Concern about the quality of higher education has assumed great prominence in recent years and has been accentuated even further in the context of the liberalization of higher education. This concern can be attributed to several factors. The costs of higher education have risen significantly as the sector has expanded and questions are now raised as to whether the resources are being used efficiently and giving good value for money. The relevance of the programmes offered to societal or personal needs, the extent to which students are achieving the programmes’ objectives, and the need to raise the throughput rate and simultaneously ensure that quality and standards are maintained have also been debated. The Chancellor's Commission on Governance mandated the development and implementation of a full system of quality audit and assurance at UWI, a decision that reflected worldwide trends in the higher education sector.

The implementation of a quality assurance and audit system has been one of the major tasks of the Board for Undergraduate Studies, (BUS) which began its work in 1996. The Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (OBUS) carries out the policies of BUS. It also undertakes surveys of stakeholder perceptions of The UWI’s processes and outputs, with a view to continuous quality enhancement of the teaching and learning environment and of the competencies of UWI graduates.

A Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) was established within OBUS in 2001. The Quality Assurance Unit on the St Augustine Campus was established in March 2002. Mrs. Sandra Gift, Senior Programme Officer serves as head of the Unit.

The understanding of quality adopted by The UWI for its reviews is one of fitness for purpose, the 'definition' of quality adopted by many policy makers in the higher education sector. The intention is to relate quality to the stated purpose of the service provided. Quality is then judged in terms of the extent to which a product or service meets its stated purposes. This allows decisions as to the aims and objectives of the teaching of a discipline, the content of the programmes and courses, teaching methods, assessment practices, etc. to reside with the teaching staff, while an evaluation of the results may be performed by others.

As an example of the core activities of The UWI Quality Assurance Unit, here is a flowchart of the departmental review process as carried out by the QAU.

• Visit by QAU Staff
  When a particular discipline has been selected for review, the Senior Programme officer of the QAU holds an orientation meeting with members of the Department to clarify the objectives of the review.



• Appointment of the Review Team
  Discussions between QAU and the academic staff lead to the appointment of a 3-4 member Review Team. The team is comprised of representatives from the same subject on another campus and 2-3 independent members, who may be 1or 2 senior academics from outside the region and a person with professional expertise in the discipline from the Caribbean but external to The UWI.



• Self-Assessment
  In the months leading up to the visit of the Review Team, a Self-Assessment is undertaken by the academic staff. The purpose of the Self-Assessment is to examine the aims and objectives of the teaching of the discipline and to determine the extent to which these are being realized.



• Visit of the Review Team
  The Review Team receives a report of the Self-Assessment and visits the campus. The visit has the purpose of testing the validity of the Self-Assessment. The team meets with all stakeholders, inspects relevant facilities and may also observe teaching sessions.



• Reporting and Follow-up
  The Review Team presents a written report of its findings, which is widely distributed throughout the University community. The departmental staff can identify issues for further consideration. A year later a report is submitted by the academic staff outlining action that has been taken. The Campus Principal and the QAU monitor and facilitate the progress being made in implementing the recommendations.

Members of academic staff have embraced this process and recognize its invaluable contribution to ensuring that their academic programmes maintain international standards.