Page 73 - AUN-QA

At the start of the planning, the institution has to decide which quality assessment
that they want to conduct as each serves a different purpose and requires a different
level of expertise. The 3 types of quality assessment in AUN-QA are institutional,
IQA system and programme level.

The assessment team(s) will be appointed by the AUN Secretariat in advance based
on assessor’s background, experience and language ability. Each team should
comprise at least 2 members from different universities. The assessors in each team
should decide on their roles and assignment before, during and after the
assessment.

The chairperson or the lead assessor will provide leadership to the assessment
team, setup preliminary meetings/discussions, assigning of roles and assessment
areas/criteria and moderating the final assessment results. In general, an assessor
should perform the following roles:

 Preparing assessment plan and checklist
 Communicating and clarifying assessment requirements
 Planning & carrying out assigned responsibilities effectively and efficiently
 Making observations on curricula, processes, facilities and quality improvements
 Reporting the assessment results
 Retaining & safeguarding documents pertaining to the assessment

Before the site assessment, assessors need to check the date, time, location and
venue of the assessment to be carried out for each programme. For venue, it is
normally held at the university which facilitates the access to documents, site tour,
faculty members and supporting staff. Interviews are best held in conference-like
arrangement and avoid using a room that is too large or in a lecture-style. When
interviewing staff, it is preferably that the room also holds the relevant documents to
facilitate easy verification.

Assessors should also obtain the details of the contact person(s) of the university
and AUN Secretariat so that prior communication can be established, if necessary.
Know who is in the assessment team and agree on the roles. Make sure that the
1
SAR is submitted at least 1 /2 to 2 months before the site assessment to allow for the
preparation of desktop assessment.

A typical Itinerary will spread over 3 days and it will normally consist of:

 Opening meeting
 Presentation on the overview of the unit to be assessed
 Interviews (Dean, Department Head, Programme Chair, faculty members,
supporting staff, students, alumni and employers)
 Site tour (teaching facilities, laboratories, workshops, libraries, general facilities)
 Assessment and report preparation
 Breaks, lunches and dinners
 Closing meeting
 Presentation of preliminary assessment findings

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