GRADING HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS – Some Technical Issues 

APQN CONFERENCE ON QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: EXPECTATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

PRESENTED BY:Dr.M.S.LalithaHead & DeanSchool Of EducationPondicherry University

QUALITY ASSURANCE- A GLOBAL TREND

Observations by IIEP- Explaining factors Great demand for HE & rapid expansion in terms of diverse providersGlobalization – increasing level of academic fraud Economic constraints & shift in priority to basic education

No compromise on quality because of quantitative expansion

QA INVOLVES EQA & IQA

Aim of EQA is accountability for external stake holders

Aim of IQA- institutional development and assessment of internal accountability through its programme, policies & mechanisms

Both contribute mutually to each other Quality assurance(QA) is both a national &

institutional responsibility

QA OF HEIs IN INDIA

Quality assessment organization-UGC, NAAC, AICTE, NBA, DEC, ICAR- Need for coordinated effort

NAAC- Main objective -A&A of HEIs

NAAC'S MISSION Grading institutions and programmes stimulate academic environment and quality

of teaching and research Help institutions realize their academic

objectives Promote necessary changes, innovations

and reforms in all aspects of the institutions working for the above purpose

Encourage innovations, self-evaluation and accountability in higher education.

PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT & ACCREDITATION

STEPS:

i. Self assessment process by institution on a set of criteria defined by accrediting body

ii. Site visit by peer team or panel – reviews the evidence & interviews stake holders

iii. Peer team prepares an assessment report

iv. Accrediting body communicates its decision

ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING ACCREDITATION AND ASSESSMENT

PROCESS

Quality is definable Characteristics of a model higher

education institutions of each type can be listed

Differential weightages can be assigned to different criteria and different types of HEIs

quantitative measurement and assessment of quality is possible;

Contd.. Grades can be aggregated and the CGPA

represents the quality of HEI Knowledge of one’s grade leads to

working of the institutions towards improving the same

The stakeholders within the institution have the professional skills themselves & have capability to reflect

Peer team members have the professional skills to assess the institution objectively.

DEFINING QUALITY OF HEIs Multi- dimensional, multi-level and dynamic

concept relating to the contextual settings of an educational model

Quality as : ExceptionalityZero errorsFitness for purpose Transformation, reshapingThresholdEnhancementQuality as value for money

Contd… Student outcomes – an important

criterion & difficult to estimate

Value addition – difference an HEI makes in students’ education

Can be used to justify variations in output produced by different institiutions in different context

CRITERIA FOR QUALITY OF HEIs

Can be defined similar to defining criteria for teacher effectiveness

Input process & output variables as defining criteria

FOUR TYPES OF FACTORS Type I factors (quality predictors):

Teacher related – personality (attitudes, interest and abilities)

Teacher Professional Competencies – content mastery, pedagogic skills, professional commitment and ethics

Curriculum related – relevance to life and world of work, to total personality development of students, etc. and such others.

Type II factors (contingency factors):

Environmental factors in the institution – physical, socio-cultural and economic;

Nature of students – attitudes, interest, abilities, etc;

Students perception on institutional environment and such others.

Type III factors (curriculum transaction / teaching-learning process): Curricular and Co-curricular activities;

Activities to promote students’ mental health;

Nature / extent of participation of teacher and students in the classrooms, within the institution

In relating institution to community outside, and such others.

Type IV factors (ultimate criteria for quality):

Institution’s effects on – Students’ achievement and success in life

Students’ achievement in further education

Students’ achievement of course objectives

Students’ satisfaction with the teachers and the institution as a whole, and such others.

ASSESSMENT OF MACRO AND MICRO INDICATORS

Macro-indicators refer to the broad criteria

Micro-indicators refer to the specific articulations of the macro-indicators.

Assessment of these micro-indicators require evidences - quantitative or qualitative in nature.

Explicit definitions improves objectivity Word of caution-over looking significant

but difficult to assess.

CONTEXTUALITY AND UNIFORMITY IN CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT

Contextual variations due toNature of courseType of management Geographical location

Justification for uniform criteria

Justification for differential weightages

STATISTICAL VALIDITY OF GRADING INSTITUTIONS

Subjectivity in assessment – inter-peer team variations (operational definitions, professional training to assessors )

Slight variation in weightages given to criteria can influence overall grade point

Error due to reducing multi-dimensional quality aspect into a linear scale as CGPA (profile of institution)

FORMATIVE vs. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Two approaches in QA

FORMATIVE SUMMATIVE

Helps IQA – helps in reflecting on weaknesses

Helps in accreditation

Not useful if no will or capability to improve oneself

Not useful in making HEI to reflect on weaknesses

Helps in identifying one’s own deficiencies & helps to improve

Formative superior to summative

DOMINANCE OF EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE

Rapid expansion of HEIs of different types

EQA difficult with one agency Move from EQA to IQA Agency should facilitate IQA with

minimum control QA’s focus on process than criteria HEIs & agency joint responsibility

Conclusion Grading integral part of QA

Effectiveness of accreditation process depends on how well criteria of quality defined for different contexts

Profile instead of CGPA

Prepare & validate tools & techniques for assessing criteria

CONCLUSION CONTD..

NAAC should play facilitator role to support HEIs

Accreditation process continuous & for longer duration

Establish local level management systems to monitor quality with responsibility

THANK YOU!