Quality and Academic Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Transcription

1 Quality and Academic Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2 Contents Foreword Foundation and Goals of the National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation Foundation Goals Organization and Structure of the Commission Achievements of the Commission Membership in International Organizations System of Assessment and Academic Accreditation Guide to the Quality and Academic Assessment System

3 Foreword The concept of academic accreditation is associated with the idea of quality, which has become one of the most widely discussed topics in many countries during the past decade for a variety of reasons, which vary from country to country. However, it can be said that the most important factors that lie behind this concern for quality in the field of higher education are related to the broad expansion in higher education, whether from the aspect of the institutions that offer it or those that benefit from it. This is true for all developed countries and for many developing countries as well. The idea of quality in higher education is associated with one or more of the following concepts: distinction, completeness, consistency and appropriateness of goals. Most concepts related to quality in higher education center around the description of the ideal situation of higher education institutions. During the past few years, an international consensus has developed calling for the transformation of higher education and the application of quality assurance mechanisms. Furthermore, such mechanisms should be implemented by organizations independent of those bodies, such as universities and ministries of higher education, which themselves provide educational services. The task of these organizations should be to monitor higher education institutions as well as the programs they offer and their performance on a periodic basis in order to assure that they conform to internationally accepted standards in their specializations and academic programs in a way which will have a direct effect on the quality of higher education outputs. 5 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has participated in this international movement towards quality assurance in the realm of higher education through the establishment of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment in order to assure excellence in higher education. This book aims to shed light on the Commission and its activities.

4 Foundation and Goals of the National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation

5 Foundation Organization and Structure of the Commission The National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation was established in accordance with royal approval granted on 9/2/AH 1424, corresponding to 11/4/2003, and given the responsibility for academic accreditation and quality assurance affairs in post-secondary institutions of higher education, both public and private, with the exception of military education. The Commission functions under the supervision of the Higher Education Council. This relationship was changed by royal directive on 25/11/AH 1424 (17/1/2004), which placed the Commission under the supervision of the Supreme Council for Education. The National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation aims to 1. Formulate the rules, standards and conditions governing assessment and academic accreditation, as well as the criteria which guarantee their application in the various postsecondary level academic institutions. 2. General accreditation of new universities or other similar institutions, including colleges and institutes, along with accreditation of their departments, specializations and curriculums. 3. Periodic review and evaluation of the academic performance of existing universities or other similar institutions, such as colleges or institutes, along with academic accreditation of their departments and instructional programs 4. Coordination regarding the academic accreditation of higher education institutions in the Kingdom by international accreditation bodies. 5. Evaluation and accreditation of programs leading to the award of the bachelor s degree, the postgraduate higher diploma, the masters degree, and the doctoral degree and its equivalent, along with periodic review of their requirements. 6. Evaluation and accreditation of post-secondary specialized academic programs, such as junior college programs and public or private sector diploma programs. 7. Evaluation and accreditation of training and education programs offered by government and private educational institutions. 8. Participation in the proposal of general plans for the development of academic performance in different fields. The Commission is empowered to set up permanent academic committees in addition to other permanent or temporary adjunct committees. Membership of these committees may be drawn from the members of the Commission itself or others. 9. Publication of data and information regarding accreditation for the purpose of general awareness, media use, or academic research, as well as making such information available to individuals The Commission has a Board of Directors which undertakes to take the decisions and procedures which ensure that the Commission will perform its duties and realize its goals. The composition of the Board is as follows: 1. Minister of Higher Education President 2. Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Educational Affairs Vice-President 3. Six faculty members representing different specializations chosen from government universities and other higher education institutions Members 4. One member chosen from private higher education institutions Member 5. Three members from the private sector nominated by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh, Jeddah and al-dammam Members 6. Two members from government organizations which offer higher education programs Members 7. A representative of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties Member 8. A representative of the Saudi Engineering Commission Member 9. A representative of the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants Member 10. General Secretary of the Commission Secretary Administration for Accreditation & Academic Evaluation Experts and Consultants Academic Accreditation Academic Evaluation Directorate for Accreditation of Training Programs Experts and Consultants Evaluation of Training Programs Board Of Directors General Secretariat Directorate for Administrative and Financial Affairs Library Directorate for Coordination of Information & Communications Computer Databank Channels of Communications Directorate for Quality Studies & Planning 9

6 Achievements of the Commission

7 Achievements of the Commission Membership in International Organizations The Commission has realized a number of scientific and professional achievements as follows: Membership in International Organizations 1 - International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education is an international organization which seeks to exchange information and experience among its members in support of excellent practices and in order to improve quality in higher education. 2 - Project for an Arab Network for Quality Assurance. 3 - Gulf Coordinating Committee for Quality Assurance in the Arab States of the Gulf System of Assessment and Academic Accreditation The Commission completed the preparation of the documents pertaining to the national system of quality assurance and academic accreditation which consists of the following two documents 1 - Standards and Criteria of Quality in Performance in Higher Education Institutions. This document is one of the basic documents of the system; its concentrates on defining the concept of standards of quality in performance which are used to define good practice. It consists of four parts: a) Standards of quality assurance and academic accreditation in higher education institutions: The document describes the eleven standards of quality and academic accreditation employed in the institutional assessment of higher education institutions. An appendix to the document defines the criteria for establishing a university. b) Standards of quality assurance and academic accreditation for academic programs in higher education: c) Self-assessment criteria for higher education institutions. The document gives attention to the criteria which must be used by educational institutions during their selfassessment which precedes an assessment to determine the extent to which the eleven standards of quality for educational institutions have been satisfied. This, in turn, can be for the purpose of preparing a periodic evaluation or in order to use it in preparing the self-study which is presented together with a request for external evaluation to obtain academic accreditation. d) Self-assessment criteria for academic programs in higher education: The document gives attention to the criteria which must be used by educational institutions during their self-assessment which precedes an assessment to determine the extent to which the eleven standards of quality for educational institutions have been satisfied. This, in turn, can be for the purpose of preparing a periodic evaluation or in order to use it in preparing the self-study which is presented together with a request for external evaluation to obtain academic accreditation. 2 - National Framework for Qualifications This document aims to classify the qualifications granted by post-secondary higher education institutions, from the diploma to the doctorate. It offers a detailed description of the nature and level of the qualification along with the skills which need to be mastered in order to obtain each qualification. The document includes the following information: 1. Education levels for each qualification from the diploma to the doctorate. 2. The minimum number of accredited hours which must be passed to obtain each qualification. 3. The lowest level of learned anticipated from graduates of each qualification in the following areas of learning: Knowledge Cognitive and problem-solving skills Skills in personal relationships and bearing responsibility Computational skills and skills in communication and information technology Motor skills in academic fields which require them 13

8 Membership in International Organizations Membership in International Organizations The national framework for academic and professional qualifications is considered to be among the most important criteria which have been developed and approved in many nations during the past two decades. Guide to the Quality and Academic Assessment System This guide represents the transformation of the Commission from the planning stage to one of implementation. It was originally designed to describe the system of quality assurance and academic accreditation so that it may be a resource for all higher education institutions, colleges and academic departments within those institutions, and independent reviewers who carry out assessment. The guide consists of three parts: Part One: Standards and Procedures of Quality Assurance and Academic Assessment This part of the guide elucidates the system of accreditation and quality assurance prepared by the Commission. It also includes the stages in the application of accreditation for each sort of educational institution. There are also several forms which can be used during planning and the preparation of reports. Part Two: Internal Quality Assurance Procedures This part of the guide is devoted to proposing a number of procedures and methods concerning the manner in which institutions of higher education can carry out internal assessment and quality assurance. Part Three: External Assessment Procedures for Quality Assurance and Academic Assessment In this part of the guide, the steps and procedures which must be undertaken by an educational institution in order to fulfill the requirements of external or future assessment are outlined. It is worthy of mention here that the Commission s system of quality assurance and academic accreditation passed through several stages during which numerous revisions were carried out on it. The drafts of the system were submitted to numerous faculty members and officials in higher education institutions in the Kingdom. Furthermore, the Commission held a workshop for representatives of government universities devoted to the study of the procedures contained in the system. The Commission also sent a draft of the system to all government universities for study of the documents contained within it and in order to receive any suggestions. In addition, the Commission submitted the system s documents to several international experts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia in order to benefit from their comments and potential additions. The Commission also organized its fourth conference, which lasted two days, around the subject of the Commission s documents, which were submitted to a large group of officials and faculty members in the Kingdom s universities and other higher education institutions during the event. The standards and procedures contained in the system were expounded before the attendees in order to profit from their opinions, suggestions and comments during the revision of the system s documents. The suggestions and major comments put forward by participants in the various workshops organized by the Commission, as well as those which were sent by different universities in official correspondence and the suggestions and observations proffered by the international experts were all made use of by the Commission. The Commission also undertook to test the system on two national universities in its experimental application project, which represented the final stage in the process of determining the system s requirements, the facility with which it can be implemented, as well as the factors and procedures required to ensure its effective implementation. This was carried out in order to ascertain the system s appropriateness prior to its comprehensive application to all post-secondary institutions of higher education in the Kingdom. Project for the Developmental Assessment of the System of Assessment and Quality Assurance The project for developmental assessment is a continuation of the efforts undertaken by the National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation aiming at the implementation of a system of quality assurance and academic accreditation, and is designed to enhance the abilities of participating universities to satisfy the requirements of the system. The project includes the developmental assessment of evaluation procedures on the institutional level in King Saud University, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, King Faisal University, Qassim University, and the private College of Business Administration. The project aims to achieve the following goals: 1. Evaluation of the organizational arrangements and the steps employed in the implementation of compound evaluation procedures institutional evaluation and program evaluation in large universities. 2. Provide an opportunity for the educational institution participating in the program to be apprised of the level of quality in its activities and programs. 3. Synchronous evaluation of the strategy of specialized assessment of specific programs in more than one educational institution. 4. Strengthen the abilities of faculty in the university subject to evaluation with regard to the preparation of documents relevant to the study of self-assessment and interaction with the procedures followed in external assessment. 5. Develop the capabilities of a number of faculty members in universities which are not subject to evaluation through their participation as observers of the evaluation process. 15

9 Membership in International Organizations Membership in International Organizations 6. Intensification of advice and assistance offered by the Commission to participating universities to enable them to satisfy the requirements of the system of quality assurance and academic accreditation. Conferences and Symposiums The Commission has organized four general conferences and symposiums on quality: Symposiums First symposium: Assessment and Academic Accreditation in Higher Education Second symposium: Fundamentals of Licensing and Academic Accreditation in Higher Education Third symposium: Self-Assessment Centers and Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institutions: Structure, Role and Responsibilities Fourth symposium: Standards of Accreditation and Quality Assurance within the General Framework of Scientific Qualifications in Higher Education in the Kingdom Conferences First Saudi Conference on Quality in Higher Education: Foundations, Standards, and Mechanisms of Application Second Saudi Conference on Quality in Higher Education: Internal Quality Systems in Higher Education Institutions: Reality and Aspirations Training Programs During AH 1430/ , the Commission presented 21 training programs in which more than 1000 men and women trainees from post-secondary educational institutions participated. Training included the following subjects: Establishment of an internal system of quality Institutional evaluation Program evaluation and self-study Description of programs and courses Qualification program for local reviewers Collection of evidence, performance indicators, and benchmarking Strategies for development of faculty skills related to teaching effectiveness and educational outputs Planning and follow-up of academic advising and student services Planning and evaluation of library services quality The training program included visits to the Deputy Ministry for Quality Assurance and a number of British universities which were undertaken by a number of those responsible for quality assurance in Saudi universities. Evaluation of the Extent to Which an Institution Qualifies for the Scholarship Program The National Commission for Assessment and Academic Accreditation carries out investigations to ascertain the extent to which academic programs offered in private higher education institutions quality for the scholarship program offered by the Ministry of Higher Education. Contact the Commission National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment Tel.: Fax: P.O. Box 8252; Riyadh 11482; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Website: الهيئة الوطنية للتقويم واالعتماد األكاديمي 17 Tel Fax P.O.Box Saudi Arabia National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment 01/ / هاتف 01/ / فاكس Riyadh 11482, 8252 ص.ب 8252 الرياض الرمز البريدي المملكة العربية السعودية

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11 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Higher Education Riyadh Takhasosi Road T F With Compliments of Public Relations & Media Department media@mohe.gov.sa