HOW DOES QUALITY ASSURANCE FIT IN OUR HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM?

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HOW DOES QUALITY ASSURANCE FIT IN OUR
HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM?

Dr. E. Fabiano Vice Chancellor University of
Malawi

• Paper presented to a Quality Assurance Seminar
  for University Members of Staff 1 to 2 October,
  2012, Little Theatre, Chancellor College

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Introduction

• The process that has been used to monitor and
  evaluate University of Malawi education system.
• Gaps that exist.
• Efforts being made to improve M E process in
  UNIMA
• The University of Malawi Strategic Plan
• The University of Malawi Qualifications Framework
• The Quality Assurance Policy
• The College Self-Audit instrument
• How does Quality Assurance fit in the UNIMA
  education system?

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The current process used to monitor and
evaluate UNIMA education system

• Content of academic programmes and approval
  process
• Credits required to be attained by students in
  each academic year
• Selection/admission criteria of students
• Minimum and desired qualifications of academic
  staff
• Efforts to have sufficient funding to implement
  education effectively
• Implementation of academic programmes
• Assessment and approval process of assessment
  results

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Gaps that exist

• UNIMA does not have a consistent and
  comprehensive approach to quality assurance
  monitoring and evaluation, e.g.
• Some of the challenges faced by lecturers and
  students in implementing the education activities
  only show up at the end of year when assessment
  results are presented to UNIMA committees
• Some departments have neither internal nor
  external review of student assessment activities

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Gaps that exist (Contd.....)

• Other activities such as research, consultancy
  and outreach are rarely monitored or evaluated.
• There is no mechanism to provide information on
  the quality of the provision made by the
  University as a whole.
• Lack of policy on Quality Assurance

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Efforts being made to improve the M E
process in UNIMA1. Strategic Plan

• Teaching and learning
• Research, consultancy, public and community
  engagement
• Capacity building
• Governance and management, and
• Finance and resource mobilisation

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Strategic Goals Objectives Strategies Performance Indicators (Baseline and Targets) Responsible Officer Timeline
5.1.2.1 Strengthen teaching and support services 5.1.2.1.1 Strengthen teaching support and management
5.1.2.1.4 Strengthen quality assurance management for UNIMA Finalise and implement revised policies and procedures for quality control, assurance and enhancement Baseline Policies and procedures in draft form Target Operational policies and procedure consolidated Pro-Vice Chancellor, Deans 2013
Set up quality assurance management units Baseline No units in place Target Units established for central office and each college. Pro-Vice Chancellor, Vice Principals. Deans 2013
Monitoring teaching, learning, research, consultancy and public and community engagements through audits Baseline Two academic audits for last five years Targets One academic audit per year for the five colleges Pro-Vice Chancellor Vice Principals, Deans 2012-2017
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2. University of Malawi Qualifications Framework

• RATIONALE
• UNIMAs Qualifications Framework (QF) defines the
  allowed qualifications offered in UNIMA and the
  standards and volume of learning required for
  each qualification. The QF standardizes all the
  qualifications offered by UNIMA leading to
  mobility of students. It also provides guidance
  to academic staff in programme design, enabling
  alignment to the learning outcomes of programme
  module with generic, de-contextualized outcomes
  and with the level descriptors. In this way,
  modules can be appropriately located and also
  determine the qualification appropriate to the
  exit level of programme of study.

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University of Malawi Qualifications Framework
(Contd.)

• Statement of Policy
• UNIMAs QF is an instrument for measuring
  learning, assigning credit, identifying level of
  learning, designing programmes and naming of
  qualifications across UNIMA colleges and its
  affiliates. The UNIMAs QF has six levels
  reflecting the current system of education and
  training. The descriptors show how each level
  becomes increasingly demanding by changes to
  complexity and depth of knowledge, links to
  associated academic, or professional practice,
  and the degree of autonomy exercised by the
  learner. At each level five headings of
  descriptors explain the complexity of learning.

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University of Malawi Qualifications Framework
(Contd..)

• Learning Outcomes
• Learning outcomes outline what a successful
  student will
• know, understand and be able to do. It is the
  achievement
• of the learning outcomes that is important for
  the award of
• credit, not how or where the learning took place,
  or how it
• was assessed, or how long it actually took.
• However, the question we must ask ourselves is,
  to what
• extent do our assessment instruments assess
  learning
• outcomes?

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3. Quality Assurance (QA) Policy

• Some of the Challenges we face in monitoring and
  evaluating the UNIMA education system are due to
  lack of QA policy.
• Lessons from other service providers.

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3a. Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Policy Principles

• QUT is committed to ensuring that its courses are
  relevant,
• current and provide students with a high quality
  learning
• experience. A robust quality assurance system is
  integral to
• maintenance of the quality of the Universitys
  courses.
• Course quality assurance at QUT is a continuous
  process,
• incorporating regular monitoring, review,
  benchmarking and
• improvement of the Universitys courses.

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Policy Principles (Contd.)

• Course quality assurance informs strategic
  planning and performance evaluation, and is part
  of the Universitys Quality Framework.
• Course quality assurance is evidence-based and is
  both strategic and operational in focus.
• Course quality assurance applies to all courses
  with provision of higher levels of scrutiny for
  under-performing courses.

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Policy Principles (Contd.)

• Faculties undertake regular reviews of each of
  their courses and are encouraged to identify and
  implement ongoing proactive improvements.
• Course quality assurance is a continuous process
  which closes the loop on previously identified
  issues and actions.
• Source www.qut.edu.au

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3b. What is Quality Assurance and why is it
important in an Industry?

• Quality assurance (QA) relates to coordinated
  activities that a
• manufacturing or service industry implements in
  order to
• control, through monitoring and evaluation, the
  quality of
• planned outputs or desired results. QA therefore
  aims at
• ensuring that the quality of products, outputs,
  or services are
• not achieved by chance but rather by choice.
• Source Malawi Bureau of Standards, personal
  communication.

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What is Quality Assurance and why is it
important in an Industry (Contd)

• Some quality assurance activities include
  inspections on raw
• materials, in-process outputs, processes,
  machinery, final
• products and even personnel customer
  satisfaction
• surveys and implementation of preventative/correc
  tive
• actions.

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3c. Summary of Lessons

• In summary, the main lesson we learn from the two
  examples is that Higher Education Institutions
  have to be transparent and accountable to the
  stakeholders staff, students, parents,
  employers, government and the general public
• There is need to improve the way we do business
  and relate with our stakeholders
• QA is necessary to improve our corporate image,
  sustain trust from stakeholders, and to be
  competitive in this knowledge economy.

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4. The Self Audit Instrument
Pillars of the Strategic Plan Self Audit Questionnaire
College/Faculty/Department
Teaching and learning Resources and Planning
Research, Consultancy and Public and Community Engagement Learning, Teaching and Assessment Checklist
Capacity Building Quality Assurance and Enhancement of Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Governance and Management Research
Finance and Resource Mobilisation Community Outreach

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Conclusion

• Quality Assurance fits in the UNIMA education
  system
• because
• Quality Assurance has been ongoing though not
  consistently and not to the same level of detail.
• The Strategic Plan, Qualifications Framework, the
  QA Policy and the QA Self-Audit Instrument are
  best implemented as a package as opposed to
  choosing one from the lot.

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• THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

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Table 6 (a) Analysis of average MSCE performance
for UEE eligible candidates between 2005 and 2010
HUMANITIES SOCIAL SCIENCES History Bible Knowledge Social Studies English Language Chichewa Language All Humanities
2005 3.3 4.5 4.2 4.6 4.2 4.3
2006 4.7 3.6 3.5 4.9 4.4 4.3
2007 3.8 3.6 4.0 5.4 4.4 4.5
2008 3.4 3.6 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.3
2009 4.1 4.2 4.9 4.2 5.0 4.5
2010 4.5 5.2 3.7 4.0 4.5 4.2
Average for 2005-10 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.4
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Table 6 (b) Analysis of average MSCE performance
for UEE eligible candidates between 2005 and 2010
SCIENCES Mathematics Agriculture Geography Biology Physical Science All Sciences
2005 4.8 4.3 4.4 3.9 6.0 4.6
2006 4.7 5.0 4.1 5.4 5.4 4.9
2007 3.0 5.2 4.2 5.9 4.5 4.5
2008 3.9 4.8 4.9 6.0 4.3 4.8
2009 3.9 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.6 4.6
2010 4.9 4.4 4.8 5.1 5.1 4.9
Average for 2005-10 4.3 4.5 4.5 5.1 5.2 4.7
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Table 7 (a) UNIMA faculty choice (popularity) in
2011
Faculty 1st choice 2nd choice 3rd choice
Education 1438 1297 1188
Nursing 1056 38 31
Humanities 914 1261 1201
Education and Media Studies 799 1066 1459
Medicine 609 311 189
Commerce 572 596 520
Social Science 498 608 576
Applied Sciences 412 729 700
Agriculture 398 449 461
Development Studies 280 393 377
Engineering 277 270 238
Environmental Sciences 196 327 410
Built Environment 193 222 223
Science 131 193 187
Total 7773 7760 7760
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Table 7 (b) Cummulative faculty choice (popularity) in 2011 Table 7 (b) Cummulative faculty choice (popularity) in 2011
Faculty Frequency
Education 3923
Humanities 3376
Education and Media Studies 3324
Applied Sciences 1841
Commerce 1688
Social Science 1682
Agriculture 1308
Nursing 1125
Medicine 1109
Development Studies 1050
Environmental Sciences 933
Engineering 785
Built Environment 638
Science 511