Quality assurance has become an increasingly important process at Asian colleges and universities. In a best case scenario, it provides educators with both quantitative and qualitative information that can be used to evaluate the design, content, and pedagogy of their courses and degree programs and define ways to build on success or strengthen areas of weakness. But there also can be a tendency to focus only on the numerical data and what it suggests about an institution’s ranking vis-à-vis its peers. When that happens, leaders and administrators lose opportunities to reflect upon their college or university’s ethos, core values, and the well-being of students, faculty, and other members of the academic community.

The United Board invited four educators – from the Philippines, Thailand, and India – to share their insights on quality assurance, particularly the role of faculty in the process. Francis Evangelista, head of the Quality Assurance Office at Miriam College in the Philippines, wants his colleagues to understand QA as “an imperative from within,” and Nichanan Sakolvieng (Assumption University), Lakshmi Priya Daniel (Stella Maris College), and Kennedy Andrew Thomas (CHRIST Deemed to be University) add their perspectives on ways that faculty can contribute to and benefit from the process. Please click on the images below to read their stories.