Quality Assurance in Kenyan higher education as a tool for keeping pace with the international standards
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper is a desktop review which presents findings from 32 studies covering quality and Quality Assurance (QA) systems in the Higher Education (HE) sector in the Kenyan context; the choice of the studies was based on relevance, themes and the objectives of the study. The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the determinants of a sustainable quality assurance systems in higher education in Kenya. The selected studies were carefully reviewed, data was gathered and categorized into themes. The emerging patterns from the categorized data was used to answer the research questions. In that regard, this study went beyond the processes of QA, and accreditation to address the question of sustainability which presently stands as one of the key gap in the implementation of QA systems in the HE sector. The main findings of the study are: sustainable QA systems in HE is realizable by addressing the factors identified b) conceptual model is fundamental for clarity and accuracy to avoid confusion and relativism c) the processes of developing and implementing QA should be inclusive and participatory for better results, d) more partnership and collaboration are needed to solve the challenges of implementing QA systems.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
References
Akour, M.; Alenezi, M. Higher Education Future in the Era of Digital Transformation. Educ. Sci.
, 12, 784.
Atibuni, D. Z., & Olema, D. K. (2021). Assuring Quality amidst Political Intrigue in Higher
Education Institutions. African Journal of Education Studies, 3(1), 1-13.https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.3.1.262. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.3.1.262
Bisaso, R. (2017). Makerere University as a flagship institution: Sustaining the quest for
relevance. In D. Teferra (Ed.), Flagship universities in Africa. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49403-6_11 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49403-6_11
Alzahrani, B.; Bahaitham, H.; Andejany, M.; Elshennawy, A. How ready is higher education for
quality 4.0 transformation according to the LNS research framework? Sustainability 2021, 13, 5169 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095169
Gamange, K. A. A, Roshan, P. R. G. G. Roshan, Najdanovic-Visak, V. Gunawardhana, N.
(2020). Academic Standards and Quality Assurance: The Impact of COVID-
on University Degree Programs. Journal Sustainability 2020, 12, 10032; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310032
Garira, E. (2020). A Proposed Unified Conceptual Framework for Quality of Education in
Schools. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019899445 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019899445
Kagondu, R., & Marwa, S. (2017). Quality Issues in Kenya’s Higher Education Institutions.
Koskela, Lauri & Tezel, Algan & Patel, Viranjkumar. (2019). Theory of Quality Management:
Its Origins and History. 10.24928/2019/0259
Nabaho, Lazarus & Turyasingura, Wilberforce & Kenneth Alfred, Kiiza & Andama, Felix &
Beinebyabo, Adrian. (2020). Quality Assurance of Higher Education Governance and Management: An Exploration of the Minimum Imperative for the Envisioned African Common Higher Education Space. Higher Learning Research Communications. 10. 38-52. 10.18870/hlrc.v10i2.1183 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18870/hlrc.v10i2.1183
Nguyen, Loc & Tran, Trung & Pham, Thuan & Nguyen, Tien-Trung & Le, Hien & Trinh, Thao
& Nghiem, Thanh. (2021). Factors Affecting Successful Quality Assurance Implementation in Vietnamese Higher Education: A Qualitative Study. The Qualitative Report. 10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4564.
Otieno, O. J. (2017). Total quality management practices and organizational performance in
manufacturing industries in Kenya: A case of Mabati Rolling Mills. Unpublished MBA, Kenyatta University.
Parmelli, E., Langendam, M., Piggott, T. et al. (2021). Guideline-based quality assurance: a
conceptual framework for the definition of key elements. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 173 2021. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06148-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06148-2
Siringi, Elijah. (2019). Leveraging on University Audit Models for improving Quality Assurance
and Compliance for Value of Money in Kenya. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 22. 51-60. 10.9790/0837-2208065160.
Vykydal, D. Folta, M., Nendadal, J. (2020). A study f quality assessemtn in HE within the
context of stustainable development a case study of Czech republic. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4769 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114769