Quality & Quality Assurance in

Higher Education: Concepts &

Practices
Dunkana Negussa (PhD)
Deputy Director General, Education & Training Authority
 Content
• Introduction
• Quality
• Quality Assurance
• History of QA in Higher Education
• Importance & Functions of QA
• Role of Stakeholders in QA
• Challenges/Barriers to QA
• Way forward
•What are your
expectations in this
training ?
Learning Outcome of the
training:
• You will be able to define quality in higher education
• You will be able to define quality in Midwifery Program
• You will be able to define quality assurance in education
specifically in higher education
• you will be able to design quality assurance system for
Midwifery program
• you will be able to evaluate quality assurance of
midwifery program.
• In the construction of a building, what are
the important steps in the process?
 Quality Education and Training is a
Global Agenda

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational
and tertiary education, including university.
 Introduction

• AU theme of the year 2024: “Educate an African

fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient
Education Systems for Increased Access to
Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality, and Relevant
Learning in Africa”.
We can no longer afford Poor Quality
Education in Ethiopia!
• Poor quality education creates social and economic crisis
• We need to deprive of Poverty
• We need to prosper
The solution is Quality Education and
Training for Citizens

But How ???

How we can change the existing scenario?

• Whether you like it or not what has changed the

world, economically and socially is the issue of
quality and how to ensure it (quality assurance).
• What has changed the world yesterday and today
and even in the future is the movement of quality.
How we can change the existing scenario
in the quality of education in Ethiopia?

• What has changed the world and Japan is not only

productivity but also producing with quality.
• To produce quality product or service, it is important
to assure the quality of input, process and output
through serious control at every step in the system.
• This is also true for education
How we can change the existing scenario
in the quality of education in Ethiopia?

• In our case too, we should introduce with

knowledge and clear plan the movement of
quality in our education system
• the only means is to install and instill quality
assurance with clear purpose, process and
procedure in our education system.
 Quality & Quality Assurance

Design
Define Quality Measure of Design
Quality Quality
Quality Assurance Quality Evaluation
Assurance
System

• Proclamation 1152/2019 • Evaluation/assessment/

• Excellence
Article 21 measurement
• Perfection
(assessment, audit & accreditation)
• Fit for Purpose
• Value for money
• Transformation
Competency-based Curriculum Model
• Defining quality mean defining learning
outcome to your program and assuring the
quality of outcome mean designing
assurance (process and procedure how to
ensure whether quality is coming in your
product or service or not ) step by step
that you find at the end of the day what is
initially intended.
What is quality ?

What is
quality ?
 Definition of Quality

“quality … you know what it is, yet you don’t

know what it is” (Pirsig 1974).
Defining Quality in Higher Education
• It is difficult to define quality in higher education. There is
no consensus on the definition of quality in HE.
• Many scholars depicted it as elusive, slippery, relative,
dynamic, multidimensional etc.
• Any way based on context and multidimensional concept
relatively most quoted is the work of Harvey and
Green(1993)
 Definition of Quality

• QUALITY: Fitness for

purpose
• ‘fitness for purpose’ which
indicates that an institution
of higher education is
judged to be of quality
when it demonstrates that
it is achieving its defined
purposes or objectives.
The Era of Inspection
 Quality systems: Relation between
QM, QA & QC
• QC/inspection is
QMS reactive
• QA is proactive and
QA
preventive
QC

ISO 9001
 Design
Quality &
Build Define
Management objectives,
System policy,
procedure
Review
&
Improv QMS Deploy
Training,
• Review e
implementation
evaluation
outcomes
Control
&
Measur
e
Routine, systematic
evaluation
•What is quality assurance ?
 • Woodhouse (1999) “the term quality
assurance refers to the strategies,
procedures, actions and attitudes
necessary to ensure that quality is
established, maintained and improved”

Quality • Assurance of Quality in higher education is a

Assurance process of establishing stakeholder confidence
that provision (input, process and outcomes)
fulfils expectations or measures up to
threshold minimum requirements
 Objective of QA

•IM(PROVE) Performance
 Accreditation

• Types of QA
Processes/Appro QA
Audit Assessment
Approaches
aches to QA

Standards
• (Harvey, 2004– Checking
2012:2)
 Policies &
Procedures

Evaluate,
Monitor, Structure
Enhance

Quality
Process
Assurance Resources

Systems
 Accountabi
lity

Purpose
Compliance of Quality Improveme
Purpose of QAnt
Assurance

Control
•Why QA is important in HE?
 Involvement of
Private Sector

vem ent
Intern Impro
ation
lizati a
Globa n/o

n
lizati
o Why QA
sion
Expan

in Ethiopian HE?
eti ti on Cha
p Dem nge in
Com
ogra
phy

Employability
 Levels of Quality Assurance
International

National
Ins INQAAHE,
ENQA, etc.
titu
tion Ministries and
specialised
al agencies to assess
and accredit the
quality of
Quality assurance education
system of HEIs
 Stakeholders’ Requirements
c e
a n
Input Process

u r Output

• Students
• Curricula
• Teaching &
Learning ss • Skilled and
employable
• Faculty staff
• Non-faculty staff
• Staff

y A
development
graduates
• Research
• Facilities &
lit
• Student support publications &
Infrastructure
• Teaching
resources u a& evaluation
• Research
• Administration
output
• Contribution to
community

l Q •Community
engagement

n a Stakeholders’ Satisfaction

er
t
In l D evt
iona
fe ss
Pro
Institutional level Levels of QA
Program level

Function

Unit

Course
 MATURE EFFORT
• Quality assurance imbedded in the culture
• Continuous improvement
• Shared organisational learning
3
 Maturity Level
ORGANISED EFFORT
• Initiatives planned and tracked
• Methods based on principles
• Develop matrices and norms

INFORMAL EFFORT
• Individual Initiatives,
• Ad hoc methods
• Experiment with principles

NO EFFORT
• No quality assurance
• Traditional methods

Time
PDCA(Deming Cycle)
 Continuous Improvement
is an Essential Element of QA
 • Survey Existing QA System
• Design appropriate Student Outcome
for all your programs & align your
other part of the system to this
outcome and move in this direction.
•Where to start ?
•What to do?
•How to do it ?
Make Sure that the Whole System
Work for Student Learning
• Prepared and motivated student
• Skilled and motivated instructor
• System management that contributes to the learning
experience of students
• Program management that contributes to the learning
experience of students
• Necessary program input
 Standard
2.2.1 Curriculum committee

Quality
Person responsible
CC chair
Assurance Roadmap
Bylaws, meeting minutes,
Type of
courses data
& program
evaluations

Benchmark
Defined Benchmark

Assessment, evaluation
Assessment
outcome
 1.1.1 program
Standard
development policies

Quality Assurance
Program office, dean’s
Person responsible
Roadmap
office

Policy, procedure, needs

Type of data
assessment

Benchmark
Comprehensive

Gap,Assessment
update, revision
 Is the program achieving its
QA goal and objective
mission, objective and goals?

What are the evidences for

that?

Ask this questions internally at

institution or program level and
externally by external quality
assurance body
 Quality Assurance
is the program achieving its mission, define mission, objective, goals
objectives and outcomes? measurable outcome format

what is the evidence of Metrics: data collected with defined

achievement? periodicity systematic integrated review
and data analysis performed

is the program identifying strengths, data analysis recommendations

areas for improvements/ enhancement corrective/ enhancement actions
& innovation? continuous quality improvement
innovation
 Goal/objective
defined target

Assessment
method frequency QA Process
List of all areas to be assessed
outcome
Result of Assessment

Expected Analysis
vs. Actual Root cause

disseminate information
actionchange
recommend

Person responsible
implement change

Followchange
Reassess up

Track Trend Overtime

 Quality Assurance Road Map
Survey Identify and Align QA
existing QA remedy QA processes
system
gaps with
accreditatio
n standards
 • Establish functional Quality Assurance
System at Institution and Program level
• Proclamation 1152/2019, Article 21(No.
1-7)
Institutional & program Student
Satisfaction Survey

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under

CC BY-SA-NC
 Metrics is Important
• Lack of measurement makes
it hard to know where things
are,
where they are going, and what
actions are making any
• ”What gets measured difference.
gets man-aged.” • Knowing these things can
provide
focus and stimulate action.
• “Just weighing the pig
• But
doesn’t make it fatter.” measurement that is too
removed
from action can lead no where.
 • What kinds of data(variables) and
metrics in learning-teaching, research
& community engagement you can
collect at institutional level or
program level to assure quality ?
 Quality Assurance Matrices
DOMIAN QUALITY ASSURANCE METERICS

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT OUTCOME IMPACT

LEARNING-
TEACHING

RESEARCH

COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
 • Enrollment metrics
• Retention & graduation rates
• Staff student ratios
• Faculty qualification
• Admin staff to student ratio
• Research and innovation metrics
• Facilities and infrastructure metrics
• Alumni engagement metrics (satisfaction survey, giving rate)
• Community outreach and impact metrics
• Internationalization metrics
• Student satisfaction survey
 • Learning outcome attainment
• Internship and placement rates
• Research productivity(pub, Publication metrics
grant )
• Technology integration
• Industry partnership
• Community impact
• Collaboration metrics
• Grant and funding metrics
• Research profile metrics
• Patent metrics
 • Faculty data (qualification, workload, )
• Institutional survey and feedback (academic,
admin, student)
• Governance and leadership effectiveness
• Risk management
• Employability and alumni success(employment
rate, alumni success
Data Collection and Analysis
• The university collects and analyzes data
on various aspects of its mission quality to
inform policy decisions and interventions.
• By monitoring key metrics, the university
can identify trends, challenges, and areas
for improvement.
Instructor’s Training and Professional Development
 Role of Students
• Feedback on Teaching and Learning • Evaluation of Support
• Assessment of Courses and Services
Programs
• Collaboration in Continuous
• Participation in Accreditation
Processes
Improvement Initiatives
• Involvement in Program Reviews • Participation in Quality
• Engagement in Institutional Enhancement Programs
Governance • Monitoring Learning
• Reporting of Quality Concerns Outcomes
• Participation in Focus Groups and
Surveys
Role of Academic Staff
• Curriculum Development
• Teaching and Learning
• Research and Scholarship
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Professional Development
• Advising and Mentorship
• Participation in Quality Assurance Processes
• Communication and Collaboration:
 Role of Institutional Leaders

• Setting a Vision for Quality • Student Support Services

• Establishing Quality Policies and Frameworks • Community and Industry Engagement
• Strategic Planning • Innovation and Technology Integration
• Implementation Oversight • Crisis Management
• Accreditation and Compliance • Risk based thinking
• Fostering a Quality Culture • Advocacy for Education
• Recruitment and Development of Faculty • Quality Assurance Oversight: Establish Quality
Assurance Offices & Review Reports and
• Resource Allocation Findings
• Assessment and Evaluation • Continuous Improvement
• Internationalization • Stakeholder Engagement
• Professional Networking • Data-Informed Decision-Making: utilize data &
monitor key performance indicators
•What Challenges or Barriers do
you expect in QA ?
•What will be your response?
 Challenges /Barriers to QA

• trade-offs in quality to accommodate the social demand

for access
• Lack of regular assessment, review or evaluation of the
teaching learning and other processes and taking
corrective measure on gaps identified
 Challenges/Barriers to QA
• Leadership Commitment
• Resource constraints
• Resistance to change
• Balancing accountability & autonomy
 Way forward
• Establishing a system of enabling, assuring and controlling QA
system in HE.
• Accreditation at institution and program level based on standard
assessment.
• Linking quality assurance to funding for public institutions.
• Due involvement of the public/students in the process of QA.
• Commitment and concerted effort at MoE, institution and
individual professionals level.
 Way forward

•Ensure that the quality assurance

system at HEI’s is institutionalized,
and accepted and owned by the
academia too.
 Way forward

• ETA has to play a facilitative role in enforcing the

establishment of strong quality enhancement system
at HEI’s, as stipulated in the higher education
proclamation
• MoE has to play a facilitative role in terms of
creating an enabling environment and policy
instruments that encourage competition for quality
education among HEI’s.
 Way forward

• Implementation of strong internal QA

system at HEI’s which is governed by law
and making accountable the leadership of
HEI’s for results of assessment, review, or
evaluation.
 Caution!

• QA criteria may lead to unwanted standardization of programs

• QA may restrict important changes and innovation
• Culture of compliance / cosmetic Changes
Thank you