International Conference on Quality Assurance

1. International Conference on Quality Assurance Darryl JarvisDecember 8, 2007, Dubai, UAE.

2. Quality in PA Education: Who Should Drive?

3. Two Examples of Quality Assurance / Accreditation bodies : • EQUIS: European Quality Improvement System for International Business Schools • AACSB: The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business • Both are “industry leaders” in respect of business education (AACBS has 528 business schools accredited; EQUIS is the largest business school accreditation / assurance body outside of the United States); both are international quality assurance / accreditation bodies – useful comparisons?

4. Where do EQUIS and AACBS locate the “drivers” of quality assurance and what approach do they take? • They adopt a diffuse, non-proscribed assurance model based on “desired attributes” which they locate in three functional areas: • A). External Stakeholder Participation Processes • i). Engagement with the local community (end users of graduates, NGOs / civil society groups, alumni, etc) • ii). Internationalization (exchange programs for Faculty & students; degree program partnerships, cross institutional joint teaching / research collaboration) • iii). Corporate and Business engagement

5. B).Organizational Governance & Strategy Processes i). Organizational effectiveness ii). Evidence of institutional self-assessment and of processes for continual quality enhancement (staff recruitment, Faculty PMD processes, organizational growth & learning) iii). Relative autonomy in organizational governance and decision making iv). Developed and transparent administrative processes v). Financial viability & institutional continuity

6. C). Academic Processes: i). Evidence of existence of “core” Faculty & a distinct body of expertise ii). Research & Development: demonstrable evidence of “original contributions” to knowledge and dissemination to peers iii). Programs: designed with clear learning outcomes; balance between knowledge and skills acquisition; evidence of practical work; evidence of rigorous student assessment processes; evidence of processes for improving quality of student entrants; commitment to diversity in the student body and in the design and delivery of curricula lkfjklfjkdjf

7. What is interesting about the EQUIS and AACSB assurance processes? • The enormous emphasis placed on member organizations to seek external validation and quality assurance though active & continuing community stakeholder involvement in all facets of the educational process (business, corporate, government and civil society groups) • The enormous emphasis placed on institutions to development systems to assure not only continuing external stakeholder involvement but that this increasingly “washes through” the organization and drills down to Faculty and is utilized in the class-room

8. The enormous emphasis placed on external stakeholder involvement in both strategic planning for the organization but also its operational activities: program reviews, student recruitment / quality initiatives, pedagogical approaches and issues associated with content delivery and skills development • And, interestingly, the relatively small amount of attention placed on curricula, indeed the virtual absence of “mandated” standards for curricula / program design and content. Rather, an emphasis on learning attributes in the curricula aimed at inculcating in students: • i). Commitment to life long learning • ii). Understanding the broad social / political contexts in which business operates • iii). Helping students understand the cultural contexts in which business is embedded

9. What can be learn from this re Quality in PA Education and who drives this? • Quality enhancement comes not through “mandating standards” ; both organizations reject such approaches (the “box ticking” approach) • Quality enhancement is best served though implanting in organizations processes focused on stakeholder engagement and continual improvement strategies: i.e.., quality enhancement as a perpetual learning process • Quality enhancement is not served by pre-defining normative standards and requiring conformity but by encouraging diversity in curricula, content, and pedagogical approaches

10. Who Drives this? • An organic process that arises in the organization and is reinforced by external stakeholder participation and supported by quality assurance / accreditation agencies who facilitate learning, self assessment initiatives, and provide resources for faculty and institutional learning (a tripartite relationship).

11. Thank you