Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission, AQAC

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?????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ???????
??????? ??????(Accreditation and Quality
Assurance Commission, AQAC)

• ?. ???? ????
• larafeh_at_eng.alquds.edu
• ????? 9702982608
• www.aqac.mohe.gov.ps

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Accreditation Quality Assurance in Tertiary
Education
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Outline

• Introduction
• AQACs Responsibilities
• Accreditation Process
• Quality Unit/Office/Process
• Responsibilities,
• Effective,
• Interpreting The Standards, and
• Implementing Self-Evaluation
• Academic Programs Evaluation
• Activities and Future Plans.

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Introduction

• Mid. 2002? A Semi Governmental, Autonomous
  Accreditation Quality Assurance Commission,
  AQAC, was established
• To Ensure, Assure, and Enhance the Quality in
  Tertiary Education, TE
• To License and Accredit new TEIs (11
  Universities, 30 University and Community
  Colleges)
• To Accredit Academic programs (380 of 45 types),
  TEIs

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Introduction Cont.

• Supported with staff, and a 12-member Board from
  most of the disciplines
• 4 University Faculty members,
• 2 from Ministry of Planning,
• 2 from Technical and Vocational Education,
• 2 from Related Institutions (MAS, Welfare),
• 1 from Private Sector,
• 1 Independent

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AQACs Responsibilities

• Develop Standards Of Quality In Consultation
  With Tertiary Education Institutions, TEIs
• Develop And Update Policy Manuals Of
  Accreditation For National Body And Institutional
  Use
• Develop Registry Of External Reviewers (Peer
  Evaluators)
• Schedule External Reviews Of TEIs
• Maintain Records Of Accreditation Activity
• Maintain National Database Of Comparative
  Institutional Data

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AQACs Responsibilities Cont.

• Conduct Training Programs
• National Commission
• TEIs (Self-Evaluation)
• External Reviewers
• Coordinate Specialized Committees for Non
  Professional as well as Professional Education
  (Engineering, Medicine, Business, Etc.)
• Cooperate With Regional and International
  Quality Assurance Bodies
• Publicize Quality Assurance Decisions
• Evaluate And Renew Accrediting Process

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Main Steps In Accreditation Process

• Standards Development ongoing
• Self-Evaluation ongoing
• External Review periodic
• Accreditation Decision - periodic

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Accreditation Process

• Receiving Application Forms (Academic Programs)
  and Fees
• Checking the Application Forms for completeness
• Goal, Objectives and Importance
• Compliance with the general national guidelines
  set by CHE
• Feasibility Study, other similar programs, and
  Labor Market Needs (Economically Academically
  Sustainable)

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Accreditation Process Cont.

• TEIs Infrastructure Resources (Faculty Members,
  Labs, Halls, Libraries, other resources)?
  Documents
• Program Specifications (Objectives, Courses
  Contents, Descriptions, Distributions over study
  periods, etc.)
• ?Sending all documents the evaluation form (main
  points we take into account for technical Review)
  to At Least 2 Reviewers
• One Local Academics,
• External (Regional and International) Academics
• Industrial / Professional Bodies, etc.

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Accreditation Process Cont.

• Checking Reviewers Reports (Complete, Logic,
  Scientific, Professional, etc), ? Reports Form
• Sending these reports to TEIs for comments
• Check Readiness for Boards Decision
• Conditional Approval (Evaluation is required
  after graduating the first batch)? TEI is
  notified by the Minister
• More work is needed ? TEI is notified by AQAC
• Rejected.

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The Self-Evaluation

• During the self-evaluation, TEI evaluates its
  educational academic programs services and
  determines how well it
• Achieves its goals,
• Fulfills its mission,
• Meets the accreditation standards

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Benefits Of Self-Evaluation

• Are proportional to the commitment with which it
  is undertaken
• Takes the institution beyond simple description
  to an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses
• Self-Study is integral and continuous planning
  tool

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Responsibilities Of Quality Unit / Office /
Process

• Provide coordinating services internal to the
  TEIs for purposes of self-evaluation and quality
  improvement
• Provide a focal point for institutional planning,
  including new program development. (That is, QU
  should be very aware of the various institutional
  functions and how they fit together to make a
  quality institution of tertiary education)
• Provide liaison services for the institution to
  the QIF, and AQAC

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Responsibilities QU/O/P Cont.

• Provide notification to the appropriate sectors
  of the institution (As central services are
  provided in the areas of management and
  teaching/learning improvement, fund raising, and
  other areas)
• Review programs Monitoring (Monitoring is the
  regular, normally annual, internal process by
  which the TEI critically reviews the operation of
  the programme between reviews and ensures that
  appropriate standards are maintained)
• Participate in training programs and system-wide
  meetings related to quality in Palestinian
  tertiary education.

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How To Build An Effective Quality Unit / Office /
Process

• Support of institutions leadership for
  institutional self-evaluation
• Identify existing centers of academic and
  administrative planning in the institution for
  future purposes of coordination
• Form a Steering Committee or Quality Unit/Office
  Advisory Board of those who are key to
  university/college planning

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Interpreting The Standards
The typical categories for Standards relate to
Institutional / Program accreditation

• Mission and Purpose
• Governance and Management
• Academic Programs
• Teaching Staff
• Learning Resources
• Students Student Services
• Physical Resources
• Financial Resources

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Implementing Self-Evaluation

• Takes around 6-12 months
• All self-evaluations outcomes must be discussed
  within the TEI
• Report should include
• Constructive criticism,
• Good practices, and
• Recommendations for improvements
• Major Outcome Should be graded as
• Broad Confidence
• Limited Confidence
• No Confidence.

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Academic Programs Evaluation

• All academic programs have been divided into 5
  major domains
• Health Allied programs (2003/2004)
• Final Decisions will be taken shortly
• Approval without conditions
• Approval with conditions (Time limit)
• Stop enrolling students in the program along with
  the necessary steps the TEI should take (Time
  limit)

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Academic Programs Evaluation Cont.

• Administrative and Management Sciences
  (2004/2005),
• Waiting for evaluators reports
• Social Sciences (2004/2005)
• Extension to Oct. 2005
• Engineering and IT (Sep. 2005/2006)
• Applied Sciences (Sep. 2006/2007)
• Educational Sciences (Sep. 2007/2008).

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Activities and Future Plans

• Implementing the Social Sciences programs
  evaluation
• Accrediting new academic programs
• Implementing (QAITE Project) Quality Assurance
  and Improvement in Tertiary Education
• Implementing a JEP project to promote e-learning
• Developing new general policies in association
  with concerned bodies including the CHE,
• Participating in Local / Regional / Global
  various activities and events that relate to QA
  Accreditation

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Activities and Future Plans Cont.

• Preparing JEP proposal that initiates / enhances
  TEIs-Industry Partnership
• Participating in establishing a regional
  Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission
• Participating in Quality provision for
  cross-border Higher Education
• Strengthening the communicating links with TEIs
  (5 Universities, 9 Univ. Community Colleges )
• Encouraging TEIs to upgrade their current
  programs (Multidisciplinary),

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Activities and Future Plans Cont.

• E-AQAC initiative (Computerizing the
  accreditation evaluation processes)
• Implementing the QIF (4-year World Bank project)
• All TEIs Evaluation (Institutional Evaluation),
  including Al-Quds Open University
• Reviewing Program Specifications (All deans of 6
  faculties from all universities have met for the
  first time ever)
• Forming committees to set/upgrade
• Subject benchmarks,

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Activities and Future Plans Cont.

• Program Specifications,
• Institutional Benchmarks.
• The European LMD educational system Interface
  with ours
• The quality of e-Learning (on line) degrees
  their graduates
• Students Enrollments of non-scientific track
  into Scientific programs
• 65 - 70 of Tawjehi are from Arts track ? 45,
• 5 - 6 of Tawjehi professional track ? 15,
• 25 - 30 of Tawjehi are from Science track ?
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• AQACs evaluation (Updating/Developing bylaws and
  procedures).

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• Thanks for listening