The CAA Certified Reviewer Project

Session 1: Being a Reviewer

Prof. Rhys Rowland-Jones - Commissioner

1

CAA Expectations

EACH PARTICIPANT IS EXPECTED TO

COME PREPARED FOR THE SESSIONS

WITH APPROPRIATE

EQUIPMENT FOR THE DAY.

EACH PARTICIPANT IS EXPECTED TO

ARRIVE HAVING READ THE

APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION

FOR DISCUSSION ON THAT DAY.

EACH PARTICIPANT IS EXPECTED TO BE ON

TIME FOR THE SESSIONS AND TO FULLY ENGAGE IN

THE ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSIONS.

EACH PARTICIPANT IS EXPECTED TO BEHAVE IN A

PROFESSIONAL MANNER

THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM E.G. NO

MOBILE TELEPHONES.

EACH PARTICIPANT IS EXPECTED TO

COMPLETE THE ASSIGNED WORK SCHEDULED FOR

OUTSIDE THE SESSIONS.

What we do at the CAA

make clear what higher education providers are required to doMake

Establish what HE providers and Students can expect of each other, and what the general public can expect of them

Establish

assure the standards and quality of UAE higher education.Assure

Why what we do is important

provides measures of quality that all institutions must meet for licensure and program accreditation

ensures that the colleges and universities of the UAE operate at international levels of quality that reflects a consensus within the international higher education community on the essential characteristics required of institutions to achieve continuous improvement.

gives students, graduates, their families, and the UAE public confidence that licensed institutions and accredited programs will provide the quality of higher education that they expect and deserve.

How we do it

Develop national Standards for Institutional Licensure and Accreditation

Maintain national register of licensed institutions and programs https://www.caa.ae/caa/DesktopModules/Institutions.aspx

Manage applications for Licensure and Accreditation

Ensure reviews are carried out to best national and international standards

Provide workshops and development

Guiding Principles

methods and criteria are aligned to the Standards 2019

reliable, consistent, fair and valid

inclusive and equitable.

explicit and transparent.

purposeful and supports the learning process.

efficient and manageable.

Reviewers

• Reviewing is a time-intensive process – preparation before the event, and writing a review report is very intensive

• Reviewers: ensure the rigorous standards of the program accreditation or the institutional licensure

• uphold the integrity of the CAA by identifying non-compliance, and helping to maintain the quality of higher education in the UAE.

• fulfil a sense of obligation / service to the academic community.

• establish relationships with reputable institutions and colleagues.

• can help prevent ethical breaches by identifying plagiarism, research fraud and other problems by dint of their familiarity with the subject area.

• reciprocate professional courtesy, as authors and reviewers are often interchangeable roles – as reviewer, researchers "repay" the same consideration they receive as authors.

Observation and Understanding

• You will be expected to read a considerable amount of documentation on any review

• Will this be the actual state of affairs in the institution or of the program of study?

• How will you know?

• Can you interpret the documents to find out?

• How observant are you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_lTKZm1Ts

CAA Certified Reviewer Core Competencies• Technical

• Understands the Standards (2019) – it’s structure, content, dynamics and linkages to the Supplementary Guidance and Procedural Manuals.

• Higher Education Management• Understands the Key Information about the organisation being assessed and uses it effectively to

produce relevant, value adding analysis

• Teamwork & Professionalism• Contributes effectively as a review team member conducting themselves at all times both

professionally and with integrity.

• Communications, Interpersonal & Interviewing• Communicates clearly and accurately in both spoken and written English and demonstrates

effective interpersonal and interviewing skills.

• Analytical • Assimilates and understands relevant information and data related to the higher education

institution being assessed, using it to produce clear, accurate and insightful analysis at both macro (big picture) and micro (detail) levels.

• Report Writing and Presentation• Produces and delivers clear, accurate and value adding reports, both in written and oral form.

What is the difference between a Review and an Audit

TAKE 10 MINS IN YOUR TABLES

AGREE A SPECIFIC STATEMENT THAT CLEARLY IDENTIFIES ANY

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO TERMS (IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?)

Participant Evaluation

BEING A CERTIFIED REVIEWER IS NOT MERELY A

‘TECHNICAL’ EXERCISE BUT IS A DEMANDING TASK

REQUIRING A BALANCE OF THE COMPETENCIES LISTED

ABOVE COUPLED WITH A COMMITMENT TO TIMELY

AND PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE.

THROUGHOUT THE TRAINING AND REVIEW PROCESS INFORMATION WILL BE

CONTINUOUSLY GATHERED ON PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR

PERFORMANCE, FOR THE SAKE OF BOTH EVALUATING THEM AND CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING THE PROCESS

IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS DATA IS PERSONALLY

SENSITIVE TO THE INDIVIDUAL CONCERNED. ALL INVOLVED WILL TREAT THIS DATA WITH THE UTMOST

CONFIDENTIALITY AND WILL USE IT SOLELY WITHIN THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF

THIS CAA CODE OF PRACTICE.

NOT EVERYONE WILL BE INVITED BACK.

What are the personal traits that you would expect a review team member to exhibit?

Take 15 mins to discuss these in your groups:

Split them into (a) Required

(b) Desirable

Guiding Principles which underpin assessment

• Assessment methods and criteria are aligned to learning outcomes and teaching activities.

• Assessment is reliable, consistent, fair and valid.• Assessment design is approached holistically.• Assessment is inclusive and equitable.• Assessment is explicit and transparent.• Assessment and feedback is purposeful and supports the learning process.• Assessment is timely.• Assessment is efficient and manageable.• Students are supported and prepared for assessment.• Assessment encourages academic integrity

Look at the Guiding Principles which underpin Assessment

Take 15 mins to discuss how you could effectively evaluate an institutions approach to assessment:

Provide

(a) An overview of your approach

(b) An indication of some documents you would like to see

End of session 1