Accreditation: A proven method to get programme recognition

I occasionally receive inquiries about the purpose of accreditation and the goals of accreditation organisations. People seem to think it is the role of the university to ensure that its graduates find employment. They believe that a brief three-day visit of the accreditation team can only supply a limited quantity of information to the visiting team for accreditation, leading to erroneous conclusions. In addition, they think that a push for accreditation was not made at universities before the 20th century. So what transpired in the 20th century and afterward that national and international accreditation organisations pushed universities to apply for programme accreditation? 

The first university, the University of Bologna in Italy, was established in 1088 and became a widely recognised school to educate the clergy. Germany's Humboldt University of Berlin was established in 1809 and became a global model in the 19th century. Old universities, at the start, set their aims to educate students for life in public service, to advance knowledge through research, and to develop leaders for various areas of public service. Later, there had been a reform from basic research to applied and entrepreneurial research. From the beginning of the 20th century, the purpose of a university began to change, with focus shifting from an elitist philosophy to an egalitarian one.

Many universities were created during the period from the 11th century to the 20th century. Simultaneously, education systems underwent considerable modifications throughout both the first and second industrial revolutions (1765-1870 and 1870-1969). The chalkboard, an essential educational device, was invented by instructors in the middle of the 19th century to help with instruction. Children were educated about traditions, customs, rituals, and religion during the pre-industrial era. On the other hand, science, technology, and maths started to be taught from the first Industrial Revolution. Henry Fischel, a US businessman, developed the idea of tests in the late 19th century. Course credits was established by the Carnegie Foundation in the US in 1906. During the second industrial revolution (2IR), education access was extended to all social classes, and global mobility took off. In order to pursue higher education, students started relocating internationally. As a result, questions about credit transferability and the worth of a university degree began to be brought up. Also, nations pushed for the creation of National Qualification Frameworks (NQF) that are compatible with one another. At that time, it was also necessary for national and international agencies to certify the programme's academic quality. Many nations established accreditation organisations like National Academic Recognition Information Center, Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Many significant changes have taken place in the role of a university since the third industrial revolution. Computerisation, digitisation, and web-based interconnection were the results of the third industrial revolution (1969 to 2000). In addition to using blackboards and whiteboards during lessons, teachers have started employing overhead projectors and the internet. The curriculum is based on books. With the idea that all the information could be neatly organised into a body of knowledge, divided into 12 years of schooling and four years of college/university, distributed through graded textbooks and tested on a regular basis, the factory model of education was developed. All three revolutions are characterised by centuries of experience with memorisation, centred on teacher-student interaction via dictation, and writing lecture contents on chalkboards; it was a one-way process, with students primarily serving as information consumers.

Coming into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the education system becomes Outcome-Based Education (OBE), and the teaching method changes from an instructional paradigm to a learning paradigm and assessment of individual student's achievement on the performance of course learning outcomes (CLOs) defined by the course instructor. The 4IR conceptualises rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. The following are the key skills that employees in the present new economy need to have: basic skills (reading, writing, and maths), foundational skills (learning how to learn), interpersonal and teamwork skills, listening and oral communication skills, adaptability (creative thinking and problem-solving), group effectiveness (interpersonal skills, negotiation, and teamwork), influence (organisational effectiveness and leadership), personal management (self-esteem and motivation/goal setting), cognitive style, and applied skills (occupational and professional competence). 

Present and future jobs require new skills and knowledge. Therefore, the education system was rethought and redesigned in order to respond to changes in workers' skill sets. OBE is a student-centric teaching and learning methodology in which the course delivery and assessment are planned to achieve specific objectives and outcomes. Global mobility, industry recognition, innovation and adaptability, public confidence, and stakeholder confidence must all be considered in curriculum and instruction. Accreditation bodies update their accreditation requirements. They include Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and OBE as the educational system. 

At the time of Bangladesh's liberation, there existed only six public universities, and the total number of students was around 25,000. At present, there are 53 public and 103 private universities, and total enrollment excluding national and open universities exceeds 0.6 million. The BNQF has been formulated to ensure that qualification outcomes remain relevant and nationally consistent, and continue to support flexible qualifications linkages and pathways to enable national and international portability and comparability of qualifications. To facilitate the implementation of a quality assurance mechanism and national qualifications framework at the higher education institution and programme levels, Bangladesh Accreditation Council has been established. University Grants Commission of Bangladesh has asked all universities to adopt OBE as an educational system. 

Without questioning the value of accreditation, steps should be taken to update curricula and implement effective teaching techniques in accordance with accreditation standards. 

MM Shahidul Hassan is the vice-chancellor of East West University (EWU). Email him at vc@ewubd.edu