| Introduction
KIST is committed to providing quality relevant education and to enhance
its practices by applying best national and international
practices. This paper sets out the Quality Assurance and Enhancement
Framework (QAEF) for KIST. The purpose of the QAEF is to guide
the Institute in Assuring and Enhancing Quality and Standards
at KIST. The framework is based on the international Quality
and standards and it addresses the requirements of the National
Council for Higher Education (NCHE) for Rwanda, whose major
mandate is to guide institutions in the requirement of QA
and to audit institutions against those requirements. The
Framework will enable KIST to provide appropriate guidance
to current students and information to potential students,
employers and the public and receiving feedback from them
about the quality and standards of courses and how they meet the
expected national and international standards.
Background
The Quality Assurance and Enhancement Directorate at KIST has been reviewing the Institutes’ Academic Quality policies and procedures against the expectations and standards set by the National Council for Higher for Education (NCHE) in June 2005, and against the International academic standards and best Practices.
The purpose of the review is to enhance KIST educational
practices and to prepare for the National institutional audits
by NCHE. The review reveals that the existing Quality assurance
policy at KIST articulates good practices such as the use
of External examiners in assessment and the student's evaluation
of teaching using questionnaires. However, improvement is
required. KIST aims to go beyond compliance (QA) to continuous
quality improvement, Seeking excellence, enhancement, and
transformation of students as well as control q uality Assurance
and Enhancement (QAE).
The review in QAE framework has paid attention to the following
that are lacking in the current QA Policy;
- A Framework to define and describe explicit Institutional standards for staff, students, employers and to provide the institution with a clear understanding of the criteria against which it will be judged by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) in Institutional Audit in 2007.
- Setting, maintenance and enhancement of standards and the learning outcomes of academic programmes.
- Management of student learning.
There is a need to improve institutional public information
about the quality of KIST provision and to improve student’s
participation in enhancing the quality of their learning experiences.
To achieve this, refinement is required in all-institutional
internal systems of academic QA practices and procedures and
these should embed and owned across the institution's operations.
The Framework for academic quality and standards
The Framework is based on regulatory frameworks set by the
National Council for Higher Education for Rwanda. It also
incorporates some International academic frameworks to inform
the development of KIST internal policies and procedures to
support the institute's management of quality and standards.
The framework comprises the Quality Assurance and Enhancement
policies and procedures which will act as KIST reference points
for setting and maintaining enhancement of academic quality
and standards.
Following the review, Senate approved the following recommendations in
the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Framework for KIST
- KIST qualifications Framework.
The KIST qualifications Framework is based on the Higher Education Qualifications
Framework for Rwanda, which was developed by the National
Council for Higher Education (NCHE)
- Subject Benchmark Statements .
Subject Benchmark Statements w ill set out expectations
about standards of degrees in a variety of subject areas.
They describe the nature and characteristics of programmes
of study and also represent general expectations about standards
for the award of qualifications at a given level and articulate
the attributes and capabilities that those possessing such
qualifications should be able to demonstrate.
Benchmark Statements provide general guidance for articulating
the learning outcomes associated with programmes they are
intended to provide reference points for individual programmes
and awards.
Objectives of Subject Benchmark Statements.
- They guide the faculties in designing and validating
programmes of study;
- They guide External examiners in verifying and comparing
standards
- They act as reference points for External assessors
(NCHE )during accreditation and review processes;
- They guide Students and employers when seeking information
about higher education provision.
Programme specifications are intended to provide internal and external information about;
- The aims and outcomes of programmes,
- The teaching and learning methods that enable learners
to achieve these outcomes and the assessment methods used
to demonstrate their achievement;
- The relationship of the programme and its study elements
to the Qualifications Framework
- Code of Practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards
The code of practice is intended to help in meeting institutional responsibilities for the assurance of quality and standards. The code of practice provides a framework within which an institution can consider the effectiveness of its approaches to its activities.
General objectives
- To assure both the Institutions and the stakeholders including the NCHE that the quality of academic provision and the standards of awards are being safeguarded and enhanced.
- To promote a QAE enhancement culture within Institutions, which is informed by evidence of reflective practice and leads to the continuous improvement of our provision, and hence the improvement of the student experience.
Specific Objectives for KIST
- To comply with NCHE requirements.
- To assure and Enhance the quality and standards of the students experiences at KIST
- To assure the quality and standards of the Institute's
academic awards.
- To integrate the quality management and continuous quality improvement processes.
- To assure the quality and standards of all institutional work undertaken by employees of KIST including support departments.
- Focus on the production of action plans for continuous
quality improvement.
- To integrate the Quality Management process/code of practice
with the planning process so that continuous quality improvement
is central to the core business of KIST.
Principles of the code of practice
- Clear definition of responsibilities and their linkages
All responsibilities within faculties, Schools, Centres, academic and non academic departments and within a particular area of activity e.g committees and boards and staff members, together with the responsibilities of students and others who support student learning, should be clearly defined.
- Application of policies and practices that are underpinned by principles of fairness and equality of opportunity
Policies and procedures should be clear and explicit and
applied consistently. Such explicitness supports fairness,
secures equality of opportunity and engenders public confidence.
- The availability of clear and accessible information
Information on policies, procedures, responsibilities and opportunities should be available and clear, up to date and accessible to all the potential audiences. Information should help students to understand what they should expect from their learning experience at KIST and staff members to ensure that they are contributing effectively, and working within, the arrangements in place to secure quality and standards.
All staff needs to be supported to ensure their competence to fulfil their particular roles and responsibilities. The directorate of continuous training to facilitate this has been established.
- Monitoring and review of policy, procedures and practices
Policies, procedures and practices need to be monitored and reviewed from time to time to ensure their effectiveness and to identify and correct any consequences that might undermine the assurance of quality, standards, fairness or equality of opportunity.
- Procedure for approval monitoring and review of programmes
This is requirement that formal and effective procedures for the approval of programmes of study, the monitoring of their effectiveness in achieving stated aims and the success of students in achieving the stated intended learning outcomes and the review of the continuing validity of those aims and outcomes.
- Staff development for learning and teaching including
KIST staff are required to train in the management of
student blended learning, e-learning, pedagogic skills
all of which make staff competent in responding to students
needs. The academic Practice Unit to cater for this was
approved the Management Committee.
- Review of Students academic appeals and complaints processes
A Complaint which is defined as a specific concern about
the provision of a programme of study or related academic
service is different from an appeal defined as a request for
a review of decision of an academic body that makes decisions
on student progression, assessment and awards. The Institute
has to separate the processes of dealing with them.
- Procedure for validation of programmes
This a process by which an institute ensures that the proposed programmes of study meets
curricular and quality requirements of the institute by ensuring that;
- programmes satisfy academic quality criteria.
- Meet KIST qualifications Framework guidelines
- Comply with NCHE regulatory framework and meet KIST codes
of practice.
- Mapped against subject Benchmark statements
- Production of Course handbook
- A learning, teaching and assessment strategy
including e learning (QA).
Responsibilities for Implementation of the QAE Framework
- The Quality Assurance office is responsible for developing policies, practices and procedures, templates and recommending them to Senate via the Academic Quality Committee for operational matters and Deans and Director for policy approval.
- The quality office will provide guidance to faculties/schools on the development of the polices, and the support for the necessary staff training related to the assurance and enhancement of quality.
- It is also responsible for ensuring that the Quality Systems are implemented - e.g. organising validation events for new programmes etc, ensuring that annual monitoring and action plans are done by each programme and then faculty and then providing a summary of good practice and a summary report for Senate.
- The QD is also responsible for staff training in all matters relating to academic quality and staff development for learning and teaching.
- The QD is also responsible for Internal self-assessments and audits to ensure that faculties are carrying out their responsibilities.
- Registrar responsible for Academic governance policies and procedures including Admissions policy, students’ records, academic secretariat, examinations, Graduation and Award.
Faculties and Schools
- Faculties and Centres are responsible for ensuring the implementation of policies and procedures for QAE.
- Monitoring their implementation and the production of improvement plans to continuously improve quality including the quality and standards of the student experiences,
- The review of staff performance and facilitating necessary staff development.
- All the activities necessary for the development and delivery of the faculty's academic programmes.
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