Setting the course for quality assurance in higher education

Muhammad Asif () and Abdul Raouf ()

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 2013, vol. 47, issue 4, 2009-2024

Abstract: While the application of quality management and total quality management in higher education (HE) are discussed in literature, quality assurance (QA) of academic programs—the main services offered by higher education institutes (HEIs)—is yet to be fully understood. Scepticism prevails on how the principles of QA—having origin in manufacturing sector—can be applied in HE. The main question addressed in this article is ‘how the academic processes can be designed for QA?’ This paper suggests the use of systems approach for a number of reasons: first systems approach brings wide range of stakeholders into organisational consciousness. Second, it allows deployment of QA strategically through the development of a mission for the HEI. Third, it allows alignment and realignment of academic processes with the mission of the HEI. Finally, it allows systematic management of QA implementation with an essential focus on continual improvement. The mentioned elements are embodied in a framework consisting of a list of diagnostic questions to guide the integration of QA into academic processes. The framework should help HEIs integrate QA into academic programs with continual improvement as an essential ingredient. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Keywords: Quality assurance; Higher education; Academic programs; Mission; PDCA cycle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11135-011-9639-2

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