1. 1 Quality Assurance in Higher Education: The Way Forward Garwe Evelyn Deputy CEO Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education

2. Outline of presentation  Fundamental changes in the Zimbabwe higher education system  Quality Assurance Definitions Systems  ZIMCHE and its activities  Supplementary presentations 2

3. Changes in the higher education system post independence  Rapid expansion characterised by: The increase in the number of students in universities [49,645 baseline Survey, 2009] (UZ - 68 in 1957 to 2 240 in 1980, to 9 300 in 1990 to 12 500 in 2004 and to 12,271 in 2009). o Out of the 48 474 students who had graduated from UZ by the end of 2004, 43 572 of these graduated after 1980. The establishment and increase of the number of universities [from 1 (1980) to 9 State, 5 private (2010)] Several affiliate colleges and 5 polytechnics offering university degrees  New forms of knowledge  New delivery mechanisms (ODL and ODeL)  Globalization and brain drain  The old concept of academic trust replaced by accountability, towards society, the students, the citizens at large, etc. 3

4. Implications  Any rapidly growing system of education will always need to examine itself to see if quality is being maintained.  It is in the interest of every HIE to seek quality good reputation attracts quality students, staff and partners. They feel valued and fulfilled and will therefore be positive, motivated and successful.  Policy Responses – birth of ZIMCHE 4

5.  The means through which an institution can guarantee with confidence and certainty, that the standards of its educational provision are being maintained and enhanced.  QUALITY is determined by: Views by stakeholders on expected achievement Institutional commitment to satisfy stakeholder expectations Achievement of institutional mandate Accountability to stakeholders What is Quality? 5

6. At ZIMCHE we have defined “quality” as involving three elements:  Consistency with generally accepted standards of good practice  Fitness for purpose - the extent to which mission, goals and objectives are achieved.  Fitness of purpose (relevance) - the appropriateness of the mission, goals and objectives for the communities it is established to serve. 6

7. Quality dimensions in higher education DimensionsCharacteristics Tangibles- Adequate and modern equipment and facilities - Ease of access - Visually appealing environment - Support services (accommodation, sports) Competence-Qualified, experienced and up-to-date academic and other staff who are good communicators Attitude- Willing, able and available to understand student needs Content- Relevant and complete curricula which encourages communication, use of ICT and team working Delivery- Effective presentation - Sequencing, timeliness - Consistency, fairness of examinations - Feedback from students Reliability- Trustworthiness, giving valid award - Keeping promises, match to goals - Handling complaints, solving problems 7

8. What is Quality Assurance (QA)?  Meeting or conforming to generally accepted and agreed standards as defined by QA bodies and appropriate academic and professional communities.  QA is a planned and systematic review process carried out by an organization, institution, or program to determine if acceptable standards are being met, maintained and enhanced  QA is used as common denomination for a variety of mechanisms intended to guarantee and promote quality in HEIs.  QA involves the setting up, monitoring & maintenance of those resources, structures, systems & processes that ensure that the products of the institution are of the expected quality.  It is a developmental aspect of higher education, and, therefore, will never be achieved in total. 8

9. Heusser/OAQ/May 2007

10. QA Continued  QA is one of the three pillars of education upon which the whole structure of Higher Education in Zimbabwe should be based namely: Access Quality Relevance 10

11. Quality Assurance Systems  QA is an activity carried out at two levels i.e. Internal & External. Internal QA is an in-house and integral part of the institution’s administration and management systems. It implements a set of policies, programmes, procedures and processes set-up by an institution 11

12. External QA  External QA (accreditation) is carried out by regulatory/professional bodies at the national level to ensure the minimum performance level of institutions, programmes and courses  ZIMCHE was established by an Act of Parliament Chapter 25:27 to oversee quality in all universities in Zimbabwe 12

13. 13 International Dimension of QA Quality Assurance/ Accreditation International recognition of qualifications Cross-border education Ability to attract quality students and staff Access to labour market

14. Key variables that impact on quality of university education Institutional vision, mission and strategic goals Institutional governance and administration Institutional resources (human, material, infrastructural and financial); Curriculum and Academic Programmes; Quality of teaching, learning and research; Extension services and consultancies; Student admission Instructional materials and Equipment Assessment and Examinations 14

15.  Do we have the right programmes for our society? (product focus)  Do we have qualified academic staff to deliver those programmes? (process)  Do we achieve what we want to do in quality education delivery? (outcome)  Do our students graduate and fit into the job market? (product) 15 A QA system should help universities to answer the following questions:

16. Expected Internal QA in Universities  QA should be part of every university system and each university should have QA mechanism in the form of: Rules and regulations on conduct of academic activities (course delivery, assessment, examinations etc.) Rules and criteria on academic staff appointments and appraisal systems Student evaluation of course delivery External examination system Stakeholder participation in curriculum review Regularised curriculum review Academic audits Tracer studies 16

17. Why ZIMCHE (National QA Agent)  Promote comparability and compatibility of higher education  Promote student and staff mobility  Promote credibility and academic excellence within the country  Promote employability of graduates and labour mobility  Promote institutional accountability to stakeholders  Improvement on the quality of education should focus on setting of standards for these variables and ensuring that the set standards are adhered to 17

18. What is ZIMCHE The framework of the system of higher education in Zimbabwe is defined in the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) Act. The ZIMCHE Act, Chapter 25:27 was promulgated in 2006 to repeal the National Council for Higher Education Act, Chapter 25:08 and establish ZIMCHE. 18

19. ZIMCHE MANDATE  to promote, coordinate and improve the relevance and quality of higher education  to act as a regulator in the determination and maintenance of standards of teaching, examinations, academic qualifications and research in Higher Education Institutions 19

20. ZIMCHE CORE ROLES to develop and recommend policy on higher education including the establishment of public HEIs; to register and deregister HEIs; to accredit and regularly audit HEIs, programmes and courses; to provide advice on the budgeting and funding arrangements for HEIs; to promote international co-operation and facilitate exchange programmes in higher education; to provide documentation, information and public relations services for higher education and training; and to promote equity in and access to higher education. 20

21. MEMBERS OF ZIMCHE 21 Council members appointed by the Minister on a three-year term. Selection is in such a way to ensure that the functions of Council are discharged according to the highest professional standards. The Council comprises of the following: A chairman and a Vice Chairman. Nine members who are not members of the public service, of whom at least three are external to the higher education sector. Three Permanent Secretaries of ministries relevant to the development of higher education Three Vice Chancellors representing both public and private universities The Chief Executive Officer Three members of international repute co-opted by the 18 members appointed by the minister 21

22. COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL  Executive Committee of Council  Higher Education Quality Assurance Committee  Higher Education Funding and Financing Committee  Human Resource Committee  Academic and Student Welfare Committee 22

23. ZIMCHE SECRETARIAT The ZIMCHE Secretariat, performs the day to Council. It has an establishment of 39 and it operates through three Directorates:  Registration and Accreditation;  Academic and Institutional Audits and  Human Resources, Admin and Finance 23

24. ZIMCHE Activities  Induction of peer reviewers  Drafting and agreeing on some Accreditation and Audits Criteria with institutions and peer reviewers  Processing applications for registration for 5 potential private universities. ZEGU awarded provisional registration  Recommending to the Minister on the establishment of 3 remaining state universities  Monitoring and closing institutions and programmes that are not registered with ZIMCHE  Providing advice to institutions and individuals etc. 24

25. The five stage quality assurance model A survey of the INQAAHE data base (www.inqaahe.org) revealed that virtually all agencies stated that used the following approachwww.inqaahe.org  Sets of regulations and guidelines formulated  A self evaluation prepared by the institution  The appointment of a peer group whose review of the institution or programme would start with a review of the self evaluation  Site visits by the peer group.  The publication of a report or, in some cases, only the decision 25

26. Supplementary presentations in QA  Registration and Accreditation of Institutions of Higher learning in Zimbabwe (Prof. OP Ndawi - Principal Director for Registration and Accreditation)  Academic and Institutional Audits in Zimbabwe (Dr H.H. Chikuya - Principal Director for Academic and Institutional Audits) 26