Accreditation Agencies Research Articles

Dinamika Perkembangan Jurusan Sejarah Sebagai Lembaga Akademik Tahun: 1954-2018 dari PTPG ke UNP

This article talks about the history department as the oldest department at Padang State University. This research tries to explain the development of the history department starting from the formation of the history department since the PTPG Batusangkar period to the UNP. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of the Department of History as the oldest department. This research was conducted using the method of historical writing consisting of four stages of source collection (heuristics), sources of criticism (verification), concluding reliable testimony (interpretation), and final writing (historiography). The results of this study indicate that the Department of History is one of the departments sheltered by the Faculty of Social Sciences since 1999 at Padang State University until now. The history department is one of the oldest departments that was also formed with five other departments during the PTPG Batusangkar. These higher education institutions experienced changes that could be classified in four periods, namely: 1) the initial period of the PTPG Batusangkar in 1954-1956; 2) Transition period, namely FKIP Unand Bukittinggi in Batusangkar 1956-1958, FKIP Andalas University Padang in 1958-1964, IKIP Jakarta-Padang Branch, 1964-1965; 3) IKIP Padang period as Stand Alone Institution in 1965-1999; 4) the period of Padang State University (UNP) in 1999-present. As one of the oldest majors at UNP, the history department has undergone many changes from time to time. Both in terms of physical and non-physical. Physical changes can be seen and felt useful by the Department of History such as lectures, offices, departments and other lectures. While for non-physical facilities, the history department has teaching staff and administrative staff who can support the smooth running of the history department. Since last year, the Department of History has accredited A from the National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (BAN-PT), precisely in 2017

Evaluation of the Teaching Quality Model and its Relationship with Students’ Academic Performance through Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model

Many institutes of higher learning (IHL) globally has implemented student evaluation of teaching (SET) in evaluating teaching quality among lecturer, The implementation of SET not only enhance the standard of teaching and learning and give an impact on students’ academic performance but also as critical decisions such as promotion, and for accreditation and governmental agencies that require such evaluations. Among the crucial components of SET were planning, teaching strategy, students’ participation, coursework assessment, soft skills and course quality. The study withal strives the development of teaching quality model by means of a SET. This study seek to rectify the argument that the teaching quality measured by a SET contributes to students’ academic performance. The teaching quality model and its relationship with students’ academic performance were evaluated by using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) approach as the sample size was too small to utilize Structural Equation Modelling-Analysis of Moment Structure (SEM-AMOS). A purposive sampling was utilized in this study involving 93 undergraduate students of Sultan Idris Education University's (UPSI) Mathematics Education Degree (BEd Maths) program. From the analysis, it revealed that all the relationships in the developed model were significant at p<0.001. The results indicated that the developed model was strengthened by empirical data and in-line with the preceding findings and theoretical framework. A part of teaching quality and students’ academic performance path model, the study also prosperously validated all the indicator variables depicted in SET constructs, these were planning, teaching strategy, students’ participation, coursework assessment, soft skills and course quality by means of structural equation model through PLS-SEM approach. In conclusions, the relationship between teaching quality and students’ academic performance not only be expressed in lower order components in PLS-SEM but also be modeled as a hierarchical component model where the teaching quality measured by a SET contributes to students’ academic performance and were supported by empirical data,

Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions: A New Insight into Stakeholders

Objective - Are stakeholders within the institution as actors, or are they also the goals of the institution's social responsibility? This study aims to provide new insight into the role of stakeholders in the implementation of social responsibility in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Institutions have a certain level of social responsibility, which is inherent to its existence. To exist, an institution relies on the presence of stakeholders. Stakeholders are considered as the key to an institution's legitimacy. The relationship between an institution and its stakeholders can be described as a social contract. Methodology/Technique – Using a qualitative approach, this study identifies the relevant stakeholders in HEI’s and categorizes their roles and interests. The concept of HEI social dimension is used to analyze and interpret the data. The results indicate that HEI stakeholders consist of three levels, namely: primary (including management, lecturers, students, administrative staff, security officers, technicians, cleaning services, and the natural environment of the institution), secondary (including the local community, industries, alumni organizations, the government, accreditation agency, and the natural environment around the institution), and tertiary level (including society in general and nature). Finding & Novelty - The results suggest that the primary stakeholders become moral actors who carry out the institution's commitment to implement social responsibility. This finding implies that primary stakeholders become the executor and the goal of HEI social responsibility. Therefore, the institution's social responsibilities activities are aimed at the life and development of the institution itself. Social responsibility is carried out from the inside to the outside in a circular and continuous manner. Type of Paper: Empirical. Keywords: Social Responsibility; Higher Education Institution; Stakeholders; Social Dimension of HEI. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Rumambi, H. D; Kaparang, R. M; Lintong J. S; Tangon, J.N; O, Johanis. 2019. Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions: A New Insight into Stakeholders, Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Review 7 (3): 185 – 193. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2019.7.3(3) JEL Classification: M13, M14, M19.

Teaching engineering for a changing landscape

AbstractEngineering educators face a rapidly changing, and ever more challenging world. Rapidly evolving industry demands, accreditation agencies, and students themselves are calling for an engineering education with integrated multidisciplinary design knowledge, leadership, communication, business, education, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and lifelong learning explicitly included in their undergraduate programs. Students still need the core content knowledge of thermodynamics, mass, energy, and momentum balances and fluxes. They also need integrated socio‐contextual knowledge to evaluate a design for sustainability and demonstrate a net positive social benefit. There is only so much time available in an undergraduate program and learning takes time. These challenges are driving changes to both what and how we teach our students to integrate broader competencies and enhance engineering student graduate attribute achievement. A framework for engineering education includes fundamental and socio‐contextual knowledge integrated with metacognitive and professional skill development. This contribution provides practical ideas for how to infuse these dimensions into courses, support the developing engineering practice, and deepen student engagement with their courses.

O sistema de acreditação de cursos superiores do Mercosul e a construção de um conceito de qualidade

Created in 2006, the MERCOSUR Accreditation System for Higher Education (ARCU-SUR) is currently the mechanism for regional integration of higher education systems in this Block. Given its importance, the main objective of this paper is to qualitatively assess whether ARCU-SUL achieves its main goal. The research is based on the analysis of official and narrative documents of representatives of the Network of National Accreditation Agencies (RANA) – responsible for the administration of this system –, focusing on the interaction between assessment instruments and the evaluators themselves, as well as the impacts of this system. relationship in the construction of an ARCU-SUL quality concept. Therefore, the present research sought to raise questions about the possible results of this, applying concepts of the Actor-Network Theory.

Hospital emergency management: A programing and profession assessment.

At a national and international level, governments have advanced all-hazards readiness and implemented disaster management systems within multiple industries, services, and sectors. This scope included public health agencies and healthcare providers, whose roles evolved in purpose and expectation within their respective communities, but their core mission remained unchanged. Real-world emergencies and disasters routinely challenge hospitals and affirm that healthcare providers must be prepared to provide, sustain, and expand critical services during times of crisis. This study reviews emergency management (EM) and disaster preparedness programing specifically within hospitals and healthcare systems to assess overall effectiveness. Analysis includes a review of existing program administration literature and regulatory and accreditation agency standards. Initial findings suggest ongoing efforts are needed nationwide to improve hospital EM capabilities and enhance the resiliency of American healthcare infrastructure. Identified gaps include limitations of pertinent research, inconsistent program evaluation metrics and processes, and hindering perceptions of profession role and purpose. Recommendations are provided to refine the traditional hospital EM profession and advance overall program administration competencies, as well as considerations for future research opportunities.

Retrospective Analysis on 1 900 Cases of Medical Malpractices.

Objective To study the change trend, distribution characteristics and causes of medical malpractices in 18 years, through retrospective analysis of 1 900 cases of medical malpractices, in order to provide guidance for the precaution and the treatment of medical malpractices. Methods A thousand and nine hundred medical malpractice cases that were accepted by Hunan Xiangya Judical Identification Center from 2000 to 2017 were collected. Statistical analysis on the caseloads, the clients, the department distributions, the levels of the hospital and the causes of medical malpractices, etc were conducted. Results The number of cases commissioned by third-party accreditation agencies for medical fault identification was on the rise; The clients of medical malpractices changed significantly in 18 years. Most of the medical malpractice cases occurred in secondary and tertiary hospitals, significantly more in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology. The occurrence of medical malpractices was related to the doctor's insufficient prediction of the severity of the disease and the possible complications, and failure to fully inform the relevant duty of care, etc. Conclusion China's medical malpractice solutions and medical fault identification procedures are gradually improving. Strengthening the medical malpractice precaution awareness of medical workers in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology will be conducive to resolution of medical malpractices.

Балістичні випробування засобів колективного й індивідуального захисту – завершення дослідницької стадії інноваційних проектів з їх створення

The urgent issues of innovative activity on creation of competitive items of military products during the reformation of the defence industry of Ukraine are considered, changes of ranking on the Global Innovation Index for some countries of the world are presented, classes of protection of body armour are shown in accordance with current Ukrainian standards, which requires the use of appropriate protective materials. The main directions of improvement of armour protection based on the results of ballistic tests of protective elements performed in a specialized testing laboratory accredited by the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine are given. It is proved that the successful testing is a necessary step before the protective equipment certification.

Can you judge a book by its cover? Industrial doctorates in Portugal

Purpose Industrial doctorates have arisen in recent decades as a new form of doctoral education which has the potential to innovate the curriculum, among other things. Such programmes run in a number of countries including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia or Italy. In Portugal, industrial doctorates are very recent. The purpose of this paper is to understand whether Portuguese industrial doctorates distinguish themselves through collaboration with industry, specifically in curriculum development and delivery, or if they replicate the traditional doctorates under a new name. Design/methodology/approach Data from self-assessment reports of existing programmes submitted to the Portuguese accreditation agency and interviews with programme leaders were analysed. Findings The findings suggest that despite the fact that there is space for improvement in the collaboration in curriculum development and delivery, this is nonetheless a dimension which differentiates industrial doctorates. Industrial doctorates can, therefore, be “judged by their cover” because they are indeed a new category of doctoral degrees. Originality/value Although circumscribed to the Portuguese context and focussed on a particular aspect of university–industry collaboration, the paper contributes to further knowledge on industrial doctorates, a topic on which research is still scarce.

Why universities voluntarily pursue US accreditation: the case of Mexico

Academic leaders at universities around the globe pursue US accreditation as a result of increasing globalization and internationalization of higher education. Few studies have examined administrators’ experiences with US accreditation. We address the following research question: Why do some private higher education institutions in Mexico pursue and maintain accreditation by US accreditation agencies? We present findings from an exploratory qualitative study of the perceptions of higher education administrators and faculty from three private institutions in Mexico: Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Tec Monterrey or ITESM), Universidad de las Americas Puebla (UDLAP), and Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica Y Superior (CETYS). We identify two isomorphic processes that led the universities to undergo review by US accreditors and discuss how those processes relate to time and location. Additionally, we discuss how administrators discussed accreditation as an interplay between internal leadership motivations and responses to external influences. Finally, participants see accreditation as part of larger efforts related to pursuing international academic recognition and educational quality. At the end of the paper, we discuss implications for future research and practice.

Beyond internationalisation and isomorphism – the construction of a global higher education regime

ABSTRACTNational higher education systems are undergoing profound changes, discussed in many but unrelated studies as outcomes of internationalisation dynamics and institutional isomorphism pressures. We propose to link these studies by emphasising the influence of both internationalisation and isomorphism on the formation of a global educational regime. Through a broad range of indicators, we describe the growth of the discursive, normative, and regulatory dimensions of such a global higher education regime. We find evidence of the following developments: (1) a rapidly growing network of international organisations focused on conferences, initiatives, and programmes supporting a global higher education agenda; (2) a striking increase in the number of international and national accreditation agencies, their mutual cross-national recognition as well as the number of universities that are nationally and internationally accredited; and lastly, (3) parallel increases in regional qualification frameworks and in the implementation of national qualification frameworks. These developments create integration pressures manifest in the mutual recognition of higher education degrees, for which a new generation of regional conventions has emerged worldwide in the past two decades. We discuss these processes and their implications for understanding ‘national’ higher education as well as the threats and limits to the burgeoning higher education regime.

Black economic empowerment policy in Durban, eThekwini, South Africa: economic justice, economic fraud and ‘leaving money on the table’

ABSTRACTBlack Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy in South Africa is intended to mitigate the economic disadvantage of apartheid and contribute to inclusive growth and development. This article examines perspectives on BEE from economic actors and accreditation agencies in eThekwini between 2012 and 2016. The article finds that BEE policy has contributed to building a political economy of connectivity and concession embedded in localised categorical framings of race, class and gender, where some economic fraud and corruption has taken place. However, BEE has also contributed to growing a black capitalist class which eschews political concession and identifies with market-based economic transformation.

Examining the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Announcement Requiring Medical School Accreditation Beginning in 2023.

In 2010, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) announced that, beginning in 2023, graduation from a formally accredited medical school would be necessary for an international medical graduate (IMG) to be eligible for ECFMG certification. The announcement is notable because ECFMG certification is required for graduate medical training and practice in the United States. Graduating from a school accredited by an agency formally recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), which has been formally evaluating and recognizing accrediting agencies since 2012, would fulfill the new ECFMG requirement. In 2015, ECFMG applicants came from 1,141 medical schools located in 139 countries or territories. As of December 2018, the WFME had formally recognized 14 accrediting agencies, which would cover only approximately a third of these recent ECFMG-certified IMGs. In this Perspective, the author compares the context of the ECFMG announcement to the beginning of accreditation in the United States so as to provide insight into the challenges the WFME faces as it seeks to evaluate and recognize what could ultimately be over 100 more accrediting authorities. The author then explores the possible effects of the requirement-specifically, its potential to restrict the ECFMG applicant pool-on the quantity and quality of the U.S. physician workforce. The author ends the Perspective by considering the implications of three broad policy options that the ECFMG could consider starting in 2023: implementation as announced, maintenance of the status quo, or a policy modified from the original announcement.

Twenty Years Working with Neighbours. Citizen Participation, Is It Possible? What We Have Learned in 20 Years

In 1999, the Governing Council of the Universitat de Barcelona approved the creation of the POLIS Research Center. Later, in 2016, the Center was ratified after passing an assessment of the Catalan Accreditation Agency (AGAUR). The Centre has an interdisciplinary vocation and brings together researchers from different research groups at the University of Barcelona and cooperates with nine European and Ibero-American universities in the fields of Arts, Architecture and Human and Social Sciences. Academically, the Centre has promoted the doctoral program Public Space and Urban Regeneration (1998–2017) and the Master’s Degree in Urban Design: Art, City, Society (since 2007) and the publication of the journal On the w@terfront. The research object of the Centre is the city and its public space and, more specifically, the role of citizens in the production of Public Art and Urban Design. For this reason, the work of the Centre covers the topics related to Urban Regeneration, Sustainability, Urban Governance, Civic Remembrance, Heritage. Throughout its twenty-year history, the Centre has developed a series of projects for citizen participation in various areas of the periphery of Barcelona: River Besòs (municipality of Sant Adrià de Besòs) La Mina neighbourhood (municipality of Sant Adrià de Besòs) and the Barcelona’s neighbourhoods of Baró de Viver and Bon Pastor. A characteristic of the work of the centre has been, and is, the endorsement of citizen participation, through an innovative approach based on enabling the creative empowerment of the neighbours within the framework of Participatory Action Research. This approach is based on a project methodology, as it is understood in various project disciplines from Art to Architecture, from Design to Engineering. This article, associated with the itinerant exhibition “20 years working with neighbours,” reviews the founding project carried out by the Centre, “Social Uses of the River Besòs” (1997–1999), analysing the lessons learned, with the aim of clarifying the research criteria that the Centre follows for the development of citizen participation projects.

Higher education accreditation, quality assurance and their impact to teaching and learning enhancement

PurposeThis paper aims to study the relationship between higher education accreditation and teaching and learning enhancements in academic institutions. Higher education institutions are now looking at satisfying the standard by standard list assigned by internationally recognized accreditation agencies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether outside quality confirmation can truly influence the inward life of higher education institutions. Will accreditation implementation have an impact on teaching and learning enhancement and drive institution change?Design/methodology/approachThis study was based on an explanatory qualitative design whereby individual faculty members who are tenured or in tenure-track positions in business schools in Lebanese universities were interviewed. The latter universities from which interviewees were questioned are either the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited or currently pursuing accreditation. The sample included 30 faculty members from four different higher education Lebanese institutions.FindingsFollowing thorough review of previous literature, and building on the outcomes of the interviews conducted for the purpose of this research, the author deduced that AACSB serves as the optimal guiding mechanism that incorporates effective evaluation criteria for learning quality and universities. There also exist a lack of commonality and shared standards among accrediting agencies. The researchers also highlight the need to introduce further quantification into the accrediting measures adopted including faculty retention and student attrition rates.Research limitations/implicationsRanking agencies were not considered in this study. Those can be used to assess the effectiveness of higher education institutions and will provide fair quality assurance of learning. It is encouraged to incorporate the ranking agencies variable within the scope of future studies for further analysis.Practical implicationsThe paper includes the need to introduce further quantification into the accrediting measures adopted including faculty retention and student attrition rates.Originality/valueThe focus of this study will be of particular interest to Business school seeking or maintaining accreditation. It will also be of interest to the Lebanese government if they want to look at having a regional accreditation. Future research could possibly explore the need to have a regional accreditation especially with the emerging numbers of higher education institutions in Lebanon.

La necesidad de la sensibilización en los procesos de autoevaluación de la Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR): una mirada crítica y una propuesta efectiva

Lo más importante del logro de una acreditación de calidad para una carrera universitaria debe ser el proceso de autoevaluación, pues son los procesos de autoevaluación los que precisamente le dan sentido a la acreditación. Ahora bien, esto no significa (o no debería significar) que el propósito de la autoevaluación es la acreditación. El cuestionamiento crítico es: ¿realmente son las carreras universitarias conscientes de la situación señalada o se ha convertido el “título de acreditación” en el único propósito real? En este documento, a partir de diversas experiencias de autoevaluación con miras a la acreditación o reacreditación en la Universidad de Costa Rica, se explora la importancia de que las carreras estén verdaderamente sensibilizadas respecto al propósito de la autoevaluación, reconozcan su importancia como parte esencial para superar algunas de las dificultades que se encuentran en los procesos. Como respuesta, desde el Centro de Evaluación Académica de la Vicerrectoría de Docencia de la Universidad de Costa Rica, se plantea una forma particular de concebir y desarrollar un proceso de sensibilización para las carreras que desarrollan una autoevaluación con miras a la acreditación o certificación.

Taking Stock of Initiatives to Improve Learning Quality in American Higher Education Through Assessment

Learning outcomes assessment is a consequential issue in U.S. higher education. Driven by calls for accountability from accreditation agencies, federal and state actors, and other stakeholders, and criticism about the value of higher education, there is currently heightened interest in the attainment of learning outcomes along with the use of this evidence by colleges and universities to improve student learning. This chapter traces the establishment of learning outcomes assessment in U.S. higher education, describes the more influential and enduring initiatives, elaborates their role and impact on learning outcomes assessment, and then discusses six issues that represent the unfinished agenda of student learning outcomes assessment. Although significant progress has been made over the last 3 decades to develop research-based and actionable approaches to learning outcomes assessment, and by all accounts, more assessment activity is occurring, challenges remain. Current approaches have yet to fully realize an integrated, systemic process for learning outcome assessment that engages educators in periodic, purposeful evaluation of student learning that can be used to demonstrate both what students know and can do and expose shortcomings in the learning experience that deserve to be addressed.

Quantitative Measurement of Hand Hygiene Behavior in Hospice Environments Using An Automated Personal Hand Hygiene System

BACKGROUND Despite regulatory, accreditation, and federal agencies requirements for hand hygiene (HH) across the continuum of care to prevent the spread of healthcare associated infections, the ability to monitor HH performance and provide feedback in hospice settings (home, skilled nursing facility, assisted living, free standing in-patient unit) has been limited to direct observation which is inherently biased by the Hawthorne Effect. To date, there has been no automated method to measure and report hand hygiene events (HHE) that occur in home health settings. The purpose for this study was to measure HHE during patient care with the implementation of an automated personal hand hygiene system (APHHS). METHODS The APHHS (personal devices with alcohol gel sanitizer, wireless data transfer, and web-based reporting), was deployed to 16 home hospice care professionals over a 3-week period. The system measured total HHE and HHE per hour of clinical time. A multi-modal approach included a shared group performance dashboard, periodic individual email performance summaries, leadership communication, ongoing positive feedback via the personal device, HH education, and recognition of sustained individual performance. RESULTS Prior to automation, 60 HHE were observed per month utilizing the direct observation method and an opportunity-based approach. Following system deployment, 1,387 HHE were captured per week on average. Average hourly HHE rates for the home hospice care team were measured at: Medical Doctor 8.6, Nurse Practitioner 3.4, Registered Nurse 3.7, Certified Nursing Assistant 6.5, Social Worker 5.2, and Chaplain 4.8. CONCLUSIONS Implementing an APHHS in home hospice care with an evidenced based approach provides robust data sets of HHE with continuous individualized performance feedback and provides unbiased measurement of HH performance. Despite regulatory, accreditation, and federal agencies requirements for hand hygiene (HH) across the continuum of care to prevent the spread of healthcare associated infections, the ability to monitor HH performance and provide feedback in hospice settings (home, skilled nursing facility, assisted living, free standing in-patient unit) has been limited to direct observation which is inherently biased by the Hawthorne Effect. To date, there has been no automated method to measure and report hand hygiene events (HHE) that occur in home health settings. The purpose for this study was to measure HHE during patient care with the implementation of an automated personal hand hygiene system (APHHS). The APHHS (personal devices with alcohol gel sanitizer, wireless data transfer, and web-based reporting), was deployed to 16 home hospice care professionals over a 3-week period. The system measured total HHE and HHE per hour of clinical time. A multi-modal approach included a shared group performance dashboard, periodic individual email performance summaries, leadership communication, ongoing positive feedback via the personal device, HH education, and recognition of sustained individual performance. Prior to automation, 60 HHE were observed per month utilizing the direct observation method and an opportunity-based approach. Following system deployment, 1,387 HHE were captured per week on average. Average hourly HHE rates for the home hospice care team were measured at: Medical Doctor 8.6, Nurse Practitioner 3.4, Registered Nurse 3.7, Certified Nursing Assistant 6.5, Social Worker 5.2, and Chaplain 4.8. Implementing an APHHS in home hospice care with an evidenced based approach provides robust data sets of HHE with continuous individualized performance feedback and provides unbiased measurement of HH performance.

Quality assurance of full-time faculty adequacy: institutional narratives

PurposeAdequacy of full-time faculty is a fundamental indicator used by US accreditors to ensure quality learning environments. This paper aims to explore institutional responses to one US regional accreditor to identify themes related to adequacy of faculty in support of institutional missions over a two-year period.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative design was used to examine eighteen institutional narratives. The research question was “What themes are identified by institutions to document adequacy of full-time faculty for compliance with accreditation?” The highest level of degree awarded was used to organize emergent themes from institutional narratives (e.g. associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral level institutions).FindingsThe study identified five themes: definition of full-time faculty; variation in assessment measures used to demonstrate adequacy of full-time faculty; institutional characteristics and full-time faculty; responsibilities of full-time faculty; and relationship between full-time faculty and student learning outcomes. The findings showed that the institutions used multiple assessment measurements to demonstrate compliance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design was limited to one US regional accreditation agency; therefore, the acceptable evidence related to adequacy of full-time faculty may differ among accrediting bodies, which would impact the institutional narrative and methods for demonstrating compliance. Second, some of the institutional groupings included only one or two narratives.Practical implicationsThe finding of this study could have important implications for the research and practice of evaluating faculty in accreditation reviews.Originality/valueThere have been limited studies on accreditation narratives focused on the adequacy of full-time faculty. This study offers findings that may be of benefit to non-US and US higher education institutions in planning for faculty staffing patterns to support fulfillment of the institutional mission.

The Effect of Implementing of Six Sigma Approach in Improving the Quality of Higher Education Institutions in Bahrain

The main important issue in education curriculum currently is best quality in higher learning. The stakeholders and the growing competitive environment has have increased the demand for higher quality. Previously, Six Sigma has successfully been applied in the product and service improvement in the field of business, but still, this concept has not yet been adopted in the higher education. This study outlined the models that can be adopted by improving the quality of higher learning by applying this concept. Applying the six sigma principles, for instance, the continuous improvement, reduction in waste, and process improvement apply closely to the accreditation agencies and the higher education institutions missions. The study used the questionnaire instrument to collect the data randomly from a sample of (357) respondents representing the general staff of higher education institutes at Kingdom of Bahrain. It has been established that majority of the institutions (56.7 per cent) use six sigma model in improving quality. They invest in communicating the quality objectives to the employees. This is important as communicating quality objectives and the modalities of attaining them are important to the institution. Study recommended ensuring that there is elaboration and well-communicated quality policy, and it is essential to be known by all stakeholders.