Division of Quality Assurance and University Performance

 The Quality Assurance Program is one of the main pillars of the successful management model in the field of academic education, as the program aims to apply advanced methods of quality assurance, continuous improvement and development, and achieve the highest possible levels in the practices, processes and outputs of higher education institutions. It also assists organizations in establishing an appropriate management system that is achieved through the processes through which the organization proceeds to improve its performance.

The quality system also highlights the disparity in levels between higher education institutions and possibly between academic programs within the same institution. Some institutions of higher education have resources and resources and some are scarce; The importance of institutional quality and the components of the accreditation process (self-assessment study, external visit, granting or rejecting accreditation) are common aspects of all quality and academic accreditation systems. 

The quality assurance system is based on the following principles:

1.    Quality is the responsibility of the higher education institution, which is responsible for the quality of all its facilities and activities.

2.    Attention to all beneficiaries (student, society and labor market) while ensuring that high levels of satisfaction of these parties are achieved by meeting their needs, desires and expectations;

3.    Implement thought-oriented leadership that employs strategic planning, is objective, transparent and fair and contributes to the unification of visions, goals and strategies in the higher education institution;

4.    To promote effective participation and equality among all those associated with teaching and learning without discrimination;

5.    Commitment to continuous learning based on the use of accumulated experiences, acceptance of new ideas, responsiveness to new needs and openness to the world;

6.    Make logical decisions based on facts;

7.    Ensure mutual benefits between all parties related to the higher education institution (students, faculty, employees, society, and the labor market).

8.    Quality assessment should be evidence-based, as the quality level should not be judged on subjective judgments, but on direct and tangible evidence and evidence as much as possible. 

Division of Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation

The Division of Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation is one of the most important administrative divisions in the college, and is directly linked to the dean of the college, concerned with following up the implementation of quality plans within the college in order to build an internal quality system in a way that enhances the quality of the educational process, through coordination with all departments, divisions and units of the college. The Quality Assurance Division consists of four units (Quality Assurance Unit, Performance Evaluation Unit, Accreditation Unit and Laboratory Quality Unit).

Organizational Structure of the Quality Assurance Division:

Administrative structure of the Quality Assurance Division:

Vision

Implementing integrated systems to ensure the quality of education and scientific research aimed at serving the community, as well as enhancing the college’s ability to keep pace with continuous development, makes it one of the most important higher education institutions, at the national and international levels.

Mission

The Quality Assurance and Academic Performance Division at the Faculty of Pharmacy aims to establish quality assurance and continuous development standards in educational and research programs in order to prepare educated and qualified pharmacists both locally and internationally to improve the quality of health services and medical education, conduct scientific research, and manufacture medicines.

Goals

1.    Promoting a superior culture in order to meet the college's vision, mission, and goals.

2.    Raising community satisfaction with work system outputs in terms of research, professional and community services that meet national, regional, and international standards.

3.    Strengthening and supporting the college's departments and categories' ability to undertake self-evaluation in accordance with the standards of the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation.

4.    Identifying the challenges that performance development faces at all levels, carrying out analytical studies, and proposing suitable strategies and solutions for advancement in various fields.

5.    Assess what has been accomplished and what remains, and identifying the obstacles that hinder the implementation of the main axes to obtain national and international accreditation.

Tasks of the Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Division:

1.    Spreading the culture of quality in the corridors of the college and among its affiliates and carrying out studies and workshops in the field of quality management and its systems and academic accreditation.

2.    Performance evaluation and quality assurance for the administrative and academic divisions and units of the college.

3.    Achieving the objectives of the college related to the field of quality assurance and academic accreditation.

4.    Organizing the activities of the college related to evaluation, academic accreditation and quality assurance in the administrative and academic divisions and units of the college.

5.    Continuous improvement of quality and future foresight at the level of the college as a whole.

6.    Enhancing efforts to raise the college's academic scientific and professional classification locally and internationally.

7.    Follow up the standards and indicators of academic and administrative performance by the various divisions and units of the college.

8.    Supervising the implementation of the strategic plan programs by the various divisions and units of the college and the quality assurance guide in them and expressing an opinion to the divisions, units and departments regarding their quality.

9.    Follow up the commitment of the departments, divisions and units of the college to quality standards and submit reports to the College Council and then submit them to the university.

Tasks of the Accreditation Unit:

1.    Holding workshops and educational seminars to introduce the importance of institutional accreditation.

2.    Develop work plans and mechanisms for the design and management of processes that contribute to achieving the indicators of institutional accreditation standards.

3.    Providing data, information and statistics related to institutional accreditation standards.

4.    Study the obstacles and problems that affect the performance of the college in obtaining accreditation and propose appropriate solutions.

5.    Preparing an improvement plan and building the capacity of the departments and branches of the college to provide the requirements for achieving performance indicators for institutional accreditation standards.

Tasks of the Performance Appraisal Unit 

1.    Circulating evaluation files from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

2.    Checking the forms and files of evaluating the performance of the affiliates (teachers - employees) and ensuring the validity of the attached documents and evidence.

3.    Sending the tables of the summary of the completed evaluation files and returning them to the Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Department / Performance Evaluation Division at the university on time.

4.    Involving the staffing in theoretical and applied courses and participating in seminars and conferences related to evaluating university performance.

5.    Participate in supervising a database of all the activities of the college with regard to performance evaluation in order to update it continuously.

Tasks of the Laboratory Quality Unit

1.     Improving and developing the performance of laboratories in accordance with the requirements of standard specifications related to the nature of the laboratory's work and specialization.

2.     Activating the periodic laboratory review procedure within specific time limits to diagnose deviation in performance and develop the procedure and solutions to address it.

3.     Follow up the implementation of maintenance and calibration programs for devices and equipment within the pre-prepared work plan to ensure the validity and accuracy of the results of experiments and examinations.

4.     Drawing up a laboratory quality policy in line with the Iraqi standards for the quality of the laboratories of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in order to achieve the role and responsibilities of all employees towards the quality of outputs.

5.     Follow up the training of workers on laboratory practices and coordination between laboratory departments and the Continuing Education Center to establish specialized courses.

6.     Follow up and supervise the process of coding laboratory devices and equipment.

7.     Holding workshops, seminars and meetings on laboratory quality.

Tasks of the Quality Assurance Unit

1.    Representing the college in quality assurance activities.

2.    Develop plans for the implementation of quality programs within the college.

3.    Follow up the implementation of the axes of the application of quality standards in the college to obtain accreditation in education.

4.    Preparing quality assurance requirements in the college and following up the implementation of the requirements issued by the Quality Assurance Department.

5.    Preparing guidelines for the methods of applying quality and the rules governing work within the college.

6.    Preparing the necessary plans to involve the staffing in theoretical and applied courses that support quality verification within the college.

7.    Follow up the commitment of the departments, divisions and units of the college to international standards of quality assurance.