Quality Assurance ProjectMakerere University

Report on Activities of the No Cost Extension

Dr Ddembe WilliamsProject Manager

Dr Lillian Tibatemwa-EkirikubinzaProject Director

Project Goal & Objectives Project Goal: The goal of Piloting Quality Assurance at Makerere University

to develop and implement a formal, integrated Quality Assurance System of teaching, learning, and research, professionalism, collaboration, commitment and innovation.

Specific objectives: Establishment of an efficient & effective QA Strategy and Policy Establishing an efficient & effective QA System Ensuring effective performance of staff and students Providing leadership in the transformation of the core QA

business processes

Project Expected Outcomes/Outputs

Quality Assurance at Makerere will be continuously informed and improved from experiences and feedback of key stakeholders.

It is envisaged that by September 2008 Makerere will have accumulated sufficient experience and lessons learnt on how to implement QA function, in terms of:

Improved staff performance and productivity. Improved accountability Improved student performance Improved curriculum Improved University stakeholders’ engagement, feedback &

satisfaction.

Institutionalising Quality Assurance at Makerere University

The University Council on 13th May 2007 approved a Quality Assurance Policy and its Implementation Framework.

Council also established the Quality Assurance Directorate, conceptualised as “independent” unit reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor.

The Unit now has an Acting Director The Directorate would require funds to continue supporting the core

function of the QA To ensure that best practices achieved are shared across the University To extend results of pilot projects to other academic and administrative

units More funds would be necessary to facilitate the implementation of Quality

Management Systems across the University.

Objective: 2.1 Establish an efficient & effective QA Strategy and

Policy

Outputs/Outcomes – QA Policy approved– Launched quality assurance websites– Developed Guidelines and Information for external examiners.– Engaged key stakeholders and Management in QA Awareness

Workshop.– Started work on the publication of QA Journal for Institutions of

Higher Learning in East Africa.

Objective: 2.2 Establish an efficient &effective QA Strategy and Policy

Outputs/Outcomes– Made QA processes and procedures responsive to academic units’

staff and student needs– Equipped the project office with equipment such as desktop

computers heavy duty printers, LCD projector photocopier and file Server.

– Collected baseline statistics on quality indicators required by the National Council of Higher education

– Implemented faculty/Schools and Institutes’ Quality assurance Committees are now in place.

Objective: 2.3 Ensure an Effective Performance of Staff and Students

– Sensitized staff and students in the pilot units about Makerere University quality assurance strategy.

– Reviewed curricula in two pilot faculties and an addition two faculties are now replicating this process

– Held two major consultative and QA awareness workshops.– Evaluated teaching and learning by students in pilots and the rest of

the University.– Revised data collection instrument as a result of two pilot studies.– Evaluated the impact of the Pedagogy training carried for staff in the

pilot units.

Objective: 2.4To Provide leadership in the transformation of the core QA business processes

Compiled, disseminated and replicated best QA practices from other agencies and Universities from inside and outside Uganda.

Regularly update the web-based quality Management system

Established Quality Assurance Directorate. A Director, Has been appointed.

More key staff for the Directorate have been appointed Selected

QA at No Cost ReportACTIVITY YEAR 3 BUDGET ADJUSTED

BUDGETEXPENDITURE COMMITMENT REMARKS

Salaries/Benefits 24,000 34.190 30,190 4,000 Salaries for QA Project staff for the August and September 2008

Consultants 3,000 25,269 22,569 2,700 To be paid to consultants who are analyzing the report on evaluation of teaching and learning by students.

Conferences/Meeting 4,000 4,302 4,302 - -

Multimedia/Publications 5,000 28,024 21,024 7,000 For collating data for QA Journal for Institutions. of Higher Learning in

Equipment Purchase - 5,671 5,671 - -

Office Expenses 2,000 3,038 2,431 607 To facilitate office activities for the months of August and September, 2008

Other(Curriculum review and Review of external examination process

1,000 8,500 6,400 2,100 To facilitate external examination review process

Indirect costs 5,850 19,400 12,900 6,500 Honoraria to persons who work beyond normal working day to accomplish project activities.

44,850 128,394 105,487 22,907

Phase III Activities and Way ForwardPhase II Activities Pedagogical Training – Faculty of Agriculture Purchased equipment (key hardware infrastructure for the QA

function)Way Forward The project would require funds to continue supporting the core

function of the QA To ensure that best practices achieved are shared across the

University To extend results of the pilot studies to other academic units More funds would be necessary to facilitate the implementation of

Quality Management Systems across the University.