INTITUTIONAL AUDIT & (SELF)-ACCREDITATION Ton Vroeijenstijn

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA PROGRAMME OF THE DAY What do you expect from this workshop? HEQC policy for audit and accreditation General introduction into quality and quality assurance A quality model for Higher Education – at institutional level – at program level How to organise internal quality assurance The need for external quality assessment

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA WHY QUALITY ASSURANCE IS NEEDED INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS elite HE mass Higher Education central steering more autonomy autonomy asks for accountability student consumer orientation Higher Education compete with other sectors of society HE value for money

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA WHY QUALITY ASSURANCE IS NEEDED South African developments The programme for the transformation of Higher Education The National Qualification Framework Higher Education act 1997 HEQC HEQC: program for Institutional audit and programme accreditation (June 2002)

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA SOME STATEMENTS QA is not a science, but common sense Instruments are important, but the right attitude is much more important QA is the responsibility of everybody QA should be part of the overall policy and management

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA QUALITY IN INDUSTRY ISO ISO-certificate TQM EFQM-model But HE is not a factory Who is the client? What the product? HE is a professional organisation Concept of quality more complicated accountability VSNU

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM INTERNAL EXTERNAL SELF ANALYIS EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT ACCREDITATION QUALITY PLAN ACCOUNTABILITY IMPROVEMENT

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA What is quality?? many concepts many definitions many interpretations Satisfaction of the client fitness for purpose multi-dimensional concept contextual bound

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Stakeholders government academic world students employers society at large

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA WHAT IS QUALITY??  PRODUCT QUALITY  standards  competencies  academic qualification  professional qualification fitness of purpose * knowledge * skills * attitude  PROCESS QUALITY  quality of provisions  quality of program fitness for purpose

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Quality as a matter of negotiating Requirements : * students * academics * employers * government * society Translation of the requirements in the mission & goals and aims Achieving the goals is QUALITY

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Can quality be measured? Quantitative indicators (Performance indicators) pass rates drop out staff/student ratio number of publications citation index

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA performance indicators & peer review

PART 2 HOW DO WE KNOW OUR PERFORMANCE

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA HOW DO WE KNOW that we are doing the right things? That we are doing the right things in a right way? That we are providing quality? That are graduates are meeting the expected requirements?

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA HOW TO COPE WITH SELF- ACCREDITATION? Positive outcomes institutional audit provides the right of self accreditation Self –accreditation means assurance of at least threshold quality. QA based on self-analysis and external assessment

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA HOW DO WE KNOW that we are doing the right things? That we are doing the right things in a right way? That we are providing quality? That are graduates are meeting the expected requirements?

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA INTERNAL SELF ASSESSMENT SWOT-analysis: S= strengths W= weaknesses O=opportunities T=threats

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU INSTITUTIONAL AUDIT ASSESSMENT CORE ACTIVITIES RESEARCHEDUCATIONSERVICE Product quality Process quality

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU PURPOSE OF THE SELF ASSESSMENT Do we achieve our goals?? Diagnose of strengths and weaknesses Aiming at improvement Stimulus for internal quality management Self regulation

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA THE SELF EVALUATION is not only descriptive but analytical and critical looks for how to solve problems it is never a PR document

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Mission statement goals & aims expected outcomes process study programmes research projects community services output graduates scientific production services QUALITY MODEL HIGHER EDUCATION © Vroeijenstijn input management policy staff students funding facilities Realised mission Achieved goals Achieved outcomes Satisfaction stakeholders

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Goals&aimsGoals&aims programpreconditionsoutput contents organisation assessment facilities students staff satisfaction Pass rate drop out Achieved standards Cost per student Didactic concept graduation time Opinion students Opinion alumni Opinion labour market Opinion society Opinion staff Curriculum design Internal quality assurance © Vroeijenstijn QUALITY MODEL EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA G o a l s a n d a i m s Input: leadership management policy funding facilities personnel Process: activity 1 activity 2 etc Satis- faction client and feed- back from the client

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Program review or departmental? Why program assessment and not departmental? Advantages and disadvantages of program assessment Advantages and disadvantages of departmental rogram assessment How to connect program accreditation/assessment with the departmental structure?

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT Quality audit of an institution programme review research assessment accreditation/certification

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA Purpose of external assessment Internal function: Quality assurance Improvement bench marking self regulation External function: Accountability insight into quality insight into diversity hall mark for quality

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA FUNCTIONS OF THE REVIEW COMMITTEE Consultant quality improvement feedback to the faculty dialogue with the faculty incentive for internal quality management Accountant/controller legitimization internal quality management accountability

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA CONSEQUENCES Diagnose by committee Quality plan Follow up check Next assessment Self assessment

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU THE FOLLOW UP Keep in mind: internal and external quality assessment without follow up does not make sense however, there is no direct relation between outcomes of assessment and improvement; innovation of HE is very complicated and delicate process although many changes do not cost money, bigger changes are asking for investments

PART 3 THE SELF ANALYSIS IN PRACTICE

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA CONDITIONS FOR SELF ANALYSES Internal motivation support of management taking into account the specific identity of department clear fixed process well organised project VSNU

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU PURPOSE OF THE SELF ASSESSMENT Do we achieve our goals?? Diagnose of strengths and weaknesses Aiming at improvement Stimulus for internal quality management Self regulation

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU THE SELF EVALUATION is not only descriptive but analytical and critical looks for how to solve problems it is never a PR document

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA VSNU ORGANISATION Who does what? Who is responsible for what? What to evaluate? What information is available? What time is available? What money is available?

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA QUESTIONS What is quality? What criteria may be used ? How to measure quality ? How to discover strengths and weaknesses ? VSNU

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA QUALITY QUESTIONS Are we doing the right things? Are we doing the right things in the right way?r do we achieve what we want to achieve? Quality is achieving the generally accepted goals VSNU

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA CRITERIA There are no objective criteria decide upon criteria to be used discuss them take care for support VSNU

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA THE ORGANISATION OF THE SELF EVALUATION the design of the project: why do we do it? who does what? the organisation: steering group; working group the realisation of the self assessment: collecting data; writing draft reports discussion with staff and students re-drafting or the report the final report In total it will take about 6 months

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA MAIN CONDITIONS FOR SELF- EVAULATION good organisation general involvement strict time schedule no PR-document not only description, but: analysis+ problem solving set criteria beforehand

¾ September 2002Workshop UNISA CONCLUSIONS The answer to national developments of HEQC is the development of internal quality assurance based on self-assessment and external assessment The focus is on program not on the department The development of good procedures (handbook) and organizational structure is necessary All attention for quality should be based on the importance for the institution and not for the sake of HEQC