Author(s): Rasha Qawasmeh
Quality assurance and accreditation in higher education aims to maintain and raise the quality of education and guarantee the improvement of its standards. It enables the institution to get the necessary input, refine the processes, and raise the standards of its output, in order to meet the previously defined goals and the needs of the stakeholders. This paper discusses issues of accreditation and Quality Assurance (QA) in Jordan’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), focusing primarily on the need for professionalism in accreditation and quality assurance, the historical development of accreditation and quality assurance practices, the establishment of the Higher Education Accreditation Commission (HEAC), standards and procedures of quality assurance carried out by HEAC, principles underlying Jordan’s system of accreditation and quality assurance, quality assurance and improvement plans, challenges facing the implementation of quality assurance in Jordanian HEIs. The paper concludes with some recommendations for improving quality assurance in Jordanian HEIs.