QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES IN SELECTED PRIVATE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN THE ASHANTI REGION, GHANA
Main Article Content
This study aimed at investigating quality assurance practices in private colleges of education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana by examining the functions of quality assurance in selected private colleges of education, to determine the current level of collaboration between the administration of these colleges of education and the students and to recommend strategies for improving and monitoring quality assurance services to ensure their sustainability. The study examines how regulatory measures are not only designed to enhance the quality of private higher education institutions, but also how they impact the effort employed by private providers towards meeting quality assurance standards in the area in which they are located. The study involved 100 participants, consisting of five (5) Registrars, five (5) Dean of Students, five (5) Quality Assurance Heads, fifteen (15) lecturers, twenty (20) Administrators and fifty (50) students. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used in selecting the respondents. Questionnaires and interview guide were the main instruments used to collect data. The data were analysed with SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The respondents perceived that the role of quality assurance go a long way to help the private colleges of education to achieve their missions and visions. Also, they perceived that quality assurance raises the reputation of the colleges. The study concludes as regard how quality assurance helps private colleges of education in the Ashanti region, Ghana to achieve their visions and missions. Though the role of quality assurance is to help the universities to achieve their missions and visions, it is should be noted that it takes the collective and relentless effort of students, administrative and academic staff as well as management to achieve the desired standard of quality. It is recommended that private colleges of education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana should continue to use feedback from the periodic evaluation of courses to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
Anon, K. (2008). Creating exceptional customer experiences. Teller vision, (1370):5-5.
Baryeh, J. O. B. (2009). Higher education quality in Ghana: How NAB coping with the balance between improvement and accountability. Unpublished master’s thesis, Faculty of Education, University of Oslo
Campbell, C. and Rozsnyai, C. (2002). Quality assurance and the development of course programmes. Papers presented at UNESCO Conference on higher education regional university network on governance and management of higher education in South East Europe Bucharest, Romania, 13 July, 2002
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York: Macmillan Press
Friend, M., and Cook, L. (1992). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. White Plains, NY: Longman.
Harvey, L. (2003). The power of accreditation: Value systems of Academics (Rome, ENQA)
Jeliazkova, M., and Westerheijden, D. F. (2002). Systemic adaptation to a changing environment: Towards a next generation of quality assurance models. Higher Education, 44(3–4), 433–448.
Kemenade, E. V., Pupius, M., and Hardjono, T. W. (2008). More value to defining quality. Quality in Higher Education, 14(2), 175-185.
Kwarteng-Ashia, L. (2014). Examining the mandate of National Accreditation Board. The Ghanaian Times, pp. 8-9
Materu, P. (2007). Higher education quality assurance in Sub-Sahara Africa: status, challenges, opportunities and promising practices. Washington DC: World Bank Working Paper
McDaniel, C. and Gates, R., (2010). Marketing Research, 8th edition. Willey.
Mhlanga, E. (2008). Quality assurance in higher education in Southern Africa: The Case of the Universities of the Witwatersrand, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Unpublished doctoral thesis. University of the Witwatersrand, Pretoria. South Africa
Mishra, S. (2007). Quality assurance in higher education: An introduction. Revised edition. Bangalore, India: National Printing Press. Retrieved from http://www.co/org/site collection Documents/PUB_QAHE_Intro.pdf
Morra Imas, L. G., and R. C. Rist. (2009). The Road to Results: Designing and Conducting Effective Development Evaluations. Washington, DC: World Bank.
National Accreditation Board (NAB) (2014). National Accreditation Board Act, 2007, Act 744, Accra, Ghana. Republic of Ghana
Nuamah, N. N. (2005). A handbook of descriptive statistics for social and biological sciences. Accra. Academic Press
Okae-Adjei, S. (2012). Quality assurance practices in Ghanaian Polytechnics: The case of Koforidua Polytechnic. Interdisciplinary journal of contemporary research I business, 6(.4), 6-10
Otoo, J. H. (2013). Perceptions of lecturers and students on operations at Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Quddus, M., and Rashid, S. (2000). The worldwide movement in private universities: revolutionary growth in postsecondary higher education, The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 59(3), 487-516.
Russell, J. F., and Flynn, R. B. (2000). Commonalities across effective collaboratives. Peabody Journal of Education, 75(3), 196-204
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2009) Research methods for business students, 5th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Tait, A. (1997). Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Selected Case Studies. Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Vancouver, 1997. Retrieved from: https://oasis.col.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0d3de750-cd2f-411e-b0c5-5c49cc51fd78/content
Tsevi, L. (2014). Private higher education's quality assurance in Ghana. International Higher Education 75, 22-23.
UNESCO. (2004). Indicators of quality and facilitating academic mobility through quality assurance agencies in the Asia‐Pacific Region. Bangkok: UNESCO and Thailand National Accreditation Council.
Utuka, G. (2012). Quality assurance in higher education: comparative analysis of practices and provisions in Ghana and New Zealand. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington.
Van de Water, S and Rainwater, T. (2001). What is P-16 Education: A Primer for Legislators. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States.
Varghese, N. V. (2004). Private higher education in Africa. UNESCOIIEP/ADEA/AAU Report. Paris: UNESCO IIEP
Vught F. A., and Westerheijden D.F (1994). Towards a general model of quality assessment in higher education. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Watty, K. (2003). Want to know about quality in higher education? Ask an academic. Quality in Higher Education, 12 (3) 291-301.
WHO (2010). Quality assurance compendium. Retrieved from: http://www.apps.who.int/medicine springer.com/static/pdf/520/art%253A10.1
World Bank. (2000). Higher education in developing countries: peril and promises. Washington D.C: The World Bank. Retrieved from http:www.tfhe.net/report/download/report/whole.pdf