Introduction:
The faculty of commerce was selected by the National Committee of QAA in Egypt as one of the six pilot faculties that represent three different governmental universities at the national level (Cairo, Assiut, and Menoufia universities) to conduct the pilot self-study and establish an internal system for quality management (ISQM). The faculty submitted its self-study to the National Committee of QAA in December 2003. The key objectives of the faculty self-study can be summarized as follows:
The faculty self-study was undertaken through three key stages:
Description, diagnosis, and documentation of the current state.
Detection of the strengths and weaknesses.
Design an action plan with the main areas and suggestions for improvements, implementation mechanisms, and schedule.
Performance evaluation indicators.
A workshop for 10 days was held in the beginning of 2004 to discuss the pilot self-studies of the six faculties at the national level. This workshop was administered by the National Committee of QAA with the presence of two experts from the QAAA in the UK, and the PIs of these pilot self-studies. The outcomes of this workshop were as follows:
The six pilot self-studies are considered as a good work for assessment, but they do not include enough information about course and program specifications and improvements.
Each faculty should establish an internal system for quality management with special emphasis on courses and programs as a key step for demanding accreditation.
Each faculty should prepare course and program specifications, course and program reports, and a faculty annual report. The later report should include the faculty mission and strategic objectives, management structure, teaching staff, education programs, postgraduate and research, resources, and societal activities.
Accordingly, In August 2004 the faculty started its ISQM project by designing a plan for the project implementation. In November 2004, the faculty received a group of the peer reviewers representing both the National Committee of QAA, and the British QAAA. In their site visit of the faculty location and facilities, the peer reviewers attended a seminar with the faculty staff, supporting teaching staff, administrative staff, and a sample of the students at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. The peer reviewers also visited some of the teaching classrooms in both the Arabic and English paths, and conducted short conversations with both the lecturers and students.
The present report can be seen as the first annual report on the establishment of the faculty ISQM supported by the National Committee of QAA, and includes the plan and methods used in establishing the faculty ISQM, description of the current state of the ISQM elements, suggested development plans, implementation priorities and schedules, implementation responsibilities, evaluation performance indicators, and levels of achievement.
1. The Internal System for Quality Management in the Higher
Education Institutions: Concept and Objectives.
The Egyptian government makes every effort to develop the higher education system in order to (a) improve the quality of the educational service delivered by the higher education institutions according to the international standards, (b) improve the competitive abilities and positions of these institutions at both the national and international levels by providing the labor markets with excellent graduates in terms of their knowledge, skills, and professionalism, and (c) meet the needs and requirements of the comprehensive development plans in Egypt. In order to accomplish these goals, the Ministry of the Higher Education encourages and supports the governmental universities and their faculties and institutions to establish their internal systems for quality management, as well as to design and implement their strategies, policies, and plans for quality assurance and accreditation. The ISQA of the faculty of commerce can be seen as one of the outputs of the university strategy for quality assurance.
The ISQA refers to the system that can be implemented by a higher education institution to improve the quality of its educational programs, and this in turn will improve the quality of its outputs according to the national and international reference standards. This system can be used to assess the performance, detect the problems, identify the areas for development, suggest the possible improvements, and reorder priorities according to the actual and future needs, and update the policies and plans of quality improvement.
2. Dimensions, Methods, and Stages
of the Faculty ISQM Project:
2.1 Stages of the Faculty ISQM Project:
The faculty ISQM is based on three distinct dimensions as follows:
Dimension 1: The overall structure of the ISQM plan ( see Annex 1).
Dimension 2: Description of the current state of the ISQM elements.
Dimension 3: The action plans for the ISQM elements, including: areas of
and methods, timing, implementation responsibilities, performance
evaluation indicators, and achievement levels.
2.2 Elements of the Faculty ISQM:
The key elements of the faculty ISQM are as follows:
Faculty mission, purposes, and strategic objectives.
Management structure and techniques.
Academic staff.
Educational programs.
Quality of learning opportunities.
Quality management.
Research and other scientific activities.
Community services.
2.3 Methods and Activities of the Faculty ISQM:
Building awareness of the ISQM in terms of its nature, objectives, importance, and requirements for success.
Identification of the tasks and activities of each element of the faculty ISQM.
Preparation, discussion, and endorsement of the ISQM plan.
Building awareness among the scientific departments of the ISQM and its related elements and activities.
Establishing the supreme committee of the faculty ISQM project.
Building the work teams of the ISQM project.
Identification of the work teams assignments and responsibilities.
Identification of the required secondary and primary data, and their related sources for the ISQM project.
Identification of the primary data collection methods.
Reviewing the academic standards related to the quality management systems applied by the academic and professional institutions inside and outside Egypt.
Deciding on the number and types of the workshops and seminars required for the various stages of establishing the faculty SQMI.
Description of the current state of each element of the faculty ISQM.
Designing the required forms for the needed information of establishing the faculty ISQM.
Designing the required operational forms for the development plans of the faculty courses and programs, and the other elements of the faculty ISQM.
Designing the required matrices of the intended knowledge and skills of the faculty courses and programs.
Designing the action plans for the ISQM elements, including: areas of development, suggestions for development, implementation priorities and methods, timing, implementation responsibilities, performance evaluation indicators, and achievement levels.
Identification of the achievements according to the development action plans, including: development suggestions that have been accomplished at their fixed time and others that are currently accomplished or have not been accomplished yet with specific justifications.
Making the required endorsement of achieved elements of the faculty ISQM by both the faculty and university councils.
Dissemination the ISQM through the available methods inside and outside the faculty.
Deciding on the size and contents of the faculty ISQM report.
Writing the first annual report of the faculty ISQM, and its related annexes in both Arabic and English.
2.4 Key Stages of the Establishment of the Faculty ISQM:
Great efforts have been made the faculty academic administration, supporting teaching staff, and administrative staff to establish the ISQM in this faculty. The faculty ISQM was established and implemented through nine key stages as described below.
Stage 1: Building Awareness of the Faculty ISQM Project ( 1 - 30/8/2004):
Two workshops were undertaken to promote the ISQM project and build awareness of the nature, objectives, and benefits of establishing the faculty ISQM. Participants in these workshops were the faculty vice-deans, heads of the scientific departments, and the project work team. These two workshops were chaired by the dean of the faculty ( PI of the project). A further workshop was conducted with the participation of the former members to explain and discuss the following:
The suggested plan of the faculty ISQM project that has been submitted to the National Committee of QAA in July 2004.
The guidelines of the establishment of the ISQM provided by the National Committee of QAA.
The various items included in the forms of both course and program specifications and reports, as well as the faculty final report.
The work team of the project with a full description of the duties and responsibilities of each member of this team.
Main criteria on which the required forms of the course and programs should be completed with the needed instructions.
Stage 2: Preparation for the Implementation of the Faculty ISQM
(1– 15/9/2004):
Two workshops were undertaken to discuss the mechanisms, tools, and responsibilities required for implementing the ISQM project. The outputs of this stage involved the following:
Formulating the responsible teams for each dimensions included in the ISQM project.
Preparing and printing the required forms of course reports and specifications that should be filled in by the teaching staff members and approved by the related department councils.
Preparing a checklist for the completion of the required forms ( course and program reports and specifications).
Designing a schedule for the completion and submission of the required forms with the approval of the scientific department councils.
Stage 3: Course/ Program Reports and Specifications ( 15/9- 30/10/2004):
At this stage all scientific departments were engaged in the preparation of their course and program reports and specifications. Course reports were excluded to the first semester 2004/2005.Four workshops were conducted with the supervision of the director of the faculty PED unit to help the scientific departments in the completion of the required forms of course and program reports and specifications. The outputs of the third stage can be summarized as follows:
a) Dept. of Business Administration:
9 course reports and 18 specifications were completed.
One program report and one program specification were completed.
Dept. of Accounting:
13 course reports and 18 specifications were completed.
One program report and one program specification were completed.
Dept. of Economics and Public Finance:
5 course reports and 18 specifications were completed.
One program report and one program specification were completed.
Dept. of Mathematics, Insurance, and Statistics:
7 course reports and 18 specifications were completed.
One program report and one program specification were completed.
In addition, all the drafts of the completed forms provided by the above mentioned departments were reviewed by the project team and discussed with the head of each department.
Stage 4: Initial Endorsement of the Course/ Program Specifications
(1 – 30/11/2004):
Two workshops were undertaken at this stage in order to discuss the final version of the completed forms of the course and program specifications. Some modifications to the draft of the completed forms were made by the related departments according to criteria and instructions provided before. At this stage a group of peer reviewers representing the National Committee of QAA and the QAAA in the UK visited the faculty and conducted a number of meeting with the faculty staff, administrative staff, and some students. The outputs of this stage included the following:
Preparation of a checklist to be used in the final review of the completed forms of the course and program specifications.
A time table for the ultimate submission of the completed forms of the course and program specifications.
Collection of the final version of the completed forms of the course and program specifications.
A short report about the progress made with respect to the faculty ISQM was submitted to the peer reviewers.
Stage 5: Design the Development Action Plan of the Education Process
( 1-30/12/2004):
Six workshops were conducted by the head of the project team and the participation of the scientific departments' representatives to prepare and design an action plan for developing and improving the education process in this faculty based of the specifications of the courses and programs provided. The outputs of this stage involved the following:
Designing a form for the development action plan of the faculty courses provided to the undergraduate students in the first semester. This form includes the following sections:
Areas of improvements according to the items indicted in the course specification form.
Items of course improvement.
Contents of course improvement.
Schedule of the implementation of course improvements.
Requirements of course improvements.
Remarks related to each item of course improvement.
Collecting the suggested improvements to the courses delivered by each scientific department as indicated in the course specification forms, and tabulating them in the action plan form for improving the education process as a whole.
Designing a matrix for the intended knowledge and skills from each course. This matrix includes:
Course contents.
The intended knowledge and skills from the course to be provided to the students during the first semester.
Weekly schedule for providing the intended knowledge and skills to the students in accordance with the course contents.
Providing each head of the scientific department with the matrix forms of the intended knowledge and skills to be completed for each course.
Designing the faculty mission, purposes, and strategic objectives.
Describing and improving the faculty administration structure and style.
Describing and developing the faculty academic staff.
Stage 6: Implementation Tools of the Development
Action Plan ( 1 – 15/1/2005):
At this stage three workshops were conducted by the executive project team to identify the needed technical forms to put the suggested action plan into effect. Moreover, a further workshop was undertaken by the top committee of the project to discuss the faculty mission, purposes, and strategic objectives. The outputs of this stage included the following:
Operational forms for course development.
Operational forms for program development.
Stage 7: Specific Actions for the Implementation of the Faculty ISQM
(15-30/1/2005):
Formulating the faculty mission and purposes.
Endorsement of the faculty mission and purposes by both the faculty council and the university council.
Dissemination of the faculty mission, purposes, and strategic objectives by using different methods.
All teaching halls and classes have become equipped by modern and effective teaching facilities, such as white boards, overhead projectors, and sound systems. Some of the teaching halls and classes are also provided by data show devices.
In the beginning of this semester all academic staff introduced their courses to their students in the first lecture in terms of course contents, objectives, knowledge and skills, and the required textbooks.
Only the international textbooks are used in teaching all courses for the undergraduate students in the English section.
A web site for the faculty was is now available and used for providing all information about the faculty, its services, and news letter ( www. Menofia.edu.eg followed by faculties).
A constructive form for collecting feedback data from the public and business organizations that offered training opportunities to out students in the last summer.
Improving the criteria of publication in the faculty Journal according to the international journal standards.
Stage 8: Completion all ISQM Forms and Preparation of the Faculty
Annual Report ( 1-28/2/2005):
At this stage a number of tasks have been accomplished, as follows:
Building awareness and seeking support of the achievements made regarding the faculty ISQA project. This task has done through a meeting with all academic staff, and teaching assistants, as well as the administrative leaders.
Explanation and interpretation of all the operational forms required for the implementation of development action plan. This task was attained through a workshop with the faculty academic administration, heads of scientific departments, top committee members, and the project work team.
Completion of the action plan forms with regard to the education process, especially timing and requirements for implementing the items included in the action plan.
Completion of the knowledge and skills matrix that have bee designed for each course.
Filling in all the operational forms needed for implementing the action plan of the education process development.
Setting a time table for implementing the development suggestions stated in the action plan, knowledge and skills matrix, and course and program technical forms.
Completion of the other elements of the faculty annual report by the assigned work teams.
Completion of the other elements of the faculty annual report by the assigned work teams.
Preparing the faculty for the second site visit by the peer reviewers in May 2005.
Stage 9: Reviewing, Printing, and Documenting The Final Outputs of the
Faculty ISQM Project (1-30/3/2005):
At the last stage collective and consistent efforts were made to review, print, and approve all the outputs of the faculty ISQM project to be ready to the submission to the National Committee of QAA. The outputs of the project can be summarized as follows:
The first faculty annual report.
Volume 1: Course reports for the first semester 2004/2005, and program reports.