1. SCOPING STUDY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN TERTIARY EDUCATION IN THE CARIBBEAN Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE)

2. Background In 2013, CANQATE conducted a study of the current status of external quality assurance in the Caribbean with funding from UNESCO. The study was conducted during the period 9 th – 30 th December, 2013 with invaluable assistance from CANQATE members, particularly Jason Stafford who designed and conducted the survey, and members of the Board of Management and other stakeholders who participated in the study and assisted in producing the final report.

3. What were the objectives of the Scoping Study? Evaluate the current status of quality assurance (QA) organisation(s) in the Caribbean region. Assess the impact, if any, of tertiary education quality assurance organisations and their activities on regional tertiary level institutions in the Caribbean. Develop an Action Plan for CANQATE to strengthen tertiary education quality assurance in the region and support the continued development of quality assurance bodies in the region.

4. Methodology The study adopted an approach of methodological triangulation, which included: Documentary Review Survey Research Unstructured Interviews

5. Methodology CONT’D Documentary Review This involved review of regional legislation, discussion papers, journal articles and other literature which: informed the situational analysis, provided background for instrument development, and contextualized the study.

6. Methodology CONT’D Survey Research –Data collection instrument administered to regional EQAA heads on issues of jurisdiction and scope of operations, recognition status, functions and general approach, funding and human resource capacity, external evaluators, and accountability arrangements. –Feedback survey administered to QA professionals working in 33 tertiary institutions across 9 CARICOM territories

7. Methodology CONT’D Unstructured Interviews –Interviews and discussions held with EQAA heads or designates, and senior ministry officials in CARICOM countries to gather information related to the challenges and successes of implementing national QA systems, and the way forward for regional QA.

8. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region In 2002 CARICOM proposed the establishment of autonomous national accreditation bodies in all member states. CARICOM developed model legislation which territories were expected enact to govern the operations of their EQAAs. The model legislation proposed several broad functions for the national EQAAs including: –Accreditation –Institutional Registration –Recognition of foreign Qualifications (RFQ) –Programme Approval –Conferment of institutional Title –Equivalence Assessment of Foreign Qualifications (EAFQ) –Facilitation of Free Movement in the CSME, –Development of a Unified Credit-based System for the Tertiary Education Sector

9. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region The CARICOM model proposed a wide range of functions for national EQAAs which were not all implementable in some member states. By 2013, over a decade after the proposed establishment of EQAAs in all territories, nine (9) have established national bodies Antigua & Barbuda Guyana Barbados St Kitts & Nevis St Vincent & the Grenadines Trinidad & Tobago Jamaica SurinameDominica

10. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous body, established in 2008 via legislation enacted in 2006, 95% state funded, 2 staff members. EQAA Functions Institutional Registration, CARICOM Skill Certificate assessment, Equivalence Assessment of Foreign Qualifications & Recognition of Foreign Qualifications Local Tertiary Education sector 3 universities, and 4 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features Institutional registration is not subject to a re-evaluation process. No clear separation between external evaluators, EQAA staff and Board. No internal mechanisms to ensure ANAB’s accountability. ANTIGUA & BARBUDA NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD (ANAB)

11. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous body, established in 2004 by legislation enacted in 2004, BAC is 100% state funded, 17 staff members. EQAA Functions Institutional Registration, Programme Approval, Institutional Accreditation, CARICOM Skill Certificate Assessment, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, Awarding Bodies & Programmes Local Tertiary Education sector 1 major campus of the UWI, 94 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features Along with ACTT and UCJ, BAC performs most of the functions envisaged by CARICOM. There are nascent mechanisms in place for ensuring BAC’s accountability. BARBADOS: BARBADOS ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (BAC)

12. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs DOMINICA: DOMINICA NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD (DNAB) Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous body, legislation enacted in 2006, established in 2009, 80% state funded, 2 staff members. EQAA Functions CARICOM Skill Certificate Assessment, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, Awarding Bodies & Programmes Local Tertiary Education sector 1 major site of UWI open campus, 2 universities, 1 non- university tertiary institutions. Unique Features DNAB is still in the early stages of its development and performs limited functions. No internal mechanisms to ensure accountability yet established.

13. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Legislation enacted in 1999, established in 2001 as a Statutory Board within the Ministry of Education, 100% state funded, with 1 administrative staff member EQAA Functions Institutional Accreditation with emphasis on off-shore institutions Local Tertiary Education sector 6 off-shore universities, 6 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features Only performs Institutional Accreditation with emphasis on off-shore institutions. Currently no internal mechanisms to ensure accountability are in place. ST KITTS & NEVIS: ST KITTS & NEVIS ACCREDITATION BOARD (SKNAB)

14. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous body established in 2006 by legislation enacted in 2004, 70% state funded, 4 staff members. EQAA Functions Institutional Registration, Programme Approval, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, Awarding Bodies & Programmes Local Tertiary Education sector 6 Universities, 23 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features Institutional Registration involves a periodic a re-evaluation cycle of 1 year. No internal mechanisms for ensuring accountability established. GUYANA: GUYANA NATIONAL ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (GNAC)

15. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous body, legislation enacted and EQAA established in 2006, 100% state funded, 2 staff members. EQAA Functions Institutional Registration, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, and Awarding Bodies & Programmes. Local Tertiary Education sector 5 Universities, 12 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features NABSVG is still in the early stages of its development and performs limited functions. Currently there are no internal mechanisms for ensuring NABSVG’s accountability. ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES: NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES (NABSVG)

16. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous, legislation enacted and EQAA established in 1987, 44% state funded, 20 staff members. EQAA Functions Institutional Registration, Institutional Accreditation, Specialised Accreditation, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, Awarding Bodies & Programmes, Equivalence Assessment of Foreign Qualifications, Assessment of CARICOM Skills Certificate. Local Tertiary Education sector 3 Universities, 44 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features UCJ’s legislation predates CARICOM Model However, UCJ performs most of function proposed in CARICOM model. Oldest EQAA in the region. Has only partially implemented internal mechanisms to ensure accountability. JAMAICA: UNIVERSITY COUNSEL OF JAMAICA (UCJ)

17. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous body established in 2011 by legislation enacted in 2008, 80% state funded, 3 staff members. EQAA FunctionsProgramme Accreditation, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, Awarding Bodies & Programmes and Equivalence Assessment of Foreign Qualifications. Local Tertiary Education sector 1 University, 11 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique FeaturesNOVA is still in the early stages of its development and only performs Programme Accreditation which involves a re-evaluation cycle of 1 year. SURINAME: NATIONAL BODY FOR ACCREDITATION (NOVA)

18. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region – National EQAAs EQAA Establishment Quasi-autonomous, legislation enacted and EQAA established in 2004, 70% state funded, 54 staff members. EQAA Functions Institutional Registration, Programme Approval, Institutional Accreditation, Specialised Accreditation, Recognition of Foreign or Transnational Institutions, Awarding Bodies & Programmes, Conferment of Institutional Title, Equivalence Assessment of Foreign Qualifications, Assessment of CARICOM Skills Certificate. Local Tertiary Education sector 3 Universities, 81 non-university tertiary institutions. Unique Features Along with UCJ and BAC, ACTT is among the most advanced EQAAs. It has also developed mechanisms to ensure its own accountability and is currently preparing for external review. TRINIDAD &TOBAGO: ACCREDITATION COUNCIL OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (ACTT)

19. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region - Regional EQAAs Established following the United Kingdom’s, General Medical Council’s (GMC) decision to discontinue accreditation of overseas institutions. Launched under the aegis of CARICOM in 2004 to accredit medical education programmes including: Dentistry Veterinary Medicine Nursing Other health professions in CARICOM CAAM-HP has accredited 11 medical programmes, 1 veterinary programme and 1 dentistry programme in the CARICOM region to date. Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Medicine and other Health Professionals (CAAM-HP)

20. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region - Regional EQAAs Established in 2009 as a regional accreditation body for engineering and related technology programmes. Endorsed by CARICOM. Received initial support and contributions from: The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) The Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology (ABET) CACET has Accredited 13 engineering programmes in the CARICOM region and aims to join the Washington Accord Caribbean Accreditation Council for Engineering & Technology (CACET)

21. Greater Caribbean Engineering Accreditation System (GCREAS) Established to accredit engineering and related academic programmes in the Caribbean & Latin America GCREAS emerged from the Engineers for the Americas (EFTA) initiative, aimed at building technical capacity in engineering for Latin America and the Caribbean. Primarily funded and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) GCREAS has not yet initiated accreditation activities, but is currently working with CACET to Coordinate their QA efforts within CARICOM Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region - Regional EQAAs

22. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region - Territories without Formal EQAAs Belize Enacted legislation in 2004 Changes in political administration and a lack of general capacity on the island has slowed implementation A committee mandated to revise existing legislation and operationalise the EQAA has been established Bahamas Enacted legislation in 2008 Bahamas has traditionally depended on USA based organisations to evaluate local institutions and programmes. The historical ties with US EQAAs, and changes in political administration may have slowed national efforts to establish an EQAA

23. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region - Territories without Formal EQAAs Grenada Enacted legislation in 2011 EQAA Board appointed in 2013 and is actively working to implement the EQAA St Lucia EQAA legislation has been drafted but not enacted A committee has been appointed to develop and coordinate QA policies and practices in St Lucia A draft implementation plan to guide further development of the system is currently under review by the new political administration Montserrat Enacted legislation to establish the Higher Education Advisory Board in 2007 The Board grants licenses for institutions to operate at the tertiary level, and also empowered to accredit tertiary institutions.

24. Current Status of Tertiary Education Quality Assurance in the Region - Concept for a Regional Coordinating Body This is an Inter-governmental CARICOM agreement developed but not yet signed by all member territories. Less than half of the 15 member states have singed the agreement. If established, the coordinating body for national EQAA’s within CARICOM would: Provide oversight of national EQAAs to ensure the integrity of national and regional QA systems Develop common core criteria, standards and procedures to advance tertiary education QA systems in CARICOM Collaborate with national accreditation bodies to develop & train a regional team of external evaluators Caribbean Community Accreditation Agency for Education & Training

25. Impact of tertiary education quality assurance organisations on tertiary institutions Two thirds of institutions have established central QA offices and dedicated institutional personnel within the past 5 years Eight in ten institutions have undertaken a self-study or self assessment within the past five years Two thirds of institutions have submitted themselves to at least one external evaluation process by a national or regional EQAA in CARICOM A Survey of 33 QA Professionals working in tertiary institutions across 9 CARICOM territories revealed some of the following findings:

26. Impact of tertiary education quality assurance organisations on tertiary institutions CONT’D QA professionals in over three quarter of regional institutions surveyed, believe that their institutions have significantly improved in areas related to adapting to change and being responsive, communication and stakeholder engagement, and learning and scholarship However, QA professionals in less that 7 in 10 institutions believe that they have improved in areas related to managing and developing human resources. Less than half of QA professionals in institutions surveyed believe that their institution has significantly improved the way it manages finances and material resources

27. Improving Regional EQAAs – An Action Plan for CANQATE Existing regional EQAAs are still in their early stages of development and CANQATE proposes to play a greater role in capacity-building geared towards strengthening the network of EQAAs in the Caribbean. The proposed approach involves three major strategies including: Public Education and Advocacy: Sensitize regional policy makers, sector leaders and the general public about the importance of quality assurance in tertiary education Training and Technical Capacity Building: Provide training and technical capacity- building support for the cadre of regional QA professionals in EQAAs and tertiary institutions, and the regional corps of external evaluators. Synergy and Harmonisation: Advocate for a common EQAA legislative model, policies and criteria, along with shared services and functional roles

28. Improving Regional EQAAs – An Action Plan for CANQATE cont’d Key Deliverables are: Regional Communication/Advocacy Plan (including strengthening existing Core Groups and establishing new ones) Revised Model Legislation Model Policy Manual for EQAAs Model criteria, standards and procedural guidelines for Registration, Accreditation, Transnational Recognition & Collaborative Provision.

29. Improving Regional EQAAs – An Action Plan for CANQATE cont’d Key Deliverables are: Regional Best Practice handbook Partnership/linkage programmes between mature EQAAs and lesser developed EQAAs in the region Structured Professional Development Programme for QA Professionals in tertiary institutions Standardised Training Programme for External Evaluators and Team Chairs

30. END OF PRESENTATION THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE)