Developments and Challengesfor Quality Assurancein Higher Education

Tan Kay ChuanDirector, Office of Quality Management

National University of Singapore

April 24, 2023 2

Contents

Introduction

Quality and Quality Assurance System

Singapore Quality Assurance Framework

Quality Assurance for Higher Education beyond ASEAN

Conclusion

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Quality Different views of quality

QUALITY

Excellence: The view of academia

Fitness for purpose: The view of externalassessors aimingfor improvement

Threshold: The view of accreditors

Value added: The view of students

Value for money: The view taxpayers and

governments

Client satisfaction: The view of students and

employers

Source: AUN-QA, 2005

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Quality Assurance System

QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Internal Quality Assurance: •Monitoring•Evaluation•Improvement

Accreditation

External Quality Assurance: •Benchmarking•Audit assessment

Source: AUN-QA, 2005

April 24, 2023

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Quality Assurance System

Quality Model for an External Quality Assurance System

Stakeholder Satisfaction

Quality Assurance and International Benchmarking

ACHIEVEMENTS

EducationalActivities

Research

CommunityService

Policy Plan

Management

HumanResources

Funding

Mission

Goals

Aims

Source: AUN-QA, 2005

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Initiatives by Singapore Strategic Objectives

• Development of human capital• Ideas (Innovation) and wealth creation• International branding

Features to meet strategic objectives • No compromise on quality of students admitted• Providing diverse educational needs to an enlarged

student pool• Healthy competition among institutions• A robust and resilient university sector

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Initiatives by Singapore Corporatisation of universities

• Greater autonomy to universities• Empowerment of Deans, Department Heads, and

Faculty Members• Alignment with national strategic objectives• Universities to actively seek sources of funding• Promote research excellence (e.g., G-10-10)• Practice of blind, merit-based admission policy

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Initiatives by Singapore Opening of new universities

• Build Singapore as a key regional education hub• Growth of publicly funded universities and private

universities e.g. Singapore University of Technology and Design,

Singapore Institute of Technology, INSEAD, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, DigiPen Institute of Technology, EDHEC Risk Institute, etc.

Transforming polytechnics in Singapore • Partner with renowned overseas institutions • Offer selective degree programs

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Quality Assurance Framework for Universities (QAFU) – Publicly Funded Universities

Three-step approach to quality assurance

Institutional Self-Assessment

External Challengesand

Validation

Feedbackand

Development

Source: QAFU Final Report, 2001

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Critical Success Factors• Balancing accountability with improvement• Incentivising institutions and staff• Ensuring mission-driven, not standardized

ownership of processes and outcomes by universities

• Enhancing professionalism and competitiveness of institutions

Quality Assurance Framework for Universities (QAFU) – Publicly Funded Universities

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The Virtuous Quality Spiral

Source: QAFU Final Report, 2001

1.What are we

trying to do?

2.How are we

trying to achieve this?

4.What are we learning?

3.How are we assessing our success?

Leadership, strategies &policies that

direct the university

Indicators & measures that signal

and quantify success

Resources & tactics that turn intentions

into action

Feedback & Learning

Quality Assurance Framework for Universities (QAFU) – Publicly Funded Universities

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Major Areas

• Governance

• Management

• Teaching

• Research

• Service

Enablers

Results

Quality Assurance Framework for Universities (QAFU) – Publicly Funded Universities

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EduTrust Framework – Private Education Institutions (PEIs)

Corporate Governance and Administration

Impr

ove

Indu

stry

Sta

ndar

d an

d In

crea

se S

tude

nts

Sat

isfa

ctio

nQuality Assurance and Audit Requirements

Management Commitment and Responsibilities

Student Protection

Academic Processes and Assessment of

Students

Student Welfare and Support

Services

P D

CA

Source: Council for Private Education

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The scheme consists of 6 sets of basic criteria where PEIs are scored accordingly:

• Management Commitment and Responsibilities

• Corporate Governance and Administration

• Student Protection

• Student Welfare and Support Services

• Academic Processes and Assessment of Students

• Quality Assurance and Audit Requirements

Maximum scores attainable : 1000 points

Source: Council for Private Education

EduTrust Framework – Private Education Institutions (PEIs)

Quality Assurance for Higher Education Beyond ASEAN

Europe Australia Japan Hong Kong United States Canada Israel

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Europe – Bologna Process

• T. Karkoszka, 2009, Quality assurance in the european higher education area, Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, 37 (2), 759 – 766• ENQA and the Bologna process ： http://www.enqa.eu/bologna_overview.lasso

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1999Bologna Declaration

• Encourage Co-operation• To develop comparable criteria and methods

2001Prague Meeting

• Collaborate with ENQA in establishing QA framework

2003Berlin Meeting

•QA as an intermediate priority

2005Bergen Meeting

• Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area

2007London Meeting

• Setting up European Register for Quality Assurance Agencies (EQAR)

2009Leuven/Louvain-la-

Neuve Meeting• Acknowledge HE QA importance• EQAR approved

2010Budapest and Vienna Meeting

• “European higher education area” was officially launched• Further implementation of European Standards and Guidelines

Australia

• Dean Forbes, 2010, Global Perspectives on Quality Assurance: Australia • AUQA, 2010, Consolidated National Report on an AUQA Audit/Review of Government Accreditation Authorities

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2000Australian

Universities Quality Agency(AUQA)

was established

2001-2007Cycle 1 Audit

•Institutional Audit: provide universities recommendations, affirmations and commendations

2008-2012Cycle 2 Audit

• Follow up on actions taken on cycle 1 findings

• Identification of good practice and priorities for QA

• Strengths and weakness of current national QA guidelines

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Authority take over from AUQA and be operational in 2011

Japan

• Sorin-George Toma and Shinji Naruo, 2009, Quality Assurance in the Japanese Universities

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1991 MOE – University CouncilIntroduce self-evaluation system of university activities for the

improvement of education and scientific research

2001 Council for Regulatory ReformIntroduce a continuous accreditation run by third-party

organisations. Universities have to be externally evaluated every 7 years or less by an authorized QA agency

2004 National Universities were incorporated• Introduce a certified evaluation system• Increase the flexibility of establishment approvals • Create and implement capable QA mechanisms

2006 Four agencies have been authorizedNIAD-UE, JUAA, JIHEE, and JACA

By 2007, 269 HE institutions have been evaluated and accredited.

Hong Kong

• Hong Kong Quality Assurance Council, Audit Manual• HKQF: http://www.hkqf.gov.hk/guie/QA_HKCAAasp

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University Grants Committee (UGC)Management review 1998-1999

Teaching and learning quality process reviews 1995-1997 and 2001 – 2003Performance and Role-related funding scheme 2004

Joint Quality Review Committee (JQRC)

Aug 2005oversee the quality of self-financing

sub-degree programmes

UGC Quality Assurance Council (QAC)

Apr 2007QA of education experience in all first degree level programmes of

UGC-funded institutions

Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ)

May 2008responsible of assuring the quality of qualifications and their associated

programmes and providers

The Hong Kong Qualification Frameworkformally launched in 2008

United States

Systematic, open and diverse ways of QA

• Ronald B. Standler, Accreditation of Universities in the USA, http://www.rbs2.com/accred.htm• Tran Thi Bich Lieu, Higher Education Quality and Quality Assurance in the United States, www.educ.ttu.edu/online/lieu/docs/highereducationquality-

EN.pdf

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Regional Accreditation

(6 regions)

Accreditation in specific subjects

Baldrige Criteria in Education

Council for Higher

Education Accreditation

HEQuality

Assurance in the United States

US Education Department

World Class University Standards

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Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence Framework

Organizational Profile: Environment, Relationships, and Challenges

4Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

1Leadership

7Results

2StrategicPlanning

3Student, Stakeholder,

and Market Focus

5Workforce

Focus

6Process

Management

Source: www.quality.nist.gov/PDF_files/2007_Education_Criteria.pdf

Canada

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• Source: http://www.aucc.ca/qa/index_e.html

National Regional Institutional Programme

Eight Canadian Provinces

Association of

Universities and Colleges

of Canada (AUCC)

• Autonomous in academic matters

• Commitment to a common framework of standards across provincial jurisdictions

• Supplemented by standards of professional accreditation

Israel

June 2003 - the Council for Higher Education (CHE) decided to establish a system for quality assessment of Israeli higher education – 4-stage model:

Quality assessment based on fields of study

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• Source: http://www.che.org.il/template/default_e.aspx?PageId=297

Self study report External assessment Discussion and decision-making

Publication of results

Conclusion

Singapore Separate QA system for publicly funded universities and private education institutions Self-assessment QA system - publicly funded universities National QA Agency – Private Education Institutions

Europe/Australia/Japan/Hong Kong Acknowledging the importance of QA in all aspects of higher education Setting up national QA agencies Establishing and improving national/regional QA guidelines Continuous evaluation

United States/Canada Diversified Specialized Flexibility

Israel Fields of study oriented QA

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