DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL QUALITY ASSURANCE

THE MAIN GOAL

The Main goal is to improve the quality of education at the university. This goal is consistent with the mission, values, and core principles of IUCA.

An effective, transparent quality assurance system (QAS) that is open to further development improves the quality of training and satisfies the needs of external and internal stakeholders: students, teachers, graduates, parents (guardians), employers, and IUCA employees.

IUCA strives to become an innovative educational community and one of the best universities in Central Asia. Since one key criterion for a high-quality university is continuous improvement of teaching and learning, the department's major tasks include continuously measuring progress toward achieving the university's mission, strategic vision and educational goals. 

Therefore, by measuring and analyzing data on students and teachers, and monitoring the processes taking place at IUCA, the department actively participates in:

• improving planning and processes related to quality assurance,

• increasing the effectiveness of teaching and students' knowledge of the world,

• documenting the quality of education at the university.

THE MAIN AREAS OF ACTIVITY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The main areas of activity of the department are research on students’ personality traits and their development, psychological support for students, expert and analytical work, assistance with program accreditation and support of scientific research and methodological work.

A study of students' personality traits and their development

A main measure of a university's success is its graduates and their progress in ethical and intellectual development. This progress must be measured using effective and valid tools.

The department conducts research on:

• ethical and intellectual development of university students, based on the methodology developed by Harvard University professor William Perry, which we use in interview, essays, and standardized test formats;

• cognitive styles, multiple mental abilities, and the personality spectrum of each IUCA student.

After processing and analyzing the results, the department informs students, faculty, program heads, and university management about the general and individual research results, based on the principle of confidentiality, as well as any problems identified for their subsequent resolution.

Based on the research, the department staff:

• develop recommendations for improving teaching methods, taking into account the individual cognitive abilities and inclinations of students;

• provide advisory support to students, helping them to develop their learning paths so that teaching methods are consistent with the students’ abilities and educational needs;

• advise teachers on new teaching methods and assessment in accordance with the mission of the university and its educational standards, as well as new tools for assessing students, faculty and staff.

EXPERT AND ANALYTICAL WORK

 Department staff:

• participate in the analysis of stakeholders’ satisfaction with the quality of education;

• develop an internal system of quality indicators based on licensing, accreditation and other requirements;

• analyze the results of measurements and monitoring of processes occurring at IUCA, using tools such as the questionnaires “Teacher through the eyes of a student”, “Observation of a lesson by colleagues” and the “Lesson evaluation form”;

• provide conclusions based on the research results.

ORGANIZATION AND COORDINATION OF ACCREDITATION

The department organizes external evaluation of both individual programs and the university as a whole, including its national and international accreditation. This work includes:

• assistance in planning work on the development and improvement of the Quality Assurance System;

• development of strategic and regulatory documents for the activities of IUCA and HTC;  

• measuring the compliance of the volume, level, quality and learning outcomes of a given program with the educational goals and standards of the university;

• organizing professional development in the field of quality management, assisting in self-evaluation of programs, as well as in preparing reports on their status and development dynamics.

SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGICAL WORK

• Coordination of the university's research activities in conjunction with the Research Committee;

• participation in the organization and holding of research and scientific-methodological conferences, seminars and forums for teachers and students, as well as in the publication of research results.

UNIVERSITY 101 COURSE

The QAO's staff and several faculty members are developing and teaching the University 101 course, an introductory course for first-year students that helps them transition smoothly from school to higher education and promotes the importance of lifelong learning. This course demonstrates that learning can be not only beneficial for students' personal and professional development but also is engaging.

The student's main goal is to learn how to study effectively. Therefore, the course provides an overview of the education provided by IUCA, as well as the opportunities offered by academic programs for the personal and professional development of each student.

The main objective of the course is to help students develop their conceptual or higher order thinking. Therefore, it provides students with an understanding of cognitive styles, personality spectra, and multiple intelligences, encourages them to consider how to further develop these styles, and also to restructure their personality spectrum depending on the student's chosen specialty.

Students learn to use their strengths to develop those that are underdeveloped but necessary for their future life and profession.

Overall, the course provides a foundation for developing critical analysis skills, which helps students make meaningful decisions and promotes their ethical and intellectual development. Moreover, the course helps students understand themselves and their potential for success in life.

STUDENT OUTCOMES 

By the end of the course, students will:

• understand their cognitive styles, multiple intelligences, and develop their intellectual and personal capacities

• set goals and achieve them independently and in a team

• manage their time effectively and plan their studies

• acquire vital competencies

• work with information resources and technologies, including AI

• acquire skills of higher order thinking, as well as analysis, argumentation and evaluation, based on the tools of critical thinking

• develop leadership skills

• develop the students’ project-based experience

• develop skills in public speaking and presentation of results of personal and team work

• improve skills of self-assessment and reasoning.