What Is IQAC?
As the name reflects IQAC - Internal Quality Assurance Cell is a structure that would help educational institutions to improve their work processes and achieve learning outcomes & objectives.
Vision of IQAC
Speaking of the vision, IQAC primarily focuses on quality enhancement.
Its aim is to introduce a consistent plan of action that would lead the organization towards progress. It involves preparing strategies for –
- Efficient & timely work processes
- Academic research & programs
- Affordable & innovative approaches
- Use of ICT for modernization of education
- Best assessment process for maintaining quality
- Ensuring the best infrastructure to achieve goals
Thus, IQAC considers all the possible aspects that hold the power to bring positive impact of teaching-learning on the students as well as institutions. Assessment, evaluation & improvement may seem simple steps but can turn the game around when performed consistently.
Functions of IQAC
- Setting quality benchmarks with consistent work
- Creating parameters to reach academic as well as non-academic learning goals
- Creating a student-centric teaching-learning environment
- Considering the feedback of students, faculty & parents for the best practices
- Organizing various workshops & seminars for the quality education environment
- Documenting all the activities in chronological order & keeping a tab on improvements
- Preparing & submitting one of the most important - Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR) as per the instructions of the NAAC
Composition of IQAC
The Role of The IQAC Coordinator
IQAC co-coordinator would be the “captain of the ship”!
There are multiple reasons – he/she would have years of experience, will be a full-time worker in the institution, would have a responsible approach towards the work processes, and most importantly, he/she would work on the goal of achieving NAAC accreditation.
In a nutshell, the role of the IQAC co-coordinator is the most important of all the committee members.
Key Duties Of IQAC
Here are the key duties of IQAC that help institutions to improve their processes.
- Effective Leadership
- Practice Decentralization and Participate Management
- Perspective/Strategic Plan
- Organizational Structure
- Administrative Setup and E-governance
- Effectiveness of various bodies/ Cells/Committees
- Financial Support
- Professional Development
- Co-curricular and Extra-curricular Activities
- Academic Administrative Audit (AAA)
- Participation in various Accreditation and Rankings
Top 10 Benefits Of IQAC In The NAAC Accreditation Process
The following are the top 10 benefits of IQAC in the NAAC accreditation process.
1. Best Practices
IQAC ensures clarity of the work processes and enables the stakeholders to “re-think” the current work processes.
2. Internalization Of Quality Culture
The continuous assessment patterns make it possible to create an internalization of quality education culture in higher education institutions.
3. Better Collaboration Of Departments
IQAC ensures a better collaboration between various departments of the HEIs and eradicates the communication gap with frequent evaluation & feedbacks from the stakeholders.
4. Improved Functioning Of The HEIs
With a greater level of transparency & assessments, institutions are able to make better decisions and improve their overall functioning.
5. Proper Documentation
IQAC allows the faculty to properly create authentic documentations & keep their records for future reference in the NAAC assessment process.
6. Encourages R&D
IQAC encourages HEIs to pay attention to R&D and make the faculty future-ready by empowering them.
7. Greater Transparency
IQAC peer team verifies all the documents, evidence, and facts and resolves the challenges faced by the HEIs.
8. Project-Based& Service-Based Learning
Students are taught the value of practical knowledge by involving project-based learning as well as service-based learning.
9. Professional Practices
To help students grow academically as well as develop skills, the IQAC team encourages conducting various programs & lectures of professional experts.
10. Global Platform
Unlike traditional teaching-learning culture, IQAC tries to provide a globalized platform to students by inculcating the “think locally- act globally” mindset.
