Quality Enhancement Cell
Quality Enhancement Cell
Overview
In recent years it has become an obligation that institutions of higher education demonstrate the effectiveness of their academic programs in providing high quality education that positively impacts students. Furthermore, most accrediting bodies and others concerned with quality assurance are requesting that institutions assess student’s learning outcomes as a means of improving academic programs. This has led the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to develop methods for assessing the quality of academic program. The QEC is on the way of developing quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities. The QEC serves as the king pin to achieve the objective of quality learning standards by auditing academic standards and the quality of teaching, learning and management in each subject area. It will promote public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees, management and overall quality of knowledge being imparted by the institutions are enhanced and safeguarded. Quality Enhancement Cell at University of Poonch Rawalakot (UPR) was established in the last quarter of 2012 under the directions of Worthy Vice Chancellor UPR according to guidelines of HEC. The prime objective of this cell is to practice evaluative measures to achieve excellence in performance in all areas of quality education.The cell has started functioning under the dynamic leadership of Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ali Chaudhry who through his extensive experience has initiated pioneering quality assurance measures in UPR.
Vision Statement
A Model Quality Assurance Setup” at the university with standardized procedures and practices in education to meet the rising challenges of transforming the country into knowledge based economy.
Mission Statement
Developing localized benchmark standards for quality assurance in all the educational provisions of the university and enhancing the same to the level where they may be compared with the international practices in education.
Objectives of QEC
- The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is to be headed by a Dean reporting directly to Vice Chancellor/Rector. He is to be the correspondent with the outside bodies.
- QEC is responsible for promoting public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees are enhanced and safeguarded.
- QEC is responsible for the review of quality standards and the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area.
- QEC is responsible for the review of academic affiliations with other institutions in terms of effective management of standards and quality of programs.
- QEC is responsible for defining clear and explicit standards as points of reference to the reviews to be carried out. It should also help the employees to know as to what they could expect from candidates.
- QEC is responsible to develop qualifications framework by setting out the attributes and abilities that can be expected from the holder of a qualification, i.e. Bachelors, Bachelor with Honors, Master’s, M. Phil and Doctoral.
- QEC is responsible to develop program specifications. These are standard set of information clarifying what knowledge, understanding, skills and other attributes a student will have developed on successfully completing a specific program.
- QEC is responsible to develop quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities.
- QEC is responsible to ensure that the university’s quality assurance procedures are designed to fit in with the arrangements in place nationally for maintaining and improving the quality of Higher Education.
- QEC is responsible to develop procedures for the following:
- Approval of new programs
- Annual monitoring and evaluation including program monitoring, faculty monitoring, and student’s perception.
- Departmental review
- Student feedback
- Employer feedback
- Quality assurance of Master’s, M. Phil. And Ph. D. degree programs.
- Subject review
- Institutional assessment
- Program specifications
- Qualification framework
Future Plans
- To take more programs /departments for self assessment exercise.
- To set a data bank of information related to quality and feedbacks.
- To maintain regular interactions with local and international quality enhancement offices.
- To arrange awareness seminars on Self assessment Program and quality assurance at quarterly basis.
- To conduct short courses on technical matters related to quality assurance.
- To get more membership of International QA bodies
- To hang a “DROP BOX” outside QEC office for getting complaints and suggestions from stake holders.
- To assess the Examination System at departmental and ensure the quality of education
- To collect Question Papers to assess the quality of Question paper and its format.
- To conduct visits in all the departments for the purpose of monitoring the following teaching learning activities according to plans provided to QEC:
- Course File
- Sessional Work
- Student’s Attendance
- Completion of course
- Paper Setting
- Regularity of the classes