Quality assurance and quality development with respect to contents, process and outcomes 

UNAIR recognises the importance of a robust academic quality assurance (QA) system to demonstrate how quality is assured in academics and all related activities. The purpose of implementing this system is to ensure all academic activities can be monitored and evaluated effectively and efficiently and meet the academic standards. Further, the system will provide inputs for improving the quality and students’ experience with regard to internal imperatives and external requirements. This system also provides a mechanism for a comprehensive review and promoting good practices across study programmes. Hence, it encompasses the internal and external evaluation, the evaluation of faculty members and FEB management, and the student, alumni, and employer assessments. Strategically, the UNAIR QA System intended to: (1) assure the educational processes and outcomes consistently meet the requirements and comply with laws and regulations both in terms of quality and in Professional matters; (2) increase stakeholders’ satisfaction through implementation of effective quality management system, including continuous improvement in all processes, and (3) ensure consistency of the research process and community services to achieve the vision and mission that have been set.

To ensure the effectiveness of the QA system at all levels of the organization, UNAIR establishes a QA governance framework called the AIMS. AIMS regulates the scope of quality assurance in each organizational unit, the mechanism and the governing authority. At the study program level, the QA system is specifically directed to ascertain the content is updated to the latest development of knowledge in the area, provide opportunities for improvement in the teaching-learning process, and maintain and monitor data on student performance. 

In the student’s final thesis process, the monitoring and evaluation focus on the supervisory mechanism, especially on the roles and responsibilities of supervisors in creating effective and engaging supervisory processes. Monitoring and evaluation efforts are also conducted to ensure the effectiveness of the resource provided both for students and supervisors. 

Within the study programme, all quality assurance activities are carried out by a quality assurance task force (GPM). This task force has the main responsibility to coordinate all QA cycles during the semester. Structurally GPM coordinates with the Quality Assurance Unit at the Faculty Level (SPM) and Quality Assurance Unit at the University Level (BPM), the unit that is responsible for implementing and developing the QA framework. At the programme level, the QA cycle involves activities such as: (1) developing a self-evaluation online report, (2) internal quality audit to assess the compliance of study programmes with quality standards and the supporting evidence. Audits are conducted in 10 areas: (1) vision and mission; (2) governance; (3) students; (4) human resources; (5) finance, advice and infrastructure; (6) education; (7) research; (8) community service; (9) Performance levels; and (10) risk management. The university also conducts performance audits on all institutional support systems with a focus on: performance levels, business processes, compliance with regulations and standard operating procedures.

Instruments of quality assurance

Evaluations by students

One of the keys to the successful implementation of the QA framework is the effectiveness of the evaluations carried out by students. In the AIMS, students are actively involved in several stages of evaluation as follows. 

1. Teaching evaluation. Teaching evaluation is carried out at the end of each semester, where students fill out an evaluation questionnaire for each course they take. Evaluation is attained on the aspects of course content, class delivery, lecturers' performance in teaching, and marking transparency

2. Academic counselling and thesis supervisory evaluation. This survey is conducted to identify students' perceptions of the academic counselling and supervisory final thesis process

3. Student requirement and expectations survey. This survey identifies the needs and expectations of first-year students at UNAIR in terms of content aspects of learning programmes, student activities, and the provision of in and off-campus services. 

4. Student learning experience survey. This survey is conducted prior to the students taking part in the graduation ceremony. This survey is intended to obtain student assessments of the study programme they are participating in. The survey also asks students to rate a variety of services during their studies. These services include quality and access to dormitories, libraries, inter-campus transportation, career and personal development and other services 

The opportunity for improvement obtained from the survey results become a part of the next semester/year cycle of operational plans at the level of study programmes, faculties and units responsible for the institutional support system. The performance and process internal audit mechanism at these levels will ensure whether measures are regularly taken and effectively addressed at any opportunities for improvement that have been identified through the survey process.  

Evaluation by faculty

Based on the AIMS’s evaluation framework, faculty members have an important role in the evaluation of curriculum, teaching-learning process, learning and engagement, and faculty, department and study programme leadership.  The evaluations are as follows:

1. Faculty member’s evaluation on curriculum content and the teaching-learning process. This evaluation is carried out by faculty members during the semester and the results are discussed at the end of semester regular meetings at the study programme level. Through this meeting, the programme director and faculty members agreed on improvements that must be made to develop the quality and up-to-dateness of the content and the quality of the student learning experience. 

2. Engagement and satisfaction survey. This survey is intended as an assessment of UNAIR as an organization in providing opportunities for faculty members and general staff for career development and self-development. This survey also assesses the level of satisfaction and engagement of faculty members and general staff at UNAIR. 

3. Leadership survey. This survey aims to improve the management performance of the study programmes, the departments and the faculties. Faculty members were asked for their perceptions of the performance of the programme director, the head of the department and the dean of faculty in the aspects of vision and strategies, the lecturing process, the research, the social service, the transformational leadership, the efficient management and the interpersonal skills 

During the outbreak of COVID-19, online surveys have also been conducted to assess and control the effectiveness of the learning process, since all learning activities have been delivered online through HEBAT e-learning and other online platforms. As a result, the learning process in the study programme experiences insignificant obstacles in attaining the learning objectives. The opportunity for improvement obtained from the survey results becomes a part of the next semester/year cycle of operational plans at the level of study programmes, faculties and units responsible for the institutional support system. The performance and process internal audit mechanism at these levels will ensure whether measures are regularly taken and effectively addressed at any opportunities for improvements that have been identified through the survey process.

External evaluation by alumni, employers and third parties

The external stakeholders are vital parts of the process of curriculum design and development, especially in the context of identifying ELOs, content and curriculum structure. Feedback, evaluation, and suggestion by alumni and employers were delivered using several means such as: 

1. Direct communication in which alumni and employers are invited into a regular meeting with faculty, department and study programme leaders. These events include annual events, focus group discussions, and many others.

2. Tracer study activity where alumni and employers are invited to fill out an e-questionnaire. This survey provides important information not only in terms of employment profile but also feedback on what critical skills is considered to be vocal in current industry circumstances. This activity is conducted by Directorate of Career Development, Business Incubation, Entrepreneurship and Alumni Affairs and SPM.

Being part of the national higher education system, UNAIR complies with the accreditation and standardization regulation. BAN-PT is an independent national organization that is responsible for carrying out the accreditation process at the study programme level and institutional level. All study programmes at the bachelor and master levels at FEB have been accredited and are in category A. At the institutional level, UNAIR is also accredited at level A. In addition to national accreditation, Universitas Airlangga encourages faculties to be accredited by international bodies. This international accreditation target has been set as a key performance indicator in the strategic performance management system (SPMS).