Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC) Ministry of Education & Higher Education

1. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC) Ministry of Education & Higher Education Palestine Mohammed M Alsubu’ Professor & Head of AQAC November 13-5 2009 Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

2. General Aspects of the Palestinian Quality Assurance (QA) System Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

3. The Palestinian quality assurance policy was upgraded in 2002 simultaneously with the establishment of 'Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission' (AQAC) as the only official accreditation body in Palestine for higher education (HE). Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

4. AQAC is: A governmental semiautonomous body under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) and directly responsible to the Minister. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

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6. Vision: To have Palestine as manpower resourceful through the provision of quality education in Palestinian HEIs that is value based and comparable to international scope of excellence. Mission: Reinforce a culture of quality education system based on accountability, control, guidance, and improvement. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

7. In Palestine, like other countries, the following trends in higher education were the impetus behind establishing a system for QA in HE: • Growing social demand • Privatization of higher education • governments’ demand for value for money • Globalization • Evidence quality at home and aboard Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

8. Statistics Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

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12. There are 48 HEIs in Palestine: 14 universities; 9 public + 3 private +2 state (14 conventional + 1 open learning) 14 university colleges: 5 state + 2 UNRWA + 7 private 19 community college: All are private Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

13. The previous trends have led to a growing concern with the issue of ‘quality’ of HE and subsequently ‘how to assure it’. AQAC and other professional bodies have been working to achieve this objective by direct monitoring of the quality of institutions and programs in Palestinian HEIs using an effective QA system Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

14. The Palestinian QA system relates to • institutions (state, public & private) and • programs (both undergraduate and graduate). Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

15. The role of Palestinian HEIs, as seen by MoEHE is to: • Produce qualified manpower • Train for a research career • Manage teaching provision Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

16. The QA system in Palestine has three main broad purposes: • quality control • accountability/ guidance • improvement purposes. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

17. Palestinian QA system address’s different functions that include: • assessments related to the initial introduction of programs and institutions (initial accreditation and licensing respectively) and leading to the status of a publicly - recognized entity) • supervision of the current functioning institutions and programs (commonly relating to minimum standards) • accreditation • professional certification of graduates in chosen professional fields. • provision of information on the recognition and accreditation status of both institutions and programs. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

18. The QA system in Palestine is both internal (by HEI) ad external (by AQAC), and is: • Compulsory/ voluntary?! • Uses both 'fitness for purpose' and 'standard-based' approaches as appropriate?! • Uses both accreditation and quality audit options?! • Deals with both public and private institutions, university and non-university sector institutions and all types of academic programs Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

19. Compulsory/ voluntary? ! 1.1Compulsory: No new programs and/or institutions can operate without prior accreditation from AQAC 1.2 Voluntary: Accreditation of long established institutions is still optional (but not academic programs) Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

20. 2.Uses both 'fitness for purpose' and 'standard - based' approaches as appropriate?!: 2.1 The 'fitness-for-purpose' approach (mainly for technical colleges); begins by analyzing the stated purpose of a HEI or program (mission statement) whether it is in compliance with MoEHE vision or not. 2.2 The ‘standard – based’ approach: addresses input factors relating to students, staff, buildings, facilities and finances. It also includes process elements such as governance and management systems, as well as the basic research activities perceived to be necessary for higher education to be meaningful. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

21. 3. Uses both accreditation and quality audit options?! 3.1Accreditation comprises three elements and generally involves three steps with specific activities as follows: i) Self-assessment; a self-evaluation process conducted by the faculty, the administrators, and the staff of the institution or academic program, resulting in a report that takes as its reference the set of standards of AQAC. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

22. 3.1 Accreditation… ii)peer review ; a study visit conducted by a team of peers selected by AQAC, that reviews the evidence, visits the premises, and interviews the academic and administrative staff, resulting in an assessment report, including a recommendation to AQAC. iii) decision-making ; examination by AQAC board to the evidence and recommendation on the basis of the given set of criteria concerning quality and resulting in a final judgment and the communication of the formal decision to the institution and other constituencies. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

23. 3.2 Quality audit option focuses on: • the institution’s internal reporting mechanisms, • data collection mechanisms on ‘teaching performance’, • whether the institution collects systematic data on student, graduate and employer satisfaction. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

24. 4. Deals with both public and private institutions, university and non-university sector institutions and all types of academic programs Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

25. 4.1 For the Institution, the followings are considered: • Mission, Goals & Objectives; • Governance, Administration, Planning & Communication • Institutional Scope; (Educational programs, Research, Internationalization & community service) • Institutional Resources & Services (Human,, Educational, Physical, and Financial resources, Information, Institutional development & Student services . Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

26. 4.2 For the program, the followings are considered • Mission and General Objectives • Program structure and content • Teaching- Learning Educational Environment • Students • Curriculum and Teaching plan • Success Rates • Graduates • Program Faculty • Teaching – Learning facilities • External Contacts and Knowledge exchange • Internal Quality Evaluation Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

27. Palestinian QA system provides information on the quality of programs and institutions which may be used by a variety of stakeholders, including • government; - To define higher education country-wide and out side - To assure quality higher education • students - To assist in selecting an institution for study and career guidance - To assist in employment • institutions of higher education • To improve institutional information and data • To enhance institutional planning • labor market • to assess labor market relevance of newly established Bachelor and Master programs Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

28. Implementation of the QA system suffers several limitations like: • Several HEIs and many programs had started without accreditation long before the establishment of MoEHE, • the system does not attract sufficient number of respected peer reviewers. • a program accreditation is a relatively expensive procedure and the expenses have to be covered by institutions. Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission

29. Thanks Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission