College Development Council |
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| About Us |
The College Development Council of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka has embarked on a mission to document, disseminate and promote quality practices in academic domain in the University. |
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| Quality Network |
In this quest, we propose to establish a Quality Network in the University, with the Quality assurance Hub at the University and Institutional Quality Nodes in every affiliated institution. This network will be dynamic and adaptive to the emerging challenges in academic governance so as to develop sustainable resilience of futuristic educational ecosystem. This network is expected to be a vibrant and self-growing organisation that will be responsive to the ground realities and respond to provide an appropriate and feasible outcome. |
The roadmap for establishing the quality network is provided as follows: Introduction |
There is a paradigm shift n the health seeking behaviours of populations and compulsions on healthcare systems to respond to these aspirations in the recent times. This is necessitated because of continuously changing pattern of lifestyle, technological and epistemological advances in the context of healthcare and greater dissemination of health related information in the society.
In such a transformative situation, it is the responsibility of planners of healthcare education to measure up to the needs and aspirations of people and evolve viable healthcare delivery models. This requires that the universities – especially those who are offering courses in healthcare domain – respond positively and redesign their performance. Such a situation calls for closer look at models that have been tested and found effective in other but similar service delivery situations. For example, Kaizen, Benchmarking, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management that are reflected in quality benchmarks represented by organisations like Toyota, Motorola, Baldridge Foundation, etc. In this context, it makes a good case to scan for such models of performance excellence, so that the academic outputs of the universities reflect the futuristic practices in healthcare. |
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| Need for quality assurance in university system |
Quality Assurance process is not only important to improve service delivery, but also for determining whether services are making a difference. The road to excellence can be a difficult one, as educational organisations can tend to resist change and self-examination. The key to change lies not only in developing a meaningful and effective quality assurance process that is directly linked into process as well as results, but also to have the active participation of all stakeholders.
Therefore, the purpose of Quality Assurance Process is to provide a means to evaluate appropriateness and efficiency of services by ensuring delivery of high quality services. It is to provide a means to identify and resolve problems in order to pursue continuous quality improvement. Quality Assurance provides a means for dissemination of information regarding the quality of services and the effort and practices the university uses to ensure that quality.
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| Procedure for realising quality goals |
Developing a quality assurance plan is a process that involves representatives of the major stakeholders in the university. The final plan must include both administrative and academic areas and standardised tools that can be utilised to audit activities annually and on an ongoing basis. A good plan must incorporate the university’s vision, mission, objectives of quality assurance activity, scope of the various services and outcome monitors, requirements of regulatory bodies, administrative procedures, ways and means of disseminating quality assurance information and method of evaluating the quality assurance activities.
Moving any university towards valuing self-examination and change can be daunting and sometimes even perceived as threatening. To be effective, the plan document requires ownership at all levels. One of the most critical components for developing that sense of ownership and empowerment is participation. Having students, staff, administrators, and university to actively involve in this process can make it less threatening and more welcoming.
To enable a qualitative transformation in RGUHS, the Quality Assurance Cell of RGUHS proposes an initiative to establish Quality Network of affiliated institutions.
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| Vision of RGUHS Quality Assurance Cell |
| Quality will be a priority dimension in all aspects of university governance. |
| Mission of RGUHS Quality Assurance Cell |
The RGUHS Quality Assurance Cell will,
- Coordinate, share, implement and evaluate all quality initiatives through a network of affiliated institutions.
- Educate and motivate all stakeholders of ‘Quality Network’ to engage the quality documents and Standard Operative Procedures that are relevant for organizational and human resources’ development.
- Engage in evidence generation of the best practices in the core areas of university governance.
- Provide optimal and equitable support to the ‘Quality Network’ to disseminate innovations and assess their impact.
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| Objectives of Quality Network |
- Define quality in educational environment
- Justify quality for university governance
- Design quality benchmarks for each aspect of university governance
- Assign responsibility of quality assurance to each university department
- Develop roadmap to reach quality goals
- Prepare accreditation standards for institutional excellence
- List critical success factors to indicate quality goals
- Provide appropriate resources, support and coordination to scaffold quality initiatives and activity
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| Core values of RGUHS Quality Assurance Cell |
- Passion for excellence
- Respect for diversity
- Pursuit of innovations
- Focus on smart solutions
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| Functions of RGUHS Quality Assurance Cell: |
- Development and application of quality benchmarks/parameters for various academic and administrative activities of the institution.
- Facilitating the creation of a learner-centric environment conducive to quality education and faculty maturation to adopt the required knowledge and technology for participatory teaching and learning process.
- Dissemination of information on various quality parameters of healthcare education.
- Organisation of discussions, workshops, seminars and promotion of quality circles.
- Documentation of the various programs/activities leading to quality improvement.
- Acting as a nodal agency of the University for quality-related Activities.
- Preparation of the Annual Quality Assurance Report and such other reports as may be decided from time to time.
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| Strategy of RGUHS Quality Assurance Cell |
- Establish University Quality Assurance Cell.
- Brainstorm the structure and future trends with quality experts drawn from service industry, accreditation domain experts and those experienced in university governance.
- Develop the RGUHS Quality Charter.
- Build capacity in Quality Assurance at institutional and university level.
- Identify core concerns of University Governance for Quality Network.
- Communicate ‘core areas of quality’ to affiliated institutions.
- Mandate all affiliated institutions to establish Institutional Quality Councils (IQC) with ‘predetermined’ composition.
- Develop a system for conscious, consistent and catalytic action to improve the academic and administrative performance of the university.
- Institutionalise internal quality assurance mechanisms for all affiliated institutions.
- Develop a quality assessment tool for accreditation of the affiliated institutions.
- Develop faculty-wise benchmarks for academic, professional and ethical performances.
- Promote measures for university’s functioning towards quality enhancement through internalisation of quality culture and institutionalisation of best practices.
- Mainstream the application of Quality Assurance tool in all university programs.
- Development of a unique grading rubric: RGUHS – APGAR System (RGUHS – Academic Performance Grading And Rating System).
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| Areas of operation |
- Institutional Grading
- Program Rating
- Teacher Rating
As a tangible outcome of this proposal, it is proposed to develop RGUHS – APGAR System (Academic Performance Grading and Rating System) with the following components of Quality with the relative weightage as indicated below:
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- Leadership and Governance : 05%
- Institutional Infrastructure and Resources Development : 15%
- Faculty and Human Resource Development : 15%
- Curriculum Management : 30%
- Clinical Services / Research / Extension : 25%
- Student Support : 05%
- Quality Practices : 05%
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| Faculty Development |
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka has initiated an innovative short course in educational methodology for teachers of affiliated institutions. Started in June 2013, more than 500 teachers have been trained in the basics of educational concepts, setting the objectives of teaching / evaluation, organising appropriate teaching-learning strategies and selecting suitable evaluation methods. |
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Short Course in Educational Methodology
Program objectives |
The overall objective of the Short Course in Educational Methodology is to provide the healthcare system with qualified educators. The program focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills that are relevant to professional performance and career development. |
Who should attend this course? |
Teachers in Colleges affiliated to RGUHS, who wish to understand the principles of Educational Methodology and apply them in their teaching and evaluation practices. |
| Aim |
To enable the teachers of Colleges so as to apply the principles of Educational Methodology in their teaching and evaluation practices
At the end of the course, the participants will –
- identify the learning needs of their students
- demonstrate evidence of teaching skills
- plan and design appropriate teaching – learning aids
- design, plan and implement appropriate student assessment strategy
- demonstrate evidence of the ability to provide evidence based advice to teachers, University committees or management of an educational institution, the regulations of respective apex bodies
- act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
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Nature of Course Delivery
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The three month course is envisaged on the Open and Distance Learning Mode. This model is increasingly preferred as strategy for Continuing Professional Development by various professional communities.
The course will be delivered on multiple platforms –
- distance learning through self-learning text
- embedded self assessment activities which will be tutor marked
- induction program to introduce the course and its implementation
- mentoring through e-mail from the academic hub
- contact programs to practice the relevant skills.
The course will be of three months duration with one Induction Program at the beginning of the course and tow Contact Programs, one at the end of six weeks each at the Academic Hub. The course will be delivered in a modular design. |
Assessment
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Assessment of the learners is done in three phases –
- Portfolio comprising of Self Assessment Activity, which is embedded as Assignments into the Self Learning Material,
- Individual and Group Tasks at the Contact Programs
- Microteaching presentation and Peer Review during the second Contact Program
On successful completion of the course, a Certificate will be awarded.
Note: The next cohort of course will start from February 2015. Applications are invited from the affiliated institutions to depute teachers in the application form. Batches will be made faculty-wise and the further information will be given to participating institutions and the participants. |
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Departments 
