QA Process
QA Process at UCB
Internal and external Quality Assurance include all activities needed to provide effective services for students during the educational process in all aspects, and other University domains including management, research, community service, public engagement, and international collaboration.
Internal Quality Assurance (IQA)
UCB is responsible for providing and assuring quality through the following areas:
- Academic Standards: Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs), Curriculum and Programme Design, Student Assessment, Student Progression and Achievement.
- Quality of Learning Opportunities: Teaching Staff, Learning Styles and Curriculum Delivery Modes, Learning and Physical Resources and Student Support.
- Research & Other Scholarly Activities.
- Community Involvement.
- Effectiveness of Quality Management: Governance and Leadership, Academic Leadership, Self-Evaluation, Management of Stakeholders’ Feedback. Strategic management and achievements.
External Quality Assurance (EQA)
At UCB, EQA is a tool for recognition of UCB’s internal quality assurance system and its study programmes. International bodies or agencies at the institutional level carry out the external assessment at UCB through the following areas:
- Management of the University: Mission, Vision and Objectives, Strategic Plan, Governance and Decision-Making, Policy for Quality Assurance, Management Principles, Promotion of Innovation by the Management, Focus on Future, Human Resources Policy, and Financial Management System.
- Teaching and Learning/ Research: Design of Programmes and Curricula, Student-Centered Teaching and Learning, Assessment for Students’ Progression, Student “Life Cycle” Regulations, Teaching Staff Qualifications, Learning Resources and Student Support, Information Management, Public Information, On-going Monitoring of Programmes, Graduates, UCB’s Research Strategy, Creativity and Innovation of Research, Research Publication and Communications.
- University Dynamics: Community Approaches, Initiatives Change Processes, Continuous and Systematic Development, and Diversity within the Framework of the Strategy.
Phases of Quality Assurance System at UCB
The following parts are interlinked and work on a complementary basis to describe QA process as follows:
Internal Quality Assurance Process:
- Setting up the basic elements for internal quality assurance cycle: plan, do, check, act, etc.
- Describing the controls for each element of the quality assurance system as to “what”, “when”, “where”, “who”, and “how” the service, which can be audited, is being implemented.
- Implementing and setting up key features of the internal quality assurance system based on UCB’s strategic approach to quality management.
- Defining quality & standards framework for academics as well as for administration and services.
- Evaluating and assessing academic standards, quality of learning opportunities, research & scholarly activities, community involvement, and effectiveness of quality management.
- Monitoring educational resources, teaching methods, course evaluation, and student assessment.
- Conducting quality activities aiming at improvement.
- Using certain parameters to measure the level of compliance with predefined standards, to demonstrate, assure and develop quality of education.
- Assisting the application of educational policies & procedures
- Ensuring the proper implementation of students-based learning
- Following-up and measuring the achievement of educational process: Learning outcomes; Graduate employment outcomes; Satisfaction results
- Monitoring resources improvement
- Following up the upgrading of staff competencies
- Evaluating satisfaction of stakeholders.
Programme Accreditation Procedures:
- Preparation of the self-study report: The faculty responsible for the programme concerned should have carried out a self-assessment of the programme to be assessed. A good self-assessment critically and analytically offers the faculty a good view on the quality itself.
- Nomination of expert team: The agency nominates experts. The proposed names will be sent to the faculty to see if there is a serious objection against any one of the candidates. If not, the agency will appoint the members of the expert team.
- Sending the self-assessment report: The faculty send the prepared self-assessment report to the agency then to the assessment expert team.
- Site-visit of expert team: The chairperson of the team will confirm the programme of the site-visit in consultation with the faculty according to the given schedule. During the site visit, appointments will be made with whoever staff members and students the team would like to talk to the results of the evaluation process.
- A draft report will be sent to the faculty for comments. The comments should concern only factual errors and inaccuracies.
After the feedback from the faculty, the chairperson of the expert team will send the final report to the agency commission. - Granting accreditation: If the Programme meets all conditions, the accreditation is valid for a definite number of years.
- Accreditation with conditions: If the Programme has not met some requirements, accreditation is granted with those conditions.
- Non- Accreditation/ Rejection: A Programme accreditation is rejected if the Programme does not meet the quality requirements. Certificate, Seal, Publication: If the accreditation is granted, the Agency awards a certificate with its quality seal.