GUIDELINES ON CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

(AREA 1, 2, 3 AND 8)

What is COPPA?THE STANDARDS – Benchmarked and Enhanced GUIDELINES ON THE STANDARDS AND CRITERIA FOR THE NINE

AREAS OF EVALUATION FOR PROGRAMME ACCREDITATION.1Vision , Mission, Educational Goals and Learning Outcomes.2Curriculum Design and Delivery.3Assessment of Students

.4Student Selection and Support Services

.5Academic Staff

.6Educational Resources

.7Programme Monitoring and Review

.8Leadership, Governance and Administration

.9Continual Quality Improvement

OUTLINE

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WHAT IS COPPA?

It is a Code of Practice dedicated to quality assurance of programmes using the nine areas of evaluation to assist HEPs attain at least benchmarked standards for obtaining accreditation and continuously improve the

quality of the programme

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•Standards that must be met and its compliance demonstrated during programme accreditation

exercise. Are usually expressed as a ‘must’

Benchmarked Standards

•Standards that should be met as the institution strives to improve itself and usually expressed as

a ‘should’

Enhanced Standards

The Standards

PROGRAMME AIMS , OBJECTIVES &

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Must reflect key elements of outcomes of

higher education

Must be consistent with and supportive of HEPs

Vision & Mission

Must be developed in consultation with

principal stakeholders

Should encompass qualities in areas of

expertise /specialisation

Should be periodically reviewed in consultation

with a wide range of stakeholders

Must be defined and made known to

stakeholders

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AREA 1.1: Statement of Programme Aims and Objectives

AREA 1.2 Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

The Programme must show how the component

modules contributes to fulfilment of programme

learning outcomes

The Programme should specify the link between competencies expected upon completion and those required after completion

of studies

The Programme must define the competencies

students should demonstrate upon

completion of a programme

Must show how the student is able to

demonstrate the learning outcomes via assessments

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Sufficient autonomy must be given to:

* design the curriculum and to allocate resources for implementation

* also cover (where applicable) programmes franchised to, or from, other HEPs in line with national policies

*the academic staff to focus on areas of his expertise

The department should:

*have a clear policy on conflict of interest *continually expand its boundary of academic

autonomy and reflect its intellectual maturity

Area 2.1 Academic Autonomy

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•The Department must have its defined process

for curriculum establishment , review

and evaluation•The Process must involve

department’s academic & administrative staff

•The Programme must only be considered after a

needs assessment•must be considered only

after resources to support it identified

•The Programme Content , approach & T-L Methods

must be appropriate, consistent , and

support the achievement of

programme learning outcomes

•Teaching-learning methods

- there must be variety

to achieve the eight domains of learning

outcomes

•The Curriculum should encourage multi-disciplinary

approaches to enhance personal

development of students

•The needs analysis should involve

external sources feedback

•Co-curricular activities should be

there to enrich student experience

Area 2.2 -Programme Design & Teaching - Learning (T-L)Methods

Area 2.3: Curriculum Content & StructureThe programme must

• incorporate the core subject matters essential for understanding concepts, principles and methods that support programme outcomes

• fulfil the discipline requirements by recognising appropriate standards and international best practice

• be periodically reviewed to keep abreast of developments of the discipline and for needs of society

The Department should establish mechanisms

• to access to real time information through use of technology and global networking and to identify up to date topics of importance for inclusion in the curriculum and its delivery

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Area 2.4 - Management of the Programme

The Students must :•be provided with the

most current information of

programme aims, out-line, learning

outcomes and assessment methods

The Programme must :

•have a coordinator and a team of

appropriate staff•have authority and

established procedures

•be given adequate resources

-for implementation and evaluation for

quality improvement

The Programme Content & Delivery

must•be regularly

reviewed and evaluated and its results utilised to

assure quality (must involve external

examiners – for MQF level 6 and above )

The Students The Programme Team The Programme

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The Department

•must provide the student a conducive learning environment where scholarly and creative achievements are nurtured

Innovations to teaching and learning

•should be developed, supported and evaluated

•be done in consultation with principal stakeholders and

•Review and evaluation involve external expertise nationally and internationally

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Area 2.4 - Management of the Programme - cont

Area 2.5 Linkages with External Stakeholders

The Department must have linkages with all levels of stakeholders outside the department - for the purpose of curriculum development - planning, implementation and review

The Programme team should obtain feedback from employers for curriculum improvement, student placement, training and workplace exposure

Students should be given the opportunity to develop linkages with external stakeholders

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Assessment

•Assessment principles, methods and practices must be aligned with learning outcomes and programme content

•Assessment must be consistent with the levels defined in the MQF, 8 domains of learning outcomes and programme standards

Assessment & Learning Outcomes

•The link between assessment and learning outcomes should be reviewed periodically to ensure its effectiveness

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Area 3.1- Relationship between Assessment and Learning

Area 3.2- Assessment Methods

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• must be documented and communicated to students on commencement of the programme

Frequency, methods, & criteria of student

assessment

• must be summative and formative

• a variety of methods and tools must be used to assess learning outcomes

Assessment

• must be there to ensure validity, reliability, consistency and fairness of assessment methods

Mechanisms

Area 3.2- Assessment Methods - cont

• must be reviewed periodically

Assessment System

• should be comparable to international best practices

Methods of Assessment

• should be done in consultation with external experts, both local and international

Review of Assessment System

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Student assessment

results

- must be communicated within reasonable time

Student assessment

methods

- must follow established procedures and regulations

-changes must be communicated prior to implementation

Mechanisms

-must be there to ensure security of assessment documents and records

Grading, assessment and

appeals

-policies and practices must be publicised

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Area 3.3 - Management of Student Assessment

• should have sufficient autonomy in management of student assessmen

t

The department and its academic staff

• should be there to evaluate and improve the student assessment management – formal certification of the processes

Independent external scrutiny

Area 3.3 - Management of Student Assessment - cont

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• must be consistent with the statement of purpose of the HEP

The Department’s policies and practices

The Department

• must clarify its - governance structures and functions, - the relationships within them and - impact on the programme and it must be communicated to all parties involved - based on the set principles

• Board must be an active policy making body with an adequate degree of autonomy

Mechanisms * must be established for programmes conducted in

geographically separated campuses ( functional integration & comparability of quality)

Area 8.1-Governance

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• should have a committee system responsible for programmes that consider: -internal and external consultation, - feedback, - market needs analysis and - employability projections

The Department

• should reflect the representation and participation of academic staff, students and other stakeholders

The Governance Principles

Area 8.1 – Governance - cont

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• of academic leadership must be clearly stated

Criteria for Appointment and

responsibilities

• must be held by those with appropriate qualifications and experience and with sufficient authority for curriculum design, delivery and review

The Academic Leadership

• must be in place to allow communication between programme and HEP leaderships on -staff recruitment and training, -student admission, - allocation of resources

Mechanisms and Processes

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Area 8.2 - Academic Leadership of the Programme

• should be evaluated

at defined intervals

with respect to

performance of the

staff .

• should be

responsible for

creating a

conducive

environment to

generate innovation

and creativity .

The Academic Leadership

Area 8.2 - Academic Leadership of the Programme - cont

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• must be appropriate and sufficient - to support programme implementation - to ensure good management and deployment of resources

Administrative Staff of The Department

• must conduct regular performance review of academic and management staff

The Department

• should have an advanced administrative and management staff training scheme

The Department

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Area 8.3 Administrative and Management Staff

• must be consistent with that of the HEP – concerning student and academic staff records

The Department Policies and Practices

• must implement HEP policies on rights of individual privacy and confidentiality of records

The Department

• should continuously review policies on security of records and safety systems.

The Department

Area 8.4 Academic Records

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