AOU QA MODEL: CATALYZING GOOD PRACTICES TO REPLICABLE QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

The uniqueness of the Arab Open University’s Quality Assurance Model (AOU-QAM) lies in the complexity of the arrangements within which it assures and maintains quality standards. The analysis of the success of the AOU- QAM that encompass its quality management systems requires a thorough understanding of the complexity of the AOU delivery mode and the interplay between the standards and variables that govern its academic and institutional arrangements. This paper attempts to provide an analytical overview of how AOU has matured into an institution that while being compliant to Quality Assurance Agency –United Kingdom (QAA-UK) and national/regional QA standards is umbilically detached from completely adopting prescriptive QA processes of the external QA agencies. It instead has developed and established its own ‘fit for purpose’ QA model.

The Arab Open University is one of the largest Universities in the region spread over nine different countries. It is the first of its kind in the region to adopt and unconventional mode of delivery through its blended learning mode of education. The challenge of maintaining its standing against the more acceptable conventional universities and winning the confidence of Higher education authorities, potential students and society at large has been a challenge. Consequent to the pressure of carving a niche, given the emerging competition between universities in the region, AOU has marked itself as a University of repute with high quality standards that complies and matches up to the international and regional quality standards. AOU- QA model is a result of the concerted efforts with which it has identified good practices and replicated it across the quality management systems of its branch countries. These include QA benchmarks, non-conventional teaching and learning model, presence over diverse geographical area, diverse legal and political environment and responsiveness to the prescriptive QA practices of both the partnering body and the local higher education and quality assurance agency requirements.

This paper further discusses how AOU QA model is built on a composite arrangement of the international QA framework and that of the local/regional QA framework of the branch host country. The AOU QA management systems is tailored to fit with each Branch’s context of QA indicators that it has to achieve. It reflects on how catalyzing and replicating the good practices while balancing the composite arrangements between partner Quality Assurance body and that of the local QA body in the quality assurance processes are empowering and enabling AOU-QA management systems in achieving quality assurance standards. The AOU QA model has provenly been successful in being replicated across all its Branches located in the region.