Page 78 - AUN-QA

The student interview should be held in the absence of staff members, so that they
can speak freely. The size of the student groups is ideally about 5 students in each
cohort. It's best to talk to about 5 students from the first year, 5 from say the second
and third years, and 5 who are nearly at the end of their studies. It is important that
the students are a fair representation of the population. The selection of students
should follow the requirements stated in the “Guidelines for AUN-QA Assessment
and Assessors”. The assessors should have a list of the students and their details
such as name, year of study, etc.

Interviews with staff members will be used for discussion on the content of the
programme, learning outcomes, teaching and learning methods, student
assessment, etc. It is advisable to interview with group of not more than 25 staff
members. Other interviews may be held with members of a curriculum committee
and with members of the committee responsible for examinations. During the
interview with the curriculum committee, the question of how the curriculum is kept
up to date will be discussed as will the question of how innovations are planned and
realised. The interview with the examination committee must clearly show how the
quality of the examinations and degree is assured.

Interviews with employers and alumni provide a good indication of the quality of
graduates and curriculum. They can provide a good source for the university to
improve its processes, systems, facilities, curriculum, etc.

In each interview, the assessor will usually go through several steps including
informing the interviewees about the purpose of the interview, gather background
information about the interviewees and conducting the actual interview.

Objectives of Interview are to:

 Gather information and evidences
 Clarify and verify SAR and practices
 Give interviewees opportunity to present the full picture

It is important for the assessors to talk less and listen more as the purpose of the
interview is to ensure a fair and objective view of the assessment. In preparing the
interview, the assessor should consider the following:

 Know the interviewees
 Language
 Education
 Specialisation or area of interests
 Plan the questions
 Focus on the criteria
 Phrase questions as neutrally as possible to avoid bias
 Use open-ended questioning technique (5Ws and 1H) to probe for
information
 Use close-ended questions to confirm information
 Manage time to cover different criteria and interviewees

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