Educational Quality Assurance Directorate    

Director Message 

The message from the Educational Quality Assurance Directorate at Mattu University highlights the institution's commitment to three core missions: producing qualified graduates, generating research-based knowledge, and supporting community development. To achieve these goals and realize their vision of becoming one of the top universities in Ethiopia, the Quality Assurance (QA) Directorate plays a crucial role in strengthening academic, research, and community service programs. 

The QA Directorate employs two main forms of academic auditing: everyday supervisions and annual auditing. Everyday supervisions provide immediate feedback on routine operations, while annual auditing is more comprehensive, aimed at identifying gaps and proposing improvement measures. The audit process utilizes various methods to gather data, including random classroom and laboratory supervision, discussions with university leadership, interactions with student representatives and community stakeholders, observations in libraries and ICT centers, as well as general campus observations.

By continuously evaluating inputs, processes, and outputs across academic, research, and community service functions, the QA Directorate ensures the university's operations are aligned with its goals and standards. This proactive approach to quality assurance helps maintain and enhance the overall excellence of Mattu University. 

The Academic Assessment & Quality Assurance Directorate at Mattu University plays a central role in ensuring the institution's commitment to excellence in all aspects of its operations. Here's an overview of the background, mission, vision, objectives, and functions of the directorate:

Background:

The Quality Assurance (QA) Directorate takes the lead in institutional quality assurance, guiding the university in assessing its performance and enhancing its services. It emphasizes that quality assurance is not merely about processes or procedures but is a collective mission requiring the attention and support of all stakeholders, including students, academic staff, and administrators.

Mission:

The mission of the QA directorate is to strive for excellence in all university operations and to provide the best services to its stakeholders. It aims to produce competent graduates across various academic disciplines, meeting both national and international educational standards.

Vision: 

The vision of the directorate is to establish and maintain a nationally and internationally recognized university known for its excellence in learning, teaching, research, and community engagement. This is to be achieved through continuous improvement and a commitment to quality management processes.

Value

Teamwork

Integrity

Communication

Positive Attitudes

Quality

Credibility

Objectives:

Assessing the quality of core process activities such as teaching-learning, research, community engagement, and student services, as well as support process activities like Information Communication Technology (ICT), Human Resource Management (HRM), and estate/facility management.

Integrating a comprehensive quality assurance system into all levels and aspects of university operations to foster a culture of quality.

Improving overall management practices to uphold good governance principles.

Facilitating communication and collaboration with relevant statutory, accreditation, and professional bodies.

Developing and implementing formal quality assurance systems, policies, and procedures aligned with the university's vision, mission, goals, and objectives.

Functions:

Ensuring quality improvement, control, and assurance of accountability across university activities.

Collaborating with other university offices to ensure consistency and responsiveness to quality standards.

Overseeing the development of specific protocols and procedures governing core and support processes.

Analyzing strengths and weaknesses to inform strategic actions for improvement.

Upholding standards of fitness for purpose, effective management, and graduate employability.

Promoting innovative teaching, learning, and community engagement initiatives to maintain competitiveness in global education.

Overall, the QA directorate at Mattu University plays a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of education, research, and services offered by the institution, in line with its broader mission and vision

Guiding Principle:

Clear Cycle of Planning and Review: The quality assurance process will follow a clear cycle of planning, development, documentation, reporting, action, and review of policies and procedures.

Ownership and Understanding: All stakeholders within the university will understand, use, and feel ownership of quality assurance principles.

Critical Self-Reflection: Quality assurance activities will foster critical self-reflection to ensure continuous self-regulated assessment, monitoring, and enhancement.

Recognition of Diversity: The diversity in mission, programs, and approaches within the university will be recognized while implementing a university-wide strategy for maintaining quality and standards.

Opportunities for Excellence: Quality assurance activities will provide maximum opportunities to demonstrate competence, identify best practices, and promote excellence, innovation, and development.

Centralized Coordination: Quality assurance policies and activities will be centrally driven by the quality assurance office to ensure commitment to institution-wide quality enhancement processes.

Responsibility Allocation: Responsibility for quality assurance implementation will be allocated within relevant portfolios and structures within the university.

Adaptation to Changing Environment: Quality assurance activities will be prioritized to respond to rapidly changing internal and external environments.

Major Activities of the Office:

Formulating Policies: Formulating, approving, and enacting quality assurance policies and guidelines.

Setting Quality Measures: Setting quality assurance measures in all core and support process activities of the university.

Facilitating National Exams: Facilitating national qualifying exams for final year students in different disciplines.

Establishing Audit Systems: Establishing and implementing an audit system for all processes and management within the university.

Benchmarking for Improvement: Creating and implementing a system for comprehensive and continuous national and international benchmarking of quality to drive continuous improvement.

Ensuring Consistency and Comparability: Ensuring consistency and comparability in using baseline standards set by the university and the country.

Institutional Performance Assurance: Implementing and maintaining institutional performance assurance programs consistent with good management practices and university requirements.

Promotion of Quality Culture: Promoting a culture of quality and continuous monitoring and improvement of all quality assessment activities within the institution.

Development of Provision Quality: Promoting and developing the quality of provision of all services and academic activities within the university.

Dissemination of Information: Ensuring the dissemination of relevant information on quality assurance to all sectors and levels within the university.

Representation: Ensuring representation of quality assurance matters, including representation on all relevant internal and external platforms.

These guiding principles and major activities underscore the commitment of the Quality Assurance Directorate at Mattu University to maintain and enhance the quality of education and services provided by the institution.