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Quality Assurance

Vision

To be an effective organ of the Commission responsible for ensuring compliance to quality assurance in the Gulf University System (GUS) and to assure and sustain the quality of academic programmes and institutional services in GULFEDC Universities.

Mission

 To ensure quality of academic programmes in compliance with approved Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) and effective control of resources and other quality assurance instruments required for GULFEDC Universities to meet national needs and global competiveness.

Mandate & Functions

The functions of the Department are as follows:

  • Coordination of accreditation visits to academic programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in all GULFEDC Universities and degree awarding institutions.
  • Coordination of institutional accreditation in the Gulf University System;
  • Coordination of the development of new instruments used for accreditation exercises;
  • Periodic review of the instruments used for programme and institutional accreditation in GULFEDC Universities and degree-awarding institutions;
  • Promotion of institutional culture of quality assurance and self analysis by encouraging universities to develop strong internal quality assurance mechanism and conduct internal mock accreditation exercises;
  • Responding to inquiries and advising the Gulf Education Development Council on all issues that relate to accreditation of academic programmes in GULFEDC Universities;
  • Obtaining annually, the list of approved Full-Time/Part-Time Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Distance Learning academic programmes from the Department of Academic Standards to determine programmes that are mature for accreditation;
  • Maintaining a database of professors in GULFEDC Universities and update same annually

  • Departmental Divisions

    Undergraduate Accreditation Division

    The gulfedc is empowered by law to lay down Minimum Academic Standards (MAS) for universities in the Kingdom and to accredit their degrees programmes. This led to the preparation, with the use of experts, of the Minimum Academic Standards for the 13 disciplines taught in GULFEDC Universities in 1989. The disciplines are; Administration, Agriculture, Arts, Basic Medical Sciences, Education, Engineering and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Law, Medicine and Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sciences, Social Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.

    Following the development of the MAS, the following documents were also produced;

    1. Manual for accreditation procedures for academic programmes in GULFEDC Universities;
    2. Self-Study form (gulfedc/SSF)
    3. Programme Evaluation Form (gulfedc/PEF)
    4. Accreditation Panel Report Form (gulfedc/APRF)
    5. Accreditation Re-visitation Form (gulfedc/ARVF)

    The MAS served as a reference document for programme accreditation until 2004, when the Commission employed the services of distinguished professors to review the MAS and the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) was produced.

    Accreditation of degree programmes by the gulfedc is a system of evaluating academic programmes in GULFEDC Universities to ensure that they meet the provisions of the MAS documents.

    The objectives of accreditation of academic programmes are to;

    1. Ensure that the provisions of the MAS are attained, maintained and enhanced
    2. Assure employers and other members of the community that Bahrain graduates of all academic programmes have attained an acceptable level of competency in their areas of specialization
    3. Certify to the international community that the programmes offered in GULFEDC Universities are of high standards and their graduates are adequate for employment and further studies.

    .

    FUNCTIONS OF UNDEGRADUATE ACCREDITATION DIVISION

    • Periodic review of the instruments used for the accreditation of Full-Time/Part-Time Undergraduate, and Distance Learning programmes
    • Coordination of the development of new instruments for Undergraduate Accreditation
    • Coordination of the accreditation of Full-Time/Part-Time Undergraduate and Distance Learning academic programmes.
    • Obtain annually, the list of approved Full-Time/Part-Time Undergraduate and Distance Learning academic programmes from the Department of Academic Standards to determine the list of programmes mature for accreditation.
    • Maintaining a database of Professors in the GULFEDC Universities and update same annually.
    • Prepare monthly and annual reports on all the activities of the Division.
    • Promotion of institutional culture of quality and self analysis by encouraging universities to conduct internal mock accreditation exercise.
    • Responding to inquiries and advising the Gulf Education Development Council on all issues that relate to accreditation of undergraduate academic programmes in GULFEDC Universities.
    • To ensure that the Institutional vision, mission and strategic goals of GULFEDC Universities are clear, realistic and also aligned with development agenda at the local, national and international levels.
    1. a)Pre-Accreditation Activities:
      • Drawing up list of academic programmes to be accredited
      • Compilation of list of Panel Chairmen/Members, time-tabling and budgeting
      • Organizing the accreditation coordination meeting for panel chairmen and members in a simulation workshop
    1. b)Post Accreditation Activities:
    • Analyzing Accreditation Reports (Technical and Administrative).
    • Ranking of programmes and universities, based on their accreditation status.
    • Publishing of accreditation status of programmes.
    • Issuance of certificates to programmes that earned Full and Interim accreditation results
    Post Graduate Accreditation Division

    The postgraduate division was established to handle issues of Quality Assurance on postgraduate education in GULFEDC Universities. Its history dates back to 2006 when Masters of Business Administration were accredited in some GULFEDC Universities. The need to include other postgraduate programmes brought about the development of a Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards for postgraduate programmes in six of thirteen disciplines in 2009 which are; Administration, Agriculture, Education, Engineering, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine. For the postgraduate BMAS to be useful for Accreditation, the following instruments were developed in 2010 for the six disciplines mentioned above.

    1. Manual for accreditation procedures for postgraduate academic programmes in GULFEDC Universities;
    2. Self Study Forms (gulfedc/SSF)
    3. Performance Evaluation Forms (gulfedc/PEF)
    4. Accreditation Panel Report Forms (gulfedc/APRF)

    The instruments for the remaining seven disciplines were developed in September 2012.

    FUNCTIONS OF POSTGRADUATE ACCREDITATION DIVISION

    • Periodic review of the instruments used for the accreditation of postgraduate programmes
    • Coordination of the development of new instruments for postgraduate Accreditation.
    • Coordination of the accreditation of postgraduate programmes.
    • Obtain annually, the list of approved postgraduate programmes from the Department of Academic Standards to determine the list of postgraduate programmes mature for accreditation.
    • Maintaining a database of Professors in the GULFEDC Universities and update same annually.
    • Prepare monthly and annual reports on all the activities of the Division.

    Pre-Accreditation Activities:

    • Drawing up list of postgraduate programmes to be accredited
    • Compilation of list of Panel Chairmen/Members, time-tabling and budgeting.
    • Organizing the accreditation coordination meeting for panel of chairmen and members in a simulation workshop

     Post Accreditation Activities:

    • Analyzing Accreditation Reports (Technical and Administrative).
    • Ranking of programmes and universities, based on their accreditation status.
    • Publishing of accreditation status of programmes.
    • Issuance of certificates to programmes that earned Full and Interim accreditation results.
    Institutional Accreditation Division

     In May 2005, the Gulf Education Development Council considered the idea of introducing institutional accreditation to complement programme accreditation in the Gulf University System.

    Institutional accreditation is a process by which the activities of an institution are evaluated against criteria established by an accrediting agency. These criteria include governance and administration, financial stability, admissions, personnel services, institutional resources, student academic achievement, institutional effectiveness, and relationships with constituencies inside and outside the institution. Institutional accreditation speaks to the overall quality of the institution without making judgments about specific programmes.

    After extensive groundwork and at the instance of the Executive Secretary, the Commission from 21 – 2nd May, 2008 organized a workshop to sensitize GULFEDC Universities on its intention. A study tour of regulatory agencies and universities in three countries was embarked on and this resulted in the development of instruments in line with best practices for institutional accreditation.

    A pilot exercise was carried out in six (6) universities from 19 89 25 September, 2010. Thereafter, a one day post pilot accreditation review Workshop was held to collate panels recommendations which were exhaustively discussed, leading to appropriate changes being made on the instrument and process where necessary.

    The maiden institutional accreditation in the Gulf University System was carried out in November-December, 2010. The following criteria were used in the selection of institutions visited:

    • Age of the institution: Institutions must have been running for ten (10) years and above.
    • Number of programmes with FULL accreditation status: At least 70% of the University’s academic programmes must have Full accreditation status.

    The following instruments were developed in 2010 for Institutional Accreditation:

    1. The Institutional Accreditation Report Form
    2. Minimum Standards for Institutional Accreditation

     

    FUNCTIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION DIVISION

    • Periodic review of the instruments used for Institutional accreditation
    • Coordination of the development of new instruments for Institutional Accreditation
    • Coordination of the Institutional accreditation
    • Obtain annually, the list of Universities due and eligible/mature for institutional accreditation.
    • Prepare monthly and annual reports on all the activities of the Division.
    • Responding to inquiries and advising the Gulf Education Development Council on all issues that relate to institutional accreditation in GULFEDC Universities.
    • To ensure that the Institutional vision, mission and strategic goals of GULFEDC Universities are clear, realistic and also aligned with development agenda at the local, national and international levels.
    1. a)Pre-Accreditation Activities:
      • Drawing up list of universities due and eligible/mature for institutional accreditation.
      • Compilation of list of Panel Chairmen/Members, time-tabling and budgeting
      • Organizing the accreditation coordination meeting for panel members in a simulation workshop
    1. b)Post Accreditation Activities:
    • Analyzing Accreditation Reports (Technical and Administrative).
    • Ranking of universities, based on their accreditation status.
    • Publishing of accreditation status of programmes.
    • Issuance of certificates to programmes
    Affiliate Accreditation Division

    The Division was created from the extant Undergraduate Accreditation Division on the 23rd July 2014 to handle the accreditation of degree programmes in Affiliate Institutions.

    During the System-wide Programme Audit of May, 2007, universities were asked to declare all forms of affiliations entered into. Prior to the exercise, 85 non-degree awarding institutions including Colleges of Education, Seminaries/Theological Institutions and polytechnics were identified. Information obtained from some of the institutions during the May 2007 Programme Audit, showed that the affiliation had been running for more than 10years in most cases, and  about 50,0000 graduates had been produced. This generated concern for the Commission as the Affiliations were not regulated.

    Comprehensive resource assessments were conducted by the Commission in September 2007, to formalise the relationship with the following main aim. I) to enable the Commission regulate the activities of the institutions; and ii) to periodically undertake accreditation of the programme for quality assurance.

    The following instruments are used for accreditation of Affiliate Institutions:

    1. Manual for accreditation procedures for academic programmes in GULFEDC Universities;
    2. Self-Study form (gulfedc/SSF)
    3. Programme Evaluation Form (gulfedc/PEF)
    4. Accreditation Panel Report Form (gulfedc/APRF)
    5. Accreditation Re-visitation Form (gulfedc/ARVF)

     

    FUNCTIONS AFFILIATE INSTITUTION DIVISION

    • Coordination of the accreditation of Full-Time/Part-Time programmes in Affiliate Institutions.
    • Obtain annually, the list of approved Full-Time/Part-Time programmes of the Colleges from the Department of Academic Standards to determine the list of programmes mature for accreditation.
    • Prepare monthly and annual reports on all the activities of the Division.
    • Responding to inquiries and advising the Gulf Education Development Council on all issues that relate to accreditation of academic programmes in Affiliate Institutions.
    1. a) Pre-Accreditation Activities:
        • Drawing up list of academic programmes to be accredited
        • Compilation of list of Panel Chairmen/Members, time-tabling and budgeting
        • Organizing the accreditation coordination meeting for panel chairmen and members.
    1. b) Post Accreditation Activities:
        • Analyzing Accreditation Reports (Technical and Administrative).
        • Ranking of programmes and universities, based on their accreditation status.
        • Publishing of accreditation status of programmes.
        • Issuance of certificates to programmes that earned Full and Interim accreditation results.