Quality Enhancement is defined as strengthening, augmenting, boosting, and improving existing practices. It involves the development of university teaching, with lectures undertaking postgraduate certificate programmes in teaching or academic practice.
Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) at GCU was established in March 2007 with a mission "to integrate the concept of quality education in higher learning with enhanced levels of international compatibility through capacity building". The main focus of quality assurance programme is continuous professional development of staff, Self Assessment Report, Plagiarism Verifications for theses MS/MPhil/PhD and research publications, Faculty Evaluation, GCU Publications, Provision of GCU Statistics to the Higher Education Commission for their Database, to prepare report of PhD Review Process, academic audit and assessment of the academic and administrative departments working within the Quality Assurance (QA) framework.
The rationale of placing all theses programmes and implementing them under the umbrella of QEC is not only to focus on maintaining the best faculty, administrative staff and students but to excel in research, academic performance, emerging interdisciplinary courses, strategic and integrated academic planning. Quality Assurance Agency assesses the progress of the Quality Enhancement Cells established in the public / private sector Universities through quantitative / scorecard system. Therefore, QEC at GCU Lahore is also involved actively in gathering, compiling and consolidating information on the HEC Ranking Performa of HEIs in Pakistan under various categories. The premise of this entire exercise is to compete internationally in QS Ranking and Times World Ranking. The purpose of all the activities carried out by QEC is to focus on improvement of academic and administrative standards and be a part of the loop etails more than just meeting set standards; it often requires exceeding them.
Relevant academic policies and procedures for the QEC are proposed by an officially appointed Consultant on Quality Assurance and after careful scrutiny are approved for implementation by a QA policy steering committee, headed by the Vice Chancellor. Quality policy implementation is through the Director of the QEC and via a QA steering committee of the University. The entire QA process at the GCU is consultative by design, both internally and externally, to ensure quality of the end product, be it a new QA policy or the development of a quality instrument. Therefore the QA development process at the GCU is through a number of consultative working groups (CWG's).
Curriculum within specific academic departments are driven by Course outlines, which are part of the Curriculum Administration and Management System (CAMS). These course outlines are developed through academic rigor by the CAMS consultative working Group (CAMS_CWG). These approved Course outlines are further threaded into the University Mission. Vision and value statement, which is part of the Teaching and Learning Framework.
Departments are further guided and monitored in accordance with the Teaching a Learning Framework (The TALF), which specifies the GCU Graduate Attributes and a list on Quality Criteria. Curriculum and Research practices are monitored and developed through the relevant Consultative Working Group. All academic activity such as curriculum development, research including faculty development is guided by the GCU TALF. A faculty evaluation development and advisory system has been put into place to address issues pertaining to faculty development. Academic issues pertaining to faculty training are further addressed through the Human Resource Development Center (HRDC).
Whilst the entire GCU academic staff are part of and committed to the Quality Assurance policy of the University, as a local and national priority, the Executive Authority with regards to Quality Assurance at the GCU Lahore, rests with the office of the Vice Chancellor.
One of the eventual outcome of the QEC is the production of a Self evaluation Report, the Program Quality Assurance Report (PQAR). This will be produced by departments and audited by the QEC. The long term goals of the QEC include the production of an Institutional Performance Report (the IPR), in preparation for a possible external audit.