Transcript Slide 1

Accreditation and Quality
Assurance Commission (AQAC)
Ministry of Education & Higher Education
Palestine
Mohammed M Alsubu’
Professor & Head of AQAC
November 13-5 2009
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
General Aspects of the Palestinian
Quality Assurance (QA) System
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
The Palestinian quality assurance policy
was upgraded in 2002 simultaneously with
the establishment of 'Accreditation and
Quality Assurance Commission' (AQAC) as
the only official accreditation body in
Palestine for higher education (HE).
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
AQAC is:
A governmental semiautonomous body under the
umbrella of the Ministry of Education and Higher
Education (MoEHE) and directly responsible to
the Minister.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
Minister
Head
Accreditation
Council
Advisory Council
Secretary
Deputy Head
Secretary
Planning and
Development
Dept.
Research and
Documentation
Dept.
IT and Projects
Dept.
Quality
Assurance Dept.
IT
Statistics and
Planning
Training and
Consultancy
HEIs (Aboard)
Scientific Research
Projects
Finance
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
Accreditation
Dept.
External Evaluation
of (HEIs)
HEIs
External Evaluation
of (programs)
Academic
Programs
7/20/2015
Vision:
To have Palestine as manpower resourceful through the
provision of quality education in Palestinian HEIs that is
value based and comparable to international scope of
excellence.
Mission:
Reinforce a culture of quality education system based on
accountability, control, guidance, and improvement.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
In Palestine, like other countries, the following
trends in higher education were the impetus
behind establishing a system for QA in HE:
•
•
•
•
•
Growing social demand
Privatization of higher education
governments’ demand for value for money
Globalization
Evidence quality at home and aboard
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Statistics
Enrolled students
HEIs
year
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
QOU
40230
46453
52914
57177
60631
Traditional U
68435
76650
79877
93922
102125
U- colleges
4710
6034
6347
7033
5228
Community C
8511
9002
11136
11241
12921
total
123,890
140,144
152,280
171,380
182,913
Graduates
QOU
2536
3040
3751
4397
5025
Traditional U
7722
9927
10074
12700
15435
U- colleges
564
1879
1512
1660
1319
Community C
1503
1727
1964
2824
3496
total
12,325
16,573
17,301
21,581
25,275
Employee
QOU
2135
2111
2481
2666
2325
Traditional U
5446
5884
6501
6852
7193
U- colleges
830
1028
1089
1102
980
Community C
723
806
1116
1144
1214
11,187
11,764
11,712
total and Quality 9,134
9,829
Accreditation
Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Staff
8000
7000
6000
5000
Number
Open learning
Conventional Univ
4000
g
University Colleges
Community Colleges
3000
2000
1000
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
year
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
There are 48 HEIs in Palestine:
14 universities; 9 public + 3 private +2
state (14 conventional + 1 open learning)
14 university colleges:
5 state + 2 UNRWA + 7 private
19 community college:
All are private
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
The previous trends have led to a growing
concern with the issue of ‘quality’ of HE and
subsequently ‘how to assure it’.
AQAC and other professional bodies have been
working to achieve this objective by direct
monitoring of the quality of institutions and
programs in Palestinian HEIs using an effective
QA system
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
The Palestinian QA system relates to
– institutions (state, public & private)
and
– programs (both undergraduate and graduate).
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
The role of Palestinian HEIs, as seen by MoEHE
is to:
– Produce qualified manpower
– Train for a research career
– Manage teaching provision
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
The QA system in Palestine has three
main broad purposes:
• quality control
• accountability/ guidance
• improvement purposes.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Palestinian QA system address’s different functions that
include:
• assessments related to the initial introduction of programs
and institutions (initial accreditation and licensing
respectively) and leading to the status of a publicly recognized entity)
• supervision of the current functioning institutions and
programs (commonly relating to minimum standards)
• accreditation
• professional certification of graduates in chosen professional
fields.
• provision of information on the recognition and accreditation
status of both institutions and programs.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
The QA system in Palestine is both internal (by
HEI) ad external (by AQAC), and is:
1. Compulsory/ voluntary?!
2. Uses both 'fitness for purpose' and 'standard-based'
approaches as appropriate?!
3. Uses both accreditation and quality audit options?!
4. Deals with both public and private
institutions, university and non-university
sector institutions and all types of academic
programs
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
1. Compulsory/ voluntary? !
1.1Compulsory:
No new programs and/or institutions can
operate without prior accreditation from AQAC
1.2 Voluntary:
Accreditation of long established institutions is
still optional (but not academic programs)
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
2. Uses both 'fitness for purpose' and 'standard based' approaches as appropriate?!:
2.1 The 'fitness-for-purpose' approach (mainly for technical
colleges);
begins by analyzing the stated purpose of a HEI or program
(mission statement) whether it is in compliance with MoEHE vision
or not.
2.2 The ‘standard – based’ approach:
addresses input factors relating to students, staff, buildings,
facilities and finances. It also includes process elements such as
governance and management systems, as well as the basic
research activities perceived to be necessary for higher education
to be meaningful.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
3.
Uses both accreditation and quality audit options?!
3.1Accreditation
comprises three elements and generally involves three
steps with specific activities as follows:
i) Self-assessment; a self-evaluation process conducted
by the faculty, the administrators, and the staff of the
institution or academic program, resulting in a report
that takes as its reference the set of standards of AQAC.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
3.1 Accreditation…
ii) peer review ; a study visit conducted by a team of peers
selected by AQAC, that reviews the evidence, visits the
premises, and interviews the academic and administrative
staff, resulting in an assessment report, including a
recommendation to AQAC.
iii) decision-making ; examination by AQAC board to the
evidence and recommendation on the basis of the given
set of criteria concerning quality and resulting in a final
judgment and the communication of the formal decision to
the institution and other constituencies.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
3.2 Quality audit option
focuses on:
– the institution’s internal reporting
mechanisms,
– data collection mechanisms on ‘teaching
performance’,
– whether the institution collects systematic
data on student, graduate and employer
satisfaction.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
4. Deals with both public and private
institutions, university and non-university
sector institutions and all types of academic
programs
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
4.1 For the Institution, the followings are
considered:
– Mission, Goals & Objectives;
– Governance, Administration, Planning &
Communication
– Institutional Scope; (Educational programs, Research,
Internationalization & community service)
– Institutional Resources & Services (Human,,
Educational, Physical, and Financial resources, Information,
Institutional development & Student services .
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
4.2 For the program, the followings are considered
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mission and General Objectives
Program structure and content
Teaching- Learning Educational Environment
Students
Curriculum and Teaching plan
Success Rates
Graduates
Program Faculty
Teaching – Learning facilities
External Contacts and Knowledge exchange
Internal Quality Evaluation
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Palestinian QA system provides information on the quality of
programs and institutions which may be used by a variety of
stakeholders, including
– government;
- To define higher education country-wide and out side
- To assure quality higher education
– students
- To assist in selecting an institution for study and career guidance
- To assist in employment
– institutions of higher education
- To improve institutional information and data
- To enhance institutional planning
- labor market
- to assess labor market relevance of newly established Bachelor and Master
programs
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Implementation of the QA system suffers several
limitations like:
– Several HEIs and many programs had started
without accreditation long before the establishment of
MoEHE,
– the system does not attract sufficient number of
respected peer reviewers.
– a program accreditation is a relatively expensive
procedure and the expenses have to be covered by
institutions.
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015
Thanks
Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
7/20/2015