Quality (higher education): The concept of quality in higher education is multi-dimensional levels and not necessarily be fixed as it relates to the education system and the organization's mission and objectives as well as the criteria for the institution or program. Therefore takes the concept of quality multiple definitions. In many higher education systems in European countries used to define the quality that they achieve the minimum required standards, which means reliance, in this case, the first is to determine the minimum standards that must be the institution or program to achieve and develop a mechanism for quality improvement. As well as can also define the concept of quality in this context to mean any customer satisfaction to achieve the expectations of customers (students, parents, society in general and employers). QAA DEPARTMENT

In Iraq there are 24 universities, and the about of 18 civilian educational institutions. Periods ranging from its inception 50 years and under. There are some colleges that was founded more than eighty years, such as the Faculty of Medicine of Baghdad. In the years before 2007 there was an oversight body for universities manage the quality process within the universities to assess and evaluate the performance of the university, which focuses on the development of scientific research and the performance of university professor and control of the educational process as a whole. QAA DEPARTMENT

In 2008 Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation established to be piont the process of rehabilitation and development towards ensuring the academic quality and accreditation of education for Iraqi universities. At the same time there were universities, operating field and set up quality sections for thirsty quality and has made huge advances as good as the University of Technology, Al-nahrian, Babylon, and Kufa University. Since the universities were selected technological and Alnahrian to be a sample for the application of quality by the Union of Arab Universities. We are now establishing a national body to serve as a quality ministry. We have a strategic plan for five years on the eve of the Iraqi universities to qualify for accreditation of institutional and academic. We are trying to make deal with the British QAA and ABET (US) for accreditation of universities. QAA DEPARTMENT

Strategic Plan for the application of quality in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Iraq / Five-Year Plan QAA DEPARTMENT

Promote the policy of quality culture among universities, institutes and educational institutions through: 1. Quality Conference held on / 4 / Issue magazine of the quality contain articles and activities of universities. 3. Location to the quality department's Web site on the ministry's website. 4. Seminars and educational sessions through the posts of Foreign Affairs and continuing education centers at universities. 5. Guide the distribution of quality standards at universities. 6. Guide the distribution of metrology to be applied. QAA DEPARTMENT

The establishment of several sessions of internal evaluators, and courses on how to get the institution to international accreditation. 2. Committees of inspection and follow-up of universities to start the application of standards and quality standards. 3. Provide an overall assessment study for each university to what extent the five-year plan for each university in the application of quality system. QAA DEPARTMENT

Agreements with international organizations for accreditation (QAA. ABET) to do a field visit to universities and evaluating the application of quality, at the same time, teams start the work of the ministry and universities to pursue accreditation requirements for each academic institution. QAA DEPARTMENT

Study of the gaps by the organizations of credit and internal evaluators' and how to develop contingency plans to fill gaps and address the situation in order to avoid imbalance in the application of quality standards and warning universities delinquents. QAA DEPARTMENT

For the adoption of an international Iraqi universities and the creation of other universities to obtain accreditation. 2 - Develop a five-year plan to upgrade the universities. 3 - An international conference of the quality of the participation of Iraqi universities and universities invited to participate. QAA DEPARTMENT

Structural quality and accreditation in the Republic of Iraq QAA DEPARTMENT

The year is the first year can be applied to the university disciplinary laws against the student and teacher and the university administration after two years of violence prevented many students access to universities and abandoned many of the teachers of the country. This year, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in several steps to upgrade universities, including: 1 - establishing a department of quality assurance and academic accreditation. 2 - Directing the formation of university boards to ensure quality in each university is headed by the president and the membership of his assistance and the deans of colleges, experts of quality and academic performance. 3 - The first conference for Quality Assurance in Higher Education Ministry and the presence of the quality assurance representative from each university. 4 - agree on standards and quality assurance standards and university Indicators of disease and distribution of universities to start their application with the beginning of the academic year AD. 5 - Forward all universities to submit its data (indicators and performance measures) during the school year and schedule field visits to universities by a team of the quality department in the ministry to check on the reality of Iraqi universities and determine the level of the gap between standards and their application. QAA DEPARTMENT

6 - Forward all Iraqi universities to push for scientific research and provide teachers to scientific research and published in international periodicals 7 - Make a test of Qualification and TOEFL exam of the conditions of admission to postgraduate studies in universities. 8 - building bridges of global twin Iraqi universities with those of the European Abstract Iraq needs to 2 years the possibility of determining the gap in the standards of quality standards. And five-years plan for the ministry in the Quality Assurance Department, the Iraqi university as possible to get the adoption of the academy (programmatic) within two years to five years. QAA DEPARTMENT

The provision of institutional requires as a longer time. For the development of scientific research, universities will need to urge the Iraqi professors on scientific publishing and this needs to: A - the possibility of Finance, which must be received by the university or government support and investment in decades of research projects. B - scientific twin between Iraqi universities and universities for the dissemination of joint research. QAA DEPARTMENT

Teachers develop the graduates was held during the nineties of sending them in developmental courses and research outside of Iraq. Office duties quality assurance and accreditation: Proposing strategies, plans and operational policies for quality assurance and accreditation of universities and their academic programs. 2 - Develop a system reference frames and standard specifications and comparisons to the development of educational institutions, universities, colleges, departments and the corresponding programs in collaboration with the Assemblies of colleges according to their corresponding specialties taking advantage of the expertise of the bodies concerned. 3 - Set the standard indicators of quality that have guided the Iraqi universities in order to reach the level of reliance. 4 - Develop criteria and indicators for quality assurance and certification for various types of education. 5 - Develop criteria for selection and training of the committees, quality assurance and accreditation and the rules governing work. QAA DEPARTMENT

6 - Draw up guidelines for the application of methods of quality and accreditation and the rules governing their work and the development of guidance for the operations of self-evaluation undertaken by academic institutions. 7 - Design files and forms and tables to evaluate the performance and distributed to Iraqi universities to meet the required data. 8 - Develop data and detailed statistics on universities and colleges and divisions in Iraqi universities to ensure the use in writing reports on the quality and accreditation. 9 - Design and selection of data that meet the desired objectives through scientific analysis of information appropriate to the Iraqi universities and faculties of various departments in order to write reports. QAA DEPARTMENT

11 - Proposing a team calendar and follow-up field visits to the university- level institutions that meet the criteria to progress in the accreditation procedures and update the information and reporting the results of the examination in the field Follow-up reporting the quality of performance and reliability provided by the teams calendar in Iraqi universities and follow-up regularly Establishing a specialized library and gather information on quality assurance and accreditation systems adopted in academic institutions and specialized agencies of the various sources of Iraqi and regional and international levels Provide advice and guidance to universities that have not achieved the required levels of quality in the elements to be adopted and the university must do to achieve the required quality level in full accordance with the standards of accreditation. QAA DEPARTMENT

15 - establishing a website of the Center for Quality Assurance and Accreditation and seek to update it continuously. QAA DEPARTMENT