Members of Evaluation Team

5.3 Members of Evaluation Team

Potential members for the POA are selected from the MQA’s Register of Assessors. The selection of assessors depends on the type of the programme, the characteristics of the HEP, and the need to have a panel that is coherent and balanced in background and experience.

It is crucial that the members of the POA work together as a team, and not attempt to apply pre-conceived templates to their consideration of the programme being evaluated, nor appear to address inquiries from entirely within the perspective of their own specialty or the practices of their own HEP. Unless otherwise arranged, all communications between the HEP and members of the panel must be via the MQA.

5.3.1 The Chairperson

The Chairperson is the key person in an accreditation process and should have experience as an assessor. It is the Chair’s responsibility to create an atmosphere in which critical professional discussions can take place, where opinions can be liberally and considerately exchanged, and in which integrity and transparency prevail. Much of the mode and accomplishment of the accreditation exercise depends on the Chairperson’s ability to facilitate the panel to do its work as a team rather than as individuals, and also to bring out the best in those whom the panel meets.

The Chairperson presents the oral exit report that summarises the tentative findings of the team to the representatives of the HEP. The Chairperson also has a major role in the preparation of the written report and in ensuring that the oral exit report is not materially different from the final report.

The Chairperson is expected to collate the reports of the members of the panel and to work closely with them to complete the draft report shortly after the visit. He is responsible for organising the contributions from the other team members and to ensure that the overall report is coherent, logical, and internally consistent.

If important areas have been omitted from a team member’s write-up, it is the responsibility of the Chairperson either to contact that member for additional details, or to supply the missing content himself.

It is important for the Chairperson to compare his final draft report with the set of strengths and concerns identified by the panel members to ensure that all areas are well documented in the text of the report. Attention should be paid so that comments made are based on due compliance to the quality assurance standards as contained in this Code of Practice for Programme Accreditation.

The Chairperson is responsible to ensure that the oral exit report accurately summarises the outcomes of the visit and is consistent with the reporting framework. He is also responsible to ensure that the department’s plan of action for programme improvement is considered and endorsed by the panel.

5.3.2 The MQA Officer

The MQA officer has the following responsibilities:  To keep copies of handouts, database pages, evaluation reports, organisational charts, for incorporation, as appropriate, in the Final Report;

 To act as a resource person for policy matters;  To ensure that the panel conducts itself in accordance with its

responsibilities;  To liaise with the department liaison officer;  To coordinate and liaise with the panel members;  To ensure that the MQA processes the report effectively and in a

timely manner; and  To provide other relevant administrative services.