quality assurance model : Higher Education

Introduction

"What is important in knowledge is not quantity, but quality. It is important to know what is significant, what is less so, and what is trivial. -Leo Tolstoy

By 2025, the projected global demand for higher education could reach 263 million students, which is an increase from a little less than 100 million students in 2000 (Karaim, 2011, p. 551). This could represent an increase of 163 million students in 25 years (Karaim, 2011). As the demand for quality education increases, there is a growing demand for quality assurance (QA) for international universities where there is increased mobility of students, faculty, programs, and higher education institutions in global networks (Hou, 2012; Varonism, 2014). Quality assurance can be a driver for institutions to achieve excellence in higher education. However, ensuring that the quality of educational programs meets local and international standards simultaneously has become a great challenge in many countries (OECD & World Bank, 2007). Hence, a need emerges for cooperation of quality assurance agencies and acceptance of quality assurance

In order to address this emerging need, a common framework for a quality assurance model would provide consistent assessment of learning design, content, and pedagogy (Puzziferro & Shelton, 2008). As shown in Figure 1, a conceptual model of quality assurance (QA) in higher education comprises several areas. As such, the aim of this paper is to examine the literature surrounding quality assurance in global higher education. It provides an overview of accreditation as a mechanism to ensure quality in higher education, examines models of QA, and explores the concept of quality (including definitions of quality and quality assurance). In addition, this paper provides a review of research on the effectiveness of quality assurance practices, with a particular focus on student involvement with quality assurance.

The Concept of Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Internationalization in higher education has resulted in "a growing demand for accountability and transparency . . . [which has] in turn led to a need to develop a quality culture, while addressing the challenges of globalized higher education" (Smidt, 2015, p. 626). In a practical sense, quality assurance reviews provide external, third party, independent, objective insights. Such reviews offer observations about partner institutions, products, programs, services, and processes, and they provide recommendations for improvement. Nonetheless, "the perception of quality assurance is very multi-dimensional and contextual and a gap exists in the view between professionals in quality assurance and academic staffand students" (Smidt, 2015, p. 626). Several key dimensions of quality in higher education include excellence, value, consistency, and meeting needs and expectations; yet no one quality assurance framework can address all aspects of quality, so choices are made about what kinds of quality are assessed (Harvey, 2014; Wilger, 1997).

A common framework for a quality assurance model would provide consistent assessment of learning design, content, and pedagogy (Puzziferro & Shelton, 2008). However, there are many disparate ways to characterize quality in education. According to Barnett (1992), there are two conceptions of quality in higher education. The first is tacit conceptions of value and intellectual property in academia. It is the character and quality of the contributions of higher education's members that are at issue rather than any outcomes. The other conception of quality is the performance conception, in which higher education is seen as a product with inputs and outputs. In this view, the quality of higher education is measured in terms of performance as captured in performance indicators. Another conception of quality in higher education is of faculty-student interaction (Lundberg & Schreiner, 2004; Vincent, 1987).

The literature contains many different definitions of quality assurance in higher education. …

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The quality assurance (QA) in higher education has a major role to play in signaling excellence and to improve the institution aspect. This paper is to investigate the Arab Open University (AOU) commitment to the QA system. The AOU is the first university which offers the open learning system in the Arab countries. It consists of seven branches distributed in the Arab world, with headquarter in Kuwait. Quality assurance in AOU covers areas such as curriculum content and design; course materials; teaching; learning and delivery channels. This study tries to answer a number of questions regarding the processes AOU follows to insure QA: To what extent does AOU satisfies the QA standards for the open learning; is there a significant difference related to programmes and gender in assessing the quality of tutoring; learning resources and the quality of the courses. The study shows that the quality assurance objectives at AOU-Jordan have been met through the umbrella of the Open University Validation Services (OUVS) of the United Kingdom and the Ministry requirements of the Higher Education in Jordan, Further analysis has been accomplished and finally some suggestions for quality improvements have been introduced. The study reveals a high commitment to QA. Descriptive and statistical analyses show that AOU satisfies most of the QA standards for the open learning

Keywords: quality assurance, open learning, higher education, AOU, OUVS

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INTRODUCTION

The issue of quality assurance (QA) in higher education has received growing interest from researchers over the past two decades. Given the unique position of higher education in the Knowledge Based Society, QA has a major role to play in signaling excellence. Quality assurance can be defined as "a planned and systematic review process of an institution or program to determine that acceptable standards of education, scholarship, and infrastructure are being maintained and enhanced" (Sorin and Shinji , 2009). In other words, Quality Assurance (QA) is a process that aims to set quality standards for any institute such as a university with its learning system. The QA is also interested in how to improve the institution in all aspects (Alan, 1997).

Countries understand More than ever that it is important to build a national commitment to QA in higher education According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) "a strong quality culture in tertiary education institutions-shared by the academic leadership, staff and students- helps to reinforce the QA system" (O'reagain and Keegan, 2000, P. 9).

QA studies have recently become very important for higher education world wide. Many countries have applied the QA to their universities. The QA has been applied to universities in a number of ways (Alan, (1997), for example the university wants to ensure that the standard of education that have been offered meet at least the general standards. The results of researches present in the specialized literature emphasize that the evaluation of both e-services and traditional services is based on the customers' individual experiences (Balog, A., Ivan, I., 2006). There are many issues related to QA. The first one is that there is no explicit meaning of quality and its assurance (Mishra, 2007). The other one is the heritage of traditional education which is based on face-to-face tutoring and the assumption that this kind of education is the quality teaching. Another one is related to distinguishing among quality processes like framework, benchmarking, quality assurance and quality improvement (Inglis, 2005).

Quality Assurance is a process oriented to guaranteeing that the organization services and practice are carried out against some predetermined standard. Quality assurance makes no assumptions about the quality of competing organizations (O'reagain and Keegan, 2000). It can be said that QA is standardized process, but in practice, however, quality assurance standards would be expected to reflect norms for the relevant industry (O'reagain and Keegan, 2000). …

Quality Assurance analyse Professional

Higher education in the 1990s is characterised by a pre-occupation with quality assurance. This book provides an examination of what that means for one academic specialism, continuing professional education (CPE). Based on research conducted in and around UK universities, the book explores the range of existing practice in CPE, and develops a broadly based strategy for practical action. It is argued that a framework for quality should evolve from an awareness of the complex character of CPE as a distinct subject area - solutions cannot simply be brought in, but must be developed in relation to setting.

Excerpt

Both quality assurance (QA) and continuing professional education (CPE) have a high profile in contemporary UK universities. One is not reliant on the other, each has an impact in its own right. But it is the integration of the two that is the concern of this book. The following analysis—of QA in CPE—addresses issues raised by this fusion; it is also directed towards the identification of a framework within which practical strategies can emerge.

Such a project is in many ways a challenging one. For, to date, there has been a tendency to conceptualise both of these elements in limited and restrictive terms: QA as a matter of organisation; CPE as technical updating. Frequently both have been treated as isolated phenomena, devoid of context. In considering the interaction of these two strands, the appropriateness of such a foundation will be questioned.

The book draws heavily on my own research into quality in CPE, carried out during the early 1990s. In keeping with the need to open up discussion—to move beyond limits implied by the restrictive interpretations of the main concepts—the research was approached from a number of angles: the contextual (a review of the complexities of working towards quality in various settings); the analytical (a detailed critique of a favoured system frequently discussed at the level of generality); and the empirical (qualitative and quantitative analyses of the key figures of CPE in and around UK universities). Considered separately, each offers insight into aspects of the current trend towards quality assurance; taken together they can help to shape the direction and composition of future action.

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Abstract

Quality assurance in higher education remains to be one of the most prominent fields of research at the present. In the Saudi Arabian higher education institutions (HEIs), quality assurance is a relatively new concept and Saudi universities seem not to effectively implement quality assurance caused by the certain obstacles. As such, there are two objectives to be addressed; first, to explore the current quality assurance mechanisms. Second, to identify factors that enhances or hinder the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance system in Saudi Arabian HEIs. A case study involving Prince Sultan University was used to examine these questions. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with both meso and micro levels, as well as document analysis and observation. A grounded theory approach based on that advocated by Strauss and Corbin was taken to analysis the data. The findings of this study support the perceived use of many different standards based evaluative processes, which provide feedback from the various stakeholder perspectives. The findings also demonstrate perceived supportive factors of the commitment/support of leadership and management, awareness and orientation of employees/faculty. In addition, the findings also report that/faculty resistance and infrastructure limitations focused on financial and human capital constraints were perceived as inhibitive factors to QA.

Keywords: NCAAA, PSU, quality assurance mechanism, factors influencing, the quality assurance implementation

quality control vs quality assurance

quality  control vs quality assurance

Ihrenhe calls the quality control vs quality assurance are not associated . There is a clear difference between the two in significance and purpose . While top quality assurance is designed to prevent issues , qc finds issues that occur. Each requires different skills, and individual divisions in an company are accountable for every aspect of top quality assurance . Worldwide recognized requirements for both techniques within the Worldwide Organization for Standardization ( control ISO 9001:2008 ) .

Quality control represents the methodical approach to process improvement work . Quality control contains components , services and workers themselves examination to determine if they fulfill a set of requirements . Any less is fixed to fulfill the requirements or refused. Efficiency assessments are a typical element of top quality control , in which managers evaluate worker performance . Workers who do not fulfill certain requirements to be trained to fulfill the factors or their employment with the organization ends.

The quality assurance  contains activities, techniques and methods that supervisors and supervisors apply to ensure that they perfectly style a path as described in a style. quality assurance guarantees that the venture remains on focus on through different stages of development. quality assurance also contains ensuring conformity with minimum requirements of materials and craftsmanship , and the road or road is built with safety methods and efficient actions .

Food Fanatic ( quality control vs quality assurance )

1.Food Business Basics

Foreword

1. The  food  business  is  not  just  about  good  tasting  food  and  its

   preparation  processes. quality control vs quality assurance,  The  food

   business  is  actually  much  more

   complex  and  can  be  rather  confusing  and  frustrating  if  the  right

   choices  are  not  made  early  from  the  business  angle  of  the  exercise.

   quality control vs quality assurance,

   Therefore in order to avoid such possibilities the individual interested

   n dabbling in the food business should first be aware of some of the

   basic elements it entails. Get all the info you need here.

   quality control vs quality assurance

     Food Fanatic 

    Turning Your Love For Cooking Into A Money Maker

   Synopsis

   quality control vs quality assurance

   ex:

   The  following  are  some  of  the  factors  that  needs  to  be  seriously

   considered,  and  none  of  these  include  the  ability  to  cook  great  food,

   which  is  the  least  on  the  long  list  of  requirement  this  business  style

   insist upon:

    The Basics

   
   When  this  business  style  is  mentioned  it  is  common  for  everyone  to
   associate  the  actual  process  with  a  restaurant  or  bistro  of  sorts.

   quality control vs quality assurance definition

   However  this  is  only  a  very  small  part  to  the  bigger  picture  that  the
   food industry paints. 

   quality control vs quality assurance

   However  either  way  the  premise  where  the  business  is  to  be
   conducted had to be legally appraised and approved before any other
   steps are taken towards launching the food business.

   
   All the legal documentations also have to be in order with the relevant
   licenses and permits applied for and approved. Whether the business
   is a small home grown one or a large cooperation, both styles require
   the proper and legal approval before it can be considered a safe entity.
   Being sure of the niche market the business intends to cater to is also
   another consideration that should get some serious thought.  

   
   Identifying the niche market is important as this will eventually have
   some  bearing  on  the  success  rate  of  the  business.  There  is  no  point
   opening a particular style at a location that is not suitable to that style
   mainly because of the lack of demand. 

   difference between quality assurance and quality control in software testing

   Considering  other  elements  such as  the  lifespan  of  the  food involved
   in  the  business  endeavor  and  the  necessary  tools  to  keep  the  food
   product at its freshest should also be explored extensively.

   2.Marketing And Quality Control

   Synopsis

   
   These  two  factors  play  an  important  role  is  getting  the  business  the
   recognition it needs to survive and be a success and also to create the
   intended  revenue  earning  possibilities  desired  by  the  set  up  of  the
   business.  

    Research

    During the planning stage of the food business, some thought should
   be  given  to  the  type,  size  and  frequency  of  the  marketing  campaign
   chosen for the job of creating market awareness."quality control"
   
   The  marketing  style  chosen  should  be  suitable  and  cost  effective  so
   that it fits into the  budget allotted within the overall costing exercise
   of the business.
   
   The  marketing  campaign  does  not  have  to  be  lavish  nor  huge  but  if
   the  correct  tools  are  used  the  campaign  can  be  successful  and  cost
   effective.  

     The  important  element  to  ensure  is  that  the  general  public  and  the
   targeted  audience  are  effectively  reached  through  the  marketing
   campaign the chosen.
   
   Exploring tools online that are considerably cheaper in comparison to
   the  more  conventional  style  of  marketing  a  product,  can  bring
   phenomenal success in creating visibility for the product and this can
   be done without the constraints of cost, demographics, and any other
   limiting elements."quality assurance"

    quality  control  is  another  important  factor  to  ensure  is  always
   consistent and at the very best it can be.  

   
   There are a lot of businesses that set out with the best products purely
   because  of  the  quality  control  stringently  in  place,  sadly  however
   when  the  said  company  gains  a  strong  footing  of  the  market  share
   available, quality control is no longer a top priority.
   
   This becomes very obvious when the company starts to “cut corners”
   and  less  than  optimum  standards  are  applied  to  product  the  food
   items. 

   it's quality control vs quality assurance

        Wrapping Up

   
   Most  customers  today  seem  to  have  this  very  popular  complaint
   about  products  they  were  loyal  to,  thus  maintaining  the  quality
   control is the only way to ensure the loyal customers don’t look
   elsewhere  when  their  original  satisfactions  has  been  catered  to.  So  it
   is  very  important  to  treat  your  customers  well  and  have  a  good
   product. 

   
   
   
        

   
    

Quality control vs Quality assurance

Quality control vs  Quality assurance

Quality control

 internal control describes a product-based approach instead of a method. in a very product life cycle, it comes once the merchandise is created and before it's delivered to customers. the standard management department checks that things adjust to specific standards. If changes area unit necessary, the standard management personnel state what's required. Compared with quality assurance, internal control is reactive, or corrective, in this it exists to spot defects and proper them. internal control is typically devised and supervised by engineers and inspectors, significantly in a very producing surroundings.

  Quality Assurance

    Quality assurance describes a method. The role of a top quality assurance department is to plan procedures and systems unitedly with different departments that guarantee all deliverables area unit perpetually of fine quality. The deliverables could also be factory-produced merchandise or a service; as an example, quality assurance plays a very important role in health services. Following the standard assurance method ought to guarantee that merchandise and services area unit perfect, and scale back management and worker time spent work complaints and reorganizing systems. Quality assurance is proactive in this it aims to stop defects or issues from occurring. Management and third-party auditors area unit sometimes chargeable for establishing quality assurance standards, relevant documentation and audits of internal processes.

Quality control vs  Quality assurance definition

Difference Between Quality Assurance vs Quality Control

1.QA is process oriented while QC is product oriented.

 QA deals in developing processes and systems that aling with QMS.

 QC on the other hand deals with monitoring products.

 For example, a QA engineer would develop a quality plan based on customer  requirements and the QC engineer would monitor and ensure that all requirements of the  quality plan are met by the product during manufacturing.

 A QA engineer may be involved in developing packagung & shipping requirement or be  involved in providing quality specifications to purchasing. The QC engineer would only be  focussed on making sure product meets the requirements of quality plan as set by QA.

2.QC is a part of QA, it's mean QA is wider that QC.
 QC only check and make sure for today purpose only, but QA must ensure for future (after  sales service, customer communication, etc).

3.quality assuarance is process oriented and it refers to all the planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system that can be demonstrated to provide confidence that a product will fulfill requirements for quality while quality control is product oriented and is the operational tecnics and activities used to fulfill requirements for quality

4.hello

you are asking a QA Engineer can be a better person than the QC engineer in view of quality is concerned ?

yes my bro

its all depends on you that how much you have knowledge of your field and how u are utilizing your skills.

QA having more broader scope than QC.

Qc is a last process of QA.

QA is overall development and management process whlie QC is checking at the end of some development process.

hence if you choose QA as your carrier than u will be a good engineer  

5.QA is more important that QC because QA ensures that the processes required to implement the QC are set and contolled in a way that QC is done in a way that is aligned with the high level requirements and policy of the business and organization. I can say that the QA person is more business oriented and the QC person is more technical and engineering oriented who can easily be deviated from the main purpose of the work required if the QA is not doing his work properly

6.Me i will not want to agree with the fact that QA is better that QC or QC is better than QA because the contribution of both of them in a project or quality management system will eventually produce a products or deliverables that will meet customer satisfaction. It is only that one comes after the other. May be i should use this medium to differeciate between the two. By definition, quality assurance is the process of verifying or determining whether product or services meet or exceed customer satisfaction. It has five cycles and they are 'Plan, do, check and act'. Quality assurance team plans on how to produce a product or service that will meet a customer satisfaction at the end of the day. After planning, execution takes place and deliverables are checked for conformity or variance. Any abnormality is then acted upon by the team for correction. Quality control on the other hand is a process employed to ensure a certain level of quality in a product or service. The goal of a quality control team is to identify products or services that do not meet a company’s specified standards of quality. If a problem is identified, the job of a quality control team or professional may involve stopping production or implementation temporarily. Depending on the particular service or product, as well as the type of problem identified, production or implementation may not cease entirely. Simply put, quality assurance ensures a product or service is manufactured, implemented, created, or produced in the right way; while quality control evaluates whether or not the end result is satisfactory

7.Quality Control is a system of routine technical activites, 

to measure and control the quality of the inventory as it 
is being developed.

Quality Control includes general methods such as accuracy 
checks on data acquisition and calculation and the use of 
approved standardised procedure for emission calculations, 
measurements, estimating uncertainites, archiving 
informations and reporting.

Quality Assurance: Includes a planned system of review 
procedures conducted by personal not directly involved in 
the development process preferably by third parties should 
be performed upon the finalized inventory after the 
implementation of QC Process.

8.Quality Control refers to quality related activities associated with the creation of project deliverables. Quality control is used to verify that deliverables are of acceptable quality and that they are complete and correct. Examples of quality control activities include deliverable peer reviews and the testing process.

Quality Assurance refers to the process used to create the deliverables, and can be performed by a manager, client, or even a third-party reviewer. Examples of quality assurance include process checklists and project audits. If your project gets audited, for instance, an auditor might not be able to tell if the content of a specific deliverable is acceptable (quality control). However, the auditor should be able to tell if the deliverable seems acceptable based on the process used to create it (quality assurance). That's why project auditors can perform a quality assurance review on your project, even if they do not know the specifics of what you are delivering.

9.

Quality Assurance deals with proactive plan and techniques with regard to process and hence gives confidence about the product quality.

Quality control iis a post opeartion activity and decides what is ok and what is not.

Quality assurance is the set of activities to be followed to ensure the quality.
While Quality control is a set of activities to evaluate the product.

QA has to do with ensuring that the right process or step is followed.That is doing the right thing by the people.This is building quality in the process,product and people while QC is all about seeing if the right thing is done.
QA: It is set of procedures intended to ensure that product/service under development meets specified requirements.
QC: It is a set of actvities focus on finding defects in specific deliverables,in order to ensure the product/software meets the quality criteria and requirements of the client.

10.The difference between QA vs QC

• The US EPA differentiates between QC and QA in the

following way:

** QC is a `system of activities to provide a quality

product ' and QA is a `system of activities to provide

assurance that the QC system is performing adequately.

In other words, QA is QC for QC'.**

• QC ensure that the analytical system is 'in control '(i.e.

operating within specified limits).

• QA ensure that the quality control procedures or system is in working correctly.

I think:

QA is process related and QC is the actual testing of the software
QA focuses on building in quality....and hence preventing defects.
QC focuses on testing for quality...and hence detecting defects

Quality Assurance makes sure you are doing the right things, the right way.
Quality Control makes sure the results of what you've done are what you expected

While quality control should be done by a limited number of people, everyone working in the plant should be part of a quality assurance program.

The five QA/QC elements

QA programs generally address five QA/QC

elements, namely:

1. Accuracy -the degree of agreement of a

measurement with an accepted reference or

true value.

2. Precision - a measure of the mutual agreement

among individual measurements of the

property, usually under prescribed similar

conditions.

The five QA/QC elements

QA programs generally address five QA/QC

elements, namely:

1. Accuracy -the degree of agreement of a

measurement with an accepted reference or

true value.

2. Precision - a measure of the mutual agreement

among individual measurements of the

property, usually under prescribed similar

conditions.

3. Completeness - a measure of the amount of

valid data obtained from a measurement

system compared to the amount that was

expected to be obtained under correct normal

conditions.

4. Representativeness -the degree to which data

accurately and precisely represent a

characteristic of a population or parameter

variations at a sampling point, a process

condition, or an environmental condition.

5. Comparability -the confidence with which one

data set may be compared to another.

Production of long-life low acid products especially, involves high risks and potential failure. This demands a highly efficient performance at each “operation unit” stage.

Operational procedures must be documented and skilfully supervised.

Control of the production process is much more effective and much more important than the control of the final product. Suitable means of assuring the production of safe and wholesome products of adequate quality should be introduced in every task of operation.

This is the intent of quality assurance: To prevent any deviation from the stated quality specifications and to integrate specifications

In without quality control procedures in place,

laboratories cannot hope to remain in-control, and

without quality assurance procedures in place,

they cannot ensure that they are in-control.

• Also, without formal reporting of the QA/QC

results, laboratories cannot demonstrate to data

users that they are producing high quality

analytical data. It is therefore very important that

Quality Assurance Programs adopt QA/QC

reporting as a regular laboratory function.

11.Difference between quality assurance , quality control vs sixsigma

1. Quality assurance is implementedduring process of design,development,validation,product realisation areas .

2. Quality control is implemented during process of inspection,confirmancies,audits,improvements areas .

3. Six sigma is a quality measure on a six point scale of quality achivement in the due  process of quality assurance,implementation and control

All are the tools to achieve the quality objective losses and achive the required quality standards and reduce loss of manpower,materials,process time , and to achive a defectless process quality 

12.QA ensures that all processes required to implement QC are controlled.QA is a component of QC and QC involves all phases of QSM. QC also checks whether a product meets all produts requirements and specification.QA is an oriented [process and loooksat the process of producing a product.

difference between quality assurance and quality control in software testing

Many people and organizations are confused about the difference between quality assurance (QA), quality control (QC), and testing. They are closely related, but they are different concepts. Since all three are necessary to effectively manage the risks of developing and maintaining software, it is important for software managers to understand the differences. They are defined below: 
* Quality Assurance: A set of activities designed to ensure that the development and/or maintenance process is adequate to ensure a system will meet its objectives. 
* Quality Control: A set of activities designed to evaluate a developed work product. 
* Testing: The process of executing a system with the intent of finding defects. (Note that the "process of executing a system" includes test planning prior to the execution of the test cases.) 
QA activities ensure that the process is defined and appropriate. Methodology and standards development are examples of QA activities. A QA review would focus on the process elements of a project - e.g., are requirements being defined at the proper level of detail. In contrast, QC activities focus on finding defects in specific deliverables - e.g., are the defined requirements the right requirements. Testing is one example of a QC activity, but there are others such as inspections. Both QA and QC activities are generally required for successful software development. 
Controversy can arise around who should be responsible for QA and QC activities -- i.e., whether a group external to the project management structure should have responsibility for either QA or QC. The correct answer will vary depending on the situation, but Mosaic's experience suggests that: 
* While line management should have the primary responsibility for implementing the appropriate QA, QC and testing activities on a project, an external QA function can provide valuable expertise and perspective. 
* The amount of external QA/QC should be a function of the project risk and the process maturity of an organization. As organizations mature, management and staff will implement the proper QA and QC approaches as a matter of habit. When this happens only minimal external guidance and review are needed.
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