UNAIR NEWS – Apart from regional level (AUN-QA), UNAIR has plans to improve the quality of education based on international accreditation institutions. If the assessment by AUN-QA assessors can reach all study programs, then accreditation at the international level is carried out by certain institutions that have the same scope as the relevant study program.

“Like ASIIN (Accreditation Agency for Degree Programs in Engineering, Informatics/Computer Science, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics). ASIIN is for the world, even though he is based in Germany, he is more into engineering, but can also do natural sciences, such as mathematics. There is also AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation which is more for business. "So, it depends on the study program because not all of them can be accredited by one body," explained the Head of the Universitas Airlangga Quality Assurance Agency, Prof. Bambang Sektiari Lukiswanto, drh., DEA.

Later, BPM will collaborate with study programs to find the right and appropriate accreditation body to carry out the assessment.

Regarding the visitation, the Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine could not provide a definite time. According to him, each accreditation body has a process that varies from one another.

“So, we have to become members first, take part in their workshops. After attending the workshop there is assistance, preparing a self-assessment report, after that we communicate the Self Assessment Report (SAR). After communication, whether they think it is appropriate to forward it to the committee, we follow that process. "But the point is, what we emphasize in 2017 is that there are study programs that can be visited by international accreditation bodies," stressed the Head of BPM.

Apart from that, the question of which study programs will be assessed by international accreditation bodies is also still under consideration. However, he encouraged study programs that have been accredited A by the National Accreditation Body for Higher Education and internationally certified by AUN-QA to immediately look for an appropriate international accreditation body that can assess the study program in question.

Regarding assessment standards, the Head of BPM said that the standards set between AUN-QA and international accreditation bodies are not much different. In principle, they will assess learning objectives and processes such as expected learning outcomes.

“In fact, what is important is that we carry out our educational process as well as possible. Then we look for an international accreditation body that can assess the study program. If that's the case, we adjust the standards they set. "We adjust whether we can meet their standards or not," he said.

Apart from implementing an optimal education process, international accreditation is also one of UNAIR's targets to improve quality according to the standards of study programs at leading universities in the world. (*)