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Second Cycle of Quality Assurance: 2012−2017

This document outlines the implications of legislative changes, developments in international quality assurance, and challenges confronting the Council on Higher Education (CHE) in the second cycle of quality assurance. It also discusses collaboration with professional bodies and the importance of critical engagement in defending the nature and quality of graduates. The document addresses concerns impacting quality provision and highlights the focus areas for the second cycle of quality assurance, including accreditation, national and institutional reviews, self-accreditation status, and capacity development.

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Second Cycle of Quality Assurance: 2012−2017

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  1. Second Cycle of Quality Assurance: 2012−2017 Private Providers QA Forum Wits School of Education Dr Mark Hay Executive Director: Quality Assurance 1 September 2011

  2. Outline • Implications of legislative changes • Developments in international QA • Challenges confronting the CHE • Collaboration with professional bodies • Second cycle of quality assurance

  3. Legislative changes • The NQF Act No 67 of 2008 established the CHE as a quality council. • HE Act 101 (as amended) • Performs its functions in relation to qualifications, quality assurance and quality promotion (S.7(1)) • Responsible for the implementation of the HEQF (S. 7 (2)) • The HEQC, in concurrence of the CHE, establish committees to assist it to perform its functions (S. 7(4)) • CHE received legal opinion that the HEQC cannot delegate its quality assurance decision-making functions.

  4. Developments in QA internationally • Greater regulation of providers • Greater focus on accountability • Making public QA outcomes as part of accountability and transparency • Threat to institutional autonomy and academic freedom • Greater focus on academic standards • Qualification standards • Programme standards • Achievement standards • Information standards (transparency) • Implications for our national system?

  5. Some challenges confronting the CHE/HEQC • Credibility of our national QA system (national and international) • Reputation • Decisions and processes (e.g. UKZN) • Operationally: effective, efficient and timely • Balancing QA accountability and quality promotion • Supporting institutional autonomy and academic freedom • Steering the system to greater self-regulation, while supporting struggling HEIs

  6. Some challenges confronting the CHE/HEQC • Collaborating with • DHET, egintegrating the three steering instruments • SAQA • Umalusi • QCTO • Professional bodies • Strengthening the monitoring and evaluation function • Implementing HEQF alignment in a constructive way • Conceptualising and implementing the standards development function

  7. Critically engaged • While HEIs and the HEQC have separate but complementary interests and mandates with respect to the nature and quality of graduates, there are principles with which we must be both critically engaged and united in defence. • Examples: • the international comparability of our qualifications • the importance of developing graduates who are to be engaged citizens within their disciplines • equitable race, class and gender diversity of our graduates and professionals • protecting institutional autonomy and academic freedom; and • the highest standards of ethics practiced by graduates.

  8. Concerns – issues that impact on quality provision • Academic depth and leadership • Programme design • Curriculum integrity • Appropriating (stealing) programmes from other HEIs • Academic staff • Qualified academic staff one level above • Not fraudulent • Staff turnover • Conditions of service of academics • High numbers of part-time academic staff

  9. Concerns – issues that impact on quality provision • Inappropriate sites of delivery • Spoon-feeding of students – rote learning • Infrastructure adequacy (how long is a piece of string?) • Student computer access • Library provision and adequacy (hard copy and electronic) • Learning materials • Reputation of SA HE in cross-border provision • Failure to update NLRD

  10. Second cycle of quality assurance • Finalising the Second Cycle Framework Document • Accreditation • National reviews • Institutional reviews • Self-accreditation status • Quality promotion • Capacity development

  11. Institutional reviews - 1 • Portfolio: three chapters • Chapter 1 • Profile of the institution • Changes to QA system since 1st cycle • Impact of and update from 1st cycle recommendations • Chapter 2 – Cohort analysis (at least at the faculty level) • Chapter 3 – thematic reflective questions • Evaluative questions (on the basis of the teaching and learning chapter in the cycle one institutional audit, engage with the evaluative questions as in the draft Framework document)

  12. Institutional reviews - 2 • Complexity of the educational process • Knowledge of students • Content and process of teaching and learning • Teaching renewal • Engagement with institutional identity and national priorities • The discourse on efficiency and compliance Add: • Assessment • One theme selected by the institution in negotiation with the CHE (e.g. teaching and research nexus, institutional culture, student learning, benchmarking, managing academic risks, first year experience…)

  13. Conclusion www.che.ac.za

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