SUR  UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Quality Assurance in Academic Program

November 25, 2008

Outline of the Workshop                                                 

•         Presentation (30 minutes)

•         Team/Group: to Drive ILOs of a Course

               2 groups (2 -3 each) from BA Dept.

               2 groups (2 – 3 each) from IST Dept.

               2 groups (3 -4 each) from English program

               1 group (Math and Computer Skills)

Phases of a QA process

1- Program Specification

2- Self Evaluation

3- Review Visit or External Evaluation

Outline

PHASE I: Program Specification (PS): 

1. The mission of the University/ College.

2. The aims of the program.

3. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

                        3.1 Knowledge and understanding skills.

                        3.2 Cognitive and intellectual skills.

                        3.3 Practical and application skills.

                        3.4 Transferable skills.

4. Curriculum

5. Students.

6. Staff.

7. Teaching / Learning and Assessment Methods.

8. Resources

PHASE II: Self and Evaluation Documents (SED) 

•         Introduction, Provision, Aims

–        Introduction

–        Provision

–        Mission of the University/ College

–        Aims of the program

•         Academic Standards:

–        Intended Learning outcomes (ILOs_

–        Curriculum

–        Assessment

–        Students Achievement

•         Quality of Learning Opportunities: Teaching/Learning and Assessment Methods, Students Progression, Learning Resources.

•         Quality Assurance and Enhancement: Committees, Students Feedback, Staff Feedback, Employer’ View, Examiner reports       , Review

Why Program Specifications (PS) 

1. To provide core factual information about the program, allowing the SED to provide reflect analysis of the provision and its development

2. Should help students to understand what is expected of them.

3. Help reviewers to understand the ILOs and the assessment methods for the program under review

Who Set PS and What in It?

•         Teaching team sets out clearly and concisely:

–        The ILOs

–        The teaching and learning methods that enable learners to achieve these outcomes and assessment methods used to demonstrate their achievement

–        The relation of the program and its study to element to the mission and the aims

Components of PS

•         Mission of the university

•         The Program Aims.

•         Intended Learning Outcomes in terms of:

–        Knowledge and Understanding Skills

–        Cognitive and Intellectual Skills

–        Specific and Applications Skills

–        Transferable Skills

–        Teaching, Learning, and Assessment strategies to achieve ILOs

•         Program structures, requirements, levels, award.

Classification of Skills

•         Cognitive: Understanding, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation.

•         Psychomotor: Read, Write, Speak, Listen, Swim, Play, Drive, service,… .

•         Affective: feel, sense, love, respect, … .

Categories of ILOs

•         A: Knowledge and Understanding of: (know, define, identify, understand, ….)

–        Essential facts

–        concepts

–        principles

–        theories

•         T/L (examples): lectures, seminars, textbooks, assignments, projects,….

•         Assessment (examples): variety written and oral examinations,….

B. Cognitive

•         Intellectual Analytical and Cognitive Skills such as: (analyze, design, compare, synthesize , solve, recognize, … .).

–        analyses

–         synthesis

–        evaluation

–        problem solving

•         T/L: They are practiced and demonstrated through more active and learning environments involving:

–        assignments

–         projects

–        seminars

–        tutorials

–        laboratory

–        workshops

•         Assessments: written or oral exams, presentation, projects, dissertation, … .

C. Subject-Specific Skills

•         Specific Skills: practical and professional skills

             - Design a new website

            - Write a computer program

           - Produce a strategic plan

          - Write a technical report

•         T/L: developed through opportunities to practice the activity in appropriate learning context such as: laboratory, field or workplace. Hard copy or electronic workbooks and guidance manuals may be used to support such learning.

•         Assessment: assessment of competence in exercising practical skills must involved demonstration, presentation,   ….

D. Transferable Skills

•         Transferable that are readily transferable to employment: communication, language, presentation, team, use of basic IT skills, time management, ….

•         T/L: can be developed through naturally rising opportunities within the curriculum: through seminars, report writing, team working skills through collaborative projects, simulation, ….

•         Assessed:

–        seminars,

–         report writing,

–        team working skills through collaborative projects ,….

–        exams textbooks

–        journals

How to achieve ILOs: Deploy 3 major systems of T/L:

•         A structured curriculum of courses and syllabi, with built in pathways and options, that provide the learning frame work for all the inter-related specialization options or degree that under assessment

•         A variety of teaching and learning methods and strategies for ensuring effective delivery of courses

•         A variety of methods and strategies for measuring (assessing) student achievements against ILOS

Team work on ILOs 

Drive the intended learning outcomes for a specific course that you used to teach:

1. Knowledge and understanding

2. Cognitive

3. Practical

4. Transferable

Or

   1. Psychomotor and/or

   2. Effective

Groups

•         Team/Group: to Drive ILOs of a Course

           2 groups (2 -3 each) from BA Dept.

           2 groups (2 – 3 each) from IST Dept.

           2 groups (3 -4 each) from English program

          1 group (Math and Computer Skills)

References 

www.oac.gov.om