After completion of the presentation, the participants will be able to know: - The Origins of Quality Assurance in Higher Education - Definitions in Quality Assurance - Quality Enhancement - Quality Assessment - Accreditation - The importance of Accreditation - What is QA’s relationship to Accreditation? - Why accreditation? - Actors and factors in HE Quality - Internal Quality Assurance Applied by Asian Universities - Regional and International Quality Standards - National Quality Standards - Characteristics of QA in Asia - QA Challenges in Asia

1. Prof. Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam
Former Director, IQAC
Sylhet Agricultural University(SAU)
QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER
EDUCATION

2. The Origins of Quality Assurance in Higher Education
The Business of Quality Assurance
The topic of Quality Assurance (QA) has always been of utmost
importance, originally, in business but now also in education and other
public services sectors. Quality remains the most important attribute
that creates value about the product/service for the receiver. It is also
the means by which business/service providers differentiate themselves
from their competitors. Since businesses are leaders in quality
assurance, non-business organisations such as educational institutions
can benefit from the important lessons learnt by business.
The increasing demands for good quality higher education by students
and society imply that Higher Educational Institution (HEI’s) now face
similar pressures that the business sector has been facing for decades.
These implications often become even more serious for HEI’s who lack
the finance and infrastructure resources and have recognition issues, as
well as facing stronger competition from local, distance and
international education institutions

3. Quality Assurance in Higher Education
“An examination of a knife would reveal that its distinctive
quality is to cut, and from this we can conclude that a good
knife would be a knife that cuts well”. Aristotle
A new form of Quality Assurance
The application of QA in the sphere of Higher Education, while having the
same base objectives of defining and recognising quality, is somewhat
complicated by the important socio-economic role that education plays in
developing local, national and global societies. Quality is the distinguishing
characteristic guiding students and higher education institutions when
receiving and providing higher education.

4. Definitions in Quality Assurance
QUALITY
Fitness for purpose’ – Juran
Conformance to requirements’ – Crosby
An educational definition is that of an ongoing process ensuring the
delivery of agreed standards. These agreed standards should ensure
that every educational institution where quality is assured has the
potential to achieve a high quality of content and results.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
The means by which an institution can guarantee with confidence and
certainty, that the standards and quality of its educational provision
are being maintained and enhanced.

5. QUALITY ENHANCEMENT
Quality Enhancement is the process of positively changing activities in
order to provide for a continuous improvement in the quality of
institutional provision.
QUALITY ASSESSMENT
Quality Assessment is the process of external evaluation undertaken by an
external body of the quality of educational provisions in institutions, in
particular the quality of the student experience.
ACCREDITATION
Accreditation is the result of a review of an education program or
institution following certain quality standards agreed on beforehand. It’s a
kind of recognition that a program or institution fulfils certain standards.

6. The importance of Accreditation
With accreditation it is established in a standardized and
objectifiable procedure that a study programme corresponds to
the minimum requirement in terms of specialist content and
professional practise.“
The Accreditation Agencies award the seal of the Accreditation
Council.
That seal of quality can be used by the higher education
institutions. It insures transparency and provides certainty.
In the near future the results of accreditation procedures will be
the basis for a ranking of Higher Education Institutions.

7. What is QA’s relationship to Accreditation?
Quality assurance is a prerequisite for accreditation. Higher education
intuitions are constantly evolving and changing, accreditation is based
on an evaluation done at a specific point in time, normally with
reference to a specific area of the institutions (a course or facility). This
normally leads to the awarding of certificate or recognition that the
institution or part therefore meets certain standards. When accrediting,
quality assurance should be the guarantee that the standard measured
in the accreditation process can be upheld in the long term. Thus
accreditation cannot be said to be complete unless the three steps
outlined in the Quality Assurance and Accreditation policy are enacted
and the process is seen as ongoing.

8. Why accreditation?
 First half of 20th century in US: a university initiative
for protection of good reputation and degrees of
excellent HE institutions against low level education
and degrees (against „diploma mills”).
 Second half of 20th century: increasing importance
of quality, therefore developing systematic quality
assurance systems (models) and quality culture.
 In higher education: to ensure and improve quality
of education and training in interest of all
stakeholders (students, job market, government).
 For (the knowledge based) society: declaring safe-
guarded and evaluated quality of programs and/or
HE institutions, transparency, informing the public.

9. 9
USA (CouncilforHigher Education Accreditation,CHEA)
Accreditation in the US is about quality assurance and
quality improvement.
Accreditation status of an institution or program is
important to employers when evaluating credentials of
job applicants (in a competitive world).

10. CHEA: Council for Higher Education Accreditation →
United States
A national advocate and institutional voice for self-
regulation of academic quality through
accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000
degree-granting colleges and universities and
recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic
accrediting organizations.

11. National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and
Accreditation (NCFMEA)
The Purpose of NCFMEA is to review the standards used
by foreign countries to accredit medical schools and
determine whether those standards are comparable to
standards used to accredit medical schools in the
United States.

12. 12
Great Britain (audit):
The Quality Assurance Agency for HE (QAA) is
• to safeguard the public interest in sound standards of
HE qualifications,
• to provide public information about the maintenance of
academic standards and assurance of quality of
learning opportunities provided for students,
• to enhance the quality of educational provision,
particularly by building on information gained through
monitoring, internal and external reviews, and feed-
back from stakeholders.

13. 13
Europe (continental)
In the 20th century the mass education appeared in
Europe which required standardisation, professional
evaluation and publicity of quality, i. e. accreditation.
EUA: key principles of university quality assurance:
i. Primary responsibility for quality assurance lies with
universities themselves. The role of external quality
evaluation is to review internal processes while respec-
ting and promoting the primary responsibility of HEIs.

14. 14
ii. Institutional quality management requires a
comprehensive, all-encompassing approach. This
covers all activities of a university: research, teaching
and learning, service to society and support services.
Quality management should be derived from the
mission statement and strategic goals of each institution
and constitutes a fundamental part of an overarching
institutional quality culture that aims at continuous
enhancement of the quality.

15. 15
Hungary:
Act CCIV 2011 70. § (1) The Hungarian Accreditation
Committee is a national expert body promoting the
supervision, assurance, and evaluation of the quality of
higher education, scientific research, and the scientific
quality of artistic creation, which participates under this
Act in procedures relating to higher education
institutions, with special regard to doctorate schools.

16. Actors and factors in HE Quality
(different missions, functions, rights, duties, effects
…)
a) Government: HE Q policy, legal framework, licencing
– HEI provider: ensuring financial conditions
b) QA agency: external Q Evaluation and
accreditation– with advices, requests for
development
c) HEIs: key performers in quality of the „products”,
responsible for internal Q Assurance
d) Faculty: determines Q of teaching and research
e) Students: accept and reflect to Q of teaching
f) Labour market: confirms/questions Q of HE

17. a) Governments (Minister):
• QA and accreditation is part of state HE policy – if!
• Legal framework of QA (structures, standards etc.)
Impact
 HE community accepts the need and benefit of QA
and accreditation.
 HEIs run QA system and process ordered by law – if!
 State financing is or isn’t not connected to QA and
accreditation?
 Quality is independent of HEI provider (state,
church, private, foundations etc.)

18. b) QA agencies
ESG – Part 2: European standards for the external
quality assurance of higher education
2.1 Use of internal quality assurance procedures
2.2 Development of external QA processes
2.3 Criteria for decisions
2.4 Processes fit for purpose
2.5 Reporting
2.6 Follow-up procedures
2.7 Periodic reviews
2.8 System-wide analyses

19. c) HEI
ESG - Part 1: European standards and guidelines for
internal quality assurance within higher education
institutions
1.1 Policy and procedures for quality assurance
1.2 Approval, monitoring and periodic review of
programs and awards
1.3 Assessment of students
1.4 Quality assurance of teaching staff
1.5 Learning resources and student support
1.6 Information systems
1.7 Public information

20. 20
~1 year
~5 years

21. d) Faculty:
 In most cases selected on meritocracy principle vs.
HEI salary conditions.
 Quality based mentality dominates, organized QA
is slowly accepted.
 Realizes: Q is a winning factor in all competitions.
• Student evaluation of teaching is in progress.
• Methods of earlier elite education must be
replaced by mass education procedures.
• Student centered learning gradually replaces
knowledge based teaching.

22. e) Students:
 Quality, in principle, is their strong interest.
• Quality of teaching can be achieved only with their
active participation.
• At mass education students’ motivation,
participation and quality varies on a broad scale:
from excellent performance to leisure school-days.
• Empowering required: students should influence
their own transformation

23. f) Stakeholders (employers, labor market):
 They demand general skills, like being motivated,
team working, critical thinking, management and IT
skills, foreign languages, ready learn to adopt etc.
• Labour market moderately acknowledges Q of
individual degrees, Q of HEI has bigger influence.
• Reputation of HEI and salaries (incomes) strongly
influence student’s interest in choosing study
programs.
 Increasing recognition of HE excellence from
private sector (awards, scholarships) stimulates Q in
society

24. g) Media:
• Shows reasonable balances between good news
(Q, excellence) and bad news (scandals).
• Ranking is now flourishing in domestic and
international scale.
• Every HEI likes to find and does find good ranking
position to glaze and advertise itself.
• Ranking, despite distortions, have more popular
appeal than the accurate hard work of quality
agencies.
HEIs and QAAs should take more care!

25. Quality Assurance of Cross-border
Higher Education - QACHE
The partnership involves quality assurance agencies from:
• four significant European provider countries, the main provider
country outside Europe (Australia) and the two main host regions
of European cross-border education (Gulf and Asia-Pacific regions):
• Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), UK
• High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education
(HCERES), France
• National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA),
Spain
• German Accreditation Council (GAC), Germany
• Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Australia
• Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE)
• Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN)

26. Internal Quality Assurance Applied by Asian
Universities

27. IWA 2:2007 - Quality Management Systems - Guidelines for the
application of ISO 9001:2000 in education
International Quality Standards

28. Strategic
(QA at
Institutional
Level)
Systemic
(Internal QA System)
Tactical
(QA at Programme Level)
Regional Quality Standards
ASEAN University Network
Source: AUN QA Network

29. Institutional QA Model
Stakeholder Satisfaction
Quality Assurance and (Inter)national Benchmarking
A
C
H
I
E
V
E
M
E
N
T
S
Educational
Activities
Research
Community
Service
Policy
Plan
Management
Human
Resources
Funding
Mission
Goals
Aims
Regional Quality Standards
ASEAN University Network
Source: AUN QA Network

30. IQA System Model
Internal Quality Assurance
Follow up
Student
Progress
Pass Rate
Drop-out Rate
Feedback from the
Labour Market
and Alumni
Research
Performance
Student
Evaluation
Course and
Curriculum
Evaluation
Research
Evaluation
Service
Evaluation
Assurance
Student
Assessments
Assurance
Quality
Staff
Quality
Assurance
Facilities
Quality
Assurance
Student Support
SWOT
Analysis
Inter-Collegial
Audits
Information
System
Quality
Handbook
Monitoring
Instruments
Evaluation
Instruments
Special QA
Processes
Specific QA
Instruments
Regional Quality Standards
ASEAN University Network
Source: AUN QA Network

31. QA at Programme Level (Original)
Stakeholders Satisfaction
Quality Assurance and (Inter)national benchmarking
Programme
Specification
Programme
Content
Programme
Organisation
Student
Assessment
Academic Staff
Quality
Support Staff
Quality
Student
Quality
Facilities &
Infrastructure
Quality
Assurance
Teaching/
Learning
Student
Evaluation
Curriculum
Design
Stakeholders
Feedback
Graduate
Profile
Pass Rates
Drop Out
Rates
Employability
Expected
Learning
Outcomes
A
c
h
i
e
v
e
m
e
n
t
s
Didactic
Concept
Student
Advice &
Support
Staff
Development
Activities
Graduation
Time
Regional Quality Standards
ASEAN University Network
Source: AUN QA Network

32. Stakeholders Satisfaction
Quality Assurance and (Inter)national benchmarking
Programme
Specification
Programme
Structure &
Content
Student
Assessment
Academic Staff
Quality
Support Staff
Quality
Student
Quality
Facilities &
Infrastructure
Quality Assurance of
Teaching & Learning
Stakeholders
Feedback
Pass Rates Drop Out
Rates
Employability
Expected
Learning
Outcomes
A
c
h
i
e
v
e
m
e
n
t
s
Teaching & Learning
Strategy
Student
Advice &
Support
Staff
Development
Activities
Graduation
Time
Research
QA at Programme Level (Revised)
Regional Quality Standards
ASEAN University Network
Source: AUN QA Network

33. 33
Country QA Body/Agency Qualification Framework
Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darussalam National
Accreditation Council (BDNAC)
Brunei National Qualifications
Framework (BNQF, in
Progress)
Cambodia Accreditation Committee of Cambodia
(ACC)
Nil
China Ministry of Education Nil
Hong Kong the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation
of Academic and Vocational
Qualifications (HKCAAVQ)
The Hong Kong Qualifications
Framework
India The National Assessment and
Accreditation Council (NAAC)
National Qualification
Framework in Technical
Vocational Education and
Training
Indonesia National Accreditation Board for Higher
Education
BAN-PT
Japan Japan University Accreditation
Association
JUAA University Standards
National Quality Standards

34. 34
Country QA Body/Agency Qualification Framework
Lao PDR Quality Assurance Centre, Department of
Higher Education, Ministry of Education
Nil
Malaysia Malaysian Qualifications Agency Malaysian
Qualifications
Framework
Myanmar Nil Nil
Philippines CHED, PAASCU Philippine National
Qualifications Framework
Singapore Higher Education Quality Assurance
Section, Ministry of Education
Quality Assurance
Framework of Universities
Thailand Commision on Higher Education Office for
National Educatioin, Standard &
Assessment
National Qualification
Framework
Vietnam General Department for Education Testing
and Accreditation (GDETA), Ministry of
Education and Training
Nil
National Quality Standards

35. 35
Professional Bodies
International
Professional
Bodies
National
Professional
Bodies
Regional
Professional
Bodies

36. 36
Internal Quality Assurance in
General
Stakeholders’ Requirements
Stakeholders’ Satisfaction
Input Process Output
• Students
• Curricula
• Faculty staff
• Non-faculty staff
• Facilities &
Infrastructure
• Teaching
resources
• Teaching &
Learning
• Staff
development
• Student support
& evaluation
• Research
• Administration
• Skilled and
employable
graduates
• Research
publications &
output
• Contribution to
community

37. Characteristics of QA in Asia
• Most countries have established QA bodies
• Uneven development in national capacity
• Core standards and criteria are quite similar
• QA framework varies: institution, programme,
or both
• Applicable to public or private universities or
both
37

38. QA Challenges in Asia
• Different phases of Asian QA development
and maturity
• Harmonization of Asian QA standards
• Recognition of Asian QA standards
38

39. Closing the Quality Gap
39
Source: AUN QA Network

40. Harmonization of Asian QA
Standards
• ASEAN University Network – Quality
Assurance (AUN - QA), established in 1998
• Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN),
established in 2005
• ASEAN Quality Assurance Network (AQAN),
established in 2008
40

41. Chiba Principle, 2008
• To provide guidance to higher education providers and QA
agencies in enhancing QA policies and practices
Chiba Principle Quality Framework
• Internal Quality Assurance: key principles guiding
institutions in assuring their own institutional quality
• Quality Assurance Agencies: principles guiding the QA
agencies and their management
• Quality Assurance Assessment: guiding principle for the
assessment of institution and programmes by the
institution themselves or the QA agency
41
Ton Vroeijenstijn, 2009, “Quality Assurance in Asian and European Higher Education – Opportunities for Inter- and Intra- Regional Cooperation”
Harmonization of Asian QA
Standards

42. QA Collaboration Beyond Asia
42

43. QA vs. qp:
QA isn’t an art for art sake:
the main aim of Quality Assurance is
good quality product:
- high class graduates,
- excellent science and innovation,
- efficient local/social services.

44. 44