The Saudi Universities have recently raced against time to obtain the academic accreditation at the University level, namely institutional accreditation and at program level, namely, the program accreditation. Indeed, the academic accreditation is a kind of recognition or approval granted by national or international body to a certain institution provided that it proves that its educational programs are consistent with the announced standards. In addition, it has to substantiate that it has managed to established effective systems for Quality Assurance and continuous improvement for the academic activities. To put it another way, obtaining the academic accreditation demonstrates that University and its graduates are able to gain the confidence of community. It is a common belief that the internal system of quality assurance aims at verifying whether the academic standards, derived from the mission of the concerned institution, have been identified and fulfilled to meet the equivalent standards at national or international levels. Furthermore, it questions the reliability of the quality level of learning opportunities, the conducted researches in the University, and community partnerships, as it makes sure whether they can meet the expectations of the stakeholders. Accordingly, it is necessary to build up a transparent internal system for review and continuous evaluation, based on approved mechanisms of assessment.
Sattam bin Abudlaziz University has taken major steps toward applying the quality systems at its various academic and administrative units through Developmental Review Project implemented in association with the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment, which provides favorable circumstances to apply for the academic accreditation in the near future.
Author
Prof. Hussein M. El-Maghraby