ASSURING QUALITY OF THE ACADEMIC

Dr. Bernadette Louise Dean is Associate Professor and Head Academics and Student Affairs, Institute for Educational Development, Agha Khan University, Karachi (Pakistan). She has completed her Masters in Science (Psychology) and Masters in Education. She has vast experience of teaching. She has credited over a huge number of publications/ journals.

Excellence in academic endeavour is most important feature of the Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED). Quality Assurance at AKU-IED uses both self-regulated and externally regulated system for all levels of teaching and learning programmes, that is, certificate till PhD levels. The quality assurance activities also includes for research and scholarship activities. AKU-IED uses Purser’s (2001) context, input, process, output model for quality assurance for all its programmatic and research activities. The paper will provide the current strategies and mechanisms put in place by the first private University based in Karachi-Pakistan for assurance quality and issues in implementing particularly when the University geographically expanded to two continents – Asia and East Africa – and the numbers of programmes and activities also have increased since AKU-IED established 12 years ago. Based on the review the paper will also provide recommendations for academic and non-academic activities within the University’s quality assurance framework.