INQAAHE CONFERENCE 2009
New Approaches to Quality Assurance in the Changing World of Higher Education
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
30 March to 2 April, 2009
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| REGISTER ONLINE NOW!
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NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS
Delegates arriving at the Abu Dhabi International Airport are requested to
update their travel information before 23rd March 12:00 noon GMT. We will not be obliged to provide
transportation to those who have not updated the travel information by this date.
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PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS
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| Presentation 1
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 Video |
 PDF |
| Presentation 2
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| Video |
PDF |
| Presentation 3
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| Video |
PDF |
| Presentation 4
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| Video |
PDF |
| Presentation 5
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| Video |
PDF |
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THEME:
NEW APPROACHES TO QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE CHANGING WORLD OF HIGHER EDUCATION
PLENARY SPEAKER:
MARIA JOSE LEMAITRE, PRESIDENT, RIACES (IBEROAMERICAN NETWORK)
Elements in this 'changing world' include the growth in student numbers, new student groups, global pressures of regionalization and internationalization, mobility of students and graduates, pressures on resources, technology-based and blended learning, tension between research and teaching, increased diversity of higher education institutions. All of these affect the way in which quality is defined and in which quality assurance processes are conducted. The conference will provide an opportunity for analyzing how quality assurance processes can accommodate these changes, and how agencies can strengthen their contribution to the continuing improvement of higher education in this changing world.
When dealing with the following sub-themes, presenters are encouraged to consider how quality assurance (QA) networks – both at the global and the regional levels – can contribute to the development of new approaches.
SUB THEME 1:
QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR ENHANCEMENT
PLENARY SPEAKERS:
NORMAN SHARP, DIRECTOR, QAA SCOTLAND
GEMMA RAURET, DIRECTOR, ANECA, SPAIN
Papers presented under this sub-theme should focus on the capacity of quality assurance processes to enhance the quality of higher education at the national, regional or international levels; papers could refer to the assessment of quality assurance agencies, internal QA mechanisms for QA agencies, ways to measure the impact of QA, or to good practices in this respect; ways to identify and deal with bogus institutions and agencies.
SUB THEME 2:
DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO QA AND THEIR IMPACT ON EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY
PLENARY SPEAKER:
RALPH WOLFF, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WASC, USA
Papers presented under this sub-theme should focus on different approaches to QA, such as institutional, program or professional accreditation, evaluation, quality audit, or a combination of those. They could focus on one of the approaches or provide a comparative analysis of two or more approaches. The papers should analyse current methodologies, and possible developments of those approaches, in terms of their efficiency and effectiveness in both sustaining and enhancing quality. Of particular value would be papers that consider the issues relating to impact of scarce resources (the resources for the education or for the assurance of its quality). Another relevant issue is the way that the different approaches might evolve as quality assurance systems become more mature and must take into account different types of institutions.
SUB THEME 3:
A QUALITY CULTURE - EMBEDDING QA INTO THE LIFE OF AN INSTITUTION
PLENARY SPEAKER:
GABI BARAMKI, ADVISOR TO THE PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT, PALESTINE
Papers presented under this sub-theme should deal with issues such as the following:
How can quality assurance agencies help higher education institutions to achieve the culture of evidence in which established processes within each institution yield measurable outcomes data that are tied to planned goals and that lead to improvement? How can QA agencies offer options/samples of possible institutional and student learning goals with appropriate measures and benchmark results for each type of measure? How can QA agencies help HEIs to involve faculty/staff members in strategic planning, assessment and improvement initiatives, especially in weaving learning goals and related assessment techniques into syllabi and student achievement measures? How can QA agencies help HEIs to integrate learning goals at the course, program and institutional level? How can students participate in the processes of forming long term institutional goals that meet students' personal goals?
SUB THEME 4:
QUALITY ASSURANCE AT A DISTANCE
PLENARY SPEAKERS:
BADR ABOUL-ELA, DIRECTOR, CAA, UAE
DAVID WOODHOUSE, DIRECTOR, AUQA, AUSTRALIA AND PRESIDENT, INQAAHE
Papers presented under this sub-theme should focus on all those instances where there is a need for some kind of 'remote control' over quality: branches in different cities or regions within a country, off campus offerings, cross border higher education, on-line programs. These offerings present special challenges for quality assurance: who should do it? Should equivalence with home offerings be the main criterion for quality? How to ensure both suitability and quality when a program is offered in very different contexts? How are these programs assessed? How does the providing institution demonstrate its reliability?
As usual, the day before the conference begins will be dedicated to different workshops, dedicated to the main issues QA agencies confront in their daily operation.
Pre-Conference Workshops:
| Pre Conference Workshop |
Facilitator |
| March 30, AM |
Workshop 1:
Preparing institutions for self assessment |
Hilary Winchester |
Worshop 2:
Effective site visits | Antony Stella |
| March 30, PM |
Workshop 3:
Effective report writing |
Lis Lange, Lynda Murray |
Workshop 4:
Evaluating QA agencies |
Dorte Kristofferson |
There will also be some workshops offered during the conference. These will focus on the following subjects.
| Topic of the workshop | Presenter |
| How do different quality cultures within higher education institutions contribute to QA? How to
encourage the more positive ones?
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Lee Harvey |
| Challenges for newly developed agencies |
Badr Aboul-Ela, Nadia Badrawi, Ian Cumbus |
| Links between self assessment and strategic planning |
Lis Lange, Lynda Murray |
| Different approaches to QA: between programmes and institutions |
Marie Odile, Mariajose Lemaitre
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