SELF ASSESSMENT PROF. DR. AAMIR IJAZ DIRECTOR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT CELL University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590.
Dec 24, 2015
SELF ASSESSMENT
PROF. DR. AAMIR IJAZ
DIRECTOR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT CELL
University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus,
Lahore 54590.
CONTENTSFAMOUS QUOTES RELATED TO QUALITY
WHAT IS A QUALITY?
WHAT IS QUALITY ASSURANCE?
ASSESSMENT
ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
OBJECTIVES OF SELF ASSESSMENT
PROCESS OF GENERATING SAR
BENEFITS OF AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM ASSESSMENT
PROCESS
CRITERIA AND STANDARDS
SCORING OF CRITERION ITEMS (RUBRIC FORM)
ASSESSMENT TEAM REPORT FORM
(Aristotle 384 BC-322 BC, Greek Philosopher and Scientist, Student of Plato and Teacher of Alexander the Great)
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intension, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives”.(Quality in Education by Willa A Foster)
“Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in; it is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay”. (Peter F Drucker, American Management Guru)
Must be based on the fact that “Quality is not the responsibility of an individual; rather it is the responsibility of all”, a complete Quality Enhancement Cell must work in close collaboration with the Vice Chancellor to get its functions through.
Defining Quality
A survey of literature reveals “quality” as one of the widely defined terms:High degree of goodness (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
A degree or level of excellence (The Oxford Large Print Dictionary)
The standard of excellence of something often a high standard (Cambridge International Dictionary of English)
Doing the right things right (W. Edwards Deming Pioneer of the quality movement in industry)
What is Quality?
It has to do something with a certain degree of effectiveness or excellence and satisfaction
In academic scenario it means satisfaction of all the stakeholders
Whether “the satisfaction of all the stakeholders is relevant to your programme or not”........
Four – Fold dimensions to help understand the term “quality” as applied in Higher Education Sector
Quality as excellence
Quality as fitness for purpose
Quality as value for money
Quality as transformation
What is Quality Assurance?
Its a way by which managers satisfy
themselves and monitor that control
mechanisms are working to maintain and
enhance standards.
Refers generally to all planned and
systematic actions or processes necessary for
providing adequate confidence to managers
that a product or a service will satisfy the
specified requirements for quality.
A sustainable quality assurance programme
Enhances employment opportunities
Improves the education and training of future
employees
Harnesses/ Connect future leaders
Facilitates an enabling learning environment
Enriches the academic and intellectual
landscape
QECs serve as focal points for quality
assurance in the institutions in order to
improve and uphold the quality of higher
education.
Capacity building of academia in quality
assurance is one of the key functions of QAA
and subsequently of QEC.
AssessmentAssessment is a systematic process of gathering,
reviewing and using important quantitative and
qualitative data and information from multiple and
diverse sources about educational programs, for the
purpose of improving students learning, and
evaluating whether academic and learning standards
are being met. In other words, what will graduates
know, are able to do, or value when they complete an
academic program and how do we know these things
about our students.
One cycle of assessment completes when assessment
results are used to improve students learning.
Self Assessment
Self-assessment is an important
tool for quality assurance and
provides feedback for management
to initiate action plans for the
improvement.
Faculty Involvement
For Academic Program Assessment, the most
important factor is the participation of all faculty
members.
Each department appoints a Program Team (PT)
which will prepare a Self Assessment Report
(SAR) and ensures the conformance of the
program to all the relevant criteria and
standards as stipulated in Self Assessment
Manual(SAM), in coordination with the members
of QEC.
Size of PT can be determined according to the size of
department
Sr. # Number of Students in a Department
PT Members
01 Up to 300 3 PTM + 1 Chairperson
02 300 - 1000 5 PTM + 1 Chairperson
03 1000 and above 6 PTM + 1 Chairperson
Desired Qualities of Program Team MemberCommitment to the principles of quality in higher education
and the policies set by HEC, provided in the form of SAM.
Ability to work in teams.
An enquiring disposition, power of analysis and judgment.
Experience of organization and management, particularly in
relation to teaching and learning matters, time management
skills.
High standards of oral and written communication skills.
To be proactive than reactive
Initiate improvements to achieve academic excellence
Systematize the process of self assessment
To be current and take a leadership role
Criteria for Self Assessment
The self assessment of an institution /
organization is based on several criteria.
To meet each criterion; a number of
standards must be satisfied. The
following part of this presentation
illustrates criteria and standards for self
assessment by Program Team.
Elements Of A Successful Assessment Program
Purpose identification
Outcomes identification
Measurement and evaluation design
Data collection
Analysis and evaluation
Decision-making regarding corrective
and preventive actions to be taken.
Objectives of Self Assessment
Improvement and maintenance of academic
standards.
Enhancement of student’s learning.
Verification of the existing programs to
meet their objectives and institutional
goals.
Providing feedback for quality assurance of
academic programs.
Prepare the academic program for review by
discipline councils (HEC).
AT findings
Corrective
Action
Implementation Date
Responsible
Body
Resources
Needed
1
2
3
Chairman's Comments
Name & Signature
Dean’s Comments
Name & Signature
QEC Comments
Name & Signature
Table A.2 Assessment Results Implementation Plan Summary
Benefits of an Academic Program Assessment Process
Identify Program Weakness
Take Financial Decisions based on
academic priorities
Provide information to constituents on
the quality of education students
receive
Ensure continuous improvement of
programs and curricula
Criteria
The self-assessment is based on
several criteria. To meet each
criterion a number of standards must
be satisfied. There are eight criterion
for self assessment manual provided
by HEC. Next section describes each
criterion and its associated standards.
Criteria & StandardsProgram Mission, Objectives and
Outcomes
Curriculum Design and Organization
Laboratories and Computing Facilities
Student Support and Guidance
Process Control
Faculty
Institutional Facilities
Institutional Support
Criterion-1: Program Mission, Objectives & Outcomes
Intent: Each program must have a
mission, quantifiable measurable
objectives and expected outcomes for
graduates. Outcomes include
competency and tasks graduates are
expected to perform after completing
the program.
Why do we need a Program Mission Statement
Mission statement is the guiding philosophy
of all activities. Such statements provide the
foundation which supports all other aspects
of program assessment. Mission statements
clarify the program to all stakeholders
(faculty, staff, student, alumni, potential
donors, etc.), allowing programs to focus
their resources and efforts on issues that are
critical to the mission.
What is Mission Statement ?
It is a brief description of an institution’s
fundamental purpose and articulates the
rationale of its existence to the
stakeholders. At the very least the mission
statement must convey the institution’s
purpose in a way that inspires
commitment, innovation and courage.
The Programme Mission Statement should
Be in line with University’s Mission Statement
Express your faculty/department/programme’s
purpose in a way that inspires support and ongoing
commitment
Motivate the stakeholders
Be convincing and easy to grasp
Use proactive verbs to describe “what, why and how”
Explain reason for it’s existence
Be free of jargon
Be short enough so that anyone related to the
faculty/department/programmes can repeat it.
How to Write / Revisit a Mission Statement
Step 1 (Ask Questions while writing Mission Statements)
Does the mission statement communicate your purpose?
Is it short and concise?
Is it specific enough to be distinctive?
Does it give you guidance to determine your programmes?
Is it inclusive of all your activities? If not, do you need to broaden your mission or narrow your programmes?
Does it inspire you? bestow
Step 2 (Process to create or review mission statement)
To ensure relevance, it is important to review
the mission statement periodically
Review every three years or whenever there is
significant change
Engage faculty members, programme team
members or key volunteers in the process
At onset, clarify roles
Typically the Head will play a leadership role
and is responsible for approving / adopting
the final mission statement Continue…
Step 2 contd. (Process to create or review mission statement)
Consultative Working Group meeting is
effective to develop or update a mission
statement, but final fine tuning is best done
by an individual or smaller sub committee.
The mission statement cannot be developed
in a single meeting.
A neutral facilitator/moderator can be
helpful to bring the discussion to resolution.
Example of a well defined Mission
Statement
“The mission of the civil engineering program is to
prepare students for professional engineering and
management positions in all phases of civil
engineering projects. The program will provide a
broad educational background with a foundation in
basic engineering and business principles. These
basic skills will be complemented by advanced
topics in engineering design, management, finance,
computer application, and real world civil
engineering experiences throughout the
Baccalaureate Degree program”. (Department of Civil
Engineering, Western Kentucky University).
Characteristics of Program Objectives
Clearly related to the Faculty Mission
Reflective of Program priorities in the long term
Illustrates the ideal graduates of the program
Represents faculty aspirations of the program
Focus on the core characteristics of program graduates.
What is a Program Outcome?
A program outcome is a specific, measurable,
statement of what student should know, be able to do,
or value when they complete a program, course or
sequence of courses/experiences/activities. All
academic programs should include program outcomes
and their assessment plan.
Criterion-2: Curriculum Design & Organization
Intent: The curriculum must be designed
and organized to achieve the program’s
objectives and outcomes. Also course
objectives must be in line with program
outcomes. Curriculum standards are specified
in terms of credit hours of study. A semester
credit hour equals one class hour or two to
three laboratory hours per week. The semester
is approximately of fifteen weeks.
Criterion-3: Laboratories & Computing Facilities
Intent: Laboratories and computing
facilities must be adequately available
and accessible to faculty members and
students to support teaching and
research activities. In addition
departments may benchmark with similar
departments in reputable institutions to
identify their shortcomings if any.
Criterion-4: Student Support & Advising
Intent: Student must have an adequate
support to complete the program in a
timely manner and must have ample
opportunity to interact with their
instructors and receive timely advice
about program requirements and career
alternatives.
Criterion-5: Process Control
Intent: The processes by which major
functions are delivered must be in place,
controlled, periodically reviewed and
continuously improved. To meet this
criterion a set of standards must be
satisfied.
Criterion-6: Faculty
Intent: Faculty members must be
current and active in their discipline
and have the necessary technical depth
and breadth to support the program.
There must be enough faculty members
to provide continuity and stability, to
cover the curriculum adequately and
effectively, and to allow for scholarly
activities.
Criterion-7: Institutional Facilities
Intent: Institutional facilities,
including library, computing facilities,
classrooms and offices must be
adequate to support the objective of
the program.
Criterion-8: Institutional Support
Intent: The institution’s support and
the financial resources for the program
must be sufficient to provide an
environment in which the program can
achieve its objectives and retain its
strength.
Scoring of Criterion ItemsThe visiting team is required to award the score by
encircling one of the entries against each item
Results ScoresPoor performance in most of the areas. 1
Fair performance in most of the areas. 2
Good performance for most areas.
No poor performance in any areas.
3
Good to excellent performance in all areas. 4
Excellent performance in all areas. 5
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 1 – Program Mission, Objectives and Outcomes
Weight=0.05
Factors Scores
Does the program have documented measurable objectives that support faculty / college and institution mission statement?
1 2 3 4 5
Does the program have documented outcomes for graduating students?
1 2 3 4 5
Do these outcomes support the program objectives? 1 2 3 4 5
Are the graduating students capable of performing these outcomes?
1 2 3 4 5
Does the department assess its overall performance periodically using quantifiable measureable?
1 2 3 4 5
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 1 – Program Mission, Objectives and Outcomes
Weight=0.05
Factors Scores
Is the result of the Program Assessment documented?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S1)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 2 – Curriculum Design and Organization Weight=0.20
Factors Scores
Is the curriculum consistent? 1 2 3 4 5
Does the curriculum support the program’s documented objectives?
1 2 3 4 5
Are theoretical background, problem analysis and solution design stressed within the program’s core material?
1 2 3 4 5
Does the curriculum satisfy the core requirements laid down by the respective accreditation bodies? (refer to appendix A of the SAM)
1 2 3 4 5
Does the curriculum satisfy the major requirements laid down by HEC and the respective councils / accreditation bodies? (refer to appendix A of the SAM)
1 2 3 4 5
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 2 – Curriculum Design and Organization Weight=0.20
Factors Scores
Does the curriculum satisfy the general education, arts and professional and other discipline requirements as laid down by the respective councils / accreditation bodies? (refer to appendix A of the SAM)
1 2 3 4 5
Is the information technology component integrated throughout the program?
1 2 3 4 5
Are oral and written skills of the students developed and applied in the Program?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S2)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 3 – Laboratories and Computing Facilities Weight=0.10
Factors Scores
Are laboratories manuals / documentation /instruction etc. for experiments available and readily accessible to faculty and students?
1 2 3 4 5
Are there adequate number of support personnel for instruction and maintaining the laboratories?
1 2 3 4 5
Are the university’s infrastructure and facilities adequate to support the program’s objective?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S3)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 4 – Student Support and Advising Weight=0.10
Factors Scores
Are the courses being offered in sufficient frequency and number for the students to complete the program in a timely manner?
1 2 3 4 5
the courses in the major area structured to optimized interaction between the students, faculty and teaching assistants?
1 2 3 4 5
Does the university provide academic advising on course decisions and career choices to all students?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S4)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 5 – Process Control Weight=0.15
Factors Scores
Is the process to enroll students to a program based on quantitative and qualitative criteria?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process above clearly documented and periodically evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its objectives?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process to register students in the program and monitoring their progress documented?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process above periodically evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its objectives?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process to recruit and retain faculty in place and documented?
1 2 3 4 5
Are the processes for faculty evaluation and promotion consistent with the institution mission?
1 2 3 4 5
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 5 – Process Control Weight=0.15
Factors Scores
Are the processes in 5 and 6 above periodically evaluated to ensure that they are meeting their objectives?
1 2 3 4 5
Do the processes and procedures ensure that teaching and delivery of course material emphasize active learning and that course learning outcomes are met?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process in 8 above periodically evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its objectives?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process to ensure that graduates have completed the requirements of the program based on standards and documented procedures?
1 2 3 4 5
Is the process in 10 above periodically evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its objectives?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S5)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 6 – Faculty Weight=0.20
Factors Scores
Are there full time faculty members to provide adequate coverage of the program areas / courses with continuity and stability?
1 2 3 4 5
Are the qualifications and interests of the faculty members sufficient to teach all courses, plan, modify and update courses and curricula?
1 2 3 4 5
Do the faculty members process a level of competence that would be obtained through graduate work in the discipline?
1 2 3 4 5
Do the majority of faculty members hold a Ph. D degree in their discipline?
1 2 3 4 5
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 6 – Faculty Weight=0.20
Factors Scores
Do the faculty members dedicate sufficient time to research to remain current in their disciplines?
1 2 3 4 5
Are there mechanisms in place for faculty development?
1 2 3 4 5
Are faculty members motivated and satisfies so as to excel in their profession?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S6)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 7 – Institutional Facilities Weight=0.10
Factors Score
Does the institution have the infrastructure to support new trends such as e-learning?
1 2 3 4 5
Does the library contain technical collection relevant to the program and is adequately staffed?
1 2 3 4 5
Are the class rooms and offices adequately equipped and capable of helping faculty carry out their responsibilities?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S7)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Criterion 8 – Institutional Support Weight=0.10
Factors Scores
Is their sufficient support and finances to attract and retain high quality faculty?
1 2 3 4 5
Are there an adequate number of high quality graduate students, teaching assistants and Ph.D. students?
1 2 3 4 5
SCORE (S8)= [TV / (No. of Question * 5)] * 100 * Weight
Scoring of Criterion Items
Overall Assessment Score= S1 + S2 + S3 + S4 + S5 + S6 +S7 + S8
=
Remarks:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ASSESSMENT TEAM’S REPORT FORM(To be used by QEC)
REPORT CONTENTS Does the report contain primary contact person and information Y N
Does the report clearly indicate the name of the program, the college to which it reports, and the year covered by the report?
Y N
Does the report contain a summary of the assessment method (s) for outcome assessed?
Y N
Does the report contain a summary of the assessment results? Y N
Dees the report identify the group (s) who participated in the discussion of the assessment results and proposed changes?
Y N
Does the report provide specific recommendations for changes or improvements based on the assessment results?
Y N
Does he report specify who will be responsible for implementing the proposed change(s)?
Y N
Does the report identify the resources needed to implement the proposed change(s)?
Y N
ASSESSMENT TEAM REPORT FORM(To be used by QEC)
FEEDBACK ON REPORT CONTENTS COMMENTS
Assessment Methods/Results
Does the summary indicate any modifications from the method (s) outlined in the Program Assessment Plan?
Does the summary clearly identify the persons responsible and the procedures employed for data collection and analysis?
Does the summary provide specific details of the results of the assessment?
Does the summary identify the extent to which the outcomes was achieved?
Does the summary provide a description of the process used to disseminate the results and with whom they were compared?