Academic Standards and Quality Assurance: The Impact of COVID-19 on University Degree Programs

Kelum A. A. Gamage, R. G. G. Roshan Pradeep, Vesna Najdanovic-Visak and Nanda Gunawardhana
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Kelum A. A. Gamage: James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
R. G. G. Roshan Pradeep: University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
Vesna Najdanovic-Visak: Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry (CEAC), Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
Nanda Gunawardhana: Learning and Teaching Research Group, Sri Lanka Technological Campus, Padukka 10500, Sri Lanka

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: COVID-19, caused by a member of the coronavirus family of viruses, has spread to most countries around the world since it was first recorded in humans in China in late 2019. Closing universities and cancelling all face-to-face activities have become a COVID-19 inevitable reality in many parts of the world. Its impact on university programs, particularly to maintain academic standards and quality assurance procedures, has become significantly more challenging and complex. New ways of working digitally, to minimize disruption to daily operations, have also led to enormous anxiety and uncertainty within the student population, and meeting students’ expectations has also become significantly more difficult. This paper reviews actions taken by universities to safeguard high academic standards and quality assurance procedures during this time and appraise the challenges and impacts on students’ academic performance.

Keywords: assessment of learning outcomes; internal quality assurance; external quality assurance; assessment moderation; accreditation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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