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GUIDELINES ON CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

(AREA 1, 2, 3 AND 8)

MALAYSIAN QUALIFICATIONS AGENCY

What is COPPA?THE STANDARDS – Benchmarked and Enhanced GUIDELINES ON THE STANDARDS AND CRITERIA FOR THE NINE

AREAS OF EVALUATION FOR PROGRAMME ACCREDITATION1. Vision , Mission, Educational Goals and Learning Outcomes2. Curriculum Design and Delivery3. Assessment of Students 4. Student Selection and Support Services5. Academic Staff6. Educational Resources7. Programme Monitoring and Review8. Leadership, Governance and Administration9. Continual Quality Improvement

OUTLINE

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WHAT IS COPPA?

It is a Code of Practice dedicated to quality assurance of programmes using the nine areas of evaluation to assist HEPs attain at least benchmarked standards for obtaining accreditation and continuously improve the quality of the programme

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The Standards

• Standards that must be met and its compliance demonstrated during programme accreditation exercise. Are usually expressed as a ‘must’

Benchmarked Standards

• Standards that should be met as the institution strives to improve itself and usually expressed as a ‘should’

Enhanced Standards

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AREA 1- VISION, MISSION, EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Area 1

Guides the higher education provider (HEP) in its academic

planning and implementation and

Produce graduates through :

• the provision of knowledge, skills, a quest for life long

learning, and inculcation of values, and

• nurturing of the ability to analyse and solve problems and

• consideration of other relevant issues

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AREA 1.1: Statement of Programme Aims and Objectives

PROGRAMME AIMS , OBJECTIVES &

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Must reflect key elements of outcomes of

higher education

Must be consistent with and supportive of HEPs

Vision & Mission

Must be developed in consultation with

principal stakeholders

Should encompass qualities in areas of

expertise /specialisation

Should be periodically reviewed in consultation

with a wide range of stakeholders

Must be defined and made known to

stakeholders

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AREA 1.2 Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

The Programme must show how the component modules

contributes to fulfilment of programme learning outcomes

The Programme should specify the link between competencies

expected upon completion and those required after completion of

studies

The Programme must define the competencies students should demonstrate upon

completion of a programme

Must show how the student is able to demonstrate the learning outcomes via assessments

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AREA 2 : CURRICULUM DESIGN AND DELIVERY

AREA 2 is on curriculum design and delivery (used

interchangeably with programme design and delivery).

It is divided into 5 subsections:

academic autonomy;

programme design & teaching and learning methods;

curriculum content and structure;

management of the programme; and

linkages with external stakeholders .

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Area 2.1 Academic Autonomy

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Sufficient autonomy must be given to:* design the curriculum and to allocate resources for implementation

* also cover (where applicable) programmes franchised to, or from, other HEPs in line with national policies* the academic staff to focus on areas of his expertise

The department should :* have a clear policy on conflict of interest* continually expand its boundary of academic autonomy and reflect its intellectual maturity

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Area 2.2 -Programme Design & Teaching - Learning (T-L)Methods

• The Department must have its defined process for curriculum establishment , review and evaluation

• The Process must involve department’s academic & administrative staff

• The Programme must only be considered after a needs assessment

• must be considered only after resources to support it identified

• The Programme Content , approach & T-L Methods must be appropriate, consistent , and support the achievement of programme learning outcomes

• Teaching-learning methods - there must be variety to achieve the eight domains of learning outcomes

• The Curriculum should encourage multi-disciplinary approaches to enhance personal development of students

• The needs analysis should involve external sources feedback

• Co-curricular activities should be there to enrich student experience

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Area 2.3: Curriculum Content & StructureThe programme must•incorporate the core subject matters essential

for understanding concepts, principles and methods that support programme outcomes

•fulfil the discipline requirements by recognising appropriate standards and international best practice

•be periodically reviewed to keep abreast of developments of the discipline and for needs of society

The Department should establish mechanisms•to access to real time information through use

of technology and global networking and to identify up to date topics of importance for inclusion in the curriculum and its delivery

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Area 2.4 - Management of the Programme

The Students must :• be provided with the

most current information of programme aims, out-line, learning outcomes and assessment methods

The Programme must :

• have a coordinator and a team of appropriate staff

• have authority and established procedures

• be given adequate resources

- for implementation and evaluation for quality improvement

The Programme Content & Delivery must

• be regularly reviewed and evaluated and its results utilised to assure quality (must involve external examiners – for MQF level 6 and above )

The Students The Programme Team The Programme

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The Department

• must provide the student a conducive learning environment where scholarly and creative achievements are nurtured

Innovations to teaching and learning

• should be developed, supported and evaluated

• be done in consultation with principal stakeholders and

• Review and evaluation involve external expertise nationally and internationally

Area 2.4 - Management of the Programme - cont

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Area 2.5 Linkages with External Stakeholders

The Department must have linkages with all levels of stakeholders outside the department - for the purpose of curriculum development - planning, implementation and review

The Programme team should obtain feedback from employers for curriculum improvement, student placement, training and workplace exposure

Students should be given the opportunity to develop linkages with external stakeholders

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AREA 3 – ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS

• Area 3 is on assessment of students

It is a crucial aspect of quality assurance and

One of the most important measures to show the

achievement of learning outcomes.

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Assessment

• Assessment principles, methods and practices must be aligned with learning outcomes and programme content

• Assessment must be consistent with the levels defined in the MQF, 8 domains of learning outcomes and programme standards

Assessment & Learning Outcomes

• The link between assessment and learning outcomes should be reviewed periodically to ensure its effectiveness

Area 3.1- Relationship between Assessment and Learning

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Area 3.2- Assessment Methods

•must be documented and communicated to students on commencement of the programme

Frequency, methods, & criteria of student

assessment

•must be summative and formative

• a variety of methods and tools must be used to assess learning outcomes

Assessment

•must be there to ensure validity, reliability, consistency and fairness of assessment methods

Mechanisms

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Area 3.2- Assessment Methods - cont

•must be reviewed periodically

Assessment System

•should be comparable to international best practices

Methods of Assessment

•should be done in consultation with external experts, both local and international

Review of Assessment System

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Area 3.3 - Management of Student Assessment

Student assessment

results

- must be communicated within reasonable time

Student assessment

methods

- must follow established procedures and regulations

-changes must be communicated prior to implementation

Mechanisms

-must be there to ensure security of assessment documents and records

Grading, assessment and

appeals

- policies and practices must be publicised

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•should have sufficient autonomy in management of student assessment

The department and its academic staff

•should be there to evaluate and improve the student assessment management – formal certification of the processes

Independent external scrutiny

Area 3.3 - Management of Student Assessment - cont

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Area 8 is on leadership, governance and administration.

There are many ways of administration and it may differ from one HEP to another but Governance that reflects an academic organization must emphasise excellence and scholarship.

At the departmental level it is crucial that leadership provides

clear guidelines and direction,

builds relationship,

forges partnerships and

dedicates itself to academic and scholarly activities

AREA 8 – LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

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•must be consistent with the statement of purpose of the HEP

The Department’s policies and practices

The Department

•must clarify its - governance structures and functions, - the relationships within them and - impact on the programme and it must be communicated to all parties involved - based on the set principles

•Board must be an active policy making body with an adequate degree of autonomy

Mechanisms * must be established for programmes conducted in

geographically separated campuses ( functional integration & comparability of quality)

Area 8.1-Governance

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•should have a committee system responsible for programmes that consider: -internal and external consultation, - feedback, - market needs analysis and - employability projections

The Department

•should reflect the representation and participation of academic staff, students and other stakeholders

The Governance Principles

Area 8.1 – Governance - cont

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Area 8.2 - Academic Leadership of the Programme

•of academic leadership must be clearly stated

Criteria for Appointment

and responsibilities

•must be held by those with appropriate qualifications and experience and with sufficient authority for curriculum design, delivery and review

The Academic Leadership

•must be in place to allow communication between programme and HEP leaderships on -staff recruitment and training, -student admission, - allocation of resources

Mechanisms and Processes

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at defined intervals

with respect to

performance of the

staff.

•should be

responsible for

creating a

conducive

environment to

generate innovation

and creativity.

The Academic Leadership

Area 8.2 - Academic Leadership of the Programme - cont

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•must be appropriate and sufficient - to support programme implementation - to ensure good management and deployment of resources

Administrative Staff of The Department

•must conduct regular performance review of academic and management staff

The Department

•should have an advanced administrative and management staff training scheme

The Department

Area 8.3 Administrative and Management Staff

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•must be consistent with that of the HEP – concerning student and academic staff records

The Department Policies and Practices

•must implement HEP policies on rights of individual privacy and confidentiality of records

The Department

•should continuously review policies on security of records and safety systems.

The Department

Area 8.4 Academic Records

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Next Session on Section 2 will touch on the following areas:

• Student Selection and Support Services

• Academic Staff

• Educational Resources

• Programme Monitoring and Review

• Continual Quality Improvement

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ThankYou