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QA&IE Policy

Gulf Medical UniversityThe QA&IE DeanshipQA&IE Policy
QA & Institutional Effectiveness Deanship

The University applies the institutional effectiveness framework for the continuous quality improvement in terms of:

  1. Quality Assurance (QA)
    • QA processes aim to ensure that GMU’s academic and administrative activities meet high standards of quality. These processes involve:
    • Long-term and short-term planning,
    • Continuous assessment of academic programs, services, and administrative functions,
    • Implementing recommendations from assessments to improve overall performance, and
    • Promoting a culture of continuous improvement across the university.
  2. Institutional Effectiveness (IE)
    • Institutional Effectiveness at GMU is supported by systematic evaluation processes that:
    • Monitor academic programs and administrative functions to ensure alignment with institutional goals,
    • Utilize data-driven decision-making for resource allocation and operational planning,
    • Report on institutional performance and recommend necessary improvements.
  3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
    • KPIs are quantifiable measures that reflect the success of operational activities and contribute to decision-making processes at GMU. KPI management includes:
    • Ensuring alignment between KPIs and GMU’s strategic objectives,
    • Departments setting KPIs that support university-wide initiatives,
    • Regular monitoring and evaluation of KPIs, with performance reports provided to leadership for review, and Identifying areas for improvement and addressing performance gaps through corrective actions.

Expected Outcomes from the successful implementation of the Policy:

  1. Improve student overall experience.
  2. Improve the performance of the staff in delivering assigned responsibilities.
  3. Enhance GMU’s capacity to compete with the local and international Higher Education Institutions, e.g., student enrolment and retention.
  4. Enhance the University impact on society and sustainable development.
  5. Strengthen the culture of continuous improvement at GMU.
  6. Regular performance evaluation through effective use of KPIs.

Roles and Responsibilities

  1. Each college shall have its own QA&PE committee for implementing and monitoring Quality Assurance systems in all aspects of college operations (Appendix 1: QA&PE Committee – Terms of Reference).
  2. The chairperson of the college committee shall be a member of the university QA&IE committee (Appendix 2: QA&IE Committee – Terms of Reference).
  3. At least one member from the QA&IE Deanship shall be a member of the University QA&IE committee and shall work with other members to provide the necessary support on various effectiveness reports and other quality aspects (Appendix 3: QA&IE Deanship – Roles and Responsibilities).
  4. These arrangements completely integrate the quality processes at the college and the university levels and eliminates the communication gap.

Institutional Effectiveness Framework

  1. Institutional Planning:
    The QA&IE Deanship supports:

     

    • Developing long-term five years “University Strategic Plan” that covers primary directions and priorities.
    • Deriving short-term one-year Operational Progress Report that covers the implementation of strategic goals and projects.
    • Evidence based decision on resource allocation and management at the University, College and Program levels.
  2. Quality Assurance & Accreditation: The QA&IE Deanship is responsible for:
    • Maintaining, updating and disseminating the Institutional Effectiveness or the QA&IE Manual of the University.
    • Providing a revised and updated self-study report template that includes all University level information for the CAA accreditation.

    The College QA&PE and the University QA&IE Committees are responsible for:

    1. Ensuring that the quality of program self-study reports meet the requirements of the national and/or international accreditation bodies.
  3. Institutional Research:
    • The QA&IE Deanship provides design and administers various evaluations and surveys to ensure the feedback of the stakeholders are used for institutional effectiveness.
    • The University QA&IE Committee shall review the instruments of the different surveys to ensure clarity and validity.
    • The College QA&PE Committee shall coordinate orientation sessions to the survey audience (faculty, staff or students) one week prior to launching the survey.
  4. Communicating Result:
    QA&IE Deanship shall be responsible for:

     

    • Periodically reporting to the Colleges and Administrative Units on relevant research data to develop a detailed analysis and action plan.
    • Periodically reporting to the University Leadership Team on relevant institutional data along with a detailed report to support decision-making at the University level.
  5. Monitoring KPI Performance
    • Regular KPI monitoring ensures that performance is evaluated continuously, and results are reported periodically to relevant departments.
    • Data from KPI evaluations will inform strategic decisions and promote continuous improvement.
  6. Closing the Loop:
    The QA&IE Deanship shall:

     

    • Review the analysis and action plans developed at the University, College and program levels in terms of:
      • Validity of the analysis
      • The actions are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound).
    • Follow up with the colleges and other concerned administrative departments on the implementation of action plans to address areas of improvement identified from survey feedback and other sources.
    • Report on the trends for continuous improvements resulting from actions taken based on feedback.
    • Track progress in the University-wide and College-wide Performance indicators and report on the trend for the same.

Other Entities Responsible for Evaluation and Quality Assurance Aspects

  1. University Committee of Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness (University QA&IE Committee):
    • The committee ensures adherence to university standards and external requirements. It monitors implementation of quality assurance processes, oversees accreditation-related activities promotes innovation and sharing of best practices, and coordinates with stakeholders for effective quality assurance across all functions.
    • Chaired by the associate dean of QA&IE, this committee comprises Chairs of the QA& PE Committees from each College and reporting to the Dean of QA&IE Deanship (Committee Term and Reference).
  2. Quality Assurance and Program Evaluation Committee of Colleges (College QA&PE Committees):
    • The Quality Assurance and Program Evaluation Committee is constituted to develop and Implement mechanisms for student feedback and address concerns promptly and supervise the implementation of a comprehensive and systematic quality assurance and improvement process for the college programs.
    • Composed of faculty members from various departments and student representatives,(Committee Term and Reference).
  3. Chancellor:
    • Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for QA initiatives.
    • Ensure that the QA culture is embedded across the institution.
  4. Vice Chancellors:
    • Oversee the implementation of academic quality assurance activities, including program reviews.
    • Ensure faculty adherence to CAA standards.
  5. Deans of Colleges:
    • Ensure compliance with CAA standards within their respective colleges.
    • Conduct internal reviews and assessments of academic programs.
    • Overview the implementation of QA initiatives and improvement plans at the college level.
    • Create the college annual report
  6. Department Heads and Program Directors:
    • Monitor and ensure the quality of departmental academic offerings.
    • Conduct regular program evaluations and develop the program effectiveness report.
    • Contribute to self-study reports.
    • Address issues identified through student feedback and performance data.
    • Promote continuous improvement and innovation in teaching and learning.
  7. Faculty Members:
    • Adhere to CAA standards in course delivery and assessment.
    • Participate in program reviews, curriculum development, and QA training.
    • Collect and respond to student feedback to improve teaching practices.
    • Engage in scholarly activities that contribute to the institution’s QA goals.
    • Prepare course file according to CAA standards
  8. Administrative and Support Staff:
    • Library Staff:
      • Ensure the quality and accessibility of library resources and services.
      • Create and implement improvement plan based on feedback from students satisfaction surveys
    • IT Staff:
      • Maintain and enhance the technological infrastructure supporting QA processes.
      • Ensure data security and integrity in the QA data management systems.
    • Student Affairs Staff:
      • Provide support services that meet QA standards and enhance student satisfaction.