Guidelines on Standards

1. VISION, MISSION, GOALS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES/OBJECTIVES

1.1 STATEMENTS OF VISION, MISSION AND EDUCATIONAL GOALS

The vision, mission and goals of education set the direction of the university, guide academic planning and implementation as well as bring together all its members to a single focus of world-class achievement and a tradition of excellence. The educational goals describe the crucial characteristics of the outcomes and processes of the education of an undergraduate that is in keeping with national aspirations and global importance. The general goal of university undergraduate education is to produce broadly educated graduates through the:
1.1.1 Provision of knowledge and practical skills based on scientific principles
1.1.2 Inculcation of attitudes, ethics, sense of professionalism and leadership skills for societal advancement within the framework of the national vision.
1.1.3 Nurturing of the ability to analyse and solve problems as well as to evaluate and make decisions critically and creatively based on evidence and experience
1.1.4 Development of the quest for knowledge and life long learning skills for continuous upgrading of knowledge and skills that parallel the rapid advancement in global knowledge.
1.1.5 Consideration of other general and specific issues that are relevant to the policies of the institution, country, region or the world.

Basic standards
Every university must define its vision, mission and educational goals and make them known to its constituency. The mission statements and educational goals must describe the crucial elements of the outcomes and processes of the education of an undergraduate that is in keeping with national aspirations and global importance.

Quality development
The mission and objectives should encompass leadership skills and ability to lead in the areas of social responsibility, research attainment, community involvement, ethical values, professionalism, knowledge creation and readiness for postgraduate training.

1.2 PARTICIPATION IN THE FORMULATION OF THE VISION, MISSION AND GOALS/OBJECTIVES

Universities are responsible for designing and implementing programmes that are appropriate to the mission and goals, which they have defined in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Basic standard
The vision, mission and goals must be defined by principal stakeholders which include the Dean, Faculty members, Alumni, Government and the Profession/Industry.

Quality development
The vision, mission and goals should be formulated in consultation with a wider range of stakeholders that include representatives of academic staff, students, the community, non governmental organizations, government agencies and the private sector.

1.3 ACADEMIC AUTONOMY

The University administration is ultimately responsible for all its academic activities. However each Faculty or Institution that administers a programme should have specific autonomy over academic matters.

Basic standards
The institution must have appropriate autonomy to design the curriculum and to allocate the resources necessary for its implementation to ensure the achievement of programme objectives. The autonomy must also cover courses conducted by other faculties, universities and agencies (public and private) which must be negotiated through consultation and co-operation to optimize the use of use of resources and to assure quality.

Quality development
The contributions of all academic staff should be focussed on actual curriculum development and implementation, research, social responsibility, personal growth and academic supervision of students.

The institution should have a policy on conflict of interest for academic staff, particularly in the area of private practice.

Educational resources should be distributed according to the educational needs, which include infrastructure and academic staff development.

1.4 EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES (PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES)

The quality of the university is ultimately assessed by the ability of its graduates to carry out their expected roles responsibly in society. This requires a clear definition of the competencies that are expected to be achieved at the end of the programme of study and these should reflect the level of competencies expected of a bachelors degree in the qualifications framework.

Basic standards
The institution must define the specific competencies that students should demonstrate at the end of the programme.

The competencies must include mastery of knowledge in specific fields, use of ICT, intellectual skills in critical thinking, knowledge seeking, problem solving and creative decision making, practical skills, ability to communicate, possession of attitudes and values of responsible citizenry such as sensitivity to the needs of society, participation in community affairs and willingness to learn, adapt and change.

Quality development
The link between competencies expected at the end of the programme and those expected during postgraduate training and the workplace (such as entrepreneurship) should be specified.