Determinants of quality in higher education: faculty perspective

Abstract

There has been a debate amongst academicians as to what quality means in higher education. Quality means differently in each country depending on the context, political context, rules and regulations as what constitute quality since quality assurance practices vary from country to country as well as quality assurance requirements. Due to these discrepancies, this paper mainly focuses on key players the authors perceive as determinants of quality in higher education and their roles in pursuing continuous quality in the provision of education. They are the institution leaders which include the deans of each school, program directors and team leaders; faculty members, who are active players in the delivery of quality education, have the necessary academic qualifications and commitment and are constantly developing themselves through professional development initiatives; support staff, who provide the technical assistance and support to students and faculty members and the quality of students undertaking programs of study in an educational institution. These people are pivotal in ensuring that each member of the institution takes part in the provision of quality education. The authors believe that quality in education does not exist in paper only but quality means an interplay between the key players mentioned in this paper. This paper also discusses the roles and responsibilities of these important players to ensure quality in higher education.