Ajman U.A.E : Gulf Medical University has become one of the latest international institutions to receive global accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.
Global accreditation is awarded to international institutions who have passed QAA’s rigorous International Quality Review [IQR], which measures global institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
The review, which took place in April 2021, was completed by a team of three independent reviewers, including an international expert and a student reviewer appointed by QAA. In making their conclusions, the independent review teams confirmed that Gulf Medical University meets all 10 of the ESG.
The review team also identified a number of features of good practice:
Effective use of external examiners, and externality more broadly, in assuring assessment standards and external benchmarking.
Multiple opportunities for students to provide feedback, which has positively impacted on the overall learning experience.
GMU’s Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness portal, which provides staff at all levels easy access to data and information.
Professor Hossam Hamdy, Chancellor, Gulf Medical University said:
“The accreditation of Gulf Medical University (GMU) by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) is an important milestone in the history of the University. We were pleased that the report indicated that we have met all the 10 standards of the ESG, the few desirable suggestions for improvement will certainly help us develop further.
Engaging over 1 year in the process for getting the accreditation was a very constructive journey with many positive outcomes to our institute!”
Vicki Stott, QAA Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Gulf Medical University, demonstrating that they meet standards of international best practice. Successful institutions rely on collaboration and benchmarking, and that’s exactly what IQR provides: allowing international institutions to measure their own approach to quality assurance against European quality standards. It also allows international institutions to demonstrate and improve their effectiveness, improve public perception and to develop new partnerships with UK and European institutions.”
Gulf Medical University have obtained QAA institutional accreditation for a period of five years, subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review. This allows them to display QAA’s IQR Accreditation Badge, demonstrating that their quality assurance procedures are comparable with international best practice.
By securing global accreditation from QAA, international institutions can clearly spotlight their quality standards internationally, and more easily open dialogue with institutions outside their own country. For more information about the IQR process, visit our website. If you are interested in signing your institution up and wish to discuss further, contact Stephanie Sandford, Director of International and Professional Services on s.sandford@qaa.ac.uk.
3. The full report of the Gulf Medical University international quality review will be published on QAA’s website in late August.
4. IQR has been specially developed to provide international institutions with an independent peer review, through which they are measured against the 10 standards of the ESG, the quality assurance framework adopted across 48 countries in the European Higher Education Area. The ESG are respected worldwide and have influenced the development of quality frameworks across Africa and the ASEAN region, and the development of a global language of quality assurance. You can find out more about International Quality Review and global accreditation at www.qaa.ac.uk/iqr.
5. The expert team that reviewed GMU include Dr Sarah Bennett (student reviewer), Professor Emeritus Ian Giles (UK peer reviewer) and Mr Ian Kimber (international peer reviewer).
6. International Quality Review is overseen by QAA’s IQR Accreditation Panel who consider recommendations made by QAA review teams in order to determine whether an institution should be awarded institutional accreditation. You can read more about the international experts who make up the Accreditation Panel here.
7. QAA is the independent quality body for UK higher education. It is a higher education charitable company, which is limited by guarantee and whose members are representative organisations of the higher education sector.
More information on QAA’s work is available on www.qaa.ac.uk.
