QAA International Quality Accreditation
QA & Institutional Effectiveness Deanship
Overview
Gulf Medical University (GMU) underwent an International Quality Accreditation (IQA) review conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK's independent quality body. The review, carried out by a team of three reviewers from 20–23 April 2026, benchmarked the University's quality assurance processes against the ten standards in Part 1 of the ESG.
The review team concluded that Gulf Medical University meets all standards for International Quality Review, set no conditions, identified seven features of good practice, and made two recommendations of a desirable, enhancement-focused nature. In line with its commitment to continuous improvement, the Deanship of Quality Assurance & Institutional Effectiveness has developed the following action plan to sustain the good practices identified and to implement the recommendations. The plan is a living document and is updated periodically to reflect progress.
Valid 31 May 2026 – 30 May 2031
At a Glance
10/10
ESG Standards Met
0
Conditions Set
7
Features of Good Practice
2
Recommendations
Action Plan
Sustaining features of good practice
QAA review finding | ESG | Action | Responsibility | Timeline | Status |
Development and continuing enhancement of the highly integrated, all-embracing Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness Portal. | 1.1, 1.7 | Continue enhancing the QA&IE Portal with additional analytics, automation, dashboards, and reporting to strengthen quality assurance, monitoring, and evidence-based decision-making. Conduct periodic stakeholder feedback to inform future enhancements. | Deanship of QA & IE | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Comprehensive approach to preparing proposals for new programmes, including commitment to adequate resourcing. | 1.2 | Maintain and periodically review the programme approval framework to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, strategic priorities, labour-market needs, and resource planning. Benchmark approval processes against international best practices. | Deanship of QA & IE; Academic Council; University Council; Colleges | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Deliberate and consistent use of learning outcomes to shape student engagement with learning. | 1.3 | Continue strengthening constructive alignment by periodically reviewing programme and course learning outcomes, assessment strategies, and curriculum mapping. Provide ongoing faculty development on outcomes-based education. | Deanship of QA & IE; Colleges; Curriculum Committees | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Effective integration of internships into the curriculum. | 1.3 | Continue evaluating internship experiences through employer, preceptor, and student feedback to ensure alignment with programme learning outcomes and graduate competencies. | Colleges, with affiliated healthcare institutions | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Peer-assisted learning scheme as an effective academic support mechanism. | 1.3 | Sustain and further develop the Peer-Assisted Learning programme through structured mentor preparation, continuous evaluation, and sharing of good practices across colleges. | Student Affairs; Colleges | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Holistic and genuine support provided to students. | 1.4, 1.6 | Continue strengthening integrated academic, personal, wellbeing, and career support services while monitoring their effectiveness through institutional performance indicators and student feedback. | Student Affairs; Colleges | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Highly effective dissemination of external review outcomes across the University. | 1.10 | Continue institutional dissemination of external review outcomes through structured QA processes, ensuring systematic monitoring of implementation and sharing of good practices across all colleges and administrative units. | Deanship of QA & IE | Ongoing | Ongoing |
Implementing recommendations
QAA review finding | ESG | Action | Responsibility | Timeline | Status |
Expand the Teaching and Learning Methodologies Policy to be more explicit about delivery options aligned with institutional educational principles. | 1.3 | Review and revise the policy to clearly define all approved delivery modalities — face-to-face, blended, online, simulation-based, experiential, and technology-enhanced learning — aligned with the University’s educational philosophy and QA framework. Communicate the revised policy to academic staff through awareness sessions. | Deanship of QA & IE, with the Academic Council and Colleges | By end of 2026 | Planned |
Develop an institutional Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Plan mapped to the University’s strategic objectives. | 1.5 | Develop and formally approve an institutional CPD Plan mapped to GMU’s strategic objectives, consolidating individual, College-based, and institution-wide initiatives. Establish an appraisal-informed training needs analysis, define minimum CPD requirements and participation targets across the four appraisal categories, and introduce annual CPD reporting through the QA&IE Portal. | Deanship of QA & IE, with Human Resources, Office of the Chancellor, and Colleges | By end of AY 2026–2027 | Planned |