Quality Assurance Systems in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

ENHANCEMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN APEC MEMBER ECONOMIES
Table of Contents
ABBREVIATIONS.............................................................................................................................VII
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................... IX
1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................1
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE SURVEY .....................................................................................................1
1.2 THE ROLES OF GOVERNMENTS AND AGENCIES ...........................................................................1
1.3 DIVERSITY ......................................................................................................................................2
1.4 NUMBER OF AGENCIES ..................................................................................................................2
2. LEGAL BASIS AND GOVERNANCE ...........................................................................................3
2.1 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS ...........................................................3
2.2 OWNERSHIP ...................................................................................................................................4
2.3 LEGAL BASIS..................................................................................................................................6
2.4 GOVERNANCE ................................................................................................................................6
2.5 FUNDING ........................................................................................................................................8
2.6 INDEPENDENCE..............................................................................................................................8
3. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK .............................10
3.1 SIZE OF THE SYSTEM AND UNIT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE.........................................................10
3.2 MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF QA SYSTEMS .........................................................................................10
3.3 NATURE OF THE QA PROCESS: MANDATORY VS VOLUNTARY...................................................11
3.4 SCOPE OF QA..............................................................................................................................11
3.5 ASPECTS CONSIDERED FOR QA AND INDICATORS OF QUALITY.................................................12
3.6 CONSIDERING COMPLAINTS HANDLING OF HEIS........................................................................13
4. INTERNAL QA PROCESSES ......................................................................................................14
4.1 PREPARATION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT REPORT BY THE INSTITUTION/PROGRAM ......................14
4.2 INPUTS CONSIDERED OTHER THAN THE SELF-ASSESSMENT REPORT .......................................15
5. EXTERNAL QA PROCESSES .....................................................................................................16
5.1 EXTERNAL REVIEWERS................................................................................................................16
5.2 PROFILE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF REVIEWERS .......................................................................16
5.3 IDENTIFYING THE REVIEWERS .....................................................................................................17
5.4 TRAINING REVIEWERS .................................................................................................................18
5.5 COMPOSITION AND SIZE OF THE REVIEW TEAM..........................................................................18
5.6 ELIMINATING ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST..................................................................................18
5.7 ROLE OF HEIS IN CONSTITUTING THE REVIEW TEAM.................................................................19
5.8 ROLE OF AGENCY STAFF IN ON-SITE VISIT.................................................................................20
5.9 ACTIVITIES DURING SITE VISIT AND DURATION...........................................................................21
5.10 REVIEW PANEL REPORTING THE OUTCOME .............................................................................21
5.11 DECISION-MAKING BY THE QA SYSTEM ....................................................................................22
6. OUTCOMES AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE QA PROCESSES.............................................23
6.1 REPORTING THE OUTCOME.........................................................................................................23
6.2 RESPONSIBILITY FOR WRITING THE REPORT..............................................................................24
6.3 DISCLOSURE OF OUTCOMES .......................................................................................................24
6.4 IMPLICATIONS OF OUTCOME........................................................................................................25
6.5 APPEALS MECHANISM .................................................................................................................25
6.6 FOLLOW-UP..................................................................................................................................26
7. QUALITY ENHANCEMENT..........................................................................................................28
8. QUALITY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE.......................................................................................29
8.1 MONITORING QUALITY ASSURANCE............................................................................................29
8.2 EFFECTIVE QUALITY PRACTICES.................................................................................................30
8.3 INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKING ................................................................................................32
8.4 REVIEW ........................................................................................................................................33
v