QAAAU-Overview

NCAT Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Unit (QAAAU) – Overview  

NCAT has established its Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Unit (QAAAU) to serve as the cornerstone for continuous improvement.In fact, it strives to ensure the high-quality standards in all aspects of the College’s operations, including both academic and non-academic services. The QAAAU strives to systematically monitor performance, identify areas for enhancement, and spread the culture of quality across the institution. Further, it works to prepare NCAT for its upcoming institutional and program accreditations, in addition to properly performing all Listing and / or Alignment activities where the necessary data, documentation, and processes to show compliance with the established quality standards are clearly provided.  
Generally, the QAAAU aims to achieve several objectives that include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Enhancement of academic quality through:

• Systematic process of curriculum review whereby academic programs are revised, pedagogical best practices are deployed, outcomes are aligned with the market needs…etc., 
• Adopting innovative educational technologies and continuous staff professional development to support excellence in teaching and learning, 
• Rigorous systems of student assessment and feedback whereby students receive timely and constructive feedback on valid, reliable, and aligned assessment methods with the aim of assisting them in achieving their educational goals, 
• Fostering the culture of high-quality research by establishing the necessary guidelines, providing support for research activities, and monitoring research outputs and impact,
• Promoting academic integrity through robust policies, systems, and mechanisms and addressing the issues of academic dishonesty fairly and effectively,
• Ensuring the availability of further learning resources e.g., access to e-libraries, LMS, rich physical library …etc. to support students’ academic needs, 
• Promoting quality student support services that include, but are not limited to, academic advising, career counseling …etc.   

Ensuring Effective Administrative and Support Services through: 

• Efficacy of administrative processes to ensure their effectiveness in meeting the needs of students, faculty, and staff,
• Ensuring transparent communication processes across NCAT layers and / or levels to help meet the academic and non-academic needs of students,
• Providing adequately efficient information technology infrastructure to support the operations of the institution, 
• Ensuring a safe and conductive learning / working environment through improving all College facilities and infrastructure…etc.

Preparing NCAT for its Institutional Accreditation through:

• Aligning NCAT’s policies, procedures, and practices with the OAAAQA institutional accreditation standards, 
• Leading a self-study process that includes all stakeholders concerned and culminates in a comprehensive report reflecting the institution’s strengths, challenges, opportunities, and plans for improvement,
• Gathering evidence and documenting processes to show compliance with accreditation standards and support all given claims of practice, 
• Collaborating to engage all relevant stakeholders (e.g., students, alumni, staff, faculty, employers…etc.) to foster the shared understanding of the accreditation processes and NCAT’s commitment to quality,
• Developing comprehensive plans for quality improvement considering the self-study report findings,
• Organizing relevant mock accreditation visits in simulation of the real accreditation practice to identify gaps and address them timely and effectively, 
• Coordinating with the main accrediting body and ensuring timely submissions as per the requirements,
• Following-up on post accreditation processes and / or requirements – recommendations to ensure ongoing improvement…etc.  

Governments, employers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the world are concerned with enhancing the quality and effectiveness of academic and vocational training provisions to ensure commerce and industry have ready access to highly qualified graduates at the right levels of knowledge and skills needed in the workforce. A nation’s 'skilled people' resource is central to the advancement of its economy and society. 
Consequently, to ensure that NCAT gains and retains accreditations, it is of paramount importance that the integrity and reliability of our operations, our programmes and qualifications, gain and sustain the concerned authorities’ and stakeholders’ confidence. This will only be achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive, robust, continuous improvement of quality management system.