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© Proceedings of the Ruhuna Quality Assurance Sessions 2021 (RUQAS 2021)
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21 September 2021

employable graduates. The Quality of the education and the financial viability are the two most
governing aspects of the long-term sustainability of a non-state institute. If proper quality standards

are maintained continuously, then, there is demand for its programmes making it possible for the non-

state institute to sustain itself in the long run. To maintain this status institutes should have impeccable
track records with respect to governance and quality assurance.

Internalization of Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Internalization of quality assurance is the self-regulation of the academic community in semi-

autonomous institutional environments. Internalization is a more advanced way of developing the
requirements of a quality standard and, therefore, it is the key for quality management system success.

The internalization process produces a set of routines and procedures (both tacit and explicit) for the

internal operations which can function as “a unique factor which could not be easily imitated by other
sectors which simply focus on pursuing certification”.

One factor that has led to greater focus on quality assurance in higher education is massification and
the rapidly rising student enrollments, along with the rising public costs and budgetary pressures on

national governments. The transition from elite to mass higher education also means a greater

economic and social importance of the higher education sector. In line with the “value for money”
approach, the need for greater scrutiny over the money spent has emerged as part of quality assurance

measures to ensure efficiency and accountability.

Today, apply internalized quality to the task on which you are working. Tomorrow, the overall quality

of your activity will be improved. In time, as more of your colleagues embrace the concept of

internalized quality, your organization will experience an overall improvement in quality. Institutions
need to invest in strong quality culture, aimed at their institutional mission.

Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) and Good Practices

Internal Quality Assurance has a greater impact on the actual quality of teaching and learning as many

of the good practices are carried out by many sectors by themselves. Peer observation and student’s
feedback have a greater impact in improving teaching skills of academic staff. An IQA policy

approach to quality assurance is a responsibility for monitoring quality in higher education in the

hands of the university academics themselves rather than a team comprising external personnel. The
system of IQA would bring the staff members of the same institute together and share and learn from

each other. Also, it would create a sense of responsibility and a new process approach throughout the

institution.

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