Quality Assurance Systems in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

ENHANCEMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN APEC MEMBER ECONOMIES
the organisation of the program
the didactic concept, didactic philosophy
teaching methods
the curriculum design
student-work, research project and/or practical training
student assessments/examinations
the student population (selection, recruitment, preliminary education)
quality of the staff
the quality of the facilities
internal quality assurance procedures
the achieved standards
pass rate and drop out
average graduation time
cost per student
opinion of the students about the program
opinion of the staff about the program
opinion of the alumni
accordance to institutional mission, relationship with other academic instances,
relationship with the social and economic sectors, opinion of employers, under-graduate
follow-up
Areas Considered by CHEA for its Recognition of Accrediting
Agencies
CHEA has `eligibility standards’ and `recognition standards’.
Eligibility Standards: To be eligible for CHEA recognition, the accreditation organisation:
1. demonstrates that the organization’s mission and scope are consistent with the CHEA
Institutional Eligibility and Recognition Policy (Appendix B), including that a majority of
the institutions and programs accredited by the organization grant higher education
degrees. The Policy provides, in part, that the recognition process will place increasing
emphasis on the effectiveness of accrediting organizations in assuring academic quality
of institutions or programs;
2. is non-governmental;
3. accredits institutions that have legal authority to confer higher education degrees;
4. accredits institutions or programs at generally accepted higher education levels;
5. has written procedures that describe, officially and publicly:
the organisation’s decision-making processes, policies, and procedures that lead
accreditation actions; and
the scope of accreditation that may be granted, evaluative criteria (standards or
characteristics) used, and levels of accreditation status conferred.
6. has procedures that include a self-evaluation by the institution or program and on-site
review by a visiting team, or has alternative processes that CHEA considers to be valid;
7. demonstrates independence from any parent entity, or sponsoring entity, for the conduct
of accreditation activities and determination of accreditation status; and
to
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