“Coming together is a beginning;
Keeping together is progress;
Working together is success.”

                                                                                                Henry Ford (1863 – 1947)

On Friday, June 16, 2023, ONESQA joined Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) and Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation Association (TWAEA) in the Zoom meeting to consult on several joint educational Quality Assurance (QA) program progress. Predominantly, the program includes: a.) The International Joint Accreditation Standards Plus (iJAS Plus) b.) International Internship Program c.) The International Students Satisfaction Survey and d.) International Webinar Program

The International Joint Accreditation Standards (iJAS) is a cross-border quality assurance

framework invented in collaboration among ONESQA, JUAA and TWAEA aiming to contribute to the promotion of internationalization of higher education institutions

(HEIs) in the Asian region. ONESQA discussed the possible use and design of scoring rubric to establish assessment criteria for iJAS evaluation. ONESQA will also further identify selections of the participating universities in the iJAS pilot project.  The post pilot program evaluation will further establish framework for the subsequent program adaptations and implementation processes.

Furthermore, since 2017, JUAA, TWAEA and ONESQA have taken turns holding interagency staff exchange program annually.  Particularly, in order to expand the effectiveness of this existing cooperation, the three agencies plan to provide staff with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of higher education evaluation practices in the Asian region.  This year, ONESQA intends to have two staff joining the internship program.  The online orientation will commence in August and carry on to the face-to-face program activities around the end of 2023. The joint staff participants will actively learn and share their professional insights to create a mutual regional QA understanding. Through the reflection on the internship program, the three participating agencies can explore further opportunities for ongoing collaboration among each other, such as other joint projects or related QA initiatives.

In regards to the International Students Satisfaction Survey, TWAEA has initiated the project “Taiwan Institutional Research Cooperation” in 2016 to provide necessary information and services to higher education institutions for Institutional Research (IR) studies.  The analysis report can be used by the educational executive authorities to strategize internal management practices.   ONESQA continue to join TWAEA in the International Students Satisfaction Survey 2023.  The countries participating in the international survey program includes Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Mongolia.  This year, the program is launched in April for Taiwan and Mongolia and in June for Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. The number of institutions across different participating countries is over 150 academic establishments with more than 65,000 student respondents.  The program is currently of interest to the educational authorities in Korea and Malaysia. The future expansion of the program is eminent and the survey results will be of greater significance in contributing to the cross-border QA investigative findings, cross-border academic benchmarking and further educational program improvement initiatives.

ONESQA will also work with JUAA and TWAEA in the upcoming International Webinar Program. Particularly, ONESQA will join the joint webinar program under the overall theme namely “How Quality Assurance Contributes to the Sustainable Development of Organizations in an Internationalized Society.”  JUAA will cover the subtopic program on “Crisis and Opportunities in the Digital and Pandemic Era.”  TWAEA will present on “Cross-border Communication.”  ONESQA will have experts cover the program topic on “Strategies for Sustainable Development in Education: Automated QA (AQA).”

The international webinar is part of the program celebration for 20th TWAEA Anniversary. As a pertinent national QA agency, TWAEA was established in 2003 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of evaluation mechanism that meets policy requirements and practical academic learning needs.  ONESQA is proud to take part in contributing to the success of our QA partners across the Asian region.

In summary, ONESQA values the international collaborations engaged among our active partners such as JUAA and TWAEA through various QA program implementations.  Joint accreditation programs, international survey projects, and academic sharing through international webinars with our honored partners are a few exemplifications of the ONESQA’s testimony and dedication to joining the globalized academic communities for the standard of excellence.