In August 1999 QAA wrote to all UK higher education institutions requesting information on their overseas collaborative provision in Egypt and Cyprus. On the basis of the information returned to QAA by institutions, together with information collected in the course of previous UK and overseas audits, QAA proposed a programme of audits of partnerships between UK higher education institutions and institutions in Egypt and in Cyprus.
Each of the UK institutions selected for audit was asked to provide a Commentary on its arrangements which would describe the collaborative link, making reference to the extent to which it was considered to be representative of its procedures and practice in all its overseas collaborative activity, or was specific to its collaborative activities in Egypt and Cyprus. Each institution was also asked to provide a view of the effectiveness of the means by which it assured itself of the quality of the learning opportunities and student support offered through this overseas link and to offer its view of the effectiveness of the means by which it assures itself of the standards of awards gained through this overseas link.
The guidance provided by QAA to UK institutions on preparing such a Commentary referred them to the HEQC Code of Practice for Overseas Collaborative Provision in Higher Education, 1996 (the HEQC Code) and invited them to discuss in their Commentary the degree to which the arrangements they operated was congruent with the guidelines set out in the HEQC Code. The guidance also referred to the recently published section of the QAA Code of practice on collaborative provision, due to come into effect in autumn 2000.
The UK institutions were asked to list the sources and nature of the evidence on which they relied to assure themselves that the quality of the educational provision leading to their awards (or awards for which they had responsibilities) was meeting their requirements and expectations, and that the standard of the relevant awards were being safeguarded. Institutions were asked to make this evidence available to the QAA audit team on the occasion of its visit (see below).
The audits were conducted by a team of academic auditors and an audit secretary appointed by QAA. Each Commentary was scrutinised by the audit team, together with accompanying information, and discussed at a briefing meeting convened for the purpose. On the basis of the information in the Commentaries and associated documents, the team proposed a programme of meetings for its visits to the UK and overseas partners, and requested additional information to be made available by the UK institution in its base room for the duration of that visit.
Following its discussions with members of each UK institution and drawing on the information provided, the audit team drafted an interim report of its findings to support the visit to the relevant partner institutions in Egypt and Cyprus and to assist it to prepare a report on the findings of the audit of the partnership as a whole.
The members of the audit team were Professor P W Bush; Professor J Cowan; Dr S Jackson; Dr A Saul and Ms S Haselgrove, auditors, and Mr R A Platt, audit secretary. The audit was coordinated for QAA by Dr D W Cairns, who also accompanied the team on its UK and overseas visits for QAA.
1 This is the report of an academic audit carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) of the quality assurance arrangements for a collaborative partnership between Henley Management College (the College, or Henley) and InterCollege, Cyprus, (InterCollege) to support the delivery of a programme of studies leading to the award of an MBA. QAA is grateful to the College and its partner for their willing cooperation. The audit formed part of a wider review by QAA in 1999-2000 of collaborative arrangements between institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom and their partners in Cyprus and Egypt.
2 Members of the audit team visited the College on 27-28 March, 2000. In the course of the visit, members of the team scrutinised the materials made available in the base room set aside for the purpose, and held discussions with 13 members of staff, some on more than one occasion. They included the Principal, the Deputy Principal, other senior staff, and staff with teaching, administrative and liaison roles in relation to the MBA programme. The members of the team who visited the College were Dr S Jackson and Dr A Saul, auditors and Mr R A Platt, audit secretary. The audit was coordinated for QAA by Dr D W Cairns, Assistant Director, Institutional Review Directorate, who accompanied the team.
3 Members of the audit team visited the University's partner in Cyprus on 15 May 2000. On this occasion the members of the team were Professor P W Bush, Professor J Cowan and Dr S Jackson, auditors and Mr R A Platt, audit secretary. Dr D W Cairns again accompanied the team for QAA. In the course of the visit the team met senior staff of InterCollege and staff with teaching and administrative responsibilities in relation to the MBA programme. The team also met a number of students currently following the MBA in Cyprus together with a former student of the programme.
4 The audit team wishes to record its appreciation for the readiness of
all those whom it met at the College and on its visit to InterCollege,
to take time to meet it to discuss the College's arrangements to assure
the quality of its MBA programme and the academic standard of its award.
5 As a basis for the audit the College prepared a Commentary based on advice provided by QAA. Areas addressed by the Commentary included the context for collaboration with InterCollege; the College's links with InterCollege; quality assurance arrangements; arrangements to safeguard the academic standards of the MBA award; and the learning infrastructure. The audit team found the Commentary open, comprehensive and informative. It placed the link with InterCollege firmly in the context of the College's commitment to international activities and within the framework of its arrangements for quality assurance. The Commentary was cross-referenced to documentation within the base room, which also contained a wider range of material relevant to the partnership with InterCollege. Additional materials were made available to the team in the course of its visit to the College and further material was made available at InterCollege, on the latter's own initiative. The team is grateful for the care and attention to detail evident in the preparations of each partner to support the audit.
The College context for collaborative provision
6 The College was founded in 1945 as the Administrative Staff College, and took the name Henley Management College in 1991 when it was granted a Royal Charter. Its objectives are to 'advance education and learning in Business and Management Studies and to carry out research and publish useful results of such research'. Its Mission is 'to provide high quality, relevant management development in partnership with individuals and with organisations world-wide'.
7 From 1973 until 1998, the College prepared students via its own programmes of study for taught and postgraduate awards of Brunel University. In 1997 the College secured taught degree awarding powers in its own right. The University continues to be the awarding body for research degree programmes offered by the College but the number of students, studying via the College but registered for taught awards of the University, has progressively declined since 1998, as students following programmes of study leading to the MBA have transferred to registration with the College.
8 The operation of the College is overseen by a Court of Governors, which
meets twice per academic session, and is headed by the Principal who has
responsibility for the leadership and direction of the College. The Principal
is assisted in his duties by a Management Team consisting of the Academic
Dean (who also acts as the Deputy Principal) and the directors of the various
operational areas within the College. The Academic Dean has overall responsibility
for academic policy development, quality assurance arrangements and the
operation of the College's faculty structure.
9 In 1996 the College participated in an academic quality audit conducted by the former HEQC of an overseas collaborative link between Brunel University and itself on the one part, and the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) on the other, the report of which was published in 1996 (the 1996 report), and in 1997 the College was the subject of a QAA academic quality audit, the report of which was published in 1998 (the 1998 report).
10 At the time of the 1996 overseas audit, Brunel University was the awarding body for all programmes of study offered by the College, including a programme leading to the award of Doctor of Business Administration of the University, offered by the College through a partnership arrangement with SIM. Following publication of the 1996 report the University wrote to QAA, which had by then succeeded HEQC, to state that it had begun the development of formal institutional guidance on 'Establishing and Maintaining Collaborative Links with Institutions Overseas'.
11 The College was the subject of a QAA quality audit in 1997, at which time it had recently secured taught degree awarding powers. The 1998 report invited the College to consider the necessity of 'formalising its own procedures for the appointment of external examiners and clarifying the associated transition arrangements connected with the transfer of responsibility from Brunel University', together with a number of other matters where developments would be advisable and desirable. The information provided by the College one year after the continuation audit, together with papers in the College's base room, provided clear evidence of the steps the College had taken to respond to the 1998 report. Of the changes that had been made, the audit team noted enhancements to the College's student information system, some of them relatively recent, which assisted, among other things, the disaggregation of data in relation to student performance in individual centres (see below, paragraphs 39 and 56).
Developments since the 1998 audit report
12 Since publication of the 1998 report, responsibility for annual and
periodic reviews of Associate Organisations and Accredited Centres had
been transferred from the Approvals and Accreditation Committee (AAC) to
the Academic Reviews Committee (ARC) and the College has implemented an
internal restructuring involving, inter alia, dividing the institution's
taught programmes into two separate areas: Graduate Business Studies (GBS)
covering all Open Certificate, Diploma and MBA programmes including those
offered through Associate Organisations, and Henley Executive Development
(HED), covering award bearing programmes for individual corporate clients
or consortia together with all non-qualification programmes. GBS and HED
are each under the control of a Director who is a member of the College's
Management Team.
13 In its Prospectus for 1998-99 the College sets out what it perceives to be 'The Henley Experience' based on 'Henley's unique place in the world of management development' and over 50 years of pioneering 'in order to provide innovative, distinctive and valuable experiences to develop managers and organisations'. The College is described as 'a management college without boundaries' and as having 'a base in over 30 countries world-wide enabling us to provide and support management development locally'. The Prospectus states that at 'our UK base in Henley, the hub of our global network, we provide a world-class management development facility'.
14 Members of the College who met the audit team articulated a strong commitment
to a distinctive 'Henley experience'. They emphasised the concept of the
College's MBA programme, and the commonality and equivalence of aims, achievement
and experience irrespective of the mode, pattern, or location of delivery.
15 Henley's view is that its MBA award, whether studied full-time, part-time,
or by distance learning, falls within a single over-arching conceptual
framework, and should therefore be viewed as one. Its internal arrangements
for course delivery, management and quality assurance distinguish, however,
between the overall suite of MBA provision. The Commentary identified
as a distinct entity the 'Distance Learning MBA' and the programme has
its own Director of Studies, who makes an annual report on it to Henley's
ARC. The standard offer letter to students from Henley refers to the 'Henley
MBA by Distance Learning' (see below, paragraph 75). Henley administers
its contacts with its Associates via its International Associates Office
(IAO) and its International Operations Manager. The latter is responsible, inter
alia, for tracking student registrations and withdrawals; payments
by students; the dispatch of course materials; and the submission of assignments.
16 Henley's international links encompass activities in Western and Eastern Europe; the Eastern Mediterranean; Africa; Scandinavia; North America; the West Indies; the Far East and the Pacific Rim. The Commentary outlined Henley's arrangements to deliver and support programmes locally in many countries world-wide which include working with selected partner organisations termed 'Associates'. By the beginning of 2000, Henley had recognised 16 Associates outside the United Kingdom, two Accredited Centres, three local offices, two local representatives and one collaborative arrangement which was specifically intended to promote marketing of the institution's MBA.
17 Associates are defined by Henley as institutions or companies, based outside the United Kingdom, which provide local learning support for students registered on Diploma and MBA programmes. The Commentary stated that 'typically an Associate...will advertise programmes, filter applications, provide access to library provision and other support facilities and will be responsible for the administration of programmes locally'. An Associate also nominates local tutors for appointment by Henley. These local tutors provide learning support, primarily in the form of contextualisation and reinforcement of Henley course materials. Henley retains responsibility for admission, registration, assessment, the provision of course materials and quality assurance. Accredited Centres are described in the Commentary as institutions or companies which are 'approved to market, administer and assess Distance Learning programmes or parts of programmes' leading to Henley's Certificate or Diploma awards but not including the MBA. In Henley's terms, its partner in Cyprus, InterCollege, is classed as an Associate.
Henley's links with InterCollege
18 Henley first entered into a collaborative arrangement with an organisation
in Cyprus in July 1988. This was terminated in 1992 when the College entered
into a direct relationship with InterCollege. There was evidence in the
base room to show that this change of partners had been well-handled by
both the College and its new Associate, InterCollege, and that the interests
of students had been safeguarded: all students affected or potentially
affected had been informed of the new arrangements and provided with assurances
on continuity of study and registration. The formal Collaborative Agreement between
Henley and InterCollege (the Agreement) was signed in January 1993.
This Agreement set out the responsibilities of the two organisations.
As an Associate, the role of InterCollege in respect of the Henley MBA
is as described in paragraph 17, above.
19 InterCollege is an independent institution of higher education founded in 1980, with campuses in three locations, Nicosia, Larnaca and Limasol. It has approximately 2,400 students drawn from 50 different countries. It offers degree courses in business administration; hotel management; computing; accounting; banking; education; law; liberal arts; communications; hotel and tourism management; and graphic communication. Postgraduate courses are offered in business and management; education; international relations; and psychology. The language of instruction at InterCollege is English. At the time of the audit 90 students were registered on Henley Diploma and MBA programmes which they were pursuing in Cyprus. InterCollege has overseas links with a number of institutions in addition to its link with Henley.
Recognition by the Cyprus authorities
20 InterCollege is registered with the Cyprus Ministry of Education as an institution of tertiary education. At the time of the audit, the Henley MBA programme had been considered for accreditation by the Ministry of Education but a final decision had been deferred. This deferral of recognition by the Ministry was not perceived by Henley as an issue in terms of the standing of the Henley MBA in Cyprus. It is, however, perceived by InterCollege as an issue in recruitment. The 1999 Marketing Plan for the MBA prepared by InterCollege states 'the continuation of the uncertainty about the recognition of the qualification (within the general context of the accreditation process in Cyprus) poses an external serious obstacle to our marketing efforts'. This view is echoed in the InterCollege Marketing Plan for 2000.
21 At the time of the audit the legal situation in Cyprus for UK and other overseas providers of higher education was complex. A summary of the context for overseas providers is set out as an appendix to this report. The Ministry of Education and Culture is currently reviewing its legislation in relation to the prevailing practice within the European Union with the expectation that restrictions on the operation of foreign institutions would be removed in the near future.
Recognition and approval of a partner as an Associate by Henley
22 Henley's criteria and procedures for the identification and approval of an Associate are set out in its overall institutional Regulations. Such an organisation will normally be required to satisfy Henley as to its reputation in the field of management and/or education in the country or region concerned; that it possesses relevant experience in the running and/or support of postgraduate and post-experience programmes; and that it has an established academic staff and academic infrastructure, or can secure access to such staff and infrastructure, including teaching, learning, and support faculties. A potential Associate is also required by Henley to demonstrate that it has appropriate corporate legal and financial status and standing and that it has the capacity and capability appropriately to develop the relevant market.
23 The Commentary stated that the application of these criteria is a 'twin-track process'. The first track is the evaluation of a potential partner on academic grounds. This involves an assessment of reputation, teaching facilities, teaching portfolios, and academic and administrative expertise, and is usually carried out by the Director of GBS. The process also involves a formal application by the aspiring partner to AAC. This approvals process was introduced by Henley in 1994 and refined in 1997. It was not in place in 1993, although papers provided in the base room demonstrated that Henley had carried out a scrutiny of academic aspects of InterCollege, including a site visit, prior to its approval as an Associate.
24 The second track of the approval process is a commercial appraisal by Henley's Management Team. This appraisal involves a consideration of the market size, the arrangements for resource sharing, the likely recruitment, the competitive position in the chosen market, the strategic significance of the market to Henley and the likely exposure of Henley to risk. Following formal consideration by AAC and Henley's Management Team, final responsibility for the recognition of an Associate rests with the Principal of the College.
25 The formal establishment of Henley's partnership with InterCollege was decided upon prior to the establishment of AAC in 1993 and prior to the establishment of criteria and revised procedures for the recognition of partnership centres in 1997. As the Commentary noted 'the adoption of InterCollege as the Associate in Cyprus...occurred in the context of a programme, which was already running in Cyprus and involved, therefore, a change of Associate rather than the opening of a new market. For these reasons, the normal process for new markets was not formally deployed'. The financial health of the partnership with InterCollege is monitored by Henley, in common with other partnerships both by senior academic managers and by Henley's Finance Department. Levels of recruitment in Cyprus are recognised by Henley as the principal factor challenging the financial position of its partnership and this has been a matter kept under review by the College since 1993. The evidence available in the base room, together with discussions with members of staff confirmed the care with which Henley balanced the financial soundness of the InterCollege link against broader, long-term, strategic objectives.
The Agreement between Henley and InterCollege
26 The Commentary stated that the support InterCollege provides for the College's MBA programme was typical of an Associate Institution. The responsibilities accepted by InterCollege as an Associate were set out in the 1993 Agreement between Henley and InterCollege. At the time of its signature, the Agreement allowed for the possibility that more than one of Henley's programmes might be offered through the partnership although its present scope remains confined to the MBA.
27 The Agreement provides a clear overall framework for the partnership between Henley and its Associate. It states that the responsibilities of the Associate include the local promotion of Henley's programmes; the recruitment of students and 'all associated administration as well as all academic matters concerned with the setting up, staffing and running of workshops, tutorials and examinations'. For each compulsory and optional subject offered within the MBA programme the Agreement commits the Associate to provide a 'minimum of 12 hours tutorial/workshop time' and to ensure that each student should, in addition, be provided with 'at least eight hours of general guidance/tutorial time for project work'.
28 The Agreement requires the Associate to appoint 'at least one coordinator', with the approval of Henley, 'for the purpose of advising, counselling and guiding students as well as monitoring their performance and progress'. In addition the postholder is responsible for coordinating the work of tutors and for advising them on the needs of the Henley programme and the students. Should InterCollege 'wish to change the appointed coordinator then at least 30 days prior written notice' is required.
29 Within the terms of the Agreement, the Associate is responsible for ensuring that promotional materials for use in the locality are approved by Henley prior to their use; keeping student attendance and progress records to Henley's specifications and for furnishing that information to Henley; collecting student assessments and despatching them to Henley. The Agreement commits the Associate to 'supporting and assisting [Henley]...in adapting and developing the programmes to meet the changing needs of students' within specified limits and to 'involvement in...workshops and tutorials and in the assessment of such students as agreed with [Henley]'.
30 The Commentary reiterated the position set out in the Agreement, that relations between Henley and InterCollege were 'solely for the support of...the MBA by Distance Learning programme'. InterCollege is therefore responsible for local administration; the marketing of the programme; nominating local tutors for appointment by Henley; conducting workshops to contextualise the learning material and prepare students for examinations; and liaising with operational and academic staff at Henley. Henley 'is responsible for all course materials which are the standard Henley Distance Learning course materials, for the provision of electronic support in the form of Lotus Notes or Electronic Learning (e-learning), for the provision of Electronic Library (e-library) facilities and for all assessment' (see below, paragraph 60).
31 At the time of the audit, Henley had recently conducted a review of its international strategies for the MBA, including its operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, and was giving careful consideration to the identification and implementation of a single administration centre in the region, possibly InterCollege. Henley had earlier prepared a new collaborative agreement to define the relationship with InterCollege. However, in view of possible developments in respect of a single administration centre for the Eastern Mediterranean the partners had decided to defer the signature of a new Collaborative Agreement.
32 At the time of the audit, the 1993 Agreement between Henley and InterCollege was overdue for renewal and a copy of the revised draft Agreement, dated January 2000, was provided for the audit team. The team was told by senior members of the College that before the end of March 2000 InterCollege would prepare a proposal for establishing the Henley Regional Centre and that Henley would explore the possibility of European Union support. In other meetings at Henley the team was told that the decision to renew the College's formal Agreement with InterCollege, and to consider its extension in advance of the formal review of that partnership, under the auspices of ARC, had been occasioned by the urgent need to renew the 1993 Agreement, and that further urgency had been added by Henley's wish to establish a single administration centre for the Eastern Mediterranean.
33 All those at Henley with whom the audit team discussed the history of its relations with InterCollege and potential future developments were confident that Henley's familiarity with InterCollege, based on close collaboration over a significant period of time, provided the College with a sound basis for its confidence in its partner.
34 The College's view of its Associate is that it has provided a firm base for the delivery of the MBA. While the audit team found nothing in the evidence it gathered in the course of the audit to lead it to challenge the soundness of the College's settled view of its partner, neither did it encounter any document emerging from Henley's quality assurance processes which assembled and presented an overall judgement of the strengths and limitations of its Associate, which could inform strategic decisions, such as whether to extend the scope of a partnership. Henley may wish to consider the advisability of identifying how it might ensure that information produced by its quality assurance processes can routinely inform its operational and strategic decision making.
Quality assurance of academic provision
35 The Commentary set out Henley's approach to the quality assurance
of its collaborative programme in terms of the initial validation and approval
of provision; the annual review of College programmes; changes to course
materials, syllabus structure, content, and assessment; and monitoring
the performance of the Associate. The process for the initial approval
of InterCollege as an Associate, and the circumstances of that approval,
are described in paragraph 25, above.
Annual subject and programme review
36 Under the terms of Henley's internal regulations, each programme of study and each subject offered must be reviewed annually. Where applicable, a review of the programme's operation in Associate centres may be required. Additionally, each partnership link is subject to periodic review (see below, paragraph 42).
37 Each subject area offered by Henley is reviewed annually by ARC. In the case of taught postgraduate programmes, each 'lead tutor' for a subject area, and in the case of research programmes, each 'theme group leader', is required to submit a written report on progress, and on matters arising in the preceding session in the work of the subject area, to their faculty group leader. The faculty group leader prepares a summary report of the main matters arising together with a self-critical analysis of the work of the group, which he or she presents to a meeting of ARC. Minutes from ARC are described in its overview report for 1998 as being 'circulated widely to all contributors at the subject and programme stage'.
38 The College's overall annual review of programmes is conducted under the auspices of ARC and is based on the reports prepared by each programme director, drawing on the reports from subject reviews being prepared in parallel by 'lead tutors' and 'theme group leaders' (see above, paragraph 37). At its meeting in October 1999 ARC requested that, in future, greater coverage of the individual Associates and their performance should be included in the annual programme reviews. Papers in the base room stated that the College planned to implement these changes in respect of annual reviews from the 1999-2000 session.
39 The audit team discussed the annual review of programmes with members of the College. It noted that each programme director is expected to present her or his report to ARC in person, and to participate in ARC's consideration of the report for the programme. On the basis of the programme director's annual review report and the outcomes of discussions in ARC, the latter identifies action points, where appropriate, and a timescale within which a response is expected. The 1998 QAA report invited Henley to consider the advisability of requiring the provision of annual overview reports from senior committees, including ARC, to Academic Board, in order to provide an opportunity for the Board to review the effectiveness of Henley's quality assurance procedures for taught and research degree programmes. The team was able to confirm that ARC had produced overview reports for 1998 and 1999. In its 1999 report, ARC identified a number of issues that it intended to monitor in 2000, including improving the performance of the student administration system (see above, paragraph 12 and below, paragraph 41). The minutes of ARC are considered by Academic Board, and the team formed the view that the format and content of ARC minutes is such that the Board can be confident that it is effectively informed of matters identified for comment in the programme reviews in relation to individual programmes or Associates.
40 Members of the College who discussed its annual reviews of programmes and annual reviews of subjects with the audit team viewed them as parallel and complementary processes. Staff considered that they had appropriate opportunities to contribute to both programme and subject reviews and that through the College's formal mechanisms, augmented by personal contacts, they were effectively informed of the outcome of such reviews.
41 One indicator that the changes the College had made to its quality assurance arrangements were proving effective, was that they had alerted the College to limitations in the support its student information systems provided for its quality assurance and enhancement processes, in respect of access to data on student performance and progress. Until recently, this data could not be disaggregated within the College's systems to provide information on the performance of students working through individual Associates. At the time of the audit such information was prepared centrally within Henley, and could only be directly accessed by directors of programmes or faculty group leaders. The audit team noted Henley's recognition of its need to improve the student management information available to it, and that it was taking steps to address these matters. That the College's quality assurance arrangements had proved capable of identifying such a matter for attention suggested to the team that there could be confidence in their continuing effectiveness.
Periodic reviews of partnership links
42 In addition to annual reviews of programmes and subjects, Henley's Regulations make provision for the periodic review of links with Associates. In 1995 Henley instituted 'a rolling programme of reviews of its Associate Organisations', which was described in the Commentary as involving the submission of a self-evaluation by the Associate; a visit, generally conducted by an academic and an administrator from Henley; and a subsequent report to ARC. The resulting reports were said generally to 'highlight a number of action points...[on the basis of which the] responsible individuals, typically the Director of GBS, the Director of the Distance Learning MBA and the International Operations Manager are asked to...report back to ARC within a specified interval as to what actions have been taken and with what level of success'. Where appropriate the view of Academic Board is sought on specific matters. The College's processes for reviewing its partnership links appeared to the audit team to have been well-designed and to be well-supported by appropriate documentation.
Periodic review of Henley's partnership link with InterCollege
43 Reviews of the link with InterCollege took place in 1996 and 1997, prompted, it appeared to the audit team, by Henley's concern over the financial viability of the link rather than as part of a rolling programme of review. During 2000, however, as part of a wider review of its operations, the College undertook a number of review visits to its Associates, including a visit to InterCollege. The College's purposes in conducting these recent reviews was stated as being to encourage development towards excellence in the quality of provision; to enable the dissemination of good practice; to satisfy the quality assurance arrangements of Henley; and to provide a two-way exchange of information. In the present cycle of reviews, visits to Associates have been conducted by senior members of the College who have been specially trained for the purpose.
44 A review visit to InterCollege was undertaken by Henley's Director of Marketing, working as a singleton reviewer, shortly before the visit of the audit team to InterCollege. The Director of Marketing had been trained by the College as a reviewer and it was put to the team that the range of his prior experience had enabled him to combine the function of both the academic and the administrative reviewer. Copies of all the information available to the Director of Marketing, together with his initial report, were made available to the team.
45 As preparation for its review, InterCollege completed internal analysis and self review reports, using standard forms and a template provided by Henley. These reports provided statistical information and an analysis of strengths and improvement priorities relating to marketing; recruitment; workshops; examinations; tutor support; the service provided by InterCollege; the service provided by Henley; and the student experience. The standard form provides opportunities for the identification of key issues. The reports prepared by InterCollege, together with preliminary briefings from Henley staff, formed the basis for the meetings and discussions conducted by the Director of Marketing at InterCollege. Whilst recognising the particular nature of Henley's relationship with its overseas Associates the audit team was conscious that the standard form, and the template for the reports provided for the use of its Associates by Henley, had a strong operational focus, and related largely to the functioning of the link between the two institutions, rather than on the academic health of the MBA as experienced by students in Cyprus. It appeared to the team that the current structure of the standard form, and the accompanying guidance on its completion by Associates, provided by the College, might not provide as suitable a framework for the encouragement of critical self-evaluation and reflection on the part of Associates as the College might wish.
46 As noted earlier, the review of the partnership was conducted by the Director of Marketing, shortly before the visit of the audit team to InterCollege. The draft report of the review confirmed that the partnership continued to develop well, and the effectiveness of the administrative arrangements in place at InterCollege. Matters identified for further consideration included the need to encourage greater use of information and communications technology applications by both staff and students, particularly the facilities provided by Henley through its e-learning and e-library sites (see below, paragraph 62). The review report also highlighted the desire of the Cyprus-based tutors to be more involved with the Henley academic community, and raised a long standing concern about the slowness of response and poor quality feedback from the College's tutors on some students' assignments and dissertations. The draft review report appeared to the team to provide the College with sufficiently detailed information for it to be able to reach an informed judgement on the academic well-being of its partnership.
47 The Commentary explained that, in addition to Henley's review processes, InterCollege is subject to its own internal and external audits and reviews. As part of its Agreement with Henley, InterCollege is required to gather, analyse and communicate the results of feedback from students and tutors about the conduct of workshops in Cyprus. This data, produced on a regular basis, is provided to the relevant Lead Tutor at Henley. Where feedback from students indicates that there have been problems with a particular workshop or tutor then the Lead Tutor and the Director of Studies for the Distance Learning MBA will contact InterCollege to establish what measures have been taken to address the issues. The College's view is that while student feedback was gathered and that responses to such feedback were provided, there had been some instances in which students, while content to provide oral feedback, had been reluctant to complete workshop questionnaires. Wherever possible and practicable staff visiting InterCollege from Henley take the opportunity to meet students and discuss their experiences of the programme. Students who met the audit team in Cyprus stated that on many occasions requests for feedback evaluations were included with course mailings and were seen as optional activities. Henley might wish to consider how it might encourage a better response from students to its requests for feedback.
48 The quality assurance arrangements which Henley operates in respect of its MBA programme at InterCollege appeared to the audit team to be well-conceived, and well-administered and managed. In the design of the College's present quality arrangements the role of quality control is to the fore. The College's aim is to strive for excellence: an ambition which goes beyond the merely rhetorical. Acknowledging that the soundness and reliability of the College's present quality arrangements provide it with a firm foundation for its future work, the team suggests to the College that greater attention to quality enhancement in its quality arrangements might help it towards its larger goal of excellence.
49 At the centre of the College's approach to defining and maintaining the standards of its awards (and chiefly its MBA award) is its external accreditation by bodies such as the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) established by the European Foundation for Management Development. AMBA re-accredited the College's open MBA programmes in 1997 and, at the time of the audit, the College had recently been the subject of a visit by an accreditation panel from EQUIS. At the end of 1999 the College also applied for accreditation by the main US accrediting body for Business Schools: The AACSB - The International Association for Management Education.
50 The College provides assurance of its academic standards by retaining
responsibility for all matters relating to the production of course materials,
the admission and registration of students, and for the assessment and
moderation of students' work. Assessment procedures and outcomes are monitored
by external examiners appointed by Henley.
51 Henley has adopted standard entry criteria which apply to all applicants to the MBA regardless of their place of study. These include a minimum age of 27; a minimum of three years of relevant management experience; a first degree or equivalent professional qualification; and evidence of competence in English language. Candidates for the MBA applying through InterCollege are normally interviewed by the local MBA Administrator, who may advise candidates on their suitability for the programme. Applications are made directly to Henley, supported by references and a recommendation from InterCollege. Decisions on admission are taken at Henley, with advice from the Director of Studies for the programme.
52 Henley has a procedure for the consideration of candidates who do not meet the basic requirements. Non-standard applicants are interviewed by the Associate and their applications submitted to Henley, with a supporting statement. The decision is taken by the College's Admissions Panel, which is chaired by the Academic Registrar, advised by the Director of Studies. The Commentary stated that '...special cases must be approved by the College's Admissions Panel'; however, it appeared to the audit team that in practice approval was given by the Director of Studies. The College may wish to consider the desirability of reviewing its procedures for non-standard entry to ensure consistency of practice in accordance with procedures for the handling of applications.
53 All MBA students are provided with introductory course materials, including the Course Organiser prepared by Henley and a document entitled Do Not Throw Away Pages and a compendium of key information - produced by InterCollege. In addition the current InterCollege MBA Administrator provides individual support and briefing for students at the beginning of the programme and some time is usually devoted to briefing in the first workshop session. Henley's review of International Associates in 1997 identified the need to improve the briefing of students concerning learning styles, study techniques, and preparation for assessment and examinations. At the time of the audit InterCollege was considering plans for 'starter workshops' at the outset of the programme, to address these and other matters. Such starter workshops might also provide opportunities for more extensive briefing on the use of the e-learning and e-library facilities provided by Henley via InterCollege information and communication technology facilities (see below, paragraph 63).
54 All students following the Henley MBA, regardless of the location of their studies, complete the same assessment tasks. Coursework is forwarded to Henley where it is marked and moderated by Henley tutors. Similarly, all examinations use common examination papers and are sat on the same day - although not at the same point with reference to Greenwich Mean Time. In Cyprus examinations for the MBA are held at the offices of the British Council in Nicosia and are invigilated by staff employed by the Council. The Council conducts examinations according to its own Code of Practice which provides assurances about the security of examination papers and the proper conduct of examinations. Students are permitted to use dictionaries, of a type approved by Henley, in the examinations. At Henley, completed examination scripts from MBA students studying via InterCollege are combined with scripts from other examination centres and assessed by Henley tutors. The work is moderated without differentiation between centres. All marks and grades are confirmed by the Board of Examiners at Henley.
55 The handbook used by students, the Course Organiser, provides advice on Henley's policies in respect of cheating and plagiarism. Where serious cases of malpractice are identified in assessed work, the College refers the matter to a review group comprising Henley staff, which will examine the evidence and report to the Board of Examiners. The College is aware of the possible opportunity for the local 'coaching' of students in preparation for coursework assessments and examinations. Steps are taken to minimise this through the provision of authoritative advice to tutors and by maintaining the confidentiality of examination papers - local tutors do not have access to examination papers in advance of the examination. A significant proportion of the final assessment for the MBA is accounted for by the dissertation which is supervised, at a distance, by staff at Henley.
56 External examiners review the Henley MBA as a single programme. There are no separate external examiners for individual centres and, to date, the College has seen no requirement for the specific evaluation of the operation of the programme in particular Associates. Reports from external examiners are submitted direct to Henley and are considered by Academic Board and by the programme team. They are not normally sent to Associates. From copies of reports from external examiners provided for the audit team it was apparent that some had raised matters which were of relevance to Associates, or other local providers: for example, concerns about the reliance of some students on a narrow range of reference materials, and suggestions about the maintenance of local records for students. The team noted that the 1998 report had raised similar issues about the limited use made of external examiners' reports, and had advised Henley to append reports to annual monitoring reviews and to share reviews with partner organisations. However, comments made by examiners involved in each examination session are compiled by the moderator and made available to Associates. In the light of these comments and as part of its procedure for monitoring the performance of Associate organisations, the College may find it advisable to revisit its procedures for reviewing external examiners' reports, and the merits of sharing specific issues raised in such reports with its Associate organisations on a systematic basis.
57 A document provided for the audit team by InterCollege stated of the MBA that 'the degree awarded is a Master of Business Administration of Henley Management College. It is not classed as an "external" degree nor as a degree earned by "Distance Learning"'. Henley's view is that the MBA is a standard programme, with common course materials and common assessment, managed by it centrally. The place of study is seen as of only limited significance and is not indicated on the award certificate (see below, paragraph 75).
58 InterCollege is responsible for the recruitment of appropriately qualified part-time staff to provide tutorial support and guidance for students and to run workshops. InterCollege normally identifies appropriate staff, either from within its own establishment, or from other institutions on the basis of recommendation. To date it has not been InterCollege's policy to advertise for staff.
59 The Agreement states that staff 'shall be approved by the College prior to engagement'. Application forms, normally accompanied by CVs, are forwarded to the College for approval by the Lead Tutor for the MBA and the Director of Distance Learning Programmes. The College normally expects local tutors to have a higher degree in management, management experience, and experience in teaching and research. Evidence, provided for the audit team from this and other Associate organisations, showed that the scrutiny which precedes approval is thorough. The College may turn down applications or make recommendations for the monitoring of staff progress and InterCollege is requested to carry out evaluations of workshops conducted by newly appointed tutors.
60 Henley staff have an opportunity to meet newly appointed tutorial staff
when visiting Associates to conduct workshops. Such staff are briefed about
Henley's procedures and provided with guidance on assessment. Henley has
no expectation, however, that InterCollege should take responsibility for
the academic development of part-time teaching staff supporting the MBA.
Local tutors are regularly invited to Henley for conferences and other
events, including occasional gatherings of the 'world-wide faculty', and
local tutors are encouraged to pursue research and other activities for
their own development. In addition, InterCollege provides some funding
for the general staff development of Cyprus-based tutors and the audit
team was told that there were plans to develop a specific budget for staff
development, within the overall budget for the new MBA Office which InterCollege
was in the process of establishing.
61 As part of its procedures for granting approval to new Associates overseas, Henley normally requires the prospective Associate to demonstrate that it has 'an established academic infrastructure' including teaching and learning support facilities and in particular library and computing facilities. The continuing appropriateness of such facilities is also considered as part of the periodic review process. Following a recommendation in the 1998 report, Henley has taken steps to ensure that matters to do with learning support are now subject to expert scrutiny as part of the vetting process for prospective Associates. InterCollege is able to offer students following the Henley MBA access to a computerised learning centre and a new library, which contains a selection of materials especially selected for the use of Henley MBA students. The audit team noted that Henley's recent review of InterCollege (March 2000) had included an assessment of the learning facilities available to its students (see above, paragraph 46).
62 In addition to the local provision of learning resources Henley has developed a comprehensive range of electronic learning support materials, available via its website to any student who can connect to the internet. These are referred to by Henley as e-learning and the e-library. Together, they provide MBA students with access to a variety of electronic support tools and on-line resources including access to tutors (with a facility for the submission of assignments electronically); discussion groups; commercial databases; a web-based directory; and the Henley Library catalogue. Books identified in the catalogue can be purchased directly though a link to an internet book seller. From the evidence provided for the audit team it was apparent that these facilities provided a significant learning resource to supplement provision at its Associates, including InterCollege.
63 It was apparent from discussions at InterCollege, however, that e-learning and the e-library were not being used as extensively as they might by all staff and students. Seeking further information on this matter the audit team encountered different perspectives from different groups. It noted that in its recent review report on InterCollege, Henley had expressed concern about 'a lack of evidence of a comprehensive ICT oriented culture amongst students and staff...at InterCollege'.
64 For their part, senior managers at InterCollege, when discussing the e-learning and e-library systems, referred to technical difficulties in accessing the internet from Cyprus other than in the early hours of the morning, and queried the capacity of the systems at Henley to cope with the demands placed on it by students. MBA students based at InterCollege appeared to be familiar with the e-learning and e-library systems, however, and those who had made use of them were pleased with the service offered. Not all students made regular use of these facilities and some expressed concerns about a lack of awareness of the systems amongst tutorial staff based at InterCollege and staff visiting from Henley, with the result that they were given little encouragement to explore the use of the more interactive aspects of the systems. Given the potential significance of these new developments in enhancing the students' learning opportunities, and the size of the investment it has made in them, Henley may wish to consider reviewing with InterCollege the operation of its e-learning environment in Cyprus, with a view to ensuring its benefits are fully accessible to all students and staff.
65 Tutors based at Associates run the workshops on the MBA programme, which provide opportunities 'to discuss the concepts and theories of each subject area in relation to management practice and share views with other programme members'. Tutors may also provide general assistance to individual students. The chief source of academic support for MBA students in Cyprus is provided by the specialist tutors based at Henley, with whom contact is maintained through correspondence and email. The dissertation element of the MBA programme is supervised by Henley-based tutors.
66 In addition to the support provided by Henley staff, local tutors may provide informal guidance, particularly in relation to the local context of students' research. The Agreement between Henley and InterCollege requires the latter to provide 'at least 20 hours of general guidance/tutorial time for the dissertation.' Local tutors told the audit team that they did not generally see themselves as having a role in supporting the dissertation element of the programme. The College may wish to clarify its expectations in respect of local tutorial support for the dissertation.
67 Both Henley and InterCollege maintain telephone 'hot lines' for advice to students and advice on administrative matters is provided by the MBA Administrator at InterCollege. The MBA Administrator provides support for students on the programme and has been rigorous in implementing Henley's procedures for managing its overseas operation. In addition to providing administrative support for students the Administrator fulfils the role of course coordinator and acts as the main point of contact between InterCollege and Henley. The College has a clear and realistic understanding of the extent to which the success of its link with InterCollege has depended on the professional competence and dedication of the Administrator. InterCollege has recently reorganised its support for the MBA programme within a new MBA Office, with the current Administrator adopting greater responsibility for quality control. The audit team commends the good administrative practice manifested in Henley's link with InterCollege, the maintenance of which should ensure that the current high standards of service to students and to Henley continue under the new arrangements.
68 Henley maintains careful records of student registrations which it correlates with data on the submission of assignments and attendance at workshops, provided through its Associates. In the past, the College has expressed concern to InterCollege about the relatively large numbers of students who have registered to study for the MBA programme based at InterCollege, who have then withdrawn or failed to complete their studies within the specified time period. Partly in response to these concerns, InterCollege has introduced revised procedures for tracking student progress and enhanced its arrangements to ensure that students are kept informed about their progress. The review of InterCollege, conducted in March 2000, identified that the majority of students withdraw in Part 1 of the MBA programme, and InterCollege has indicated to Henley its belief that the latter's requirement that MBA students should complete Part 1 of the MBA within six months of first registering might not be realistic. This is a matter which Henley will no doubt wish to keep under review.
Internal and external communications
Liaison with tutors and students at InterCollege
69 As noted earlier, for operational matters, IAO at Henley maintains regular contact with InterCollege through correspondence, telephone, fax and email. The principal link is between the MBA Administrator in Cyprus and the College's International Operations Manager. IAO tracks all payments by students, the dispatch of course materials, the submission of assignments and registrations and withdrawals.
70 Henley recognises the need for 'close liaison with local tutors...to provide them with teaching materials, background briefings, copies of workshop slides etc, and guidance on assessment'. These links are maintained through correspondence, email, visits of College staff to InterCollege and a Henley newsletter, sent by the International Operations Manager, which includes updates on course materials and subject developments. The College also holds an annual meeting for Associates on the day before the Degree Ceremony at Henley, and from time-to-time organises 'World-wide faculty events', to which all tutors are invited (see above, paragraph 60). Tutors based at InterCollege acknowledged the support from College staff, but also expressed a desire for closer working relations as part of an international academic community. The audit team noted that Henley's recent review report had also referred to this matter and identified an action point for the College to 'review the arrangements for including Cyprus tutors in the Henley academic community'. Action on this matter would now be advisable and might provide an early opportunity for quality enhancement activities.
71 Students at InterCollege maintain contact with Cyprus-based tutors by telephone and email and through attendance at workshops. Staff at InterCollege were said by students to be generally accessible and supportive, although in some cases their availability might be influenced by busy working schedules. Students were also able to confirm that they received support from Henley-based tutors, normally via email, although some stated that they had experienced delays in getting responses from Henley tutors to their email messages and that follow-up after visits from Henley-based teaching staff to InterCollege could be improved.
72 The College's arrangements for appeals against assessment decisions
are set out in the Course Organiser. To date, there have been no
formal appeals from students studying in Cyprus. The College has formal
procedures for the consideration of grievances which are detailed in its Handbook
of College Regulations and Procedures. To date there have been no formal
complaints from students in Cyprus. Students who met the audit team were
aware of Henley's procedures for handling complaints and identified the
MBA Administrator, at InterCollege, as the person they would contact if
they needed advice about making a complaint. The small number of informal
complaints brought forward by MBA students are handled locally by the MBA
Administrator. Henley students at InterCollege told the team that matters
raised with the MBA Administrator received prompt and satisfactory attention.
Matters that cannot be dealt with at InterCollege are referred to Henley.
73 The current Agreement between the College and InterCollege for the MBA makes no specific reference to procedures for approval of promotional material used to advertise or promote the Henley MBA. It is Henley's standard practice, however, to require Associates to submit all such material for approval by the Director of Corporate Marketing prior to distribution and Henley also requires InterCollege to submit an annual Marketing Plan. Press advertisements for the programme, produced by InterCollege, have been acknowledged by the College as demonstrating a good use of the Henley 'brand' design and have been circulated to other Associates as a 'model' of good practice.
74 The InterCollege Prospectus includes no reference to Henley Management College, in order, so the audit team was told, to comply with requirements from the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture (see below, appendix 1). Henley produces a course booklet for the MBA offered in Cyprus which includes details of the programme together with information on registration and tuition fees. The general policy of the College is to maintain a distance between the publicity of its programmes and that distributed by each of its Associates on its own behalf.
75 The certificates for the College's awards do not identify the mode, pattern or location of delivery. The College is aware of the requirements of the QAA Code of practice in respect of the naming of the place of study on the award certificate, or in a transcript, and was actively seeking to clarify how its view of matters could be accommodated within that of the QAA Code. However, its preference is to retain its existing practice as it considers that the promotion of a single programme 'enhances the value of the degree and the recognition which the Henley MBA enjoys with employers world-wide'.
76 Henley Management College describes its MBA programme as 'The Global Executive MBA Programme' and offers it in a range of different modes of study. Henley's link with its partner in Cyprus, InterCollege, designates the latter as one of 16 Associate centres outside the United Kingdom, which support the delivery of the MBA programme by distance learning. In the manner in which the College offers its MBA, it retains responsibility for the admission and registration of students; for assessment; for the provision of all course materials; and for the quality assurance of the programme. To support the audit Henley produced a Commentary on its partnership link with InterCollege. This provided an accurate and helpful account of the development of the link and a reliable guide to the College's approach to managing its partnership links.
77 The evidence provided for the development and operation of this link, through the Commentary and documents in the base room demonstrated the care Henley devotes to selecting its Associates and to monitoring their performance subsequently. Henley's MBA programme has been delivered at InterCollege since 1993, and a close working relationship has developed between the College and its Associate. Henley has confidence in its Associate to deliver the programme effectively and to help safeguard its academic standards. The evidence gathered by the audit team supports the College's judgement that its programme is being delivered effectively in Cyprus, with the assistance of its partner, and in line with its own clearly specified requirements.
78 The Henley MBA programme has common course materials and assessments, regardless of the place of delivery or the mode of study, and the College takes steps to ensure that the academic standards of the programme are consistent between its Associate organisations. Examination arrangements in Cyprus have been designed to maintain the integrity of the assessment process. Question papers for examinations are stored under conditions of high security by the British Council on behalf of the College, and the Council's examination service in Nicosia supervises and invigilates examinations. Scripts from Cyprus are sent to Henley by secure arrangements where they are combined with those from other centres, prior to assessment by staff based at Henley. There is a single external examiner for each examination session who reviews the work of the whole student cohort. Concern to safeguard the security of the assessment process may in part account for some delays in returning marked student work. This may slightly diminish the formative value of assessments and, as such, the College will wish to keep this matter under review.
79 Henley has developed extensive support facilities on the internet for all its distance learning students. The e-learning and e-library sites offer a range of features that supplement and enhance the resources available to students locally and are much appreciated by those who use them. The use of these facilities by students and tutorial staff in Cyprus is not yet as extensive as it might be. Both Henley and InterCollege will wish to support the further development of student and staff familiarity with ICT facilities, in order to maximise and enhance the opportunities offered by this new learning environment, both by reviewing the technical arrangements and by encouraging further briefing for staff and students.
80 The delivery of the Henley MBA to students in Cyprus requires a 'team' approach with close working relations between staff based at Henley, local tutors and the administrative support staff at InterCollege. Henley takes steps to ensure that local tutorial staff are briefed about the programme, and are kept up-to-date with developments within the subject. Cyprus-based tutors have experienced occasional difficulties, however, in keeping in touch with Lead Tutors at Henley, and consider that their involvement with the programme team could be enhanced. The recent development of Henley's website, and associated facilities, through the e-learning environment, may well be helpful here. Henley will wish to consider further how it enhances the involvement of staff in Cyprus and the wider network of Associate organisations, with a view towards developing an increasingly coherent international academic community in support of its programmes.
81 Henley is currently providing programmes of study leading to awards which are prized by its students and well-respected by employers. In Cyprus, this provision is supported by Henley's Associate, InterCollege. There is clear evidence that the arrangements established by Henley to control the quality of the course materials and to manage assessments are effective. In Cyprus, they are supported by a carefully chosen Associate, with the assistance of the British Council examinations service, and satisfactorily safeguard the academic standards of the MBA. The soundness of the arrangements made by Henley is enhanced by the professionalism with which the MBA programme is managed at Henley and, in Cyprus, by its Associate. There can be confidence in these arrangements. The challenge for the future for Henley is to continue the enhancement of an already sound programme.
Establishment of colleges
1 Private colleges are governed by The Institutions of Tertiary Education Law (1996) (henceforth, the Law) and The Private Institutions of Tertiary Education (Criteria and standards of education-accreditation of programmes of study) Regulations (1996) (the Regulations). Private colleges must first be registered with the Minister of Education and Culture, and may then apply for recognition of their establishment and operation, which, if successful, will lead to the issue of a Certificate. The Minister is advised in respect of the latter by the Advisory Committee on Tertiary Education (the Advisory Committee). No private higher education institution may operate without the issue of a Certificate.
2 Section 14(2) of the Law was amended in 1997 to stipulate that 'no private institution may itself award degrees of foreign educational institutions or give, by any means, to foreign education institutions the possibility to award their own degrees in the Republic'. Briefings by a senior member of the Cyprus administration left the audit team with the understanding that developments in Higher Education policy in Cyprus had more recently come to reflect the views of the EU, in respect of the legitimacy of overseas collaborative provision amongst the member states of the Union, and that the Law was likely to be amended to reflect this at some time within the next two years.
3 At, or following their establishment, private higher education institutions in Cyprus may seek formal Government recognition of their programmes of study. Recognition of a programme of studies implies no judgement as to its merits, or the academic standards of the awards which colleges are free to make on their own authority. Recognition may be withdrawn if no students register on a course during a single academic year. Students graduating successfully from a programme which has been recognised may apply individually to the Ministry of Education and Culture for their award to be treated as equivalent in status to that of an award from the University of Cyprus which is at present the Republic's sole degree awarding body. For such an application to be successful the programme followed (whether at a private higher education institution in Cyprus, or elsewhere in the World) must be judged to be at least equivalent in its content, level, and academic standards, to those obtaining in respect of comparable programmes and awards of the University of Cyprus. A judgement that a student's programme meets these criteria is essential if she or he wishes to work in the public services in Cyprus, including teaching.
Accreditation of programmes
4 Private institutions offering recognised programmes may seek the educational evaluation-accreditation (EEA, or accreditation) of individual programmes of study. This is effected by the Council of Educational Evaluation - Accreditation of Programmes of Study of Private Institutions of Tertiary Education (CEE) appointed by the Cyprus Council of Ministers on the recommendation of the Minister. Institutions intending to submit a programme of study for accreditation must have enrolled students on the first year of study, and have full curriculum statements available for all other years. If the Minister accepts an application for accreditation, the institution is required to submit a self-study to CEE, which then appoints an appropriately constituted visiting team of independent academics to recommend whether the application be approved, rejected or postponed. Accreditation, if granted, is initially for four years; the full process is repeated for a further accreditation period. If the outcome of the second accreditation visit is successful, accreditation is then valid for a further ten years.
5 There are several large private higher education institutions operating in Cyprus, together with a number of specialised institutions. A cycle of accreditation activity took place in Cyprus in 1998 and 1999, leading to the publication of a list of programmes in private higher education institutions accredited with effect from January 2000. Accreditation of a programme of study constitutes a statement that the academic standard of the award resulting from its satisfactory completion is equivalent to the standard of a directly comparable award of the University of Cyprus.
6 As part of the accreditation process, private higher education institutions are required to submit their prospectuses for approval. Prospectuses are required to contain full statements of the curriculum for each programme of study: institutions are not permitted to vary the approved curriculum as stated in the Prospectus without submitting the relevant programme for re-accreditation.
The context of the operation of private higher education colleges in Cyprus
Establishment of colleges
1 Private colleges are governed by The Institutions of Tertiary Education Law (1996) (henceforth, the Law) and The Private Institutions of Tertiary Education (Criteria and standards of education-accreditation of programmes of study) Regulations (1996) (the Regulations). Private colleges must first be registered with the Minister of Education and Culture, and may then apply for recognition of their establishment and operation, which, if successful, will lead to the issue of a Certificate. The Minister is advised in respect of the latter by the Advisory Committee on Tertiary Education (the Advisory Committee). No private higher education institution may operate without the issue of a Certificate.
2 Section 14(2) of the Law was amended in 1997 to stipulate that 'no private institution may itself award degrees of foreign educational institutions or give, by any means, to foreign education institutions the possibility to award their own degrees in the Republic'. Briefings by a senior member of the Cyprus administration left the audit team with the understanding that developments in Higher Education policy in Cyprus had more recently come to reflect the views of the EU, in respect of the legitimacy of overseas collaborative provision amongst the member states of the Union, and that the Law was likely to be amended to reflect this at some time within the next two years.
3 At, or following their establishment, private higher education institutions in Cyprus may seek formal Government recognition of their programmes of study. Recognition of a programme of studies implies no judgement as to its merits, or the academic standards of the awards which colleges are free to make on their own authority. Recognition may be withdrawn if no students register on a course during a single academic year. Students graduating successfully from a programme which has been recognised may apply individually to the Ministry of Education and Culture for their award to be treated as equivalent in status to that of an award from the University of Cyprus which is at present the Republic's sole degree awarding body. For such an application to be successful the programme followed (whether at a private higher education institution in Cyprus, or elsewhere in the World) must be judged to be at least equivalent in its content, level, and academic standards, to those obtaining in respect of comparable programmes and awards of the University of Cyprus. A judgement that a student's programme meets these criteria is essential if she or he wishes to work in the public services in Cyprus, including teaching.
Accreditation of programmes
4 Private institutions offering recognised programmes may seek the educational
evaluation-accreditation (EEA, or accreditation) of individual programmes of
study. This is effected by the Council of Educational Evaluation - Accreditation
of Programmes of Study of Private Institutions of Tertiary Education (CEE) appointed
by the Cyprus Council of Ministers on the recommendation of the Minister. Institutions
intending to submit a programme of study for accreditation must have enrolled
students on the first year of study, and have full curriculum statements available
for all other years. If the Minister accepts an application for accreditation,
the institution is required to submit a self-study to CEE, which then appoints
an appropriately constituted visiting team of independent academics to recommend
whether the application be approved, rejected or postponed. Accreditation, if
granted, is initially for four years; the full process is repeated for a further
accreditation period. If the outcome of the second accreditation visit is successful,
accreditation is then valid for a further ten years.
5 There are several large private higher education institutions operating in Cyprus, together with a number of specialised institutions. A cycle of accreditation activity took place in Cyprus in 1998 and 1999, leading to the publication of a list of programmes in private higher education institutions accredited with effect from January 2000. Accreditation of a programme of study constitutes a statement that the academic standard of the award resulting from its satisfactory completion is equivalent to the standard of a directly comparable award of the University of Cyprus.
6 As part of the accreditation process, private higher education institutions are required to submit their prospectuses for approval. Prospectuses are required to contain full statements of the curriculum for each programme of study: institutions are not permitted to vary the approved curriculum as stated in the Prospectus without submitting the relevant programme for re-accreditation.
Top