Managing Quality Assurance in Higher Education: The Case of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana

The paper discusses quality assurance in the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana. The University is a public funded institution established by an act of parliament; Act 830, 2011. As a newly established public funded University, quality assurance plays a central role in satisfying the requirements of stakeholders on the supply and demand sides of higher education, most importantly the regulatory environment-National Accreditation Board and the National Council for Tertiary Education. The paper discusses how the University manages quality assurance in its operations to bring about continuous improvement in teaching and learning. The paper discusses quality assurance as managed in the University- the successes, challenges and the way forward. The paper discusses some challenges that need critical intervention in the management of quality assurance in the University. These include the scenario where some staff have little understanding of quality assurance issues. Some staff also perceive quality assurance as a tool for victimising staff who fall short of quality standards. The issues discussed are very insightful partly because they come from experiences gathered in the design and implementation of quality assurance structures in a newly established university setting. The experiences shared in this paper would be very helpful to other newly established universities in the management of quality assurance. The paper recommends that the Management of the University needs to sensitise staff on quality assurance as a mandatory accreditation requirement and a tool for continuously enhancing quality standards. Keywords: Quality Assurance, Higher education, accreditation, teaching and learning, Ghana

Quality Assurance in Swiss University Hospitals: a Survey Among Clinical Department Heads

Objective: To obtain information to help design and implement quality improvement programmes. Design: Questionnaire survey. Setting: Swiss University Hospitals. Setting: Swiss University Hospitals. Study participants: Clinical Department heads. Main outcome measures: Attitudes towards quality assurance and percentage of departments with procedures for measurement and improvement of structure, process and outcome of medical care. Results: Among 138 departments responding, 69 indicated a designated person or group in charge of quality and 57 were involved in collaborative quality improvement programmes. Mortality data at the level of the department was unavailable to 33% of respondents, and data on adverse treatment effects to 67% of them. Most respondents (69%) favoured the use of outcome indicators for quality control; only 13% favoured indicators pertaining to process or structure of care. Among indicators of outcome, patient satisfaction was the preferred indicator (25% of respondents), followed by morbidity (16%) and mortality (12%) data. Conclusion: Although the quality of medical care in Switzerland enjoys an excellent reputation, this study highlights important gaps in the information system and the processes necessary to evaluate quality. Copyright © 1996 Eslevier Science Lt

Reliability of Mock Examinations for Prediction of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) Results

Mock examination as a formative assessments criterion also acts as a fallback in case of a need to predict early university intake, or investigate any suspicions or malpractice in the final examinations. Mock therefore as an assessment tool, must meet the guidelines on examination procedures to ensure reliability. The study was conducted with the objectives of determining whether the mock examinations are reliable enough in terms of quality assurance indicators for use in predicting the results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations (KCSE). The research used the survey design with questionnaire as the research tool. The questionnaire was administered to a population sample of 65 secondary schools that represented all the categories and quantitative and qualitative analysis done. The study found that the quality assurance indicators that guide examinations are practiced in most schools during the preparation and administering of mock examinations. The research further found that there is high positive correlation (0.949) between the mock and KCSE examinations results. The study concluded that mock examinations are reliable but there is need to harmonize the structures for setting, moderation and invigilation to make it more stringent. JEL CLASSIFICATION: I20 Keywords: Assessment, Correlation, Examinations, Formative, Invigilation Performance, Qualit

Quality Assurance in Emergency Medicine - A Caribbean Perspective

Purpose – Emergency medicine is a new specialty in the Caribbean. With the development of specialist training over the past 20 years, the issues of quality assurance and governance have become more prominent. The purpose of this paper is to explore the successes and challenges of implementing systems of quality assurance in this unique environment, highlighting issues peculiar to the Caribbean setting. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a review of current practice in the emergency departments (ED) of the four major teaching hospitals of the University of the West Indies. Information was gathered through interviews with key stakeholders (including the respective ED residency directors, senior residents and senior nursing and administrative staff), review of departmental protocols and guidelines and reviews of current published and unpublished literature. Findings – Examples of good practice were identified in all six components of the clinical governance framework (clinical audit, clinical effectiveness, research and development, openness, risk management and education and training). Challenges to implementation of quality management included an underdeveloped quality culture, inadequate data collection, poor incentives for improvement and high external pressures, including staff shortages, departmental crowding and lack of public empowerment. Originality/value – This is the first published work on clinical governance and quality assurance in emergency medicine in the Caribbean. This paper gives an insight into the unique opportunities and challenges in the area of quality management and clinical governance in the developing world, and suggests ways forward with regard to more effective implementation of quality initiatives in under-resourced jurisdictions

L'acreditació i la garantia externa de la qualitat de la universitat com a resposta a la internacionalització dels ensenyaments universitaris i a l'establiment de l'espai europeu d'educació superior

Aquest article relaciona el nou entorn en què les universitats se situen amb l'establiment de l'espai europeu d'educació superior (EEES) i l'ús de mecanismes de garantia de la qualitat externa (acreditació). Davant de la necessitat de preservar la característica de bé públic que té la formació universitària en un entorn de competitivitat creixent que prové de la internacionalització, l'article assenyala el desenvolupament dels mecanismes de garantia de la qualitat en els sistemes universitaris com a element clau per equilibrar les forces del lliure mercat, tot estimulant una distribució adequada de prioritats i recursos en pro de la modernització de les universitats en un territori determinat. A la segona part, s'hi presenta un seguit de reflexions al voltant dels estàndards d'acreditació que es proposen per als programes universitaris, en la línia d'obrir un debat sobre el disseny de la formació universitària, més enllà de l'objectiu d'explicitar-ne de manera immediata el reconeixement extern de la qualitat, entenent que els estàndards han de pensar-se com una via de transformació progressiva de la universitat.This article associates the new context of the universities with the setting up of the European Higher Education Area and the use of external quality assurance mechanisms (accreditation). In view of the need to preserve the characteristic of university education as a public good within the context of increasing competitivity stemming from internationalisation, the article points to the development of quality assurance systems in university systems as a key element in balancing out free market forces by stimulanting the adequate distribution of priorities and resources in favour of the modernisation of the universities within a given geographical area. The second part of the article gives a series of reflections on the accreditation standards being proposed for university programmes as a way of opening a debate on the design of university education beyond the more immediate aim of the external recognition of quality, with accreditation standards understood as being a way for progressively transforming the university

Prospective Evaluation of a Hospital Epidemiologist's Activities at a European Tertiary-Care Medical Center

Abstract Objective: Assessment of the distribution of tasks and consultations provided by the hospital epidemiologist (HE) at University Hospital of Zurich (UHZ). Design: Prospective collection of data on hospital epidemiology consultations over a 3-year period (1995-1997). Time spent per consultation and activities of infection control practitioners were not recorded. Setting: A 1,040-bed tertiary-care university hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. Results: Between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 1997, the HE received 1,660 requests for consultation. Advice or action was sought in the following areas: epidemiology (27.5% of requests); quality assurance, including antibiotic utilization and technology assessment (24.8%); infection control and practice guidelines (22.5%); disinfection and sterilization (11.6%); clinical infectious diseases (13.4%). During 1997, 35% of epidemiology consults were related to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and 5.8% to tuberculosis. Public or private hospitals not affiliated with UHZ requested 40% of all consults. Conclusions: This study shows that HEs are involved in many different activities. Only 27.5% of hospital epidemiology consultations were directly related to issues of epidemiology. Practical knowledge of the methodologies for continuous quality improvement and assessment of various new technologies is important for HEs. The results of this study may be useful in discussions between HEs and administrators about allocation of resources or issues of reimbursemen

Quality assurance and e‐learning: blue skies and pragmatism

This paper considers the role of quality assurance in e‐learning; reflecting on the conditions necessary for successful e‐learning. It reviews some of the current international work on quality assurance in this area and goes on to consider the ways in which the quality of a process or activity can be assessed—focusing on the use of benchmarking and specification of standards