Prince Sattam Program of Medicine Quality Assurance Unit
Thus, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University College of Medicine established the Quality Assurance System for the program of medicine based on the NCAAA quality standards and practices, the National Quality Framework, and the 'Saudi Medical Education Directives Framework' (SaudiMED Framework). The National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation developed quality assurance standards for higher education programs. The standards are based on what is generally considered good practices in post-secondary institutions and programs. The standards include the following:
- Mission and Goals
- Program Management and Quality Assurance
- Teaching and Learning
- Students
- Teaching Staff
- Learning Resources, Facilities, and Equipment
1.1. Structure of the PSAU Program of Medicine Quality Assurance and Management System
PSAU program of medicine quality assurance is based on operating with standards comparable to national and international standards and effectively working for quality improvement. There are two parts to a quality assurance system, an internal and an external quality assurance process. The internal quality process depends on the interaction between the College of Medicine administration and the program's academic staff members and on the collective integrity and professionalism of the program.
The Quality Assurance Unit is headed by the Vice-Dean of Development and Quality, who reports to the College Dean. The Quality Assurance Coordinator supervises and coordinates the several plans and tasks of the unit. In addition, the the unit includes faculty members with expertise in quality assurance. Dean of
The Quality Council Assurance Unit is committed to assisting the Vice-Deanship of Development and Quality in planning and following up on quality activities. Furthermore, the unit provides advice and recommendations on various topics and issues related to quality assurance and adopting and implementing quality assurance initiatives and academic accreditation programs at the College.
Figure 1: Organizational structure of PSAU Program of Medicine Quality Assurance Unit
I.2. Overall Goal:
The PSAU Deanship of Development and Quality and the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) is committed to the rules and regulations of Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA), and the National Quality Framework (NQF).The Quality Assurance unit is committed to assisting the college to achieve its mission and objectives through the quality assurance planning process. It also provides the elements and requirements for obtaining academic accreditation for its various academic programs. The unit maintains the highest quality standards in the educational, administrative, organizational, and technical fields.
1.3. The QAS Committees Duties and Responsibilities
The Quality Assurance Unit at PSAU Program of Medicine has several tasks and responsibilities, including the following:
1. Ensure the program achieves its goals and objectives aligned with the University and the College's mission, vision, strategic goals, and objectives.
2. Periodic assessments of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and course learning outcomes (CLOs) are all mapped to the NQF.
3. Verify that the PLOs contribute to the achievement of graduate attributes.
4. Certify that all program quality standards and aspects are well documented and reported.
5. Assure that the program and courses are evaluated and reported on an annual basis, and reports include information about the effectiveness of planned strategies and the extent to which intended learning outcomes are being achieved
6. Monitor the Quality of all courses regularly through appropriate evaluation mechanisms and amend as required.
7. Ensure that records of student completion rates are kept for all courses and programs and included among quality indicators.
8. Analyze course completion, program progression and completion rates, and student course and program evaluations, with summaries and comparative data distributed to senior administrators at least once each year.
9. Preparing a "Self-Assessment Report" and Self-Evaluation Scales
10. Making the program of medicine ready for NCAAA accreditation
11. Ensure student assessment processes are appropriate for the intended learning outcomes and effectively and fairly administered with independent verification of standards achieved.
12. Check the Quality of learning and teaching with appropriate strategies for different learning outcome categories.
13. Ensure that clinical teaching at affiliated and non-affiliated hospitals is appropriate for achieving learning outcomes.
14. Establish a comprehensive system (including but not limited to student surveys) for evaluating teaching effectiveness in all courses and curricular and extracurricular activities.
15. Establish a system to ensure that teaching staff have regular professional development
16. Establish a system to ensure the field experience activities are planned and administered as fully integrated components of the program, with learning outcomes specified and supervising staff considered members of teaching teams.
17. Monitoring that the students' counseling and advising processes are adequately conducted
18. Conducting surveys to assess the satisfaction of the students and faculty with the teaching and learning resources and the provided services
19. Build and sustain the quality assurance culture and provide the necessary support to stakeholders.
20. Review and approve quality plans for departments and administrative units, along with all templates and surveys used by the quality unit
21. Prepare all accreditation documents and submit the program’s documents to NCAAA.
23. Prepare the program for accreditation.
24. Coordinate internal audits and independent reviews.