Quality Assurance Policies Guide

Context

The Scientific College of Design has established a Quality Assurance Strategy in 2007; however, the unit has undergone changes in Deanship and Management. The Quality Assurance Policy guidelines are based off the Quality Assurance Strategy and various feedbacks and reporting received from the Department Heads

The Quality Assurance & Enhancement unit has also considered different information retrieved from various resources and interviews with students, faculty and staff.  Moreover, the recommendations received from the Oman Accreditation Council through their audit report of March, 2010 and the recently received report from the Quality Assurance Panel of the Omani Ministry of Higher Education in April of 2010, have also impacted the development of these policies to support the Teaching and Learning Strategy and the implementation of academic governance changes, resulting from the careful review of all Key Performance Indicators and various resources at the college.

Introduction

The Quality Assurance Policies guide provides a statement of the College’s approach to the management of the quality and standards and the principles upon which the approach is based. The purpose of this guide is to give an overview of our approach to quality assurance (QA) relating to the College's academic provision. It does not cover everything about QA, nor does it have the status of a document approved by The Oman Accreditation Council. The guide is designed for quick reference purposes, and to support the development of a quality assurance plan. 

 

The College is obliged to conduct education and research, interact with the surrounding community and provide information about its activities. In addition, operations must be adapted to ensure that high quality in education and research is achieved. Documents regarding the mission statement and the research and education strategy describe the College's common goals. The College's quality assurance policy describes how work with quality assurance is organized and conducted to assure high quality in operations and the methods in which the mission statement and strategic goals are to be realized.

 

Our Quality assurance protocols are integrated into all operations at the College. It must be characterized by decisions based on a holistic view, facts, long-term planning, and a conscious effort to improve and engage leadership. Quality Assurance is ultimately carried out in the daily work of each teacher, researcher, technical and administrative member of staff and student to create the prerequisites for good education, research and collaboration. The quality assurance system organizes and clarifies this work. Some of our Quality Assurance Objectives at the Scientific College of Design include but are not limited to:

 

·         The College must have a well-functioning quality assurance system that is continuously revised.

·         Work with quality assurance must lead to continuous improvement of the College’s operations.

·         The system is based on interrelated sub-systems that merge to form a cohesive entity. The system’s primary elements comprise controlling documents, reports and dialogues.

·         We have the capacity and resources to establish procedures for the authorization, approval, regular monitoring, periodic review, modification and enhancement of our courses and programs.

·         We are discharging our responsibilities effectively for the standard of each award (or each package of academic credit) granted in our name.

·         We are providing a sufficient quality of education for our students to give them a genuine opportunity to achieve those standards.

·         We are able to fulfil our Mission Statement.

 

 

Policy Statement

 

The College’s approach to quality assurance and the governance of academic standards has been designed to support the goals set out in the Strategic Plan. It intends to ensure that the appropriate conditions are in place for academic standards to be set and for students to achieve those standards. The Quality Policy requires the adherence to policies and procedures that combine the framework set for the College’s management of quality and standards. The Quality Policies are based on a series of principles set out below:

 

Quality Assurance & Enhancement Unit Purpose 

 

The need for quality assurance is rooted in the accountability of the College to students, employers and government organisations.

We are reaching several quality assurance organisations around the world to be confident about the College's s quality and standards and the effectiveness of our QA systems. We also hold the ultimate responsibility for the quality and standards of our academic provision. Thus, while some of these agencies primarily observe the College’s work directly, they also undertake regular external checks of how we assure the quality of our provision.

 

The Lebanese American University also conducts an institutional audit annually to establish whether the College as a whole is discharging its responsibility for the standard of awards granted in its name effectively and maintaining the quality of educational provision required to enable students to attain those standards. This process involves an audit team visiting the College for up to five days, scrutinising documents and questioning sample groups of people. The feedback is extremely beneficial to our College and helps improve both our institutional & academic deliverables and standards.

 

Our Primary Focus in Quality Assurance

 

The Academic Standards are mainly focused on outcomes; this refers to the level and extent of knowledge, understanding and skill that a student must demonstrate in order to be awarded academic credit. The award is expected to be consistent and comparable with awards granted elsewhere in the Gulf and must conform to the Ministry of Higher Education standards and guidelines. 

 

Quality of Provision mainly focuses on processes; this refers to the appropriateness of our programs and courses in terms of the quality of teaching and learning that we provide, and the quality of the student experience more generally. Together, these enable students to gain the highest level of award of which they are capable.

 

Our Institutional Quality Strategy

 

Wide Staff Participation

Our Faculty and Staff contribute to the maintenance of academic quality through individual or team action, as well as through being directly involved in the formal QA system. The majority of quality issues are resolved at local level, but there are mechanisms in place to enable the Lebanese American University to assist in some cases, such as evaluation of QA performance and monitoring the development of our College curricula & programs.

  

Central Regulation

The College Council & the Quality Assurance Unit are establishing a regulatory and policy framework within which all parts of the College are required to operate. This initiative will be concluded by January of 2011. 

 

 

Devolved Implementation of QA

 

Staff participation is regarded as a positive principle of QA, the implementation of the QA system is largely devolved to our departments and ensures that consistency is protected since all departments must operate within the centrally agreed regulatory and policy framework. The Departments must comply with the College’s requirements for externality and scrutiny that is proportional to risk, as outlined below.

 

Externality

 

·         The quality Assurance mechanisms put in place includes inputs and judgments of those external to the college. In Particular, in relation to the processes for the program approvals, periodic program review and external examining by the Lebanese American University Quality Assurance Head and Faculty Department Heads.

·         The College takes into account external guidance and implements the received recommendations from LAU through scheduled and extended visits, once in every semester and once a year from ACC.

·         The College recognizes the value of the expert consultation received from LAU & other affiliated Universities that support our specializations.

·         Appropriate professional, statutory and regulatory body accreditation of programs has been sought through the Oman Accreditation Council and the College is currently undertaking measures to receive International Accreditation through the National Association of Schools of Art and Design in the United States of America.

 

Stakeholders

·         The views of stakeholders are sought and acted upon. This includes the views of students, employers, professional, statutory and regulatory bodies and graduates.

·         The views of the students are obtained by the College feedback mechanisms and are complied annually.

 

Collective Standards

·         The collective expertise of staff focuses on decisions in relation to setting and maintaining academic standards. This includes ensuring that there is an agreed understanding of standards and levels.

 

 

Individual Responsibility and Expertise

·         Individuals are encouraged to recognize and discharge their responsibilities.

·         Individuals have specific executive responsibility and are incented to maintain peak performance.

·         The expertise of the College staff is recognized, respected and evaluated. Incentives vary based on performance and extra-curricular activities.

 

Enhancement

·         The College reflects on its activities and seeks to enhance both quality and process through coherent and organized action on an ongoing basis.

 

 

Information

·         Staff, students and other stakeholders are provided with relevant information to make decisions, guide their activities and discharge their duties.

·         The College complies with external requirements for information provision, notably through the provision for Teaching Quality Information and the standards set by the Omani Ministry of Higher Education and the Lebanese American University.

 

Interrelated quality assurance systems

 

The College’s quality assurance system consists of interrelated sub-systems that follow:

 

·         The general quality assurance system for the entire College

·         General systems for core operational areas (education, research and collaboration)

·         Quality assurance systems for the College’s operative units (departments, Administration, Library and External Relations)

·         General quality assurance systems for specific aspects (Employment, Facilities & Student Support Services)

 

The Quality Assurance Committee (temporarily) is responsible for coordinating; following up and developing the College’s general quality assurance system. Responsibility for the respective sub-systems is divided amongst committees and departments. The Education and Academic Research Committee is responsible for the general quality assurance system for education.

 

The Research & Development Committee is responsible for the general quality assurance systems in their respective research areas. The Heads of College Departments are responsible for implementing the general quality assurance system for teacher training; the deanship is responsible for the collaborative efforts not included in research or education. The departments are responsible for their systems and the College Council holds the responsibility for supporting and approving Quality Assurance developmental programs.

 

 

Controlling documents

 

Documents are regularly revised and up-to-date, describing the College’s interrelated quality assurance systems, including:

·         Mission statement, the College’s general research and education strategy and quality assurance policy

·         Education strategy, research strategy and collaborative outreach strategy, if reification of the College’s general strategy documents are necessary

·         Quality assurance program for the Education & Academic Research Committee, Heads of Department and Administration, Marketing, Foreign & Public Relations Committee and the Library Committee.

·         Policies and plans for specific aspects, i.e. Employment, Facilities & Student Support Services

·         Action plans for quality assurance dialogues for all five departments

 

 

Decisions pertaining to the College’s general controlling documents are made by the College Board of Directors. Decisions regarding the general strategy documents for core operational areas are made by the Quality Assurance unit that is temporarily responsible for the respective quality assurance systems. Policy document decisions for specific aspects are made by the College Board of Directors. The quality assurance program must be revised annually and approved by the College Council and the Lebanese American University Quality Assurance Executive Officer. The action plans for specific aspects are set by the Dean.

 

Planned measures after quality assurance dialogues are set by the Quality Assurance Committee after consulting the departments. There are measurable objectives for the respective sub-systems for core area operations and for Administration, Library and the boards. These systems contain key figures that follow up the progress of the Quality Assurance work. In addition, the system may also contain descriptive key figures and key figures that can be used to quality assure College operations.

The quality assurance programs describe the way in which follow up and improvement measures are carried out and the way in which various interested parties such as staff, students and external groups are involved. They also state how the quality assurance program is linked to the College’s general quality assurance system, report on the primary guidelines and working procedures or refer to documents describing this and contain a clear mission statement of responsibility and procedures for revising the relevant documents.

 

 

Reports

 

All committees and boards, the College Council, Administration, the Marketing, Foreign & Public Relations Committee and Library must submit annual quality assurance reports to the Quality Assurance Committee. These reports include proposals for revising the relevant controlling documents (policies, strategies or quality assurance programs) if this is deemed adequate, key figures, action plans for the coming year and a follow up of the results of the previous year’s action plan. 

 

 

Externality as Good Practice

·         The College regards independent scrutiny as fundamental in giving it confidence in its academic quality and standards. Notwithstanding the scrutiny of external agencies, there are other levels of independence designed into the College's QA system, for example:

·         Supervision of quality and QA is located with Heads of our Departments; their roles are distinct from those of the other units.

·         Key externally derived reports (e.g.  Lebanese American University reports) form an integral part of the monitoring process and act as a basis for triangulation with internally generated reports.

·         The Quality Assurance & Enhancement Unit maintains oversight of all quality matters within the College, conducts spot audits on particular aspects of quality management from time to time. The unit also has a high degree of autonomy in deciding what, when, where and how it will scrutinise.

·         Student feedback, including the annual Student Satisfaction Surveys, plays a central role in monitoring processes at all levels.

 

 

 

Scrutiny is Proportional to Risk

Scrutiny should be proportional to risk. This is currently manifested in:

The existence of the Academic & Educational Committee with oversight of collaborative activities, since these are considered to carry additional risks, such as:

 

Academic planning and authorization processes (e.g. particular scrutiny is given to collaborative proposals);

 

Frequency of Program Monitoring Reports (which can vary above a baseline

according to risk);

 

Central co-ordination of the approval of some programs (e.g. all collaborative

approvals);

 

Availability of special procedures applied in response to perceived risk.

 

Academic & Educational Committee

It is the Academic & Educational Committee that must ultimately ensure that the College is discharging its academic responsibilities effectively. To fulfil this key role, it must establish policy, regulations and procedures and satisfy itself that these are applied.

The College Council has established a number of committees that make decisions relating to policy and strategy which are integral to the QA system.

 

Monitoring

 

Monitoring of the quality and standards of Programs and Courses is carried out periodically by the Departments to assure the College Council that both are being maintained and enhanced between formal periods of Approval and Review.  Monitoring of courses is primarily focused on delivery and standard of achievement of students on those courses.  Monitoring of programs is primarily concerned with the quality of the student experience and student progression, with due regard taken of statistical indicators of student performance. 

 

The Student Satisfaction Survey

The Student Satisfaction Survey Report, published on the basis of information from the College’s Student Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Office of Student Affairs, is important in the monitoring process.

The Student Satisfaction Survey is student-centred:

·         Questions are formulated in consultation with students through discussion groups.

·         The survey records both the level of satisfaction and the level of importance that students assign to particular items.

·         Areas that students identify as both very important and very unsatisfactory are therefore given priority for improvement. Department Heads are requi