Internal Quality Assurance Center | SLITA | Sri Lanka Institute of Textile & Apparel

Internal Quality Assurance Center Documents

The Internal Quality Assurance Centre of the Sri Lanka Institute of Textile and Apparel, established in December, 2022, has initiated many quality sustenance and enhancement measures during the past period. The IQAC, through many proactive initiatives, has succeeded in internalization of quality cultures and institutionalization of best practice. IQAC develops quality benchmarks and parameters for various academic programmes. Mr Suranga Mendis is In-Charge of the centre.

Objective

To develop a system for conscious and consistent catalytic action to improve the academic and administrative performance of the institute.
To facilitated institutionalization of quality initiatives for improvement of the academic and administrative performance of the institute.

Functions

IQAC has evolved operational frame work for quality assurance by integrating with all academic and administrative operations of the institute.
It associates closely with every academic operation of the institute to ensure that all operations have structured strategies and well- defined process of delivery. This enables tangible measurement of performance which will serve as reference for sustaining and improving quality of future initiatives.
It closely observes student support initiatives being delivered at various touch- points across the system to identified deviations from students- centric approaches. Once such short comings are identified, the IQAC actively involves in the amendment and modification of processes/ systems, communicates the same and also plays a key role in ensuring firm adherence to these modifications.
It also continuously validates the conformity between academic and administrative delivery to ensure that there is no disconnect in comprehensive effectiveness.

Major contribution

Organization of seminars, workshops and training programmes at institutional and national levels, for faculty, students and support staff to enhance their functions efficiency. It organize national seminars on quality aspects of education, initiated collaborative programme in the areas of curriculum review, dissemination of information to best practices and innovative practices in departments and other institutions and institutionalized them through seminars and reporting systems, thus maintaining quality culture of continuous improvement. Development of course files with annexure on teaching plan, pedagogy and content, periodical academic audits, assessment plan and learner – centric activities help teachers benchmark the teaching – learning – evaluation process, help increase integration of ICT in teaching – learning and promote use of ICT, along with sensitization and training of faculty.

Composition of the Management Committee of IQAC

This committee is chaired by the Director General of the institute. This Center comprises representatives from all faculties of study and divisions.

Accordingly, the members of the Management Committee are as follows;

(a) Director General (Chairman)

(b) Deans of Faculties of Study

(c ) Director (Training and Technical)

(d) Director (Operation)

(e) Registrar

(f) Deputy Director (Administration)

(g) Heads of Departments of Studies

(h) Heads of Departments of Technology

(i) Librarian

(j) Accountant

(k) In-Charge of the IQAC

(l) Secretary – IQAC

External, Quality Assurance Mechanism and Procedures

Components of the Sri Lankan Quality Assurance System: During the last ten years the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council under the aegis of the UGC has setup a robust and comprehensive Quality Assurance System within the state sector. The Sri Lankan Academic Community has actively participated in all its activities. The documents and structures which are now in place are the products of the collective effort of a large number of Academics. It correctly used; they would lead to quality enhancement within the Higher Education Sector. The main components of this system are listed below:

Sri Lanka Qualification Framework
Subject Benchmarking
Code of Practice
External Quality Assurance
Internal Quality Assurance

Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF): The Sri Lanka Qualification Framework provides a structure within which all Higher Educational Institutional can position their awards at an appropriate level. The SLQF combines descriptors of qualification / awards at each level which credit measures that indicate the levels and volume of learning that a student is expected to achieve for each type of qualification.

Qualification level descriptors summarize the student learning outcomes/objectives of the qualification at each level. Unlike benchmarks which are subject specific, qualification level descriptors are generic and enable a distinction to be made between the attributes and achievements of graduates from programmes at different levels. They differentiate between a diploma and a degree, between a Bachelor’s degree and a Bachelor’s (Honors) degree, between an M.Phil. and a Ph.D.

The SLQF facilitates lateral mobility between courses both nationally and internationally. The SLQF aligned with the national vocational education and higher education. It also provides room for recognition of accredited prior learning and enables verticals progression of a student from a lower to a higher level using valid criteria.

External Quality Assurance: When the system of higher education was relatively small with a few intuitions catering to a small number of students, the internal mechanism for safeguarding standards of education and quality of awards conventionally monitored by the University Senate / Academic Syndicates were sufficient. With both globe and local expansion in higher education with cater intra and international competitions; it has become essential to assure quality through a reliable national mechanism. External quality assurance by peer review has now gained worldwide acceptance as an effective method to measure quality and standards of education.

The center of assessment or external review could be the institution as a whole or individual Subjects / Programmes within the institution. The aspects or criteria which will be assessed would differ based on the unit of assessment. During the first cycle of external review, both institutional reviews and subject reviews were conducted in parallel. Subject review evaluated the quality of education within a department of study. Where a department contributed to several programmes of study, all were review. Where several departments contributed to a single programme of study e.g. Medicine, a programme review was conducted.

The reviewers use the aims and learning outcomes of the subject/programme as the reference point for review. Although some flexibility and autonomy exists for each institution to decide on the intended learning outcomes, they need to reflect widely accepted reference points such as the subject benchmarks, the subject team would have to justify such deviation. The criteria that are looked at usually in a subject/programme review include curriculum design, content and review, teaching learning and assessments methods, quality of student and their progression, extent and use of student feedback, skills development , academic guidance and counseling and peer observation. The review process and reporting are almost the same as in institutional review. The subject review reports of an institution and the institutional response to them will contribute to the review of the institution as a whole.

While periodic external review by a peer group provides an impetus for reflective behavior and self- appraisal which are essential pre- requisites in the quest for excellence, the responsibility for quality and standards lies effectively where the power to control or change practices exist and that is with the institution itself and not with and external agency. Quality Assurance is a continuous process, not a one - time event or an event at specific intervals. The process has to be part of the institution’s continuous concern for maintaining and enhancing quality.

All Higher Educational Institutional are expected to established internal quality assurance center. They have to coordinate the quality assurance activity within their institutions. The quality assurance center has to report its activities to the academic council and the Board of Governors. It would be desirable to have this report as a regular agenda item in the Academic Council.

Source: Manual for Institutional Review of Sri Lankan Universities and Higher Education Institutions – 2015/ Higher Education for the Twenty First Centaury (HETC) project, Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Sri Lanka and University Grants Commission April 2015