Quality Assurance Project Makerere University Report on Activities of the No Cost Extension Dr Ddembe Williams Project Manager Dr Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza Project Director

Project Goal & Objectives Project Goal:  The goal of Piloting Quality Assurance at Makerere University to develop and implement a formal, integrated Quality Assurance System of teaching, learning, and research, professionalism, collaboration, commitment and innovation. Specific objectives:  Establishment of an efficient & effective QA Strategy and Policy  Establishing an efficient & effective QA System  Ensuring effective performance of staff and students  Providing leadership in the transformation of the core QA business processes

Project Expected Outcomes/Outputs Quality Assurance at Makerere will be continuously informed and improved from experiences and feedback of key stakeholders. It is envisaged that by September 2008 Makerere will have accumulated sufficient experience and lessons learnt on how to implement QA function, in terms of:  Improved staff performance and productivity.  Improved accountability  Improved student performance  Improved curriculum  Improved University stakeholders’ engagement, feedback & satisfaction.

Institutionalising Quality Assurance at Makerere University  The University Council on 13 th May 2007 approved a Quality Assurance Policy and its Implementation Framework.  Council also established the Quality Assurance Directorate, conceptualised as “independent” unit reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor.  The Unit now has an Acting Director  The Directorate would require funds to continue supporting the core function of the QA  To ensure that best practices achieved are shared across the University  To extend results of pilot projects to other academic and administrative units  More funds would be necessary to facilitate the implementation of Quality Management Systems across the University.

Objective : 2.1 Establish an efficient & effective QA Strategy and Policy  Outputs/Outcomes – QA Policy approved – Launched quality assurance websites – Developed Guidelines and Information for external examiners. – Engaged key stakeholders and Management in QA Awareness Workshop. – Started work on the publication of QA Journal for Institutions of Higher Learning in East Africa.

Objective: 2.2 Establish an efficient &effective QA Strategy and Policy  Outputs/Outcomes – Made QA processes and procedures responsive to academic units’ staff and student needs – Equipped the project office with equipment such as desktop computers heavy duty printers, LCD projector photocopier and file Server. – Collected baseline statistics on quality indicators required by the National Council of Higher education – Implemented faculty/Schools and Institutes’ Quality assurance Committees are now in place.

Objective: 2.3 Ensure an Effective Performance of Staff and Students – Sensitized staff and students in the pilot units about Makerere University quality assurance strategy. – Reviewed curricula in two pilot faculties and an addition two faculties are now replicating this process – Held two major consultative and QA awareness workshops. – Evaluated teaching and learning by students in pilots and the rest of the University. – Revised data collection instrument as a result of two pilot studies. – Evaluated the impact of the Pedagogy training carried for staff in the pilot units.

Objective: 2.4To Provide leadership in the transformation of the core QA business processes  Compiled, disseminated and replicated best QA practices from other agencies and Universities from inside and outside Uganda.  Regularly update the web-based quality Management system  Established Quality Assurance Directorate. A Director, Has been appointed.  More key staff for the Directorate have been appointed Selected

QA at No Cost Report ACTIVITYYEAR 3 BUDGETADJUSTED BUDGET EXPENDITURECOMMITMENTREMARKS Salaries/Benefits24, ,1904,000Salaries for QA Project staff for the August and September 2008 Consultants3,00025,26922,5692,700To be paid to consultants who are analyzing the report on evaluation of teaching and learning by students. Conferences/Meeting4,0004, Multimedia/Publications5,00028,02421,0247,000For collating data for QA Journal for Institutions. of Higher Learning in Equipment Purchase-5, Office Expenses2,0003,0382,431607To facilitate office activities for the months of August and September, 2008 Other(Curriculum review and Review of external examination process 1,0008,5006,4002,100To facilitate external examination review process Indirect costs5,85019,40012,900 6,500Honoraria to persons who work beyond normal working day to accomplish project activities. 44,850128,394105,48722,907

Phase III Activities and Way Forward Phase II Activities  Pedagogical Training – Faculty of Agriculture  Purchased equipment (key hardware infrastructure for the QA function) Way Forward  The project would require funds to continue supporting the core function of the QA  To ensure that best practices achieved are shared across the University  To extend results of the pilot studies to other academic units  More funds would be necessary to facilitate the implementation of Quality Management Systems across the University.