NICON’S QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISM (QAM)

Introduction

Nicons vision is “To be a College of the highest reputation” and it aims to provide “accessible, high quality, lifelong learning opportunities in a safe and supportive environment.”

The purpose of the Quality Policy is to provide the framework and support for relevant College staff in aspiring to this vision and mission.

Key Principles

The first key principle specific to the Quality Policy is that staff, students and other stakeholders have a vital role to play in evaluating quality and in identifying areas for enhancement.
A second key principle specific to the Academic Quality Policy is that all provision should be subject to review to ensure that:
- Courses are relevant to students and other stakeholders;
- Staffing, accommodation and other resources are appropriate to deliver the provision;
- Learning and teaching approaches are appropriate;
- Assessments are valid and reliable, and carried out appropriately;
- Individual support needs are met in both delivery and assessment.
A third key principle specific to the Quality Policy is that internal arrangements should address the requirements of external scrutiny,

42.3 Scope

NICON’s Quality Assurance Mechanism (QAM) is an independent body that audits the key activities of teaching, training, learning, research and management in all NICON campuses (NICON own campuses and approved study centres of NICON Group of Colleges). QAM checks how campuses maintain their own academic standards and quality and as a whole group. QAM reports on how they meet their responsibilities identify good practice and make recommendation for improvement. NICON’s QAM publish guidelines to help institutions develop effective systems to ensure students have the best learning experience. One of the key functions of the NICON QAM is to work with academic and administrative staff involved across the NICON Group of Colleges to:

Assure and enhance the quality of the educational and learning experience of Internal (studying at NICON campuses through traditional classroom teaching) and External (studying through open / virtual / distance learning – with / without the assistance of approved study centres) students.

NICON’s Education system particularly IT, Technical and Vocational training provides pathways for new entrants to the labour market. In addition to this, students seeking higher education, self-employment or career change are also facilitated by a wide range of most modern syllabus and courses offered at NICON. NICON equips individuals with the right skills required in a modern economy and delivers training that is practical and career-oriented. NICON’s education and training system powered by robust quality assurance mechanism (QAM) is highly advanced, following two decades of continuous reform.

NICON offers a wide range of education and training options including courses in the popular fields of information technology, technical & vocational, web based solutions including ecommerce, business studies, design, marketing, hospitality and tourism. In addition to this, NICON’s languages and linguistic depart is also a backbone to NICON product range. NICON is the leading and No. 1 chain of institutions in the twin cities to offer widest range of IT, Technical & Vocational courses coupled with language training Particularly English language not only to individuals but also corporate training to many multinational, local, NGOs, Banks, Financial Institutions, govt. and semi govt. Organizations.

NICON’s programmes are designed to provide students with the competencies that employers have identified as critical to their needs. Students graduate from NICON when they achieve the set competency standards. The NICON’s QAM underpins the NICON’s Education and training system to enable consistent, high quality training and assessment to be delivered and recognized across Pakistan and abroad as well. NICON QAM is committed to a critical examination of quality and related issues in education and training particularly focused towards distance learning programs.

NICON devotes itself to the dissemination of best practice for consistent improvement in education and training through effective and efficient management of change. NICON frequently invites insights into the perceptions and opinions of quality in education of a number of stakeholders to gain a balanced view. NICON QAM seeks to contribute to developing effective strategies to deal with the complex and uncertain environment in which education now operates. The aim is to compare and evaluate perceptions of quality of education by a number of stakeholders.

NICON’s Quality assurance mechanism is effective and efficient because it analyses from both ways i.e. internal and external quality assurance of education and training; and finally tries to match NICON’s internal resources with the demands of external environment before its competitors. NICON’s QAM equally applies to all modes of delivering instruction: Traditional Classroom Teaching, Open Learning, Virtual / Distance Learning OR a combination of the above. NICON’s QAM performs this task through a variety of mechanisms:

Ensuring control and consistency in standardization of quality education and training.
Frequent Faculty development and training programs.
Intercampus Exchange of Students and Teachers programs.
Feedback through Open and Closed ended questionnaires and group discussions.
Revision / up gradation of Courses through constant Research and Development Program.
Evaluation of internal quality assurance in all campuses
Evaluation of specific types of educational provision system Evaluating students’ skills and competencies through combination of written examinations, individual / group assignments, presentations, viva and projects.

The centralized students’ evaluation system is developed and constantly monitored by a group of subject / industry specialist team comprising of highly qualified, experienced and professional faculty members.

Each campus is responsible for the quality of its own educational and training provision under the guidelines of the head office. The campuses are required to demonstrate their own quality assurance standards closely matching the same academic standards and criteria set by the main campus.

Internal Quality Assurance Mechanism at the Campus Level.

All campuses enjoy a high degree of autonomy and are themselves responsible for the quality of their educational provision. The campuses must be able to demonstrate how this responsibility is followed up through the operation of an internal quality assurance system that complies with NICON’s set criteria. The link between internal and external quality assurance is established through the following NICON’s (campuses’ internal quality assurance with reference to this – set of – criteria) evaluations methodologies:

To constitute a syllabus evaluation committee comprising of highly qualified team of professionals to ensure quality of education and standardization.
Assignment Evaluation Committee.
Exemption Evaluation and Awarding Committee
Examination / Certificate Diploma Awarding – Recommendation Committee.
To constitute a syllabus evaluation committee comprising of highly qualified team of professionals to ensure quality of education and standardization.

External Quality Assurance Mechanism at the Organizational Level

NICON’s QAM department is located outside of NICON campuses enabling it to act as independent external verifier and evaluator. NICON’s QAM is given the responsibility for conducting external quality assurance and performs this task through different types of evaluations and other assessment methods. All quality assessments are carried out by means of independent external expert panels.

Administer Training programs.

Carry out comparative study coupled with volumetric analysis and sample evaluations with the purpose of investigating, assessing and developing the quality of education in NICON Group of Colleges.

Institutional Accreditation

NICON’s Institutional accreditation empowers its campuses to prepare its students for award, certificate, diplomas and post graduate courses in affiliation with or as accredited study centers of various national and international boards / awarding bodies. Each campus has achieved the affiliated / accredited status after fulfilling the requirements of individual boards / awarding bodies.

QAM Institutional Audits

NICON’s QAM audits represent the systematic, comprehensive mechanism for the external and internal evaluation of education and training, covering all campuses. NICON maintains its quality cycle after every 6 months in order to review and evaluate learning/training programmes which helps to improve our quality standards. First Cycle is from April to September and 2^nd cycles are from September to March. The audits are evaluations of the individual campus’s internal quality assurance work in relation to a set of broad NICON’s criteria. The evaluations cover NICON’s quality assurance system as a formal structure, the documentation it produces and the institution’s own assessment of quality throughout its portfolio.

NICON’s programmes Framework also ensures that only accredited programmes are delivered. All campuses of NICON offering vocational and technical education are accredited by National Training Board, Govt. of Pakistan, Punjab Board of Technical Education Lahore, Skill Development Council Govt. of Pakistan, Edexcel International (UK’s largest awarding body) and other respective boards / bodies.

NICON has comprehensive quality assurance mechanisms embedded in its education system at the campus and at the institutional level. NICON’s campuses are self-accrediting and operate within a framework of autonomy and accountability. In a competitive world, NICON’s campuses ensure that the courses meet the most recent demands for knowledge and skills. NICON provides its students with quality assurance and high levels of on-going support. NICON is offering courses at either at its own campuses or with a local education partner, the mandate of QAM has been extended to audit these courses / training programs so that the campuses maintain standards at least equivalent to those provided in the main campus. The NICON’s Quality Assurance Mechanism also controls, monitors, reviews and provides advice on quality assurance processes in the vocational education and training system and at the same time ensures that the system provides quality training that is relevant to industry.

Quality process Chart for learner

Quality process Chart for Staff

Staff suggestion and problem

Feedback Forms (Cross departmentalization)

NICON’S Quality Assurance Mechanism (QAM)