Institutional Quality Assurance – does a perfect framework exist?

ABSTRACT New Zealand education organisations have undergone major changes to its quality assurance system over the last number of years. In 2009, a new national system was introduced by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). Internal academic audits were replaced by self assessments while external academic audits are conducted as external evaluation and reviews. One of the major changes includes a greater focus on education outcomes and continuous quality improvement, and a move away from a compliance based system. Education organisations are encouraged to perform ongoing internal self assessment while periodic external evaluation and reviews will provide an independent judgement of their overall education performance and ability to provide a relevant teaching and learning student experience. In response to the new approach to quality assurance in New Zealand, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) has redeveloped its Quality Management System (QMS). A number of other frameworks were investigated and an Excellence Framework, based on the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence, was introduced at this education organisation. The Education Criteria for Performance Excellence is based on the internationally recognised Malcolm Baldrige criteria. With a strong focus on self assessment and continuous improvement this criteria was ideally suited to form the basis of the Framework. In this paper the author explains the rationale and influences behind the redevelopment of the organisational QMS and the main outcomes of this project. Key words: Academic Excellence, Criteria for Performance Excellence, Excellence Framework, External Review, Self Assessment, Service Excellence. yle='mso-spacerun:yes'> Republic of Yemen, Quality assurance, Academic accreditation,