Dr. RK Behera
Four years ago, when the NAAC decided to do a mid-term review, the major tasks were understanding the impact of assessment and accreditation and understanding the areas of the NAAC’s process that needed further improvement. A questionnaire was developed in consultation with a few heads of institutions and chairpersons of peer teams. The questionnaires were piloted on 15 institutions and some minor improvements were incorporated. The questionnaires were then sent to the first 100 institutions that had undergone assessment and accreditation. The analysis of the feedback, as recorded by the institutions, revealed that the NAAC’s impact has been felt by institutions in most aspects of their functioning—pedagogical, managerial and administrative.
Ownership on Quality Matters
The NAAC’s process has made institutions realise that quality is the responsibility of the institutions themselves. Quality management procedures were introduced in some institutions. Especially, the institutions that did not have such procedures in place before initiated formal mechanisms. Managements were often able to bring in major changes on the grounds that it would demonstrate a commitment to quality. For example, institutions introduced peer appraisal and student evaluation of teachers, issues that still continue to be a bone of contention in many institutions.
Focus on Goals and Objectives
During the first two years, the NAAC’s scheme of assessment was based on ten major dimensions of functioning of institutions called parameters. One of the parameters—Institutional Goals and Objectives—looked into the goal orientation of the institution. Even in the revised scheme of seven criteria, goals and objectives of the institution is a key aspect in the criterion Curricular Aspects.
So institutions initiate discussions on their specific goals and objectives and the means to achieve them. Institutions began making co-curricular provisions related to specific objectives and strengthening extension activities to realise the goals.
Going beyond the Constraints
The greatest effect of undergoing the process has been the taking up of innovative programmes by institutions beyond the mandatory requirements of the affiliating system. Institutions that were unhappy about the systemic constraints of the affiliating mode realised that within the affiliating structure they could attempt many innovative strategies on their own.
Increase in Programme Options
Introduction of need-based programmes was observed in most of the institutions, increasing the programme options. Many institutions started their own certificate and diploma programmes to fulfil the growing demand from students.
Restructuring of the Curriculum
The autonomous institutions that had the freedom to innovate in curriculum and the affiliated colleges that were offering additional programmes of their own restructured the curriculum. Some succeeded in introducing the Choice Based Credit System, which gives more freedom and flexibility to students; in some cases it is flexible to the extent that a student can structure his/her own curriculum. The revision of curriculum content was accepted as an ongoing process instead of a routine to be undertaken once in three or five years. Institutions also understood effective ways of doing it, such as involving employers and peers.
Improvement in Teaching–learning Strategies
The attention of the institutions became focussed on the right priorities and responsibilities especially with reference to teaching–learning as their primary mission. In the scheme of assessment of the NAAC, the criterion Teaching–learning and Evaluation carries the maximum weightage. It gave a positive stimulus to institutional attention and oriented the institutions to improve their quality of teaching–learning by going beyond the routine examination-oriented outcome. It became well understood that teaching–learning has to be as important as research or even more, in the universities as well. Improved teaching methods using educational technology, projects and student seminars, providing computer skills, encouraging co-curricular activities, and incorporating community orientation were observed.
Stimulating Research Culture
Research, Consultancy and Extension is one of the criteria for assessment and this has stimulated a research culture which is more pronounced in colleges that were focussing only on teaching. Although the weightage allotted to this criterion is the least for affiliated colleges, it has improved the encouragement for faculty research at all levels including the affiliated undergraduate colleges. Research initiatives such as applying for projects, providing seed money for research initiatives, conducting seminars and symposia, providing support services for the faculty involved in research, deputing faculty to complete their research degrees and supporting efforts to publish have improved. Some institutions have established research centres with liberal seed money from their governing bodies.
Improved Documentation
Although some mentioned that the process of preparing the self-study report and getting ready for the assessment visit involved a lot of unnecessary documentation, most thought that it was a promising tool for improvement of their documentation, especially for teacher appraisal, student progression, alumni profiles and placement services. While the institutions geared up to record and manage data that would improve their performance, individual faculty members too realised the importance of maintaining regular teaching diaries, documentation of their academic contributions and other scholarly pursuits outside the institution and data on their community-oriented services.
Improved Student Services (Learning Resources and Support Services)
It focused the attention of the institutions on the support services within their reach, which they had never thought of before. Student support like open access and extended working hours of the library, getting latest books and quality journals, establishing inter-library linkage, centralised computer centre with an access to it, placement cell, campus interviews, on-the-job training, guidance and counselling and financial assistance were greatly improved.
More Information Technology
Most of the institutions improved their centralised computer facilities providing easy access to students and teachers. The internet was made available to all faculty members and a restricted use of it was provided to postgraduate students and research scholars. The computer departments of many colleges started introductory courses for non-computer science students. Though information technology was entering all institutions, the NAAC’s process made its need felt by all the sections of the institutions instead of confining the benefits to a few sections like the computer science department and the administrative office. Institutional efforts for its appropriate use and preparing its members for optimum use greatly improved. That led to the use of technology as a learning resource in the real sense by more faculty members. Computer Assisted Learning packages were developed. The admission, examination and library services were computerised.
Human Resources Development
Training of the staff in new communication technologies, faculty development programmes, and student activities gained a new thrust. They were seen as useful investments for the development of human resources of the institution. The faculty, staff and students were facilitated with an open and transparent policy.
Standing United
Small differences were forgotten and the faculty and the management became united. Since it was realised that quality enhancement was an institutional effort and not merely an outcome of an individual’s conviction, it led to participatory and consultative decision-making to implement quality enhancement strategies.
Greater Inter-Departmental Interaction
The preparation of the self-study report requires inputs from all the sub-units of the institution and hence it calls for co-operation. In this context, all the subunits came closer to work together. Departments that were functioning like islands within the bigger system started sharing their experiences and expertise. They came to know the achievements and good practices of one another, which developed inter-departmental initiatives, intimacy and a new synergy. Team teaching, faculty of one department handling specialised topics in other departments, inter-disciplinary course offerings and sharing of facilities were strengthened.
Healthy Competition among Sub-units
While the process made the sub-units appreciate the contribution of one another to the academic ambience of the institution, it also resulted in healthy competition among the departments with each unit trying to maximise its contributions and achievements.
Rediscovering of Self
Things taken for granted were rediscovered as their unique characteristics and strengths. Interaction with peers and employers to strengthen the rediscovered potentials, linkage with other institutions and industry to capitalise on the potentials, collecting feedback from parents and alumni to further identify their strengths and weaknesses, collecting feedback from students for improving their educational experiences and consultations with peers to overcome the weak links were initiated.
Triggering of Healthy Practices
Quality assessment triggered new healthy practices. Informal mechanisms like student feedback on teaching and learning, and performance appraisal were institutionalised. Individual efforts towards organising seminars, arranging for special lectures, enriching the syllabus with current topics, initiating students into the project mode and other innovative learner-centred activities were Institutionalised. Dissemination of information on faculty development and strategies to tap the various schemes available to support research and development in the institution in general became well known and the faculty members were encouraged to use those facilitating aspects.
Community Orientation
There was an increase in community-oriented activities—extending expertise to the development of the immediate neighbourhood, initiating research that would solve the problems of the neighbourhood, students and faculty participation in those activities.
Change in the Policies and Practices of the Management
There was a change in the perception of the management on issues such as faculty workload, supporting research culture and encouraging faculty development. The inter-personal relations between the management and the other units of the institutions improved. There was a change towards a participative and transparent style of management, involving the other units in decision-making.
Recognising Stakeholder Expectations
The expectations of the employers, students and parents formed a substantial basis for many new initiatives of the institutions. New courses were initiated; skill development components were incorporated in the curriculum. Opinions from students and parents were sought on the educational experiences provided in the institution.
Greater Involvement of Students, Parents and Alumni
Alumni involvement and parent involvement in improving the institution became explicit. Regular meetings with parents and alumni and getting their feedback could be seen. The activities of the alumni association were revived. Institutions that did not have those associations initiated them and collected alumni profiles. Student participation in certain decision-making and sharing of responsibilities of institutional activities were encouraged.
Inter-institutional Networking
The curiosity of the institutions about what the others had done with reference to the NAAC’s frame of reference for assessment led to better information dissemination and co-operative efforts among neighbouring colleges. Many highly-rated institutions are exploring the possibility of establishing a network among themselves to initiate student exchange and staff exchange programmes.
Planning for the Future
Institutions started thinking beyond routine teaching–learning and chalked out future plans. The focus on future plans became clear, and vision and mission documents and perspective plans were drawn up. Institutions also realised the importance of projecting their strengths and unique features to society to get good resources—funds, students and teachers.
Greater Value of Accreditation
Even institutions that volunteered for the process with apprehension have understood the great value of assessment after undergoing the process. Initially some institutions volunteered just because the neighbouring institutions had done so or the accreditation of the NAAC was seen as a marketing strategy. But later, they realised that the process of assessment had done a lot to revive and stimulate the quality culture of the institution.
Impact of the Assessors
Hundreds of assessors and peers who were involved in the various activities of the NAAC—assessment exercise, awareness programmes and workshops—made a positive impact on their respective institutions. Especially, the assessors and peers who were involved in the assessment visits became the change agents in their own institutions. They were able to clear the unfounded fears of their colleagues. In many institutions, they became the nucleus of the assessment initiative and were invited to chair the steering committees. The neighbouring institutions approached them for consultation. Since the NAAC has the policy of not inviting assessors from the same state where the institution is located, the impact of the assessors spread across the country very quickly. The NAAC also made use of their services effectively as ambassadors in those regions for awareness programmes as well as for identifying potential institutions for follow-up. Assessors have also played an important role in the dissemination of healthy practices and innovative strategies among institutions.
