This presentation was made for promotion linked training of Associate Professors of Public Sector Colleges.

1. Quality Enhancement in Academic Programs and
Introduction to QECs in Public Sector Colleges
Promotion linked training workshop for Assistant Professors of Public Sector
Colleges
Febraury, 2022
Dr. Samina Mazhar

2. Key Points
Quality, Quality of academic programs; Quality
Enhancement, Internal and external Quality Evaluation
 Quality enhancement cells and their working
 Vision for establishment of QECs in Colleges
Awareness about Process of Self Assessment of Programs

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What is “Quality”?

4. What is Quality?
Informally: Quality refers to how good something is compared to other
similar things.
In other words, it is degree of excellence. ...
Formally: The ISO 8402-1986 standard defines quality as:
“The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears
its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.”

5. How is QUALITY achieved?
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of
 high intension;
 sincere effort;
 intelligent direction;
 and skillful execution;
 it represents the wise choice of many alternatives”.(Quality in
Education by Willa A Foster)

6. Quality of Academic Programs?
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8. Quality of an Academic Program?
• We are all academicians and if you go to some institute for admission of
your teenage you must be very conscious about quality of education of the
program you are interested.
• So please define what is quality in three words
• Please click the link https://www.menti.com/gsf1iujyio
• Please send me your responses in three minutes

9. Books Articles ….QUALITY of Higher
Education is a big topic.
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10. What is Quality Enhancement?
(let us assumes we have some quality)
• Enhancement is a process of improvement. In relation to
• higher education quality enhancement may refer to:
• (1) Individual learners when it means improvement of the
• attributes, knowledge, ability, skills, and potential of learners;
• (2) The improvement in the quality of an institution or study program.

11. Quality Enhancement Cells:
• What are the responsible bodies for quality enhancement of our institutes
and our academic programs?
• There is dire need of an office solely handling task of enhancement of
quality
• Why such office is needed? How will it work?

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13. Establishment of QECs in Universities of
Pakistan
The establishment of Quality Enhancement Cells roots in the establishment
of Quality Assurance Agency (May 2005).
The IQA section of HEC executes its policies through Quality
Enhancement Cells [QEC], established in universities/ Higher Education
Institutes [HEIs], in Pakistan.
Initially the PC-I of QECs was approved, in August 2006 which was
executed from September 2006. Consequently the phase wise establishment
of QECs began

14. TOR of QEC IN HEIs (HEC Website)
1.
The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is to be headed by a Director QEC reporting directly to Vice Chancellor/Rector and
to Principal of the college in case of college. He is to be the correspondent with the outside bodies.
2. QEC is responsible for promoting public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees are
enhanced and safeguarded.
3. QEC is responsible for the review of quality standards and the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area.
4. QEC is responsible for the review of academic affiliations with other institutions in terms of effective management of
standards and quality of programs.
5. QEC is responsible for defining clear and explicit standards as points of reference to the reviews to be carried out. It
should also help the employees to know as to what they could expect from the candidates.
6. QEC is responsible to develop qualifications framework by setting out the attributes and abilities that can be expected
from the holder of a qualification, i.e. Bachelors, Bachelor with Honors, Master’s, M. Phil, and Doctoral.
7. QEC is responsible to develop program specifications. These are standard set of information clarifying what knowledge,
understanding, skills and other attributes a student should have developed on successfully completing a specific
program.

15. Responsibilities continued
1. QEC is responsible to develop quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards
are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities.
2. QEC is responsible to ensure that the university’s quality assurance procedures are designed to fit in with the arrangements in place nationally for
maintaining and improving the quality of Higher Education.
3. QEC is responsible to develop procedures for the following:
1. Approval of new programs
2. Annual monitoring and evaluation including program monitoring, faculty monitoring, and student’s perception.
3. Departmental review
4. Student feedback
5. Employer feedback
4. Quality assurance of Master’s, M. Phil. And PhD degree programs.
1. Subject review
2. Institutional assessment
3. Program specifications
4. Qualification framework

16. • Role of QECs for Academic Programs vision of HEC??

17. Role of QECs for Academic Programs vision
of HEC
These QECs, alongside undertaking many other measures for enhancing academic quality
in HEIs, also implement quality assessment mechanism of academic programs, called Self-
Assessment Process. The outcome of this process is Self-Assessment Report [SAR]. The
main objectives of preparing SAR are:
• To improve academic programs and ensure high academic standards by providing
feedback for faculty and administration to initiate action plan for improvement.
• To provide students with essential skills to enter the workplace well prepared in the core
competencies: problem solving abilities, experimental and data analysis techniques,
team work experience, interpersonal skills, basic and advance IT skills.

18. A Beast Like Presence
• If academics are to remain pivotal in efforts to improve the quality of teaching and
learning, then more attention needs to be paid, by institutions and external quality
bodies, to the importance of the conditions and context of academics’ work.
Otherwise, quality monitoring is liable to be invested with a ‘beast-like’ presence
requiring to be ‘fed’ with ritualistic practices by academics seeking to meet
accountability requirements (Newton, 2000)

19. Part II
Establishment of QECs in Colleges

20. Establishment of QECs in Colleges
• In year 2020 PHEC decided to establish QECs in Public Sector Colleges of
Punjab.
• CamScanner 07-24-2021 17.35.pdf

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22. Structure of QEC in Colleges
•QEC shall comprise of two QEC officers / lecturers needed to deliver the
responsibilities, under the supervision of Vice Principal / Director and
Principal as the authority
•QEC shall submit annual report, along with effective measures and
implementation plan for improvement, and periodic reports to the principal
of the college who shall in turn submit the same, duly signed and stamped,
to PHEC

23. Responsibilities of QECs in Colleges
• Determine and ensure implementation of clear vision, mission and goals of the college
• Improve academic programs and management including updating and timely
completion of curriculum, courses and academic session in the college
• Comply to standards of good governance, financial management, annual research,
calendar for timely implementation of student’s admissions, curricular / co-curricular
and extracurricular activities, classes and timetable in the college
• Compliance to parameters of the annual Quality Assurance Plan including appointment
and service structure of academic faculty and non-academic staff, up gradation of labs
and other facilities offered in the college

24. TORs Continued
• Ensure the quality assurance and quality enhancement of the physical
infrastructure, academic facilities, learning resources including
departments and academic programs, better delivery of courses, check
and measures to define better student-teacher ratio and regulating CTIs
strength as required in the college for effective teaching learning process
• Ensure the planning and execution of capacity building and development
programs and professional training for faculty and staff to enhance skills
and competencies to improve teaching and learning and student
engagement in the college

25. TORs Continued
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Enhance public disclosure and transparency in its mechanism and functions
and community images and outreach.
This initiative shall reap outcomes in the form of improvement in the
governance, management and administration of public sector colleges in
Punjab.
Further the cell shall work to improve the standards and quality of entire
college set up and devise measures and solutions to streamline the issues and
loopholes in the functioning of college in line of policies and framework of
Government.
Also PHEC shall arrange training of focal persons of the colleges.

26. Internal quality assurance within the
higher education institutions
(units at the department/faculty and/or university/College level)
External quality assurance of higher education
(non-national and national agencies)
Levels of Quality Assurance

27. PART III: SELF ASSESSMENT
OF PROGRAMS
Each academic program shall undergo self-assessment (SA) every
two years

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30. CRITERIA AND STANDARDS
• 1. Program Mission, Objectives and Outcomes (3 standards)
• 2. Curriculum Design and Organization (7 standards)
• 3. Laboratories and Computing Facilities (2 standards)
• 4. Student Support and guidance (3 standards)
• 5. Process Control (5 standards)
• 6. Faculty (2 standards)
• 7. Institutional Facilities (2 standards)
• 8. Institutional Support (3 standards)
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31. Process of Self Evaluation of Programs
• STEP1: PT nomination and preparation of Self Assessment Report;
improvement and correction by QEC (QEC and Department)
• training materialTraining material for hands on work activity 26-07-
2021.pdf
• STEP 2: Approval and notification of Assessment Team and their visit;
Completion of Rubric form (Principal,AT, HOD, PT, QEC)training
materialRubric Form to be filled by trainy as Assessment team
member.docx

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33. • STEP 2: Approval and notification of Assessment Team and their visit;
Completion of Rubric form
• (Principal,AT, HOD, PT, QEC)training materialRubric Form to be filled by
trainy as Assessment team member.docx
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34. • STEP 3: Executive Summary for Principal’s
approval(QEC)
• STEP 4: Implementation plan on the report (HOD and
QEC)
• STEP 5: FOLLOW UP(QEC)

35. Executive Summary
• The QEC submit an executive summary on the AT findings to the
VC/Principal
• .
• Executive Sumary BS History.docx

36. Implementation Plan
• The department shall prepare and submit an implementation plan to QEC
based on AT findings. Plan includes AT finding, corrective actions to be
taken.
• IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.pdf

37. FOLLOW UP
The QEC shall follow up on the implementation plan to ensure departments
are adhering to the implementation plan.

38. Your final comments?
• Please go te provided link:
• https://www.mentimeter.com/s/95799540e5be734c0c3d6dee66d22b6d/f25
a68343a81/edit
• Here you may fill any type of comment including your concept of QEC,
positive aspects hurdles expected whatever whatever..
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