e-Bulletin #1

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Highlights in this issue
Seminar on
Internal &
External
Quality
Assurance
(SieQA II)
Workshop
on course
preparation
and implementation
Institutions
Quality Assurance
August 2015
Message from the
President
W
elcome to the Malaysian Higher
Education Institutions Quality
Assurance Network.
The Malaysian Higher Education Institutions Quality Assurance
Network (MyQAN) is a network of higher education institutions
(HEIs) in Malaysia. MyQAN was established in 2014 with four
objectives: (1) MyQAN will serve as a platform for discussing
quality matters and sharing of good practices among Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia; (2) MyQAN will seek
to strengthen internal quality assurance (IQA) system of the
HEIs in Malaysia; (3) MyQAN will interface with regulators and
stakeholders pertaining to quality matters, nationally and
internationally; (4) MyQAN will represent HEIs in undertaking
international engagement networking and collaboration for
mutual benefit.
MyQAN’s membership is institutional and each member institution
is represented by its head of quality assurance. There are now 43
member institutions from across Malaysia.
Malaysian
Higher Education
Issue 1
Membership
of MyQAN
Network
- Vision
Checking
- Structured,
Secure and
Reliable
Accreditation
Record
Management
MyQAN aspires to represent HEIs in engaging with local and
international stakeholders as a strategic dialogue partner and
discussing the best practices of quality assurance in higher
education.
We hope you will visit our website from time to time to find
out the latest activities, events and updates from MyQAN and
to partner with us in nurturing the quality of higher education
in Malaysia! You may also connect with us through MyQAN
Facebook page.
Professor Shahrir Abdullah
President
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MyQAN activities
Seminar on Internal-External
Quality Assurance (SieQA) II
2015
(18th and 19th August 2015)
Link FYI:
http://www.myqan.org/index.php/2uncategorised/26-sieqa2015
Meeting MQA CEO
On 13th January 2015, the MyQAN office bearers
paid a courtesy visit to Dato’ Professor Dr.
Rujhan Mustafa, the recently appointed CEO
of Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). The
purpose of the visit was to introduce MyQAN to
Dato' Rujhan and to discuss how MyQAN could
partner with MQA to nurture the quality of higher
education in Malaysia.
MyQAN was represented by Professor Ir. Dr. Shahrir Abdullah (President), Dr. Thian Lok Boon (Deputy
President) and Hj. Jamaluddin Ibrahim (Secretary). En.Najmi Mohd Noor, the ex-officio of MyQAN
representing MQA, was also present in the meeting.
(Link FYI: http://www.myqan.org/index.php/about-myqan/updates/20-meeting-mqa-ceo)
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For details, please visit the official website: http://www.myqan.org
News on MyQAN members
Workshop on Course Preparation and Implementation (28th and 29th July 2015)
Hosted by Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS) and supported by MyQAN
(Link FYI: http://www.myqan.org/index.php/2-uncategorised/27-cucms2015)
MyQAN membership
As of August 2015, 43 higher education institutions have joined MyQAN. The institutions are as listed below:
1.
Asia E University (AeU)
23. UNITAR International University (UNITAR)
2.
Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU)
24. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
3.
Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (CUSM)
25. Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL)
4.
Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS)
26. Universiti Malaya (UM)
5.
IKIP International College
27. Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
6.
Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia (IPG)
28. Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP)
7.
International Medical University Malaysia (IMU)
29. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
8.
Kolej Islam Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah (KIPSAS)
30. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
9.
Kolej Universiti Islam Melaka (KUIM)
31. Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI)
10. KPJ Healthcare University College (KPJHUC)
32. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
11. MAHSA University (MAHSA)
33. Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
12. Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (MISI)
34. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
13. Manipal International University (MIU)
35. Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA)
14. Monash University Malaysia (Monash)
36. Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM)
15. Multimedia University (MMU)
37. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
16. Perdana University
38. Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
17. Raffles University Iskandar
39. Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP)
18. Sunway University
40. Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UniTEN)
19. Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus
41. Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK)
20. Taylor's University
42. Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
21. The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
43. Wawasan Open University (WOU)
22. Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARC)
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For details, please visit the official website: http://www.myqan.org
Good Practices by
MyQAN member Institutions
Vision Checking
COPPA, COPIA and also many professional bodies require that academic programmes are aligned with
or to the higher education institution’s (HEI) vision. I have always found it extremely challenging to
explain the why, when, where, what and how of this standard in COPPA and COPIA to panels during
training. This imperative is based on a dominant rational strategic management school which holds
that vision (and mission) must drive the activities of an organisation. Makes eminent sense, doesn’t
it? Are there sound empirical and knowledge grounds to require or insist on such a link? Does vision
truly shape the actions and activities of the HEIs? Should the HEIs be asked to explain or account for
the connection? What criteria can be used in checking on the connection? What if the vision is vague,
rhetorical, general, all inclusive or unshared? How can we evaluate the alignment?
The dominant rational strategic management school would consider it sacrileges to talk about
strategic planning without such organisational compass. But this is not an uncontested rule. Collins
(of the Good to Great fame) and his kind do not think too much of it. My own little experience shows
that many in the corporate Apex don’t remember it when making key plans. I often joking refer to
this as corporate paraphernalia or embellishments! Fortunately, the panels have avoided this issue by
assuming the HEIs have vision checked their programmes. So has MQA. Should this be the case?
Prof. Hazman Shah Abdullah
Office of Assistance Vice Chancellor
Institute Quality and Knowledge Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Structured, Secure and Reliable Accreditation Record Management
A structured, secure and reliable accreditation record management system can strengthen the internal
quality assurance system for academic courses offered. This is critical when the amount of paperwork
to be maintained in good order for the approval and accreditation of academic courses tend to be
voluminous.
For a foreign university branch campus like Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus,
the volume of paperwork is compounded when its academic courses are subjected to approval and
accreditation requirements of both Australian and Malaysian approval and accreditation bodies. By
leveraging on the proven stability of the Blackboard Learning Management System, which the University
deploys in delivering its academic courses, Swinburne Sarawak’s Policy, Planning and Quality team
maintains a structured, secure and reliable record management system that is password protected and
can be accessed by authorised personnel on and off campus 24/7 via the University’s website.
The accreditation record management system is:
• structured to allow easy self-retrieval of course information by course leaders assigned the
responsibilities for periodic reviews and extension of accreditation periods;
• secured to restrict sharing of proprietary curriculum information with authorised personnel; and
• reliable to ensure that accurate and correct information on course approvals and accreditations in
chronological order is readily available to authorised personnel.
Continue next page...
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For details, please visit the official website: http://www.myqan.org
For easy self-retrieval, each academic course record (folder) has been structured with sub-folders that
contain:
• Academic Senate meeting minutes for course approval and renewal of approvals;
• approved accreditation and re-accreditation documentation (which contains proprietary curriculum
information);
• applications to the Malaysian Ministry of Education for course approval and renewal of approvals;
• course approvals from the Malaysian Ministry of Education;
• accreditation guidelines (including links to documents such as the COPPA, specific program standards
issued by the MQA and professional accreditation manuals, where applicable);
• the provisional accreditation certificate;
• a sample testamur from the first cohort of graduate;
• applications for self (full) accreditation of the course;
• applications for professional accreditation and re-accreditation;
• the full accreditation certificates from the MQA or professional bodies;
• applications to the MQA for transfer of the fully accredited course to the Malaysian Qualifications
Register; and
• external links to accredited course listing published by professional bodies.
The sub-folders in each academic course record can be customised so that only relevant information is
maintained depending on the type of accreditation obtained for the course. An example of an academic
course record from Swinburne Sarawak’s accreditation record management system is displayed in
Figure 1 for an engineering course that is accredited by the Malaysian Engineering Accreditation
Council, Board of Engineers Malaysia and Engineers Australia.
Since its implementation in
2011, the accreditation record
management system has freed
up resources in the University’s
Policy, Planning and Quality
Unitto provide other more
value-add support services to
the faculties. It is also a cost
effective solution to extend
the use of the University’s
investment in the Blackboard
Learning Management
System, which academic staff
are familiar with.
Wendy Chang
Policy, Planning and Quality
Swinburne University of
Technology Sarawak Campus
Figure 1 An extract of the Swinburne Sarawak’s accreditation record
management system
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For details, please visit the official website: http://www.myqan.org
News/Announcements from MQA
MQA notification letter no. 1/2015 − Guidelines:
Malaysian Qualification Statement (MQS)
The Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) introduces the Malaysian Qualification Statement (MQS) as a supplementary
document to academic transcript and scroll of a graduate.
The issuance of MQS by Malaysian higher education providers (HEPs) is to enhance the understanding of stakeholders,
particularly employers and other HEPs, toward the academic credentials of Malaysian graduates. This will further facilitate
the recognition process for student mobility and employment in local and international opportunities.
The Guidelines: Malaysian Qualification Statement (MQS) takes into account established international practices, feedback
from stakeholders and a series of pilot tests.
The guidelines can be downloaded from MQA portal (www.mqa.gov.my).
Editorial Board
Chief Editor
Reviewers
Executive/Assoc. Editor
Proof Reader
Designers
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For details, please visit the official website: http://www.myqan.org