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Hassan Mohieldein, A. (2023). Implementing Accreditation Standards in Academic Medical Programs is Necessary to Trust Higher Education: The Experience of Two Academic Programs at Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences (SJMS), 18(4), 465–477. https://doi.org/10.18502/sjms.v18i4.14729
https://doi.org/10.18502/sjms.v18i4.14729
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Abdelmarouf Hassan Mohieldein
Abdelmarouf Hassan Mohieldein
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
Published Date
- Dec 29, 2023
Implementing Accreditation Standards in Academic Medical Programs is Necessary to Trust Higher Education: The Experience of Two Academic Programs at Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Background: Quality assurance (QA) is becoming more critical in higher education (HE) worldwide. Quality in HE can be managed by QA, quality improvement, and quality control. This systematic review demonstrates the benefits of QA and academic accreditation in HE by examining the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) accreditation standards and two accredited academic programs at Qassim University (QU) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Methods: Elton B. Stephens Company (EBSCO) e-library was used to collect and retrieve literature from December 2022 to January 2023. Only English-language full-text papers were reviewed and cited.
Results: To assure medical education quality and encourage healthcare workforce confidence, medical educational institutions must be overseen by a QA system, such as a formal accreditation system. The World Federation of Medical Education set “Trilogy” global standards for quality improvement in medical education. The ambitious “Vision 2030” of KSA invests a large percentage of its Gross Domestic Product in education to address the significant challenges of educational quality management. The sole statutory organization in KSA that evaluates and accredits all public and private HE institutions and programs is the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA). The NCAAA’s accreditation standards are generally acknowledged as good practice in HE worldwide and have been adapted to KSA higher education’s special circumstances. NCAAA has recently granted accreditation to two academic programs offered by the College of Applied Medical Sciences, QU.
Conclusion: Accreditation promotes “added value” under the win-win-win “WWW” paradigm, where stakeholders win first, then the program, and finally the community.
Keywords:
accreditation, quality assurance, Qassim University, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
References
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[34] Alrebish, S. A., Jolly, B. C., & Molloy, E. K. (2017). Accreditation of medical schools in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study. Medical Teacher, 39(sup1), S1–S7.
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[38] van Zanten, M., McKinley, D., Durante Montiel, I., & Pijano, C. V. (2012). Medical education accreditation in Mexico and the Philippines: Impact on student outcomes. Medical Education, 46, 586–592.
[39] van Zanten, M., & Boulet, J. R. (2013). The association between medical education accreditation and examination performance of internationally educated physicians seeking certification in the United States. Quality in Higher Education, 19(3), 283– 299.
[40] Henry, H. Bi (2022). Applying statistical process control to teaching quality assurance at higher education institutions. Quality Management Journal.29 (2): 145- 157. . URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10686967.2022.2035288 https://doi.org/10.1080/10686967.2022.2035288
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[43] Evanthia, K. S. (2017). Quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education systems: Convergence or different paths? Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 39(3), 247–265.
[44] Abdul Azeem, A. (2019). National competency frameworks for medical graduates: Is it time for the “Sudanmeds”. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences, 15(1), 20–34.
[45] Aburizaizah, S. J. (2022). The role of quality assurance in Saudi higher education institutions. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100127.
[46] Mohieldein, A. H. (2017). Outcome-based approach to medical education towards academic programmes accreditation: A review article. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 67(3), 454–460.
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[2] Karam, M., Fares, H., & Al-Majeed, S. (2021). Quality assurance framework for the design and delivery of virtual, real-time courses. Information (Basel), 12, 93.
[3] Daniela-Cristina, G., & Radu-Mircea, D. (2020). The “study on stakeholder involvement in external quality assurance” brings in new challenges for higher education. Quality Assurance Review, 10(1/2), 28–35.
[4] National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. (2012). The system for quality assurance and accreditation. Handbook for quality assurance and accreditation in Saudi Arabia. PART 1. National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. Version 2.0.
[5] Smith, K. (2010). Assuring quality in transnational higher education: A matter of collaboration or control? Studies in Higher Education, 35(7), 793–806.
[6] Al Kuwaiti, A., & Subbarayalu, A. V. (2015). Appraisal of students experience survey (SES) as a measure to manage the quality of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: An institutional study using six sigma model. Educational Studies, 41(4), 430–443.
[7] Wicks, A. M., & Roethlein, C. J. (2009). A satisfaction-based definition of quality. Journal of Business & Economic Studies, 15(1), 82–97.
[8] Boulet, J., & van Zanten, M. (2014). Ensuring high-quality patient care: The role of accreditation, licensure, specialty certification and revalidation in medicine. Medical Education, 48, 75–86.
[9] Legowo, M. B., Indiarto, B., & Prayitno, D. (2020). A unified model of quality assurance system for Iso-certified higher education institutions. International Journal of Qualitative Research, 14(3), 829–846.
[10] Davila, M., & Maillet, A. (2021). More money, more problems: Quality assurance in higher education in Chile (2006–2018). Bulletin of Latin American Research, 40(4), 534–548.
[11] Tiron-Tudor, A., Cristina Silvia, N., Szilveszter, F., & Andreea, A. (2022). Factors Influencing Public Higher Education Institutions’ Performance Reporting in the Romanian Context. Administrative Sciences, 12, 163.
[12] Daniela-Cristina, G., & Radu-Mircea, D. (2021). Stakeholder involvement in quality assurance of higher education institutions: Turning wishful thinking into reality. Quality Assurance Review, 11(1/2), 82–116.
[13] Beatrice, A., & Jorge, B. (2020). Strategic drivers to approach business school’s accreditations. Journal of Education for Business, 95(8), 519–526.
[14] National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. (2012). Internal quality assurance arrangements. Handbook for quality assurance and accreditation in Saudi Arabia. PART 2. National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. Version 2.0.
[15] Rose, K. (2005). Project quality management: Why, what and how. J. Ross Publishing, Inc.
[16] Kaplani, G., & Zafiropoulos, K. (2022). A model of quality assurance in primary education management. The case of Greece. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1), 1–18.
[17] Meštrović, A., & Rouse, M. J. (2015). Pillars and foundations of quality for continuing education in pharmacy. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 79(3), 45.
[18] Doval, E., & Bondrea, E. Building quality culture within European and national framework: filling the gaps. Economics, Management, and Financial Markets. 2011, 6(2), 868–878.
[19] Sánchez-Chaparro, T., Gómez-Frías, V., & González-Benito, Ó. (2020). Competitive implications of quality assurance processes in higher education. The case of higher education in engineering in France. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 33(1), 2825–2843.
[20] Hernández-Fernández, J., Pérez-Durán, I., & Portugal-Celaya, B. (2021). Regulation and quality assurance agencies of higher education in Mexico. Bulletin of Latin American Research, 40(4), 518–533.
[21] Al Alwan, I. (2012). Is accreditation a true reflection of quality? Medical Education, 46(6), 542–544.
[22] van Zanten, M., Boulet, J. R., & Shiffer, C. D. (2022). Making the grade: Licensing examination performance by medical school accreditation status. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 36.
[23] van Zanten, M., Boulet, J. R., & Greaves, I. (2012). The importance of medical education accreditation standards. Medical Teacher, 34(2), 136–145.
[24] Bedoll, D., van Zanten, M., & McKinley, D. (2021). Global trends in medical education accreditation. Human Resources for Health, 19(1), 70.
[25] Ali, H. I., Al-Saadi, Z., & Scatolini, S. S. (2022). Conceptualizing Graduates Attributes (GAs) in English language teacher education programs in Oman during the COVID-19 pandemic. SAGE Open, 1– 15.
[26] Núria, C. S. (2021). Social responsibility in an agency for quality assurance of higher education. The case of AQU Catalunya. Quality Assurance Review, 11(1/2), 3–14.
[27] Ahn, D. (2020). Current trend of accreditation within medical education. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 17, 30.
[28] Gul, F., Mahboob, U., Wajid, G., & Sherin, A. (2022). Medical colleges’ challenges and coping strategies in implementing accreditation standards in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 38(7), 1788–1795.
[29] Al-Shehri, A. M., & Al-Alwan, I. (2013). Accreditation and culture of quality in medical schools in Saudi Arabia. Medical Teacher, 35(Suppl 1), S8–S14.
[30] Cueto, J., Jr., Burch, V. C., Adnan, N. A., Afolabi, B. B., Ismail, Z., Jafri, W., Olapade- Olaopa, E. O., Otieno-Nyunya, B., Supe, A., Togoo, A., Vargas, A. L., Wasserman, E., Morahan, P. S., Burdick, W., & Gary, N. (2006). Accreditation of undergraduate medical training programs: Practices in nine developing countries as compared with the United States. Education for Health, 19(2), 207–222.
[31] Akdemir, N., Malik, R., Walters, T., Hamstra, S., & Scheele, F. (2021). Clinicians’ perspectives on quality: Do they match accreditation standards? Human Resources for Health, 19(1), 75.
[32] van Zanten, M., Norcini, J. J., Boulet, J. R., & Simon, F. (2008). Overview of accreditation of undergraduate medical education programmes worldwide. Medical Education, 42(9), 930–937.
[33] Sibolski, E. H. (2012). What’s an accrediting agency supposed to do? Institutional quality and improvement vs. regulatory compliance. Planning for Higher Education, 40(3), 22–28.
[34] Alrebish, S. A., Jolly, B. C., & Molloy, E. K. (2017). Accreditation of medical schools in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study. Medical Teacher, 39(sup1), S1–S7.
[35] Aslamiyah, M. H., Istikomah, I., & Fahyuni, E. F. (2022). The effect of school principals’ leadership styles on the external quality assurance system’s improvement. KnE Social Sciences. https://knepublishing.com/index.php/KnE-Social/article/view/11221, https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i10.11221
[36] Boulet, J., & van Zanten, M. (2014). Ensuring high-quality patient care: The role of accreditation, licensure, specialty certification and revalidation in medicine. Medical Education, 48, 75–86.
[37] Romina, A. (2020). Best practices for quality assurance in higher education: Implications for educational administration. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 25(1), 1–12. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13603124.2019. 1710569?journalCode=tedl20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2019.1710569
[38] van Zanten, M., McKinley, D., Durante Montiel, I., & Pijano, C. V. (2012). Medical education accreditation in Mexico and the Philippines: Impact on student outcomes. Medical Education, 46, 586–592.
[39] van Zanten, M., & Boulet, J. R. (2013). The association between medical education accreditation and examination performance of internationally educated physicians seeking certification in the United States. Quality in Higher Education, 19(3), 283– 299.
[40] Henry, H. Bi (2022). Applying statistical process control to teaching quality assurance at higher education institutions. Quality Management Journal.29 (2): 145- 157. . URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10686967.2022.2035288 https://doi.org/10.1080/10686967.2022.2035288
[41] Allen, S. K., Baalawi, Z. S., Al Shoaibi, A., Gomma, H. W., & Rock, J. A. (2022). Applying North American medical education accreditation standards internationally in the United Arab Emirates. Medical Education Online, 27(1), 2057790.
[42] Wilson, E. A. (2007). Formative accreditation complying with Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Standards. Planning for Higher Education, 36(1), 23–27.
[43] Evanthia, K. S. (2017). Quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education systems: Convergence or different paths? Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 39(3), 247–265.
[44] Abdul Azeem, A. (2019). National competency frameworks for medical graduates: Is it time for the “Sudanmeds”. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences, 15(1), 20–34.
[45] Aburizaizah, S. J. (2022). The role of quality assurance in Saudi higher education institutions. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100127.
[46] Mohieldein, A. H. (2017). Outcome-based approach to medical education towards academic programmes accreditation: A review article. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 67(3), 454–460.
[47] National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. (20212). External reviews for accreditation and quality assurance. Handbook for quality assurance and accreditation in Saudi Arabia. PART 3. National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment. Version 2.0.
[48] Academic Accreditation Policies. Education & Training Evaluation Commission. https://etec.gov.sa/en/productsandservices/NCAAA/AccreditationProgrammatic/ Pages/StepsofAccreditation.aspx.
[49] Handbook Policy and System of Quality in Qassim University. (2019). Deanship of development and quality. Qassim University. https://qa.qu.edu.sa/content/p/234 [51] https://etec.gov.sa/en/productsandservices/NCAAA/AccreditationProgrammatic/ Pages/insprogdeve.aspx