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CHAPTER – 1ACCREDITATION PROCESS

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1. PREAMBLE

The Government of Pakistan, being cognizant of the fact that Technical & Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in the country is fragmented, supply driven and outdated, decided to establish National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) as an apex body at the federal level to provide for regulation, coordination and policy direction for vocational and technical training. The Commission has been mandated to revamp and realign the TVET system by up-gradation of skills, curricula development, trade testing, certification and setting up an internationally acceptable accreditation system. The role of NAVTTC is that of a regulator, facilitator and a catalyst for TVET. NAVTTC Act of 2011 has been promulgated by the Parliament which mandates the Commission to introduce the TVET accreditation regime.

The NAVTTC Act empowers the Commission to deal with the subjects mentioned above for Diploma and Certificate level TVET activities/programs. In pursuance of its mandate, NAVTTC has taken the initiative to develop an Accreditation System at the national level.

At provincial level, registration/ recognition and affiliation systems for TVET institutions are in place through the Boards of Technical Education but no initiative was taken in the past at national level in respect of a comprehensive accreditation regime. NAVTTC has now taken steps in this direction. For this purpose literature review was carried out relating to international accreditation regimes, national accreditation systems of other organizations and provincial level registration and recognition, which have informed the design of NAVTTC Accreditation regime. In consultation with the relevant stakeholders in the TVET sector, NAVTTC has devised an Accreditation manual to serve as an assessment tool. A TVET Accreditation & Quality Evaluation Committee (TA&QEC)/Council will be responsible to carry out assessment of various TVET institutes by way of well documented process. The Committee/council will work in coordination with the relevant TVET stakeholders like Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Provincial TEVTAs, Directorates/ Departments engaged in TVET activities, private training providers and industry. The TA&QEC will assess the quality of TVET institutions/programs by evaluating various constituent elements (governance & management, teaching & learning, faculty & staff, research & development, extension, consultancy and linkages, resources and support to students) and avenues to mold and develop the student’s personality and learning characteristics.

TVET in Pakistan involves various types of courses in two different streams i.e. technical stream and vocational stream. The former stream includes Diploma level programs like, Diploma of Associate Engineer (DAE) while the later one offers numerous short courses at G-III, G-II and G-I levels. The pass-outs of these institutions find employment in organized and unorganized sectors and form the backbone of job market. In order for technical institutions to train manpower as per the desired standards, it is essential to provide appropriate learning experiences to students for developing requisite competencies in any discipline. Therefore, it is important that norms and standards are laid down for better output from the technical/vocational institutions. Norms and standards are also essential for proper planning of institutions and preparation of proposals for starting new programs and institutions. In addition, these are also essential for the accreditation of programs.

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The Accreditation manual provides broad framework of norms and standards regarding physical, human, informational and financial resources so that people working in the system at different levels are able to make use of these norms for achieving uniform standards of TVET in the country. These norms are, however, not meant for curbing the innovation. Therefore, the flexibility required for encouraging innovative efforts will be kept in view for improvement and development of programs/ institutions.

2. ACCREDITATION-----Concept, Aims and Objectives___

The buzz word in today's educational institutions is accreditation (from the Latin word ‘acreditus’ meaning trustworthy). Accreditation, being both a process and a result, focuses on the continued improvement of quality. As a process, it is a form of review in which an accrediting body establishes sets of criteria and procedures to encourage high standards of education and training among its members. As a result, it is a form of certification or formal status granted by a recognized and authorized accrediting agency to an educational or training program and where applicable, to an institution as possessing certain standards of quality which are over and above those prescribed as minimum requirements for government recognition based upon an analysis of the merits of its operations, in terms of its philosophy and objectives.

Accreditation is viewed basically as a self-imposed discipline that is designed to systematize and provide a structure for an on-going initiative for institutional elevation and improvement. It is a constructive process, through which an institution clarifies its insights, and gains effectiveness. It should not be construed simply as conformity with quantitative standards, which negate the true intent of accreditation as a useful management tool for continuous improvement. Accreditation benefits the public by providing it with a basis on which it can measure and judge the integrity and competence of an institution in providing a given service.

As a part of the accreditation process, an external agency evaluates an institution or a program based on a set of acceptable standards. It is also a way of rewarding performing institutions and inspiring the others to do better. As a dynamic agency, it undertakes periodic review of its set standards and readjusts its criteria, policies and procedure to make it more responsive to the present times.

The US office of education defines accreditation as the process whereby an agency or association grants public recognition to school, institute, college, university or specialized program of study that meets certain established qualifications and educational standards, as determined through initial and periodic evaluation.

Accreditation in the context of TVET has been defined by some sources as a process of quality assurance, giving credit where it is due for some clearly visible and demonstrable strategies of academic activities and objective of the institution, known to be honestly pursued and efficiently achieved by the resources currently available with a potential for continuous improvement in quality for effective growth. Quality assurance is the activity of providing to all concerned the evidence needed to establish confidence that the quality is being maintained adequately.

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During the conduct of accreditation, the external body or the accrediting agency should pay attention to the basic elements like: organizational structure, unit of assessment, defining the model for accreditation, criteria for assessment, accreditation instrument and rating system.

There are policy statements and strategies in most of the countries to support economic, industrial, labor and business investments, which demand a training delivery system that will produce a world-class workforce. These have a direct effect on the need to improve the quality and relevance of TVET through the process of accreditation.

Aims and objectives of Accreditation may include:

a) to enhance workforce mobility and mutual recognition of qualifications within the

country and abroad;b) to develop quality and employable workforce in the country;c) to enhance employer confidence in the selection of employees coming from accredited

institutions;d) to enable national and international recognition of the institution’s quality, accountability

and public trust;e) to decide on eligibility of institutions for financial assistance from the government and

donors;f) to facilitate networking and sharing of best practices of accredited institutions at national

and international level;g) to assist prospective students in identifying acceptable institutions; h) to assist transferability of credits earned by a trainee/ student among the institutions; i) to protect institutions against harmful internal and external pressure; j) to establish criteria for professional certification and licenser; k) to involve faculty and staff in institutional evaluation and planning; l) to identify market oriented technologies and; m) to create goals for improvement of weaker institutions and stimulate institutional growth

and development through continuous evaluation and improvement.

A TVET institution may choose to avail itself of such accreditation for any one or more reasons. The purpose of accreditation is, therefore, to improve the quality of education and training by ensuring that the institution is meeting certain standards.

3. TVET ACCREDITATION AND QUALITY EVALUATION COMMITTEE (TA&QEC)/Council OF NAVTTC

The Executive Director (ED) NAVTTC will constitute the TVET Accreditation and Quality Evaluation Committee (TA&QEC) by nominating the Convener and the Members in consultation with the stakeholders of TVET. Initially, in order to kick start the process and to ensure active participation of the provincial stakeholders, the Committee comprising of nominees from all the TEVTAs, PEC and HEC has been notified. However, this is intended to be an interim arrangement. It is important to make the accreditation process more autonomous, so that independent and impartial decision making can be ensured and there is no conflict of interest. To achieve this, an independent Council will be formed as soon as possible under the relevant provision/clause of the NAVTTC Act 2011. Further the accreditation process and the

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composition and functioning of the Council shall be codified in the form of bylaws, duly vetted by the Ministry of Law and approved by the Management Board. Like the current TA&QEC, the Council will be mandated to organize and carry out a comprehensive program of accreditation of TVET institutions according to laid criteria by NAVTTC.

The TA&QEC/Council shall function through site visits of the candidate institution by an Expert Committee constituted for the purpose and will be supported by the NAVTTC Secretariat/ A&C wing located at the NAVTTC Headquarters, Islamabad.

The Convener of TA&QEC/Council will guide and monitor the accreditation process, sanction the approvals for the visitation schedules and composition of teams, resolves any conflicts between the visitation reports and rejoinders of the Institutions regarding the accreditation. S/he will be the Chief Coordinator for TA&QEC/Council.

The Committee/Council will work independently within the NAVTTC Act and Bye-laws, and initially, will be supported by NAVTTC financially. The NAVTTC Headquarter and its Regional Directorates will serve as the Secretariat of the Committee/Council. The Committee/Council shall meet at such time and place and at such frequency as decided by the Convener. The TA&QEC/Council shall meet at least once in a quarter of a calendar year. To assist TA&QEC/Council in its task, panels of subject experts shall be drawn to constitute the Site Visiting Teams for undertaking the evaluation of the institutes.

The draft report of the Site Visiting Team will be shared with the candidate Institution within 30 days of the visit. The Institution would retain the right to provide additional factual information as a rejoinder before the finalization of the report. The main TA&QEC/Council will carefully evaluate the recommendations of visiting teams and may agree / disagree or change the recommendations under intimation to the Executive Director NAVTTC. The decision of the TA&QEC/Council shall be final.

4. ACTION PLAN

The NAVTTC has established an Accreditation Directorate with Director General (Accreditation & Certification) as its head assisted by number of officers and staff. The policy guidelines will be translated into a working plan of action by developing a systematic, logical and transparent procedure of accreditation through a process of discussions, deliberations and national consensus. Various accreditation parameters have been identified and benchmarks established for their levels of acceptance.

The NAVTTC, has laid down a set of minimum essential requirements, both in terms of the academic infrastructure as well as the financial, physical, human and other resources which are essential for starting a TVET institution/program. These represent minimum standards/requirements for accreditation of any new program/ institution. It is expected that institutions desiring of and deserving accreditation will not only meet but substantially exceed these standards. This will ensure the current competence of the institutions to provide adequate level of teaching and learning processes as well as a capability to retain this competence in the future.

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5. NAVTTC ACCREDITATION PROCESS

5.1 Functions of TA&QEC/Council

(i) Will undertake evaluation for purposes of accreditation of institutes, at regular intervals not exceeding three years; with the third-year being the preparatory period for the next accreditation.

(ii) Will provide feedback information to the Institutions about the programs for commendable achievements made by them and assist further in developing initiatives for improvement of the quality of technical/vocational education and training.

(iii) Will communicate the outcome of the evaluation process including main findings to the institution concerned.

(iv) Will periodically publish a directory of all accredited programs/institutions.

(v) Each institution/ program is expected to continue to maintain the minimum standards on which accreditation have been initially awarded. If, at any time, the TA&QEC/Council considers that an accredited program/ institution is no longer in conformity with the required criteria, the accreditation given may be suspended or even withdrawn. The reasons for the same, however, will be communicated to the concerned Institution.

(vi) Will undertake continuing accreditation of only those institutes from which at least one trainee/ student has passed out.

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5.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The primary purpose of the TA&QEC/Council accreditation and re-accreditation processes is:

i. To assist in identifying those specific programs/ institutions which meet the TVET standards and other quality indicators specified from time to time.

ii. To encourage improvement of standards of TVET in the country.iii. To provide guidelines for the up-gradation of existing programs and for the

development of new programs.

5.3 PROGRAM-LEVEL ACCREDITATION

The NAVTTC accreditation process would cover institutes imparting Diploma of Associate Engineer (DAE) in technical stream and short courses, GIII, G-II, G-I level in vocational stream. This would guide the students and their parents to take appropriate decisions. This will also help the potential employers in recruiting technicians and tradesmen coming from TVET institutions both in public and private sectors.

5.4 ACCREDITATION FEE STRUCTURE

i) For DAE stream, the fee will be Rs.40,000/- per visit (including zero/interim visits, if applicable) per program/technology. However, where more than one program/technology is to be evaluated in the same visit, the fee per program will be Rs. 30,000/-.

ii) For vocational certificate programs, the fee for one or more than one trade involving one subject expert/evaluator (including zero/interim visits, if applicable) would be 30,000/-.

iii) The number of visits to be undertaken in a year to a specific institute for accreditation/re-accreditation per DAE program/vocational trade would not exceed two.

The above rates are meant to rationalize the overall fee structure and to guard against any intentional delays in accreditation processing at the cost of the candidate institute.

5.5 GRADING OF INSTITUTES

In-line with the practices in many other accreditation domains, the TA&QEC/Council, accreditation of an individual institute/ program may be granted/decided in one of the following ways:-

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Accreditation Grade

Attained% age in any Program

Duration ofAccreditation

Accreditation/Re-AccreditationTime frame

A 70% & aboveAccredited for

03 YearsAppear for re-accreditation after 03 years with full accreditation fees

B 60-69%Accredited for

02 YearsAppear for re-accreditation after 02 years with full accreditation fees

C 50-59%Accredited for

01 YearAppear for re-accreditation after 01 year with full accreditation fees

Not Accredited Below 50% N/AMay appear for accreditation after 06 months with full accreditation fees

5.6 PROVISION FOR WITHDRAWAL

The institution will have the option to withdraw its application along with 75% fee during the accreditation process by a written request to the TA&QEC/Council, before the evaluation Visit is undertaken. However, in case of withdrawal of application during evaluation visit, the fee will not be refunded. The institution will have the option to utilize the balance (75%) against the requisite fee for fresh accreditation.

The purpose of the provision for withdrawal of application is to enable the institution to improve the program quality after making the necessary investments and corrections to overcome the indicated weaknesses, rather than be assigned a ‘Not Accredited’ status. The institution can apply again with the prescribed fees after a period of six months from the date of the withdrawal/visit.

6. ACCREDITATION PARAMETERS AND CRITERIA

The criteria and standards, by which individual program/ institution will be judged, have been formulated to give a clear and transparent indication of the strengths and weaknesses of the program/ institution. These are classified into quantifiable indicators for quality of different aspects of the programs including Organizational Management and Infrastructure, Faculty, Laboratories and Library support, Academic Performance, Interaction with industry etc. The TA&QEC/Council may devise, amend, delete or add any format/template for provision of

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requisite information by the candidate institute in this regard. The accreditation process may be suspended or stopped in case of non-provision of information by the candidate institute. It may be noted that for vocational stream, while various criteria remain the same as in case of technical stream but due to obvious reason some of the indicators / elements are diluted, thereby providing for some leniency in assessment.

The criteria involved for the measurement of performance under each of these are given below.

6.1 Organizational Management and Infrastructure

(a) Criterion-I: Management, Mission and Integrity

The institution and its programs operate with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through transparent management structures involving administrative leadership, faculty, staff and students to collaborate in planning, monitoring and promoting the quality of offerings.

Examples of evidence:

(i) Documents pertaining to institution and programs (e.g. prospectus, schedule of studies etc.) that clearly and publicly articulate its mission, objectives, commitment and the desired outcome and are communicated at each level i.e. faculty, staff, parents and students.

(ii) Effective planning for structuring of the institution/programs, its committees and policies so that these are widely known and communicated to all stakeholders.

(iii) Management and administrative structures promote effective leadership and support collaborative planning and participation of faculty in decision making.

(iv) The institution upholds and protects its integrity through transparent, merit-based admission, objective evaluation, quality of curriculum and instructions through regular updating of syllabi and continued professional development of its faculty.

(v) Any other.

(b) Criterion-II: Financial Resources

The resource-base of the institution / individual program is adequate and appropriate to the desired quality of programs from present / future perspective.

Examples of evidence: Institutional financial datai) Operating / maintenance budgets for the period under review, and for the next year,ii) Development budget,iii) Sources of revenue e.g. tuition, investments, subsidies, grants, and other income

with their proportional breakdown,iv) Percentage of grant utilization and its outcome.v) Any other

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(c) Criterion-III: Physical Infrastructure/Facilities

The program has access to adequate space and physical facilities including classrooms, well-equipped laboratories, libraries, faculty offices, library materials, computers with internet, recreational/residential space, canteens, transport, medical, career counseling/placement and other allied services.


i) Master plan of physical facilities,ii) Designated special laboratories and workshops,iii) List of equipments available to faculty, staff and students for instructional and

research activities,iv) Internet access, list of providers,v) Library facilities and budget for acquisition of books and journals,vi) Transport facilities.vii) Sports facilities and other amenities.viii) Placement Bureau, ix) Dispensary,x) Any other

(d) Criterion-IV: Human Resources: Faculty and Staff


i) Faculty: number, status, qualifications and experience etc,ii) Work load policies and assignments for teaching, research, consultancy and

administrative services,iii) Service Rules covering recruitment, retention, promotion and evaluation policies for

performance appraisal including administrative, peer and student’s evaluation etc.iv) Academic freedom for research, curriculum and instructional design,v) Supporting staff: number, qualifications, opportunities for skill development,

performance appraisal policies,vi) Any other

(e) Criterion-V: Human Resources: Students

The institution provides evidence of students’ learning, teaching effectiveness and apprenticeship/research opportunities that demonstrate fulfillment of the educational mission. The program’s goals for students and learning outcomes should be clearly stated so to make their effective assessment possible. The overall policy should support transparency in admission, allocation of learning resources, effective teaching for knowledge acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge.

Example of evidence:

i) Admission criteria and policies,

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ii) Application to admission ratios,iii) Academic results and institutional research based on student performance data and

employer satisfaction surveys,iv) Post pass-out studies data,v) Passing out requirements.vi) Any other

(f) Criterion-VI: Teaching- Learning Process

The institution demonstrates that acquisition of breadth of knowledge, skills and exercise of intellectual inquiry are integral to a life of professional growth and learning.


i) Course syllabi including content to be acquired and assignments to be completed,ii) Internal and external evaluation procedures,iii) Time on task, academic calendar and schedule of study, assignments and

assessment,iv) Library and laboratory schedules,v) Information access and processing facilities,vi) Equipment and instrumentation facilities.vii) Any other

(g) Criterion-VII: Supplementary Process

The institution provides for a balanced development of knowledge, skills and dispositions of the learner to create professionally competent, healthy, balanced and ethical professionals.


i) Schedules and lists of extracurricular activities and related facilitiesii) Field trips and participation records in professional meetings,iii) Interaction with alumni,iv) Student publications, newsletters and magazines,v) List of seminars arranged and attended at the local, regional and national levels.vi) Interaction with industry: The program has identified its various constituencies and

serves them in ways valuable to both.vi) Hands on experience in the labs, industry etc.vii) Any other

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(h) Criterion-VIII: Industry-Academia Linkages

The institution has plan and commitment towards industry-institute linkage and is engaged with its identified constituencies and industries.


i) Participation of industry representatives in curriculum refinement activities,ii) Samples of internship reports written by students,iii) Number and quality of collaborative programs/ projects with the industry,iv) Seminars and extension lectures jointly done by representatives of industry and

academia,v) Research effort through allocation of resources including funds, faculty, projects,

etc. and its utilization / outcome.vi) Examples of consultancy for R&D projects,vii) Short term, non-credit continuing education programs for passouts and their

supervisors to meet the emerging needs.viii) Any other

6.2 Initial Accreditation of New Programs

New institutions desirous of starting any training program are advised to carefully study this Manual of Accreditation and provide the detailed information to TA&QEC/Council according to the questionnaire for initial accreditation. Before filling the relevant Proforma, please consult guidelines for the same given in the Manual and provide necessary documentation to ensure that the institution has taken steps to meet all the eight accreditation criteria to admit the initial class of students.

It is mandatory to request TA&QEC/Council for a zero visit (at least six months for diploma level and up to three months for certificate courses) before admitting any student to any program to ensure that the institution has in place the needed teaching staff, academic facilities, finances and academic management system and procedures for at least first year of its operation.

Zero visits will be conducted by the TA&QEC/Council appointed panel of experts to verify the institutional ability to launch a TVET program that complies with the accreditation criteria. The zero visit will provide assistance to the institution to develop all the institutional structures needed for successful completion of three year Diploma of Associate Engineer (DAE) or short courses, G-III, G-II and G-I in a phased manner, if necessary.

After giving green signal through Zero visit, the TA&QEC/Council will require a two day interim site visit at the end of first year to ascertain the institute’s preparedness for the next phases. During the 3rd year of the DAE program a full accreditation visit is mandatory. In case of certificate level courses such mechanism may be adopted on need basis.

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7. STEPS IN THE NORMAL ACCREDITATION PROCESS

Timeline

STEP 1

(Month 1)

Institution submits accreditation / re-accreditation application including information/data according to the relevant Proforma. Technical Institutions applying for accreditation of technology programs shall apply on the Proforma (ACT-1 (a)), while the vocational institutions shall apply on the Proforma (ACT-1(b)). A master list of exhibits arranged according to the given criteria should also be provided by the Institution.

STEP 2

(Within one month after step 1)

TA&QEC/Council will evaluate the filled in Proforma and the information provided and may ask for additional information if so necessary and then decide as to the usefulness of conducting a site visit.

At this stage the institution may decide to withdraw the program(s) from consideration for accreditation.

TA&QEC/Council will identify the Visiting Team and its Convener and may seek institutional input for any conflict of interest.

STEP 3


TA&QEC/Council will provide the Visiting Team with the visit instructions / guidelines, profile of the Institution / Program(s); including the archived accreditation report of the previous visit, if any, either at TA&QEC/Council or NAVTTC RD office. This will be followed by critical study including verification, by the Visiting Team, of the information furnished to the TA&QEC/Council; (hard and soft copies provided).

STEP 4


Furnishing any additional information requested by the TA&QEC/Council/Visiting Team (through correspondence if necessary); Institution provides a master schedule of the site visit according to visit plan.

STEP 5


SITE VISIT

The evaluation visit by the designated team will be undertaken according to the above indicated procedure.

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STEP 5 (i)

STEP 5(ii)

Specific Steps involved in the Visit

(The team members may opt for work distribution with regard to facilities and detailed visit/ examination of the facilities).

Discussions with the Management including Principal, HoDs, faculty members and others. The team will brief the management on the proceedings/schedule of the visit and also may request for any additional information during the visit before preparation of the evaluation report.

Briefing to the visitation Team by HoDs and other staff of Laboratories, Libraries, Academic staff, Workshops and other Infrastructure/Facilities. The team will also meet with administrative staff, faculty, students and alumni.

STEP 5(iii)

STEP 5(iv)

STEP 5(v)

Discussions among Members of the Visiting Team followed by finalization of the Team Report.

The summary of draft report will be shared verbally with the management/Principal/HoDs for removal of factual errors, and for a rejoinder in a discussion mode.

At the end of the visit, the team will finalize the report and all the members of evaluation team will sign it.

STEP 6

(Within one and a half months after Step 5)

The team report will be submitted to the secretariat on the next working day and the main findings will be shared with the institution within two weeks. The institutions may point out any factual errors through a Rejoinder within 30 days of the receipt of the main findings. If the Institutional rejoinder is not received by the due date, it will be assumed that the Institution agrees to the observations of the Team.

STEP 7

(Within one month after receipt of Rejoinder)

Submission of the evaluation report by the secretariat to the TA&QEC/Council.

STEP 8

(In the forthcoming meeting of the TA&QEC/Council)

Consideration of the Report of the Visitation Team and the Rejoinder by TA&QEC/Council.

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STEP 9

(Within one month after Step 8)

Decision by the TA&QEC/Council on the status of accreditation and intimating the same to E.D, NAVTTC.

STEP 10


Communication of the accreditation decision to institution(s) and issuance of notification/award of accreditation certificate.

STEP 11


Posting names of the accredited institutions at NAVTTC Website. For renewal/re-accreditation, the entire process will be repeated at the expiry of the specified accreditation period. The period of full accreditation shall be 3 years. However, if accreditation is not granted due to shortcomings identified, the institution can re-apply for accreditation after 06 months, highlighting corrective measures taken. This will be followed by a re-accreditation/confirmatory visit.

Note: In case of vocational institutions offering certificate level courses, the time line may be reduced to one third of the above referred time span.

Annual Report

All accredited institutions/ programs are required to provide an annual report listing changes that may have occurred in student enrolment, faculty strength, facilities, financial resources, curriculum etc.

8. APPEALS

In case an institution wishes to appeal for a review of the action on accreditation taken by the TA&QEC/Council, a written application along with a fee of Rs. 15,000/- per program of DAE and Rs. 10,000/- per trade/group of trades involving one evaluator for vocational programs should be sent to the TA&QEC/Council Secretariat within 30 days of the date of notification of the decision. On receipt of such an application with prescribed fee, and being satisfied about its prima facie case, the Executive Director, NAVTTC in consultation with TA&QEC/Council may appoint a Special Review Committee, consisting of a minimum of three members including one member from TA&QEC/Council and two subject specialists who were not initially involved in the evaluation visit, to conduct the appeal review. A meeting of the Committee will be convened, wherein the institution and the member from TA&QEC/Council may be invited to present their cases. The Committee may also visit the institution, if necessary. The recommendations of this Committee will be considered by the Executive Director, NAVTTC, before submitting the case to the Chairman, NAVTTC for final decision.

9. THE ACCREDITATION VISIT

The Evaluation/Visitation Team consists of a Convener, a relevant program expert, one member from relevant TEVTA/BTE and one from TA&QEC/Council/NAVTTC to provide secretarial support. The Visiting Team includes senior academicians/ technologists having no conflict of

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interest with the institution to be visited, and who are selected on the basis of their high standing in the profession, ability to assess curricula, competence in appraisal based on overall objectives and performance towards the achievements of set goals. For DAE programs related visits, B.Sc. Engg/ B.Tech with ten years related experience can be considered, if MS/PhD with five years experience are not available. TA&QEC/Council will maintain and update a comprehensive list of subject experts/evaluators. Their formal training to conduct the site visit according to the requirements stipulated in the manual will be arranged by the TA&QEC/Council. Notice in advance shall be given to the institution before arranging the accreditation visit. The authorized representative of the TA&QEC/Council shall give detailed briefing about the visit, institutional data and previous accreditation visit report(s) to the Convener/Coordinator of the team.

9.1 THE CONVENER

The Convener of the Visiting Team has the overall responsibility for the accreditation visit. The Convener assigns duties to each team member keeping in view the overall perspective. S/he should be familiar with the accreditation process and gather in advance the earlier reports, if any. S/he has the responsibility for the preparation of the consolidated team report and its timely submission, for the consideration of the TA&QEC/Council. The Convener of the visiting team may preferably be a member of the TA&QEC/Council.

One of the senior members of the Team will be appointed to take on the role of the Convener, if the Convener is unable to undertake the visit for unforeseen circumstances.

9.2 PROGRAM EXPERT

The program experts are responsible for the evaluation of individual program/ institution. Usually there is one subject expert for each program from the academic field. Another member from an industry or user organization may be included only in the final visit of the program, if deemed necessary. The latter can sometimes serve as an expert for more than one program depending on her/his competence and abilities. However, in case two programs with substantial duplication in course contents are being offered within an institution, a single expert may be chosen for both the programs. For programs in emerging or inter-disciplinary areas, more experts may be included in the team, depending on the need. In case of vocational stream, sector specialists (like hospitality, construction, IT) may be included in the team.

The duties of the program experts/ sector specialists include evaluation with reference to the given criteria, through physical verification of infrastructure/ facilities, records, interviews with administrators, faculty, students / stakeholders, civil society besides other aspects, which they find necessary for the total performance appraisal. The experts are also required to mention

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strengths and weaknesses against each criterion in the worksheet.

The experts deputed for accreditation purposes should be senior professionals having enough requisite teaching cum industrial and field experience. Availability of these experts may be sought well in advance and the candidate institution will be informed about the composition of the visiting team.

In case an expert is unable to undertake the visit due to circumstances beyond his/ her control, the Convener of the team will nominate another expert in consultation with TA&QEC/Council, keeping in view the guidelines for selection of experts.

9.3 MEMBER OF RELEVANT BOARD/TVET AUTHORITY

The concerned TEVTA/ BTE would appoint a member (BE engineer/experienced B.Tech) to provide support for coordinating the visit for DAE programs and also to be a part of the evaluation process (including signing of the evaluation report). In case of certificate level program (short courses, G-III, G-II, G-I) a B-Tech or well experienced DAE may be nominated as member of relevant authority. S/he would also be part of the evaluation process.

9.4 TA&QEC/Council/NAVTTC STAFF MEMBER

On behalf of TA&QEC/Council, the member is responsible to provide all secretarial facilities, acts as an interface between Visitation Team and institutional representatives, ensures availability of relevant information on the program/institution held by the TA&QEC/Council and compilation of the visit report for timely submission to the TA&QEC/Council. S/he is a part of the evaluation process and will sign the report.

9.5 ACTIVITIES DURING THE VISIT

Normally, the Visiting Team requires a 3-day visit in order to complete the assessment process in case of DAE. However, for single program for DAE and for certificate level courses, the visit may be reduced to two days. Recent examination papers, laboratory instruction sheets, student transcripts, samples of student reports, and such other material that may be of relevance in assessing the student performance, would be made available to the Visiting Team by the institution during their visit. Textbooks, teaching assignments and lecture files which the faculty uses for instruction and continuous evaluation of students would also be made available for the perusal of the Team. Qualitative facts such as professional attitudes, staff commitment, intellectual atmosphere and morale should also be assessed and quantified by the Visiting Team to the extent possible. Specifically, the following activities are expected to be completed by the Visiting Team during the visit:

1. Discussions with management/Principal/Head of the Department of the

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concerned program;2. Discussions with groups of faculty members and, if necessary, individuals to

assess professional attitudes, commitment, morale and intellectual atmosphere;

3. Discussions with students, alumni and parents/employers for obtaining their feedback;

4. Discussions with faculty members of support Departments (like that of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Economics and English etc.), shared faculty, cross disciplinary faculty etc;

5. Discussion with the supporting staff, both administrative and technical;6. Visits to laboratories, workshops, library, computer centre, centre for

extension activities, career placement office, sports, medical and other facilities.

7. Perusal of all the documents furnished by the Department / Institution to support the claims made in the profiles submitted to the TA&QEC/Council.

8. A final meeting with senior faculty, administrators and others, to explain the strengths and weaknesses of the program(s), as observed by the Visiting Team.

10. SCHEDULE OF THE VISITING TEAMS

The following is a typical schedule for the Visiting Team, valid in all the cases except in those of single disciplinary programs or certificate level programs where the visit may be for two days. However, depending on the needs and requirements of the institution, the schedule may be altered by the Convener. Members are encouraged to have post-dinner meetings among themselves during the visit.

The institution shall develop an exhibition room that will contain necessary documentation to facilitate the site visit. The Exhibit Room will be setup to provide documentation, arranged by criteria provided in the relevant Proforma including the following:-

a) Samples of minutes of meetings; policy documents; faculty CVs; syllabi; research publications; project reports.

b) Random check of students work, question papers and answer sheets.c) Annual budgets for the period under review + one year ahead.d) Master list of documents exhibited, available on line and in the exhibit room.

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DAY ONE

a) Refreshing essential features of Manual of Accreditation, and 1st discussion among the Members of the Team (at place of stay);

b) Meeting and discussion/presentation etc by the institutional administrators on the overview of the program;

c) Meeting with faculty members;d) Visit program laboratories, faculty and other facilities; e) Discussions with students;f) 2nd Discussion meeting among Team Members (at place of stay in the evening).

DAY TWO

a) Visit to supporting and interdisciplinary departments: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Humanities and discussion with supporting staff; etc.

b) Study/analysis of documents provided by the institute, in the exhibit room;c) Visit to Library, Computer Centers, Internet facilities and placement cell;d) Discussions with alumni, parents and employers;e) Meetings with Management and members of statutory councils, IMCs; f) Visits to programs group-wise; examination of documents in the departmentsg) Visit to Health Centre, Sports Complex, Hostels, and Residential areas etc;h) 3rd Discussion Meeting among Team Members (at place of stay).

DAY THREE

a) 4th Discussion Meeting among Team Members (at place of stay);b) Meeting with the principal staff; seeking additional information, if found necessary

subsequent to discussions;c) 5th Discussion Meeting among Team Members to prepare a draft of the

recommendations and site visit report;d) Sharing observations verbally with the Principal. e) Final meeting of stakeholders to explain the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

Note: In case of vocational institutes offering certificate level courses the activity may squeeze and duration of visit may be reduced to two days.

11 FLEXIBILITY IN ACTIVITIES & SCHEDULE OF VISITING TEAM:

The activities as well as schedule given above are only indicative. The visiting team in consultation/coordination with the management of the institution may make necessary changes in the activities & schedule so as to suit the convenience of both the parties without any compromise on the main objective of the information collection/evaluation

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