Abstract
The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) is an independent statutory body to provide quality assurance and assessment services to education and training institutions, course providers and the general public in Hong Kong.
Background
With the vision to become a nationally and globally recognised independent quality assurance body in education and training, HKCAAVQ is dedicated to improve the quality of its accreditation services. It was against this background that HKCAAVQ launched a Quality Management System (QMS) in 2015. The QMS is an IT system which is designed to support the quality assurance process and the daily operation of HKCAAVQ. It contains features such as a centralised database for storing accreditation information, electronic filing system for document management and a reporting system for generating management reports as well as conducting data analyses.
Objective
Having been implemented for over a year, it’s time to review the impacts of QMS on the work of HKCAAVQ. In particular, this paper discusses how QMS provides valuable data to strengthen HKCAAVQ’s role as a quality assurance body in education and training.
The user experience from HKCAAVQ staff members who are responsible for conducting accreditation exercises is reviewed to identify how they make use of QMS in their work and how it can benefit their work efficiency and quality.
Findings
Improving Efficiency and Maintaining Consistency
The central repository of QMS contains information of different accredited learning programmes, including qualification titles, learning hours, delivery mode and admission requirements, etc. Staff can conduct benchmarking analysis and identify common practices in the market easily. These can greatly facilitate the work in evaluating learning programmes seeking accreditation.
Moreover, staff can retrieve the outcomes of the previous accreditation exercises via the QMS. This provides a useful reference in making accreditation determinations (e.g. approval, disapproval, conditions that operators need to fulfil) and can better ensure consistency among different accreditation exercises.
Continuous Refinements to Quality Assurance Framework
Similarly, the central repository provides valuable data for conducting analyses across different accreditation exercises where the findings can be used to refine the quality assurance framework. For example, there are a total of ten accreditation standards for learning programme accreditation, such as programme structure, teaching and learning and student assessment, etc. QMS can help compile information on conditions that are stipulated under different accreditation standards. The information informs HKCAAVQ of the common strengths and weaknesses of operators and provides insights on work that could be done to enhance the capability of operators.
Facilitation of Accreditation Exercises
Another application of QMS is for reviewing the maturity and track record of accredited operators. HKCAAVQ is exploring options which would allow more differentiation in how accreditation frameworks are applied to more mature Operators with a solid track record. With QMS, staff members can generate a full list of previous accreditation exercises conducted with an Operator and the associated accreditation outcomes. These kinds of information help assess the maturity of an Operator and facilitate HKCAAVQ to decide the scope and evidence required in upcoming accreditation exercises. The more focused scope can help lighten the documentation load for operators and enhance the efficiency of the accreditation process.
The above summarises a few examples out of the many benefits that can be derived from QMS. The findings shed lights on how effective use of information technology can benefit the work of a quality assurance body and encourage future development in designing information technology tools for the accreditation process.
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Author Profile(s)
CHAN Siu Keung, Registrar, Vocational and Professional Accreditation, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications.
As a Registrar of the unit of Vocational and Professional Accreditation of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualification, Mr Chan has rich experience in conducting accreditation exercises for learning programmes of different natures, including those from statutory bodies, disciplinary forces, entertainment industy and the Yi Jin Diploma.
Mr Chan is also a seasoned practitioner in information technology and is interested in the use of information and communication technologies in learning enhancement and quality assurance.
Helen YAU, Registrar, Vocational and Professional Accreditation, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications.
Ms Yau is currently the Registrar of the unit of Vocational and Professional Accreditation of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications and is responsible for conducting accreditation activities in the vocational sector.
Ms Yau has diversified experience in vocational training. Her work experience includes being a management consultant specialising in human capital development, in-house trainer for multinational companies and quality assurance specialist for a professional body. She received intensive training in industrial and organisational psychology and is interested in enhancements in quality assurance practices for safeguarding quality education in the vocational sector. |