2013年台灣的東南亞區域研究年度研討會
The challenges for the Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education Evaluation: ASEAN 's experience and situation in Vietnam
陳氏蘭
國立成功大學教育研究所博士生
Abstract
Over the past few years, the awareness of the importance of quality assurance of higher education has emerged in a number of countries and various attempts to evaluate and assure this quality can be noted. Quality assurance refers to a range of review procedures designed to safeguard academic standards and promote learning opportunities for students of acceptable quality.
The higher education quality assurance and evaluation system in Vietnam has been developed and promoted in the recent years. Vietnam policy on quality assurance for higher education are defined in Education Law, Government decrees, Prime Minister’ Decisions, University Charter. Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) regulation No 76/2007/QD-BGDDT that requires universities to have Quality Assurance Center and do self-evaluation every 5 year, do improvement based on self-evaluation results and findings. The center for Educational Quality Assurance and Research Development of Hanoi National University, and center for Testing and Educational Quality Evaluation of Ho Chi Minh National University, the Accreditation Division of MOET was established and paid attention to the assessment and evaluation of higher education quality. But these Quality Assurance Agencies in Vietnam also faces a lot of challenges: (1) what the evaluation objects that Vietnam has to concentrate to like curriculum assessment, teacher quality, student quality, institute evaluation, research project assessment…; (2) evaluation criteria and standards; (3) the ability of evaluation committee; (4) the evaluation process and methods.
Nowadays, ASEAN quality assurance agencies are required domestically to play vital roles in both the national and the international context. The number of higher education institutions in ASEAN has grown rapidly in recent years following the open door policy set forth by the Ministry of Education. In order to improve institution quality, most of the Ministry of Education in ASEANdecided to establish an organization with multi-functions to undertake higher education evaluation affairs, and to assure the quality of education provided by universities and colleges, and began to conduct program evaluations in higher education. The main purpose of this article is to analyze the experience of ASEAN higher education quality assurance and the impact on Vietnam situation. The approaches that the quality assurance agencies use to development program evaluations and the challenges it is faced with also discussed and addressed.
Keywords: Quality Assurance Agencies, higher education evaluation, ASEAN, Vietnam
1. Introduction
“Quality assurance” is not the new term in education but it always is an important issue, especially in higher education. Quality assurance in higher education is at the heart of efforts to build a coherent, compatible and attractive higher education. Quality assurance refers to a range of review procedures designed to safeguard academic standards and promote learning opportunities for students of acceptable quality (Sanjaya Mishra, 2007).
Base on the importance of quality assurance, many of quality assurance organizations and agencies has been establish to improve the quality assessment system in higher education as well as develop research theory in this field. TheQuality Assurance Agency for Higher Education’s (QAA)established in 1997 to safeguard the public interest in sound standards on higher education (HE) qualifications and to inform and encourage continuous improvement in the management of the quality of HE, like the quality of teaching, learning opportunities, and related student support services. The QAA is funded by subscriptions from the UK’s higher education institutions and by the higher education funding councils. The European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) was establish in 2000 to contribute significantly to the maintenance and enhancement of the quality of European higher education at a high level by promoting European co-operation in the field of quality assurance (QA), sharing good practice in QA and to foster the European dimension of QA.The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) was established in 1991to developing theory and practice in the assessment, improvement and maintenance of quality in higher education, provides advice and expertise to assist existing and emerging quality assurance agencies, to enable members to be alert to improper quality assurance practices and organizations…(Stephanie Matseleng Allais, 2009).
Vietnam starts to pay attention to the higher education quality assessment and evaluation since 2004 when the Minister of Education and Training (MOET) has signed Decision No. 38/2004/QD-BGD & DT and issued provisional regulations on higher education quality assessment. Then some of the Quality Assurance center hasbeen establish and take the first step to implement quality assessment and evaluation of higher education in Vietnam. The center for Educational Quality Assurance and Research Development of Hanoi National University, and center for Testing and Educational Quality Evaluation of Ho Chi Minh National University, the Accreditation Division of MOET was established and paid attention to the assessment and evaluation of higher education quality (Pham Xuan Thanh, 2010). Although the Higher education Quality Assurance Agencies of Vietnam is making great efforts in contribute the standards testing system and improvement evaluation model, but still faces many challenges. Therefore, the Higher education Quality Assurance Agencies of Vietnam have to study the experiences of Quality Assurance Agencies in other countries especially those countries already have implemented higher education quality assessment for many years, and already have a testing model improvement.
2. Overview of higher education quality assurance and evaluation system in Vietnam
In recent year, along with economic growth, Vietnam education is also development day by day, especially in higher education. According to statistics of the Ministry of Education and Training (2011), the number of public university and non-public university in Vietnam increased constantly since 2008 to 2011. The number of lecture and student also continued to increase (see Table 1). Therefore, higher education quality assurance becomes an urgent need for higher education in Vietnam.
Table 1: Vietnam higher education(Vietnam Ministry of Education, 2011）
Colleges / Universities2008-2009 / 2009-2010 / 2010-2011 / 2008-2009 / 2009-2010 / 2010-2011
Institutions / 223 / 227 / 223 / 146 / 149 / 163
Public / 194 / 197 / 193 / 101 / 103 / 113
Non-Public / 29 / 30 / 30 / 45 / 46 / 50
Students / 476,721 / 576,878 / 726,219 / 1,242,778 / 1,358,861 / 1,435,887
Public / 409,884 / 471,113 / 581,829 / 1,091,426 / 1,185,253 / 1,246,356
Non-Public / 66,837 / 105,765 / 144,390 / 151,352 / 173,608 / 189,531
Full time training / 429,544 / 527,533 / 675,724 / 773,923 / 862,569 / 970,644
Students receiving tied grant / 662 / 794 / 1,060 / 5,562 / 7,189 / 7,448
In service training / 46,515 / 48,551 / 49,435 / 463,293 / 489,103 / 457,795
Graduated students / 79,199 / 96,325 / 130,966 / 143,466 / 161,151 / 187,379
Lectures / 20,183 / 24,597 / 23,622 / 41,007 / 45,961 / 50,951
Public / 17,888 / 20,125 / 19,933 / 37,016 / 40,086 / 43,396
Non-Public / 2,295 / 4,472 / 3,689 / 3,991 / 5,875 / 7,555
PhD / 338 / 656 / 586 / 5,879 / 6,448 / 7,338
Master / 5,785 / 6,859 / 7,509 / 17,046 / 19,856 / 22,865
Professional disciplines / 298 / 413 / 434
University & College / 13,689 / 16,242 / 14,939 / 17,610 / 19,090 / 20,059
Other degree / 371 / 840 / 588 / 174 / 154 / 255
Before 1985, the concept of education quality assurance in Vietnam higher education means that control input through entrance axaminations and control output quality through exams and graduation numbers. The quality assurance is conduct by quality control method in inspection and supervision. It is a closed system and highly introverted, and did not meet the actual demand of education development (Vũ Thị Phương Anh, 2012). When the social and political situation in Vietnam has many changes, especially the cause of reform and opening up in 1986, Vietnam starts to enter a process of comprehensive reform, including higher education.
Vietnam starts the renewal process of higher education since the year 1986. However, until 2004, the renewal process just focused on increasing the level of funding from the goverment budget that given to the national university and some other university. But the assessment and evaluation of how to use effective these funding to gain the goals still hasn’s been focused. So although the rate of the budget for higher education is increasing, but the quality of education still had no improved. This situation suggests that improving the quality assurance of higher education has become a necessary requirement in the recent years.
2004 is an important year in higher education quality management in Vietnam, by the Minister of Education and Training has signed Decision No.38/2004/QD-BGD& Training issued temporary regulations of University accreditation (Ministry of Education and Training, 2006). In the next three years, 20 universities in Vietnam including 18 public schools and 2 non-public schools were selected to evaluate the quality following the standards issued by Ministry of Education and Training. After applying to 20 universities, the evaluation standards was revised, supplemented and corrected to become the formal standards and has been issued by MOET in November 2007. The evaluation standards of universities and colleges in Vietnam include following 10 items: (1) the tasks and goals of the university; (2) organization and management; (3) educational programs; (4) training activities; (5) management staff, lecture, and staff; (6) students; (7) research, technology application, development and transfer; (8) international cooperation; (9) learning equipment and facilities; (10) financial and management (MOET, 2007).
However, the quality evaluation standards must be control by a system of organization and management mechanism for activate it in universities. Establishment of the agency to protect the higher education quality is necessary and is an important step in higher education quality assurance and management in Vietnam. Department of Education Testing and Accreditation of MOET established in July 2003in accordance with Decree No. 85/2003/ND-CP. Two quality assurance centers of National University include Center for Educational Quality Assurance and Research Development of Hanoi National University, Center for Testing and Educational Quality Evaluation of Ho Chi Minh National University were established and began to put into operation (Nguyen An Ninh, Pham Xuan thanh, 2011). In the short period time of take the first step to higher education quality assurance, Vietnam already has some results:
(1)Establishment of the law system and regulations on quality accreditation in higher education as decision 38/2004/QD-BGD & DT in February 2004 about the regulations on accreditation of universities, decision 27/2006/QD-BGD & DT in June 2006 about supplementing temporary regulations of 2004, decision 65/2007/QD-BGDDT in November 2007 about promulgating regulations on quality assessment standard of the university and some other decision about college quality assessment, vocational schools quality assessment, the regulations on the accreditation process and cycles. Department of Education Testing and Accreditation (MOET) also issued guidelines document as self-assessment guide for universities, colleges, vocational schools; guide to use the quality evaluation criteria, guide to find evidence for the assessment criteria…
(2)Establishment of nationally quality assurance agency, the first step to set up a systematic way of accreditation agency in all of universities. Currently, 110 university in Vietnam already established centers or units in charge of quality assurance, including 5 centers operated by theNetherlands government to support the quality assurance activites in the past three years. Vietnam also in collaboration with specialized education agency of Netherlands to implemented the project “Establishment of 5 quality assurance center for five universities and capacity in systematic” in the year of 2005-2008. The universities involve in this project including University of Thai Nguyen, Hue University, University of Da Nang, Can Tho University and Department of Education Testing and Accreditation. Those five quality assurance centers have been established and put into operation.
(3)Establishment the higher education quality assurance models in Vietnam: The model of quality assurance in Vietnam is influenced by many countries including the U.S., Australia, the Netherlands, Asia-Pacific. Model to ensure the quality of education system in Vietnam include three components: the internal quality assurance system; the external quality assurance system including policies, procedures and assessment tools by the organizations of other countries assessment as HBO Raad of Netherlands or EST and CQAIE of United States; the system of quality assurance organizations including the independent organizations.
(4)Promoting international cooperation in higher education quality assurance: Vietnam already joined the regional and international quality assurance network as AUN (ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance), APQN (Asia-Pacific Quality Network), and INQAAHE (The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education). There are for quality assurance centers of 4 universities are members of APQN.
(5)Development for experts and staff: APQN has support for local staff to attend training courses and seminars in other countries to prepare for the assessment process in Vietnam. MOET also organized training courses and invited the participation of international experts such as Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the United States.
However, Vietnam still faces many challenges, and need to be constantly learning and discussing of experience with others countries for Vietnam higher education quality assurance more and more improvement.
3. ASEAN higher education quality assurance and evaluation system
3.1. Development of Quality Assurance System in Southeast Asia
There are many changes in the context of higher education in Asian countries, especially in Southeast Asia such as the loss of public confidence in higher education, budget cuts and pressure to increase efficiency in public expenditures, side effects of university rankings… The quality assurance of higher education has faced the diversity in approaches including the purpose and functions of improvement QAA-internal, evaluation; accountability and transparency; steering and funding; accreditation and recognition QAA-external, methodologies used in QAA, responsible of agency, issues of ownership and stakeholders, focus on research or teaching-learning or both, focus on the review of programs or institutions or both, the range of follow-up activities…(Neubauer, 2010)
ASEAN has rising number of quality universities and research institutions. Thus they have to face many new challenges to QA such as different types of higher education institutions like traditional universities, virtual universities, polytechnics, technical institutes, open learning institutes, and community colleges; different types of providers as public and private provision, for-profit and non-for-profit providers; urgent need to seek alternative sources of funding…
The assessment standards are different in Asean countries, as approach programme based or institutional based, presentation of standards and criteria differs in arrangements between agencies, the differences in the assessments requirement, quantitative and qualitative assessments (Zita Mohd Fahmi, 2013) .There are four type of quality assurance agency in Asean countries including:type I is practically a part of the government; type II is established-sometimes jointly-by the government as an organization apart from the government; type III is established independent of and recognized by the government; type IV isindependent of the government (Rie Mori, 2012)
The implementation of higher education quality assessment in Malaysia achieved important accomplishments. The Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) was established in 2007 with the main role is to implement the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF) as a basis for quality assurance of higher education and as the reference point for the criteria and standards for national qualifications(Prof.Zita Haji Mohd Fahmi, 2008). MQA development Malaysia qualifications Framework approachincluding community colleges, universities, polytechnics and othervocational and technical institutions, other higher educationalinstitutions, professional organizations, guilds and industry relatedorganizations.MQA has responsible for developing and implementing the framework, including the learning outcomes achieved and credits based on student academic load (Sharifah Hapsah Shahabudin, AQAARM, 2008).The problem that MQA has to face is the tectonic policy shift, the consequent demand for quality outcomes by policy makers and citizens alike.
The quality assurance agency has responsibilities to develop higher education in Combodia is the Accreditation Committee of Cambodia (ACC). The roles and duties of ACC is determining accreditation policy and measures to assure academic quality for all HEIs in the Kingdom of Cambodia, maintaining records of institutional and programme evaluation and quality assurance activities in each HEI, cooperating with other national and international institutions involved withaccreditation and quality assurance…(You Virak, AQAARM, 2008). The standard requirements for evaluation including: mission of each academic institution; governing structure, management and planning; academic programme; teaching staff; student and student services; learning resources; physical facilities; financial management and planning; dissemination of information. ACC has been operating and fulfills its duties, but still have to face many challenges as the lack of both human resources and financial supports, technical supports, inadequacy of resources and experience to proceed with the development of minimum standard of quality and the accreditation process.
In Indonesia, the National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (official name: Badan Akreditasi Nasional Perguruan Tinggi; acronym: BAN-PT), established in 1994 with a Ministerial decree, is a government agency accountable to the Minister of National Education. As an independent evaluation agency the BAN-PT determines the feasibility of a programmes and institutions of higher education using the National Standards of Education as reference. BAN-PT conducts the accreditation of study programmes and institutions, takes place on a five-year cycle. The main challenge that the agency facing is that the majority of programmes and institutions have not yet been accredited, despite measures by the Government to limit the number of programmes and institutions the number of study programmes continues to grow while weak private institutions are being subjected to takeovers by strong ones, the limitations to the numbers of assessors the agency, the required assessment skills, the moral hazards that the assessors continuously face during the performance of their duties as assessors, how to improve the quality service (Prof. Kamanto Sunarto, 2008).
In Laos, the Center of Quality Assurance was established in 2008. The role of this center is control all units of quality assurance in Macro Management as academic department in the ministry education and micro-management as academic colleges in public an private sectors about QA. The challenges and problems that this Center has to face is the budget to support this center procedure, the experiences of the staffs to manage this center, the accreditation between macro-Management and Micro-Management (Seng Xiongchunou, 2008).
In Thailand, the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA) is established with the aims of developing the criteria and methods for external quality assessment; assessing education achievements in order to check the quality of educational institutions, development of standards and criteria for external quality assessment. The challenges for ONESQA are to maintain the integrity of the assessment process and findings withan amicable assessment model or a more user-friendly approach, and to complete the assessment of40,000 education institutions in all types and levels of education at least once for every five years(Somwung Pitiyanuwat, 2008).