IIE Hosts Conference in Iraq on Standards in Quality Assurance and Accreditation

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The Institute of International Education (IIE), in cooperation with IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF), held a conference on advancing higher education in Iraq from January 29-31 in Erbil, Iraq. Approximately 180 Iraqi scholars, university presidents, vice presidents, deans, Iraqi government officials, U.S. Embassy officials, and international experts participated. This was the third in a series of seven conferences to be held by IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund and designed to engage key stakeholders in encouraging further progress on higher education development efforts in Iraq.

The goals were to provide Iraqi participants with an overview of quality assurance, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness through a series of presentations, panels, and breakout sessions, and to suggest tools and resources suitable to the Iraqi higher education sector’s capacity development efforts. The conference provided Iraqi participants with information and perspectives on the development of first-rate quality assurance models, particularly those in the United States and the UK, which might be effectively adapted to enhance their work within the Iraqi higher education structure.

Key themes that emerged from the conference include:

• The Iraqi Ministries of Higher Education and Iraqi universities face a number of challenges in realizing an effective quality assurance model in Iraq given the current political, social, and financial conditions.
• A shared understanding that quality assurance is a "national issue" and not merely a university issue emerged over the three days. While there is significant diversity in Iraqi higher education that needs to be considered when developing an Iraqi quality assurance model, participants noted that there is a need in Iraq for common definitions and standards, assessment measures, financial support, policies, and a strategy or direction for quality assurance.
• There are many models of quality assurance employed by countries such as the United States, the UK, continental Europe, and Malaysia, but these differing models have evolved over time from the cultural and academic values of each individual country. Therefore, it is important for Iraq to not seek a quick solution or to simply replicate other country models, but to develop its own uniquely Iraqi model and culture of quality assurance.
• Participants expressed the need to develop a better understanding of what drives quality assurance in Iraq, what its underlying philosophy and purpose is, and what its role in society is. Why do we do it and for whom were questions frequently raised?
• A quality assurance culture is starting to flourish in Iraq, but there needs to be more discussions on how to formulate an effective quality assurance and accreditation model in Iraq given the fact that higher education is centrally controlled. Where to start and how to prioritize were often cited as concerns.

The next IIE conference in Iraq is scheduled for June 2012 and will focus on developing and enhancing global academic linkages.

For more information, please visit: www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Events/2012/IIE-Iraq-Conference-Quality-Assurance-and-Accreditation.