Quality and Academic Accreditation Manual

Quality and Academic Accreditation Manual

2019/2020

Vice-Deanship of Development

Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit

Quality Academic Accreditation and Management System (QAAMS)

All programs offered by the Faculty of Human Sciences and Design (HSD) must meet the national regulatory requirements and standards in Saudi Arabia, including: hourly requirements and approved standards, compliance with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the requirements of years of study, the grades awarded, and the development of learning outcomes in various areas of learning.

The Faculty achieves these requirements by establishing a regulatory framework for procedures and policies in the form of a quality academic accreditation and management system (QAAMS) represented in the Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit of the faculty Vice-deanship of development, so that the system guides all levels of scientific departments in the HSD towards achieving its goal of providing high quality academic programs leading to the degrees awarded by the scientific departments.

The academic programs at the HSD provide their students with the ability to achieve locally and internationally recognized scientific levels, combining the development of their general knowledge with their skills and abilities related to specialization and the many general skills useful in all workplaces and develop the level of English proficiency in accordance with the study program. The QAAMS represents an active and continuous process to ensure the achievement of academic standards and the activation of the processes of quality development and academic accreditation in the HSD. Through the administrative units of the Vice-deanship of development, whose roles are summarized as follows:

Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit

This unit aims to improve, develop performance, implement the necessary plans to ensure quality, determine the policies and mechanisms of measurement and evaluation, and to qualify and support HSD to achieve the maintenance of the requirements of the international specifications adopted for quality and

academic accreditation. The unit contributes to the dissemination of the culture of quality and the preparation of competencies and distinguished experience in the field of quality and excellence applications.

Strategic Planning Unit

This unit aims to prepare and follow up on the implementation and evaluation of strategic plans of faculty and scientific departments to ensure the development of the educational process in accordance to the university's strategic plans.

Alumni Unit

This unit aims to continue strengthening the means of effective communication between the HSD and the graduates and contributing to their qualifications to find jobs by keeping pace between learning outcomes and the requirements of the labor market and community.

Human Resources Development Unit

This unit aims to develop the efficiency and effectiveness of the faculty staff of HSD through professional development and continuous training.

Partnerships and Community Services Unit

This unit aims to follow up and develop the framework of partnerships and coordinate work with the beneficiary towards achieving the strategy of the entity in the interest of the community by supporting humanitarian, environmental, health and cultural projects in addition to spreading awareness of community responsibility and service.

Technical Support Unit

This unit aims to provide technical and technology support to the staff of HSD in information technology and the development of the E-portal in accordance with best practices.

It is recognized in the QAAMS that quality assurance procedures and quality improvement processes are implemented in scientific departments in order to obtain the maximum benefit. All programs must operate in accordance with the overall framework of QAAMS and this framework should not be optional and the judgment on the strength and quality of the program will depend on the extent to which community accepts the weaknesses or shortcomings in this program, as everyone realizes that the quality management system adopts the requirements of the standard: (II)"Managing the program and ensuring its quality" from the standards of the National Center for Evaluation and Academic Accreditation (NCAAA), which therefore appeals to:

(2-1-1) The program is governed by specialized councils (College Council, Department Council) with defined tasks and authorities

(2-1-2) The program leadership has the appropriate academic and administrative experience to achieve its mission and goals

The program has the sufficient number of qualified staff to perform its administrative, professional and technical tasks, and they have defined tasks and authorities

The first strategic plan (Azm) of the HSD has included within its strategic programs: “Completing the requirements of academic accreditation and its

sustainability" in order to achieve program accreditation for bachelor programs.

The QAAMS lay strong foundations for achieving these strategic objectives through a regulatory framework for quality policies, procedures and systems and what remains is the commitment of all faculty staff at all levels to those systems and procedures. The contribution of the faculty's leaders in promoting the main principles of quality standards and academic accreditation and the success of this process will be evident when all academic and administrative staff, and technicians share the responsibilities, show their mastery of the system and continuous support for any processes aimed at improvement, and reflect the mobility and development of the academic programs at the HSD.

The first step to achieve this goal is to form the executive and operational committees of the faculty and departments to ensure the quality of internal processes and that academic programs are committed to procedures and regulations stipulated in this system.

One of the objectives of forming committees is to promote cooperation and spread best practices in the faculty, as well as to emphasize the need for collaboration between faculty members, administrators and beneficiaries of community groups in applying quality assurance regulations and standards in order to obtain academic accreditation, and this will enable the faculty to reach the desired goals represented at:

The Vision: Regional leadership in the family, community and environmental sciences.

The Mission: to promote and distinguish the human, family, community, and environment through brilliant knowledge and leading research.

Values: Quality, Professionalism, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Partnership, Creativity, Brilliance

The organizational structures of the committees:

The quality and academic accreditation committees of the HSD include the following committees:

I.

The Supervisory Committee for Evaluation and Academic Accreditation

The Supervisory Committee for Evaluation and Academic Accreditation is the accredited body authorized by the College Board to take responsibility for the implementation of quality and academic accreditation processes in all programs of the College and to perform these responsibilities, it works procedurally with the College Agency for Development and Quality Unit. Academic accreditation, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty, membership of faculty secretaries, head of departments, head of the Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit, and Director of Management .

This committee plays a major role in ensuring that academic programs contribute to the implementation of quality and academic accreditation processes at the college to ensure the quality of standards as well as the educational expertise of all programs. While the College Development Agency is the executive authorized by the Committee for Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation, the Committee oversees all relevant activities carried out by this agency and is also responsible for the approval of policies and

regulations relating to quality assurance processes. Academic accreditation, as well as the reports of the Executive Committees and the College's Self-Study Committee.

The Supervisory Committee for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation is the accredited body and authorized by the College Board to take responsibility for the implementation of quality and academic accreditation processes in all the college programs and to perform these responsibilities, it works procedurally with the College Agency for Development and the Unit of Quality and Academic Accreditation, chaired by the Dean of the College, the membership of the faculty secretaries, the heads of departments, the head of the quality and academic accreditation unit, and the director of the department.

This committee plays a major role in ensuring that academic programs contribute to the implementation of quality and academic accreditation processes at the college to ensure the quality of standards as well as the educational expertise of all programs. While the College Development Agency is the executive authorized by the Committee for Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation, the Committee oversees all relevant activities carried out by this agency and is also responsible for the process of approving policies and regulations relating to quality assurance and academic accreditation processes, as well as receiving the reports of the Executive Committees and the College's Self-Study Committee.

If any specific work or tasks are needed, it is possible to set up sub-committees to assume this role and report, for example: Self-study committee, committee for the development of evaluation methods ...).

II.

Sub-committees of the Supervisory Committee

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The Self-Study Committee:

The Self-Study Committee is the accredited body and authorized by the Higher Supervisory Committee to be responsible for overseeing the process of writing the self-study report and self-evaluation measures to meet the requirements of the NCAAA and to perform these responsibilities. Working procedurally with

the Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit as well as with the Program's Self-Study Committee, this committee is chaired by the faculty’s Dean, and members of this committee are responsible for self-study report (SSRP) in their departments, in addition to the membership of the Vice-dean of Development, Head of the Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit, and their administrative staff responsible for accreditation, and evaluation and assessment.

•

The Executive Committees:

The executive committees are the body responsible for decision-making and follow-up implementation through the operational committees of the

departments, and of course many of the preparatory work and ideas come from these committees as well as from the various parts of the organizational

structure as executive bodies in the faculty in coordination with Operational committees in the departments are as follows:

•

Program Management Committee

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Teaching and Learning Committee - Curriculum Development Committee

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Students' Committee

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Faculty and Scientific Research Committee

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Learning Resources, Facilities and Equipment Committee

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The Self-Study Committee:

The Self-Study Committee is the accredited body and authorized by the faculty's self-study committee to take responsibility for writing the SSRP and completing self-evaluation measures to meet the requirements of the NCAAA, and to perform these responsibilities it works in a way that procedural with the operational committees of the program as well as with the quality and academic accreditation unit of the Vice-deanship of Development, headed by the Chair of the department, and the self-study officer is a member of this committee, in addition to the chairpersons of the operational committees of the program.

III.

The operational committees

The operational committees of each program are assigned in accordance with the criteria of academic accreditation program, in addition to the testing and evaluation teams and are accountable to the Department Council by presenting quarterly reports and then handing them over at the end of the academic year with evidence to the Quality and Academic Accreditation Unit as follows:

•

Operational Program Management Committee

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Operational Teaching and Learning Committee - Curriculum Development Committee

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Operational Students' Committee

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Operational Faculty and Scientific Research Committee

•

Operational Learning Resources, Facilities and Equipment Committee

There is a detailed manual of operational committees explaining the mechanism of nomination of members, the functions of each committee, as well as the required evidence.

Each of these committees plays an important role in ensuring that the programs are successful and stable and are presented in accordance with the criteria of academic accreditation. Sufficient information is provided in details of the periodic and annual reports in response to each level of organization that enables the relevant committees to work effectively and ensure that appropriate actions are taken to address the shortcomings identified and direct its report to the Executive Committees at the faculty level and department councils to adopt improvement plans at the beginning of each academic year.

Steps for academic Program Accreditation:

The higher supervisory committee for the evaluation of academic accreditation was formed on 28/2/1440 H headed by the Dean of the Faculty and the membership of the Vice- dean for Development, the Vice- dean, the Vice-dean for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, Chairs of Scientific Departments, Head of Quality and Accreditation Unit, and the management director, According to that the self-study committee was formed on 3/4/1440 H, then the executive and operational committees of the scientific departments were formed at the beginning of the first semester of 1439/1440 H. And for the continuity of the work of the executive and operational committees for the year 1440/1441 H, the previous committees were reformed and the self-study committee of each program was formed on 15/2/1441H, and the following steps were applied to complete the requirements of program academic accreditation:

1. Arrangements for self-study procedures began after the formation of the committee with a meeting with the Vice -dean of Development with the chair and members of the operational committees to develop a plan to start collecting evidence and the self-study procedures.

2. The process continued with continuous revision, which began with the collection of evidence, followed by the reporting of each standard and the recollection of the proposed evidence.

3. Self-assessment estimates for each standard are first developed by the operation Standard Committee and secondly by the operation Standard Committee and the SSRP Committee together.

4. The writing of the first draft of the self-study have started at the beginning of the first semester of 1440/ 1441 H, and attach all evidence, then review by the quality and academic accreditation unit and external advisor.

5. The writing of the self-study report has finished at the beginning of the second semester of the year 1440/ 1441 H, to be send it to the independent auditor to add his comments.

6. Delivery of SSRP, self-assessment measures, and benchmarking report with all evidence and attachments, as well as the completion of the checklist of academic accreditation requirements was the final stage.

The description of the process, procedures of the academic accreditation are provided in the Operational Committee Manual.