Quality assurance—For your degree

Province reevaluates post-secondary programs to ease transfers, improve quality

CHELSE MCKEE AND MAX WIEBE

For the 769 students who transferred to the University of Manitoba from another post-secondary institute, the Quality Assurance program could make the process much smoother.

Last year, Timothy Brown, a second-year fine arts student, transferred from Brandon University, which he had attended for two years, to the Fort Garry campus. Due to different course requirements, only five of his courses could be transferred. So despite his two years at Brandon University, Brown had to restart his university career.

“I was pretty mad for awhile,” said Brown. “I just think school should be a little more co-operative with transfers.”

Richard Lobdell, vice-provost for programs for the U of M and a review organizer for the Quality Assurance program said he thinks the new program will “make [the transition] smoother.”

Quality Assurance has been in progress for a few years already. The program borrows many aspects from both European and American programs of the same nature.

The new program, which was developed by the Councils of Ministers of Education and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), will create a standard understanding of what qualifies as a diploma, degree, or certificate from a post-secondary institute. As well, the program will try to standardize the educational requirements of each post-secondary program.

The program addresses how the provincial government accredits new private post-secondary institutions.

Currently, Canada does not have an accrediting body. However, a university or college’s membership in AUCC held with a provincial charter can be accepted instead of institutional accreditation.

For new institutes, the program will assure that the institute is a legitimate organization and assure that the degrees distributed from the organization are reputable.

For current institutes, there will be an academic process every 10 years for undergraduate programs and every seven years for graduate programs.

First there will be an internal review performed by the university before they call in an external reviewer, determined by the dean of the faculty. The external reviewer will conduct interviews with various people from teachers to students.

Finally, both reports are given to the dean with suggestions on how to update the program requirements, for example adding new courses that have been created in the last 10 years. The program will be an ongoing process for Canadian post-secondary institutes.

Since Manitoba and Saskatchewan only have six public post-secondary institutions between them, they have decided to focus as one body, titled Manitoba-Saskatchewan Universities Program Review Audit Council, on their individual review process. When the process is completed in terms of the internal reviewer, the external reviewer is called from either a Manitoba or Saskatchewan institute.

Lobdell said that this process is intended to avoid involving the federal government when the provinces can conduct the reviews themselves.

Lobdell, now an advocate for the program, said he was initially wary when the program was first introduced to Canadian post-secondary establishments.

“I was nervous[that it was] going to make everyone feel inadequate. [It’s] a lot of work for a lot of criticism.”

Now Lobdell says that the program has had a “pretty good effect” on the faculties and is an “accurate and fair representation” of programs.

Some of the most recent programs to be reviewed have been immunology, plant science, soil science, and history.

—With files from Magally Zelaya