The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology haswelcomed the publication of the first external quality assurance audit report carried out by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education about the operation of MCAST.  This was the first time that the Commission, which regulates the Further and Higher Education sector in Malta, has carried out an external quality assurance audit of the local self -accrediting further and higher education institutions, namely the University of Malta, MCAST and ITS.

MCAST has seen this experience as a positive learning experience which has confirmed the seriousness and rigour with which it carries out its work and undertakes its responsibilities in accrediting its own courses. MCAST has also used this audit as a learning process to further examine and reflect on improving the work it carries out.

The external quality assurance audit report has been published on the NCFHE website and highlights the positive work being done at MCAST by examining the college against a benchmark of 11 quality standards. The reports show that MCAST meets 10 of the 11 quality standards set by NCFHE while requiring improvement in one.

The audit was carried out by a team set up by the NCFHE including foreign quality assurance experts, local experts from NCFHE and student peers from other educational institutions. The audit was an extensive exercise whereby the team examined all aspects of MCAST’s work over a number of days and had the opportunity to meet all MCAST stakeholders.

The report highlights a number of good practices being implemented at MCAST. These include:

Standard 1: Policy for Quality assurance

·         The (college) strategic plan and its connection to the quality policy of the college is considered to be an effective instrument for sharing management objectives among central and Institute management levels, and for enhancing commitment to corporate quality objectives by a wide range of institutes representing diverse subject fields.

Standard 3: Design and Approval of Programmes

·         The process for the design and approval of programmes, following a clear logic based on MCAST strategy, allows for an efficient and straight-forward preparation and implementation of new programmes.

·         The role definition and allocation of responsibilities for each procedural step within the quality assurance of new programmes facilitates a consistent implementation of internal quality objectives.

·         Strict learning outcome orientation is fostered by the structure of templates used for the design and approval of programmes.

·         A high level of obligation towards the use of templates and documents makes it easy for participating units and staff members, in preparation for a new programme, to implement quality expectations consistently.

Standard 4: Student-centred Learning, Teaching and Assessment

·         The learner orientation is implemented in a very coherent manner, down to assignments submitted by students, and is facilitated by the provision of corresponding templates making it applicable for all staff members.

·         The internal verification procedure is used for sharing good practice in teaching and, especially, assessment methodology among lecturers.

Standard 6: Teaching Staff

·         The allocation of specific time slots for lecturers for quality related meetings allows for regular discussion without interference with teaching obligations.

·         A special training course for teaching in VET is offered to all staff members to familiarize them with the peculiarities of VET education and didactics.

Standard 7 : Learning Resources and Student Support

·         MCAST’s coherent combination of student support services for enhancing the learning experience and the education success for a highly diverse student population exceeds the common level at Further and Higher Education Institutions in the EHEA.

With regards to Standard 10, theon-going Monitoring and Periodic Review of Programmes, the NCFHE reports indicates that , while not failing to meet the standard, further improvement  is needed. MCAST has already prepared an action plan to address the issues raised in relation to this standard and will be working to implement this plan in the coming months.

Commenting about the report, MCAST Principal and CEO Stephen Cachia said that the NCFHE report confirms the hard work, dedication and commitment of MCAST staff members who support and educate a diverse and varied student population. “While we are clearly very satisfied with such a positive report, the whole external audit process has also been a learning experience for us and will help us focus on improving the service we offer our students”, he said.

Dr Silvio De Bono, President of MCAST Board of Governors, thanked all MCAST staff members for their hard work which has been reflected in such a positive report. “Clearly we will not rest on our laurels and the report will push us towards improving further and raise our standards to even higher levels.  Vocational Education in the further and higher education sector in Malta has come of age and MCAST needs to remain at the forefront of improving even further the level of educational provision in this critical area.” Dr De Bono concluded.