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Problems with quality assurance in the system of higher education in Kazakhstan
К содержанию номера журнала: Вестник КАСУ №4 - 2007
Автор: Шелухина Ю.В.
In connection
with the changing political and, especially, economic situation in the country,
the system of higher education is also a subject to significant changes. The
universities are given more freedom in governance and providing their services
in comparison with the previous years of the Soviet period. Any university
finds itself under the process of “marketization”, where it sells its services
or products – students, knowledge, and degrees – at a definite price. The
result of such changes, of course, bears not only positive, but also negative
sides, which are particularly visible for the first time. One of the negative
effects of his almost “overall” freedom is the lessening of the quality of the
services provided. It is understandable that during the first years of
“freedom”, the supreme goal of the universities was to survive in the market by
any means. At present moment the situation in the educational market has
changed to the positive direction. The universities have learnt to survive;
they are able to orient in the given environment and to find the possible ways
out. Nowadays the university management comes across another occurring problem
– competitiveness in the educational market. There is a wide range of different
services, and potential customers select those, which seem to be the best ones.
The main characteristic, according to which the customer chooses, is the
quality of the provided services. Because of it, the universities have to
assure the customers of the quality of their services. In my article I’d like
to show the system of quality management at the campus-based university,
exactly at Kazakh-American Free University; I will also cover and consider the
problems of quality assurance in the following aspects of higher education –
quality control over rapid programs and course development, quality review of
foreign institutions established in my country, and the system of evaluation of
online and distance education programs. I will try to emphasize the problems
and find possible ways out, concerning the system of quality control.
System of Quality
Management at Kazakh-American Free University
Kazakh-American
Free University has also to survive and to sell its products in the educational
market. In my opinion, it is more difficult for this university to stay in the
market e.g. in comparison with East Kazakhstan State University or East
Kazakhstan State Technical University. The first reason is that it is a private
university, and in our country there is still a rather preconceived opinion
towards the private universities. The second reason is that the university
exists only eleven years and it has not only to prove the quality of the
provided services, but also to present something unique, which doesn’t exist at
any other university e.g. intensive English learning or international
educational programs. Another endeavor for quality and uniqueness assurance was
the accreditation of the university by the British Company NQA in
February 2006. This step showed that the university is sure in the quality of
the provided services, and ready to pass the accreditation not only at the
republic, but also at the international level. As for the international accreditation,
it is not an easy matter. Before passing the annual international accreditation
for quality conformation, the university has to pass through a range of
different internal audits, conducted by the university management and a special
representative from the university management, responsible for quality
management. At KAFU it is a manager for quality assurance. These people
elaborate the policy and goals in quality assurance. They also plan, establish
and develop the whole system of quality management. The analysis of the system
of quality assurance is conducted no less than two times a year at special
meetings of the university management and academic council. The individual
meetings with the manager for quality assurance also take place. It is done in
order to see the results and to examine the adequacy of the whole system.
Moreover the departments’ goals, which are determined for every year in
accordance with the main university goals, are also analyzed at these meeting.
If these goals have been not achieved, the reasons of failure are discussed and
possible ways out are considered. Of course, the ways of system improvement are
also discussed. Only after thorough internal audit the university goes through
the external audit, conducted by NQA Company, which analyzes the quality
according to the customers’ demands. It examines the achievement of the set
goals mainly according to the documents and reports, but also by the personal
meeting with the students, teachers, and other workers of the university. Of
course, this system of quality assurance includes a range of the measurements,
directed at planning, management, organization, support, analysis, and
improvement of the services in order to correspond to the demands and
expectations of the customer. I won’t list a topic for a separate paper. I will
dwell on the moments, which seem to be more vulnerable with respect to the
system of quality assurance.
Quality Control over
Rapid Programs and Course Development
Our society
is vigorously developing in all directions, and as a result of it, the demands
of the society are increasing. Mostly it is connected with the fact that our
republic develops its international relations and it tries to correspond to the
requirements of the world. This process of globalization touches all aspects of
life and demands its innovative changes and improvement. The most popular
spheres of international collaboration now are the international business and
law. Of course, all the spheres, concerning international cooperation demand
their development and innovative changes. The only possible answer occurs – we
need the specialists, able to develop these spheres and implement necessary
innovations in order to correspond to the requirements at the local, republic,
and international level. Such needs of the society are profitable for the
universities to some extent – if the specialists are needed – we will “produce”
such specialists. So, we can see the mushrooming of the new programs and
courses at the universities, the primary of which establishment is to
correspond to the changing demands of the society. I’d like to dwell on the
example of East Kazakhstan State University, which opened the course, and even
a new specialty “International Relations”, just, in my opinion, to be on an equal
level with other leading universities in our country. As I understand, the
graduates of the specialty, should work at the Ministry International Affairs,
Embassies or, at least, in some foreign company. We don’t have either Ministry
or any Embassy in our city. The companies are hardly to be called “foreign”.
Only one consular department exists, where two-three persons are able to
maintain all the work. The question occurs – what was the purpose of opening
this specialty? In my opinion, it is nothing, except that it sounds modern and
attractive. I think that this specialty is useless in our city. First of all,
it is explained by unemployment among its graduates. I had the conversations
with some graduates and I know that they are not able to find a job not only in
our city, but also in other cities of our republic. I have two reasons for the
explanation of this phenomenon. The first reason is that our republic doesn’t
need so many specialists in the field. As far as I know, earlier it was only
one university with such a specialty – Kazakh National University. It carried
out the requirements of the republic demands, and a number of graduates of the
university were enough for fulfilling the work in the sphere. The second
reason, in my opinion, is directly connected with the problems in the system of
quality assurance and correspondence of the course to the necessary standards.
Any program, especially, newly-opened one, should be under a strict quality
control. I suggest putting the following aspects under the quality control:
1) Program
content.
Each program consists of a number of courses, which should be relevant to the
essence of the program. I think that only a special board of experts should
decide which courses are to be included to the program. The people, who conduct
it, must be acquainted with the similar programs, existing at other
universities for a certain period of time and bearing good results.
2)
Instructors. In connection with course content, the next problem occurs
– the specialists, able to teach appropriately and give the students the
necessary knowledge. Often it happens so, that people, who lack not only the
previous experience, but also the education in the field, begin to teach. You
can imagine what kind of future specialists, taught by such teachers, we will
have.
3) Adequate
materials.
It also seems to be very important, just because even perfect instruction
cannot be realized without appropriate materials. Students must have enough
books at their library in order to study and to find the answers to the
occurring questions; and teachers should have sufficient materials in order to
use them at their lessons for the better students’ instruction. I consider the
problem to be rather soluble in comparison, for instance, with the problem of
the lack of appropriate instructors. The problem must be solved by the
management of the university, who has to provide money for purchasing the
materials.
4) Practice. Any
theoretical knowledge must be applied into practice. Students, while studying
at the university, should get not only theoretical, but also practical
knowledge. In the case of new programs, it happens so very often, that the
students are not able to put their theoretical knowledge into practice, as, for
instance, with the students of the field “International Relations” at EKSU,
just because, there is no suitable organization!
The final
employment of the graduates of new programs depends on these factors, I think.
Exactly these ones must be taken under the strict control. Only at the first
sight the problem of new courses and programs development seems to be easily
solved. Of course, it is easy to open a new course, but it is not so easy to
open a new course, which will correspond to the necessary quality requirements.
It doesn’t mean that we must not open new courses, because of the occurring
difficulties – just opposite – we must, but we should take into account all
possible problems and find their solutions. I don’t see any insoluble problems
with the new programs, even the problems with instructors and practice might be
solved to some extent by special trainings and agreements with the
organizations in other cities correspondently. The only condition is that these
problems in the sphere of quality assurance must be solved with the help of a special
group of experts and managers, able to organize the whole process in an
appropriate way. Also, I think, that heads of the universities should carefully
consider if the really need to open new programs and if they are able to
maintain these courses on the relevant quality level.
Quality Control over
Online and Distance Education Programs
In new
competitive environment, the universities have to offer something unique in
order to attract their customers. They have to improve already existing
programs and implement some innovative changes in them. At the same time, the
new emerging task of the universities is to create something that will be
absolutely new, attractive and promising to bear fruit. The “new form of
competition” is the appearance of online and distance education programs. The
idea to establish such kinds of courses appeared mostly at private and
new-emerging universities, which have to survive in the severe competition with
the universities, existing for a long period of time and having proved their
good reputation. In contrast to their traditional century-old forms of
education, the new-emerging universities began to offer new programs, which
they try to establish according to the needs of their potential customers. The
emergence of distance learning programs has its own as positive as well as
negative sides. The positive sides are:
1)
Flexibility. Students are flexible in their education. They can study
at the university they prefer and at the time they like. It is very appropriate
for those people, who combine work with their study.
2) University
Honesty.
With online education it is rather difficult to take the bribes, which is so
typical of the campus-based universities in our country. Moreover, there is
almost no personal conflict, which may emerge by face-to-face instruction
between students and teachers.
The negative
sides exist alongside with the positive ones. They are:
1) No
face-to-face instruction, and as a result - no direct opportunity to
talk to your teacher and to be in traditional educational environment.
2) No control
over online and distance learning programs. In my opinion, it is
the main negative side of the programs. It is almost impossible to measure if
these programs are corresponding to the necessary quality standard. I think
that the quality of educational services is measured by the advancement of the
students. How are we to measure the quality of the provided online education
programs? This question remains almost insoluble at the present moment. Another
problem is how the students should determine the quality of the online and
distance learning programs and decide what online courses they will attend. In
my work I’ve trued to suggest the possible mechanism, which can be applied to
system of quality assurance of the distance programs. To be more exact I offer
to investigate and analyze the following aspects, included into the whole
system of quality assurance of online and distance learning courses:
1) Course
Content.
Every program should consist of a number of courses, relevant to its essence.
Moreover, I suppose that every university, having such kind of program should
constantly improve the content of its programs in order students can find this
unique information only at the university.
2)
Availability of materials. In the case I speak mostly about the
availability of electronic resources. If the university offers the programs of
online and distance learning, it should provide their students with the
necessary amount of materials. In the case of online education, the electronic
library must be an integrative part of the educational process. Otherwise, the
instructors should give the appropriate sources where students can find
necessary materials.
3)
Affiliation. It is extremely important to which university these online
course are affiliated. In my opinion, the university’s reputation plays a great
role. In the case I speak both about the reputation of the traditional
campus-based programs and as about the reputation in the sphere of distance
education.
All these
aspects should be thoroughly investigated by students, who want to study in
online and distance programs. As for the universities, they should present the
whole current information concerning the content of their courses.
In the
beginning of this paper I’ve mentioned that the quality of the educational
program depends on the advancement of its students. It seems extremely
difficult and, almost impossible to assure the quality of online courses, just
because you cannot even see if the right person studies and does all the work.
This question remains open and insoluble at the moment. As for me, I suggest
the following – to conduct the final face-to-face examination at the affiliated
university. It should be a complex of the examinations and tests, like at a
traditional campus-based university, even for the purpose to verify if this
person has really studied at the program. I fully understand that it causes a
lot difficulties and costs for the universities, organizing such programs, but
now I see it as the only way-out in the system of quality assurance of online
and distance courses. Of course, the date of the examination should be more or
less flexible in order to be appropriate for the students. We can see such a
system of education on the example of Tomsk State Polytechnic University, which
opened the so-called distance educational programs in East Kazakhstan. Its
students have to go to the university two or three times, while they study and
also for passing their final examination and defending diploma. All other time
they talk to their teachers only via Internet and pass their works via e-mail.
I suppose that a number will refuse from such education, but those, who stay,
will be sure to a certain extent that they get really qualitative education.
Quality Control over
Foreign Institution, Established in our Country
Nowadays any
country tries to develop its international relations in all spheres of life.
Higher education is not an exception to the rule. Our students are getting
provided with more opportunities for their personal development and future
professionalism. They are free in their choice concerning the field, the
university, and even the location of the university. It is prestigious to get
higher education at one of the foreign, especially European or American,
universities or just at the university with very good reputation, which was
proved by many years of its existence. Because of this reason, many students of
our country strive for getting a higher education at one of the universities
with good image e.g. located in Russia. Earlier, even several years ago, it was
easier. Nowadays it is getting more difficult, because of two reasons:
expensiveness of education and cost of living, and problems connected with visa
regime. In order not to lose the students, foreign institutions try to make it
easy for the students to get an education in their home country by opening
their branches there, which officially correspond to all standards of the head
institution. It is not a secret that in reality it is not so. Many standards
are violated, and what is more important a normal study environment and ways of
teaching are also violated. Our national government can do almost nothing in
this case, just because these foreign institutions are under control of their
head institutions of another country. All the violation is the reasons of low
quality of the educational services, provided by these institutions, and our
students, the future of our country, get an education, which is of low quality.
I think that our national government and Ministry of Education should make some
concrete steps in order to control the foreign institutions to a certain
extent. In my work I try to suggest some spheres, which must be obligatory
controlled.
First of all
it should be done by the joint commission, consisting of the member of national
and foreign delegations. It should be executed no less that twice a year by
national commission and even one time a year by joint commission. They must
thoroughly verify the following aspects:
1) Course
Content and Materials Availability. I have mentioned these aspects earlier.
2) Faculty. It seems to
be vitally important who teach the students, how experienced they are and if
their education corresponds to the standards
3) Study
Environment. It is known that many foreign institutions open their
branches in buildings, which are hardly to be named universities. The general
state of classrooms, lack of necessary utilities, e.g. even insufficient number
of desks, chairs and blackboards, to say nothing of computers in this case. As
for the moral state, it is extremely important how the lessons are taught and
if all the standards are kept.
As I’ve also
mentioned earlier the quality of educational services depends on the students
and their knowledge. In connection with it, I think that the most relevant
verification is the verification of students’ level of knowledge. It might be
conducted in two ways:
1) Annual
testing of students of foreign institutions in order to analyze the overall
level of their knowledge and any changes if those occur;
2)
Participation of the students of foreign institutions in special competitions
with the students of other universities in order to compare the knowledge
level, to determine strong and weak sides, to analyze, and to take measures for
further improvement.
I conclusion
I’d like to emphasize that the quality of educational services has become one
of the most important problems not only in our country, but all over the world.
Because of it, many independent companies, assuring the quality of
organizations are established. Of course, these are independent commissions who
should examine any organization in the sphere of quality of the provided
services, otherwise it will be senseless. Nowadays it is rather difficult to
organize such verifications in our country in an appropriate way. The first and
the main reason is that the quality of the services remains at a low level and
we are afraid of being told it that may lead to the further closing of an
organization. In any case many organizations in our country have been already
accredited by independent quality assurance companies, and this tendency
continuous. In my opinion when we will be sure and proud ourselves of the
quality of the provided service, we will be able to come into the world market
to full extent, and will be recognized by the world community. Nowadays we make
all possible attempts to achieve this goal, and I think that we have rather
succeeded in it. I am fully sure that this tendency will go on.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
Salmi J. Tertiary education in the 21st Century: Challenges and
Opportunities. Higher Education Management Vol. 13, No. 2
2.
Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education
Area. European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. ENQA
report on Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher
Education Area.
3.
System of Quality Management. Quality Manual. (2005) Kazakh-American Free
University. Ust-Kamenogorsk
К содержанию номера журнала: Вестник КАСУ №4 - 2007
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