Workshop on Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement in Cihan University
On 16/3/2017, A workshop was run by the quality assurance department and held in Cihan University on the process of quality assurance and quality improvement and their effect on higher education system development.
The workshop was presented by, Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai, Emeritus Professor in UCD, Ireland; Adviser to Cihan University.
It aimed to upgrade knowledge and enhance skills of the participants in understanding and developing QA systems and implementing QA activities for improvement of education and research processes. It was an approach to quality assurance and quality enhancement was to present the process based on best international practices, benchmarked against leading research universities.
Several major aspects of QA was presented including: QA vs accreditation: Link between QA and accreditation, Quality dimensions in higher education, Conventional framework for quality assurance, University rankings and quality, Systems and procedures for assuring and enhancing the academic standards of awards and the quality of educational provision, Quality review: Procedure and objectives, Self-assessment report: aim and procedure, Self-reflection and critical analysis, SWOT analysis, Benchmarking, Programmeeducational objectives and course learning outcomes, Matching learning outcomes to assessment types, Workload and Quality improvement plan.
While the objectives of the workshop could be deemed to be met, the overall assessment pointed to a need for the quality assurance department to develop a regular QA training for academic staff in order to embed a shared understanding of quality assurance. It was recommended that a process of QA for programs within Cihan University starting with the development of self-assessment reports.
