Assuring the Quality of Collaborative Provision : NAACs Perspective

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Assuring the Quality of Collaborative Provision
NAACs Perspective   By Dr. M. S.
Shyamasundar Deputy Adviser National Assessment
and Accreditation Council Bangalore, India
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AA Framework by NAAC

• Domestic Providers Institutional Accreditation
• Assessment of HEIs Abroad 140,000 students go
  to Foreign Universities Four Billion Dollars /
  Year
• Foreign Providers in India Committee on
  Framework for International Accreditation
• Jurisdiction of NAAC
• Purpose of NAACs Assessment of FEPs
• At what stage should NAACs process be applied
• Coverage of Collaborations
• Compulsory Accreditation of Indian Institutions
  admitting Foreign Students Draft Guidelines in
  consultation with AIU and UGC

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Diversity in Practices

• Methodology (accreditation or audit or
  assessment)
• Nature of the process (mandatory or voluntary)
• Unit of assessment (institution or programme)
• Outcome of assessment (no grading or two-point
  scale or multi-point scale)
• Policy on disclosure of the outcome (confidential
  or public)

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Common Elements

• Well-defined transparent framework
• Self-study and peer review
• Key aspects of quality
• Principles of quality assurance -transparency
• Appreciate diversities and build on common
  elements
• Need for international comparability
  convergence in QA approaches
• Co-operation is the way forward

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Why International Collaborations?

• QA agencies exist to assure quality of HEIs
• HEIs are becoming increasingly international They
  partner with HEIs across national borders in
  various ways
• QA agencies too have to strengthen their
• international orientation to deal with QA issues
• co-operation with their counterparts in other
  countries
• QA is much more than regulation and has an
  important role over and above the regulations for
  TNE.
• Protectionist approach to keep away TNE is not
  the solution

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International Collaborations of NAAC

• Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
• Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the
  Council on Higher Education (CHE), South Africa
• Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA)
• British Council / HEFCE, UK
• UNESCO
• INQAAHE
• APQN

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NAAC and AUQA

• MoC on 10 January 2006
• For three years
• Institutional Accreditation
• Public disclosure of full report
• QA framework
• Active in the national strategy for quality
  assuring TNE

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Various Levels of Co-operation

• to understand the quality of HE in other
  countries
• to enhance understanding of QA issues of other
  countries
• to collaborate on RD on TNE issues of mutual
  interest
• to consider authorisation of QA agencies to
  operate across national borders
• to plan joint QA strategies of TNE providers
• to form judgements on the quality of institutions
  and programs in other jurisdictions
• to form judgements on recognition of TNE
  qualifications
• to recognise the QA decision across-borders

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NAAC-AUQA MoC

• Information exchange
• Staff participation in each others events
• Observing QA processes
• Good Practice Database
• Joint research and training efforts
• Both NAAC and AUQA have committed resources, to
  begin with for three years, to work towards this
  co-operation

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Regulatory Framework

• Universities can be established by central or
  state acts
• Universities only (415) have degree conferring
  authority
• Colleges (20,676) are affiliated to universities
• Maintenance of standards-responsibility of
  respective councils such as UGC, AICTE etc.
• No Act so far to permit foreign universities to
  open branch campus or confer degree in
  collaboration
• Foreign Education Providers Act draft bill will
  provide a structural space to internationalization
  of HE. This means that system of recognition of
  qualification, QA of programmes, institutions
  other facilitations will be put in place.

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FEPs Operating in India (2006)

• Programmatic Collaboration 32
• Twinning Programme 27
• Courses Offered
• Business Management
• Hotel Management
• Engineering
• Others
• TNE is not a substantial activity in India,
  compared to the size spending of the national
  system of HE

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Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of
Entry and Operations, Maintenance of Quality and
Prevention of Commercialisation) Bill 2007

• World-class Universities to set campuses and
  enter into partnerships with credible Indian HE
  Providers -Franchise mode of collaboration is not
  permissible No fly-by-night operators
• NOC issued by the Embassy concerned in India
• Accreditation Certificate of both Foreign and
  Indian Institutions
• The fee and intake shall be prescribed by
  respective councils such as UGC, AICTE etc.
• A corpus fund of Rs.10 crore
• Provision for Punitive measures and Withdrawal

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Issues involved in TNE

• Organisational Arrangement Nodal QA agency for
  TNE needs to be created
• Mutual Recognition of various international QA
  agencies
• Equivalence of Courses
• Recognition of Courses through Statutory
  Authorities
• Fee Structure and Intake
• National Educational Policy - NQF
• Uniform Assessment Criteria for TNE institutions
  with additional inputs Contextualisation -
  Internationally accepted assessment framework may
  be developed, which is similar to Bologna
  agreement

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Bologna Declaration(1999) EAHE(2010)

• Increase Transparency
• Recognition of Education
• Mobility Across Borders
• Berlin (2003) All national QA systems should
  include a system of accreditation by 2005
• The Ministers asked ENQA others to develop an
  agreed set of standards, procedures and
  guidelines on QA
• European standards and guidelines for IQA within
  HEIs and for external QA agencies
• The Bologna process has inspired HE reforms
  across Europe has led to quicker results than
  expected and shows no signs of slowing down
• The Washington Accord (1989)

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Challenges to Collaborative Partnership

• Build regulatory environment that provides entry
  to foreign institutions and monitors quality in
  establishing partnership with Indian institutions
  towards joint or single degree programme.
• Institutional mechanisms needed by respective
  councils such as UGC, AICTE etc.
• Private unrecognised sector to be brought within
  the fold of regulation

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Guidelines for QA Bodies

• Include TNE Provision in all its modes in the
  scope of QA
• Strengthening the regional and international
  network of QA agencies to discuss TNE issues
• exchange information and good practices
• disseminate knowledge
• enhance mutual understanding of international
  developments, challenges different systems of
  QA Assuring quality of TNE
• improve the professional expertise of their staff
  and assessors
• disreputable providers and dubious QA
  accreditation bodies
• Provide accurate information on the assessment
  standards, procedures, and effects of QA
  mechanisms on the funding of students,
  institutions or programmes and results of the
  assessment. QA bodies should collaborate with
  HEIs, academic staff, student bodies and academic
  recognition bodies to facilitate the
  dissemination of such information
• MOCs with other QA bodies on the basis of trust
  in understanding of each others professional
  practice- consider undertaking experiments in
  international evaluation or peer reviews of QA
  bodies - strengthening the international
  orientation of the QA processes

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This is not an end. Not even the beginning of an
end. But the end of a beginning.
Thank You for patient listening !