Table 8: National Quality Assurance Framework: recommended model Purpose Tool Unit Regulated by Nature Actor Outcomes INITIATION Right to function Licensing Public, private transnational HEIs Minimum standards for academic and functional purposes set by the MOES/SASSE Mandatory Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) (SASSE) License to function Initial accreditation Academic and study programs Quality standards set by an independent agency Mandatory Quality assurance agency (QAA) of TJ Certificate on initial accreditation IMPLEMENTATION Control for minimum standards Monitoring Public, private, transnational HEIs and randomly selected programs Minimum standards for academic and functional purposes set by the MOES/SASSE Mandatory MOES (SASSE) Report on compliance, in case of infringement revoking the license Inspection of financial expenditures Financial audit Public HEIs Standards for auditing adopted by respective Ministries Mandatory Internal audit of the MOES for HEIs under its jurisdiction. Similarly, other Ministries conduct audit of their HEIs Report on compliance with the state norms Quality enhancement Accreditation Public, private, transnational HEIs Quality standards set by an independent agency Mandatory QAA of TJ Links to funding Academic and study programs Quality standards set by an independent agency Voluntary QAA of TJ Links to funding International accreditors Professional associations OUTPUTS Graduate certification of profession Professional certification Graduates Standards set by the Government and professional associations Mandatory Ministry, Professional associations Certificate to function Information provision Registration HEIs, programs, professional associations, international accreditors Standards set by the government Mandatory Ministry, QAA of TJ Inclusion in the registers
Table 16: Pilot Models Model Options Planned Activities Objectives Implementation Partners Model 1: Teacher Training and Teaching Resources Option 1: Use existing online courses for teaching materials and teacher training Curate online teaching materials/teacher professional development courses and translate into Tajik if needed and make them available for teachers. To clarify the feasibility of using existing teacher professional development courses for teacher education and teaching materials in Tajikistan. TSUC TTU Option 2: Create Tajik original courses for teacher training Identify good teacher educator and materials and create and upload online courses in Tajik. To clarify the feasibility of creating and providing Tajik online training courses. Assess the demand and cost of course production. To assess the capacity of Tajik universities to take part in Coursera or other online platform courses. None Model 2: Life-long Learning Option 1: Use existing online courses for learning Conduct an awareness building activity with universities to encourage anyone interested in life-long learning opportunities to take online courses. Universities providing life-long learning courses can pilot adopting online life-long learning courses into their course offerings. To clarify the feasibility of curating appropriate courses for specific skills development from existing online courses. To assess the skill levels required for students to take online courses. To assess the feasibility of using online courses as a way to facilitate employment. To assess the feasibility of incorporating online courses as a part of the life-long learning courses in universities. TTU Option 2: Create Tajik original courses in collaboration with the private sector Identify companies in finance and IT industry, which could offer their corporate training courses as a pilot online course. To clarify the feasibility of creating or providing corporate training in an online course format. To assess the impact of course on developing appropriate skills for students to potentially get employed. To assess the feasibility of incorporating courses provided by the private sector into universities’ life-long learning curriculum. TSUC long
Table 16: Pilot Models - continued Model Options Planned Activities Objectives Implementation Partners Model 3: Supplementary courses Option 1: Awareness Building Conduct awareness building activity with universities to inform students with opportunities for learning available online. To clarify demand from students on the courses. To identify characteristics of students who are interested in taking online courses. TUT TARENA Option 2: Universities make online courses Conduct a quick assessment through interviewing universities in terms of making online courses as part of the credits and identify challenges and necessary changes at the policy level needed to be changed. To clarify the feasibility of including online courses as a part of university credits and identify challenges and necessary policies. TSUC TUT Option 3: Run a learning hub Open a learning hub as a part of Coursera’s initiative and encourage students to participate in informal learning sessions. To clarify the feasibility of starting a learning hub in Dushanbe. Centre ICT Model 4: Learning Management Option 1: Explore an option of using NREN Explore the potential for introducing National Research and Education Network (NREN) in universities to connect research and higher education sector. Conduct knowledge exchange activities with countries close to Tajikistan using NREN to learn from their experience. To inform Tajik universities and the government about NREN at the practical level. To assess the feasibility of Tajik universities to join NREN and identify necessary government support and the feasibility of implementing the support. TARENA Option 2: Explore an option of using learning management tools Explore the potential for using learning management tools in universities to improve administration capacity of the universities and teachers. If any universities and teachers are interested, they could use the tools as pilot by having an agreement with learning management tools companies. To match demand of universities and supply of learning management tools to solve school administration problems. To clarify the feasibility of introducing learning management tools. TARENA
Establishment of a General Committee with inclusion of key stakeholders and international experts to revise the legal framework, including definitions of such major concepts for the system as quality, quality assurance, quality culture About 2 years considering adoption Ministry of Education and Science, newly recruited staff for the TNQAATE System-wide awareness raising on QA issues On-going Ministry of Education and Science, newly recruited staff for the TNQAATE Develop charter and other regulatory documents for the newly to-be-established QA agency (Tajikistan National Quality Assurance Agency for Tertiary Education: TNQAATE) 2 months (might take longer if we consider its adoption by the Government) General Committee Establishment of TNQAATE Once the Charter and the regulatory documents are adopted TJ government Development of an operational manual for the TNQAATE 3 months TNQAATE and the General Committee Training of the TNQAATE staff on operationalization of the agency 2-3 weeks of intensive training with on-going recommendations International and local experts Develop an operational manual for internal quality assurance units for HEIs and programs 3 months TNQAATE and the General Committee, international experts Capacity building for ministries, the newly established agency and HEIs on external and internal quality assurance tools 2-3 weeks of intensive training with on-going recommendations International and local experts Support to HEIs to establish and operationalize the IQAs About 8 months TNQAATE along with the international and local experts Development of procedures, standards and evaluation approaches to institutional and programme accreditation set up committees for institutional and programme accreditation standards development with involvement of international experts set up a committee to develop the procedures and respective regulatory documents with involvement of international experts benchmarking of criteria and procedures against best practices ensure involvement of all the key stakeholders in the development process through workshops, discussions, circulations of drafts, etc. refine the drafts after collecting the opinions of the stakeholders pilot the developed procedures and standards at 5 HEIs and 5 programme levels finalize through refinement based on the pilot results Adoption of the standards and procedures by the About 1 year TNQAATE along with the international and local experts
practical computer sessions, series of tests, educational videos, audio materials. They allow providing training programs through the telecommunication channels. and references; supervised works (table with options, methodical guidance for their completion, supervising actions); topics for laboratory works and methodical guidance to prepare for them. This guidance will be introduced during the laboratory works or will be recommended to find it from the library; topics for course works (assignments) and the methodical guidance to complete them; Series of tasks Methodical guidance on completing course assignments that consists of the following sections: outline and volume of the assignments; list of primary resources; content and compounds of explanatory guidance with methods to develop each sections; graphics section requirements, if needed; recommended literature/further reading Supporting the methodical series with audio and video devices as well as CD/DVDs are recommended.