QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A NEEDS ANALYSIS

Abstract

Quality assurance is a holistic approach covering all the processes in a higher educational institution, to serve the students and stakeholders in expected quality standards. The success of quality assurance system depends on the support of the management. Hence quality assurance should also cover the strategic management, process management and measuring-monitoring systems which interact with each other for enabling the institution to improve its processes. Furthermore, information systems should be implemented to integrate the quality assurance system with management processes for enhancing the overall success, and to provide information about quality assurance system. In this study, a quality assurance framework supported by strategic information system is suggested for higher education institutions. The proposed strategic information system also integrates the strategic management, process management and measuring-monitoring systems as well as takes into consideration international, national and regional external factors.

Quality improvement in education system is mainly related to teaching, evaluation techniques, results and placements of the institution. In recent years India has seen tremendous growth in the number and types of institutions providing higher education. In order for organizations and individuals to remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment, demand for education and training has become more critical than before. The performance of higher education institutions is a growing concern. The pressure for quality assurance poses a major challenge to higher education in many developing countries including India. With increasing interaction of commerce, trade and education across national borders, needs for measures of the quality of education in a given country or region are growing each year. The purpose of this paper is to determine the state of research with respect to quality assurance in higher education institutions in India based on a review of academic literature.

Keywords: Quality Assurance, Higher Education, Strategic Management, Process Management, Measuring-monitoring Systems, Information Systems.