successful experience of foreign universities in
developed countries and yet few cases of good practice of the local universities show that
for the systematic maintenance and development of the quality of education in universities
a special structure has to be established, in the activity of which students, teachers and the
administration/management will be actively involved.
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4.2. The most common are two types of quality assurance systems of higher education
(QASHE). The first type is based on the procedures, focused on the evaluation of
training programs, student achievement, and teaching level. In addition, for smallscale universities (up to 10000 students), the system of QASHE covers also such
areas, important for quality assurance, as management of the university education,
social conditions of students and teachers, employment of graduates, etc.
This approach is based on the requirements of the document "Standards and Guidelines
for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Europe", developed by the European
Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
Another type is based on the standards and principles for quality series ISO 9000:2000.
Both of these approaches are implemented in some universities in Azerbaijan. More
precisely, it is Khazar University, Odlar Yurdu University and the University of
Languages (which used the first approach) and Qafqaz University (where the second
approach was implemented).
The development of the format and implementation of regulations and requirements
relating to the creation of a quality assurance system in universities is a necessary step for
a systematic approach to quality assurance in the university. To do this, you should define
objectives sought by a particular institution, and their indicators.
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4.3. The scope of activities of the structure of quality assurance of education should
cover four major components of the higher education institution:
educational programs and training manuals;
 staff of teachers and the mechanism of continuous improvement of their
professionalism;
use of modern (advanced) IT in the learning process;
management and the transparency of accountability.
Regularly conducted assessment activities and monitoring should be organized in all four
areas.
It should be noted that due to the widespread availability of IT, electronic means of
teaching are already the most accessible and cheapest; international experience shows
that every 5-7 years on average, textbooks are substantially recycled and they have to be
reissued, which is very expensive for the state, while the electronic format manuals will
require only the cost of updating their content.
The effectiveness of the structures for quality assurance should be reflected in the
relevant measurable indicators (parameters).
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Relative to the university as a whole, one can propose the following comprehensive
assessment of the quality of offered education.
4.4. PROPOSAL. The following indicators may be identified as the most important:
a higher rate of employment for graduates of the university as per their chosen
specialty within a year after the completion of studies at the university (the most
important indicator);
high entrance scores required for admission to the university;
regular participation of the university in international projects and grants;
successful and regular performances of students in international competitions (one of
the most prestigious indicators);
a large number of publications by teachers and students in journals included in the
corresponding list of most cited journals;
a high percentage of students who secured a primary work during internship;
availability of foreign experts/teachers working at the university;
availability of students studying abroad on exchange programs;
availability of teachers, undergoing internship abroad on exchange programs.
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Schematically, the practical operation of the structure responsible for ensuring the
quality of education at the university is focused on:
the development of policy and goals of the university needed to ensure the quality of
education;
the planning, management and a regular evaluation of the quality assurance process;
the development of proposals to improve the quality of education.
Obviously, each higher education institution should define its own policy on the
activity of a quality assurance structure, taking into account specifics of the university.
However, this policy should be harmonized both with the basic requirements of the
Bologna process in respect of the quality of higher education, and the requirements of
Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education
Area.
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Thank you for your patience!
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