Enhancing Quality Assurance through Technology in Higher Education

 Enhancing Quality Assurance through Technology in Higher Education

By Wannarasmi  Chanthakut

          Harvey & Williams (2010) stated that the history of quality assurance in education in the USA and Europe can be understood through different periods of development as follows;

📌Early Beginnings

In the medieval university system, quality was maintained by apprenticeships and examinations to ensure competence. As nations started national education systems, basic quality standards were introduced to maintain a minimum level of education.

📌The Modern Era

Following World War II, the rapid expansion of higher education raised concerns about maintaining quality, leading to systematic quality assurance efforts. Accreditation bodies established standards, governments regulated higher education, and international quality assurance standards and frameworks developed.

📌Key Developments and Trends

Quality assurance shifted focus from institutional resources to student outcomes and learning achievements. Emphasis on student satisfaction, employability, and overall experience grew. Quality assurance became a continuous process, influenced by technological advancements, and placed a stronger emphasis on international collaboration and benchmarking to improve standards.

📝Tools and Standards for Educational Quality Assurance

    Universities around the world employ various tools and standards to ensure the quality of their education. Here are some of the most commonly used:   

    Accreditation Bodies

• National Accreditation: This is granted by a national agency within a country. Examples include the National Council on Education (NCE) in the Philippines and the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA).   

• International Accreditation: This is awarded by international bodies, often focusing on specific programs or disciplines. Examples include the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for business schools and the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for engineering programs.

   Quality Assurance Frameworks

• The European Quality Assurance Reference Framework (EQAR): This framework provides a common language and understanding of quality assurance in higher education across Europe.

• The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) Framework: This is used in the United Kingdom and provides a set of standards and guidelines for quality assurance in higher education.   

   Quality assurance in higher education in Thailand has been continuously developed over the years. In the beginning, quality assurance was informal and focused on self-evaluation. However, with increasing emphasis on quality, quality assurance has become more systematic and formal as stipulated in the National Education Act of 1999, Chapter 6, Standards and Educational Quality Assurance, which requires educational institutions to organize a quality assurance system for all levels and types of education.

📈📋Internal Quality Assurance (IQA)

In the beginning, internal quality assurance was a decentralized process, with institutions developing their own mechanisms for faculty self-assessment and curriculum audits. The establishment of 

Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (Public Organization) or ONESQA in Year 2000 provided a framework for IQA, which promoted a comprehensive quality assurance system. Today, internal quality assurance in Thai universities often involves self-assessment based on  Announcement of the Higher Education Standards Committee Regarding the Criteria for Quality Assurance of Higher Education Institutions in Terms of Internal Quality Assessment Monitoring and Inspecting the Quality of Education and Developing the Quality of Education announced by the Higher Education Standards Committee, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), B.E. 2565, which must be assessed annually.

Examples of internal quality assurance criteria used in Thailand higher education institutions include: AUN-QA, CUPT QA, EdPEx, etc.

📈📊External Quality Assurance (EQA)

EQA in Thailand is primarily carried out by ONESQA, which ensures the quality of higher education nationwide through the development of national quality standards and institutional assessments, usually conducted every five - eight years. The assessment reports are made public, increasing transparency and accountability.

📶Challenges and Future Directions

      Challenges in both IQA and EQA include resource constraints, effective data management, and balancing institutional decision-making with external accountability. Future directions involve strengthening IQA, disseminating EQA approaches, focusing on student outcomes, and leveraging technology for effective quality assurance processes. (ONESQA, 2018; Pimpa & Moore, 2012; Higher Standards Committee, 2022).

         Using technology to enhance the quality of higher education is crucial. Modern technology allows institutions to collect and analyze information to improve educational programs. Tools like Learning Management Systems (LMS) provide real-time tracking of student progress and help identify areas for improvement (Almeida & Simoes, 2019). Additionally, technology helps institutions systematically document and share rules, processes, and performance, promoting transparency and making information easily accessible to stakeholders. By using these tools, institutions can streamline their quality assurance processes, reduce administrative burdens, and focus more on delivering high-quality education.

Diagram: The role of various technological tools and processes in enhancing quality assurance in higher education, ensuring the maintenance and improvement of academic standards

    The diagram shown outline how various technological tools and processes contribute to enhancing quality assurance in higher education, likely highlights the interconnected roles of these tools and their impact on maintaining and improving academic standards.

    This encapsulates how these components work together to support quality assurance, promoting both operational efficiency and academic excellence.

References:

Almeida, F., & Simoes, J. (2019). The Role of Learning Management Systems in Educational Environments: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 14(20), 56-72.

Harvey, L., & Williams, J. (2010). Fifteen Years of Quality in Higher Education. Quality in Higher Education, 16(1), 3-36.

Higher Standards Committee. (2022). Announcement of the Higher Education Standards Committee Regarding the Criteria for Quality Assurance of Higher Education Institutions in Terms of Internal Quality Assessment Monitoring and Inspecting the Quality of Education and Developing the Quality of Education. Bangkok: Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

ONESQA. (2018). Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.onesqa.or.th

Pimpa, N., & Moore, T. (2012). Thai Higher Education Reform: Equity, Quality, and Internationalization. International Journal of Educational Management, 26(3), 223-233.