Universal Accreditation System (UAS): An Innovative Education and Research Credit Appraisal by USERN

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An Exploration of Registered Dietitian Accreditation System Development in China

Background: To review the highlights of the registered dietitian accreditation system in China, including history, organization, regulatory policies, certification requirements, development, and performance on the certification examination, registration, and continuing education, the process for the accreditation system development was focused. The data from the certification examinations and registrations were collected and analyzed. The eligibility requirements, as well as practice pathways, were discussed. Lessons learned from the development of the registered dietitian accreditation system, opportunities, challenges, and future directions for the field were discussed. There remain needs for well-established degree programs and a professional organization’s maintenance with endeavouring in job opportunities, as well as legislative concerns.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training Fund in Nepal: Present Practice and Way Forward

In the last few decades, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) expanded significantly in Nepal. However, the actors of TVET are uncoordinated and are implementing programmes with fragmented governance. The international experience shows TVET fund is one of the approaches to coordinate fragmented TVET stakeholders and enhance the quality of TVET. In absence of such an integrated TVET fund in Nepal, this paper urges for establishing TVET fund and sketches the possible approaches with reformed TVET structure. For this, first, we reviewed the literature particularly the perceived international practices of implementing TVET fund. Further, we arranged an interaction with TVET stakeholders and collected their views on the establishment of the TVET fund in Nepal. Based on findings of the research, the paper provides five possible models for establishing TVET fund mechanism in Nepal. All the models have their strengths and challenges, so it would be rational to adopt the idea of strengthening existing structure rather than making it stand alone. For this, a developing strong research and innovation, effective implementing body, and independent quality assurance and accreditation system is equally important for its effective implementation.

Pengembangan Sistem Informasi Pengukur Kesiapan Akreditasi Program Studi 9 Kriteria

The accreditation system is a form of assessment (evaluation) of the quality and feasibility of higher education institutions or study programs carried out by independent organizations or bodies outside universities. The assessment is used as a quality benchmark for all study programs and higher education institutions, both from public and private universities that organize professional and academic programs. The better the value of accreditation will have an impact on the views of outsiders regarding the quality of the study program and higher education institution. However, the collection of data and information as well as filling out forms in the informatics study program still have many obstacles, such as the large number of data used as assessment criteria that requires a lot of time and effort. And also continuously accreditation that keeps repeating every few years is one of the problems faced in storing the accreditation data. Therefore, we need an information system that is able to integrate the entire contents of the supporting data so that during the evaluation process information is obtained about what parts are lacking and have met the standards. From the research that has been done, the results show that the system can run as expected so that researchers expect the use of this accreditation system to provide an overview of the accreditation value of study programs, and study program managers can take action to prepare and improve accreditation status so that they can get the highest score.

Promises and challenges of Blockchain in education

Blockchain is arguably the next technology-mediated socioeconomic mega trend after the ongoing era of Net Neutrality and Big Data. This theoretical paper explores blockchain technology and its impacts on education. It is argued that we cannot take for granted that the network neutrality, popularized accessibility of the Internet and its influence on education will remain as we know it today. Blockchain promises, among others, a greater control over financing and investing in education, implementing instructional projects, a certification/accreditation system and learning. Education blockchain with its distributed ledgers would set novel standards of crypto-learning and crypto-administration that are acceptable across organizations and nations, enhancing thus the objectivity, validity and control of information without being compromised by socio-economic instabilities. The slow rate of adoption of blockchain technology in education reflects the rate in the fields of finance and management but, at the same time, it poses a few critical challenges such as lacking tangible incentives for technology maintenance or ‘blockchain mining’ (inward sustainability) coupled with a rather feeble orientation to collective development of education (outward sustainability).

SISPENA 3.0 PILOTING PROGRAM TO ASSURE READINESS FOR EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE IN INDONESIA CONTEXT

The objectives of this research are: 1) improving the skills of teachers and school principals in filling out accreditation instruments as part of the implementation of school/madrasah self-evaluations, 2) measuring awareness of the importance of accreditation as seen from the participation level of SISPENA 3.0 piloting activities, and 3) knowing the evaluation results of implementing the SISPENA 3.0 pilot program. The implemented research design was descriptive mixed-method involving quantitative and qualitative data. The data was gathered through documentation of piloting the SISPENA 3.0 program and interviewing program participants. The participants were 190 schools around Lampung province, Indonesia. The results showed that the program met all of the required objectives, all the schools believed in the importance of the program which resulted in a 100% attendance rate, and the program revealed accreditation problems which were then discussed by BAN, PAUD, and PNF in Lampung to brainstorm appropriate solutions. The research provides the possibility for application of this program in other similar systems. Furthermore, it recommends that both schools and the National Accreditation Board (BAN) should establish education management in accordance with the national standard of education as stated in the accreditation system.

From unrequited love to sleeping with the enemy: COVID-19 and the future relationship between UK universities and professional accounting bodies

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the relationship between UK universities and professional accounting bodies (PABs) in the context of the accreditation system and how well prepared this relationship was to observe and respond to the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The research draws on 10 semi-structured interviews and correspondence, with six English universities in the context of their relationship with three PABs to build an extended analytical structure to understand the nature and extent of the accreditation system in light of COVID-19. Findings The study shows that COVID-19 has highlighted pedagogical and ideological conflicts within the PAB–university relationship. The analysis shows that, in an attempt to resolve these conflicts, universities demonstrate “unrequited love” for PABs by limiting changes to assessments to meet the PABs’ criteria. Indeed, PABs face very little resistance from universities. This further constrains academics by suppressing innovation and limiting their scope to learn and adopt new skills, habits and teaching styles. Originality/value The paper highlights the weakness of the PAB–university relationship. Moreover, it shows that rather than using the pandemic crisis to question this relationship, PABs may seek to promote their accounting pedagogy and retain greater control of the accounting curriculum. This can entail the transformation of academics into translators of PABs’ accounting pedagogy rather than exercising academic freedom and promoting critical thinking.

Critical Review of Sustainability Priorities in the Heritage Sector: Evidence from Latvia’s Most Visited Museums

A vibrant debate about the role and participation of museums in urbanisation, industrialisation, human rights protection, technological progress, climate change and other global challenges has persisted in the field of museums ever since the boom of theoretical museology, which coincided with the development of the sustainable development concept. However, often culture is considered a part of social sustainability pillar, covering manifestations such as equity, participation, social justice etc. (Murphy, 2012; Vallace et al., 2011; Cuthill, 2010) or ignoring cultural aspects altogether (Chiu, 2004). Many voices have called to promote culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development as a necessary foundation, condition or groundwork through which understandings of social, economic, and environmental sustainability may appear (Soini & Birkeland, 2014; Hawkes, 2001). Although the potential of cultural heritage institutions such as museums towards sustainable development is outlined in relevant literature, there has been no radical shift in museum practice (Ross, 2004; Simon, 2010; Nomikou, 2015). The paper aims to propose the first-ever critical review of sustainable development priorities in Latvia’s most popular museums with a view to finding out their strategic priorities and using these findings to identify today’s specific thematic development lines relevant to the museum sector within the sustainable development framework and to apply this bottom-up principle to propose potential ways to improve the general goal of Latvia’s museum accreditation system – that of promoting sustainable museum practices – with specific pointers and thematic building blocks for the broad umbrella concept of sustainable development. Research objectives include (1) conducting a critical review of relevant literature to identify the role of cultural heritage within the evolution of the sustainable development concept (2) identifying the themes of sustainable development that have been communicated as strategic priorities to stakeholders by the country’s nine most visited museums and (3) using research findings to illuminate and pinpoint a specific array of themes pursuant to the general goal of Latvia’s museum accreditation system – that of promoting sustainable museum practices – for the system to serve as a more comprehensive and targeted tool for fostering sustainabledevelopment in the heritage sector and beyond. Qualitative content analysis has been chosen to analyse museum development strategies and their collection, research, and communication policies, that is, the museum strategic documents to be submitted by the museums seeking to receive state recognition. The study covers Latvia’s nine most popular museums, whose joint annual share of visits amounts to 50% of the country’s total rate (Latvian Academy of Culture, 2018). The study reveals substantial diversity in how Latvia’s most popular museums approach sustainable development goals while also exposing a few significant downsides. According to the findings, museum priorities include (1) heritage preservation, efforts to strengthen national identity, and information and communication technology sustainability in the context of cultural sustainability, (2) financial sustainability as well as tourism- multiplication and image-building in the context of economic sustainability, (3) eco-cultural resilience and improvements in the infrastructure for better energy efficiency as well as a degree of progress towards more sustainable transportation solutions in the context of environmental sustainability and (4) physical, intellectual, socio-economic and emotional accessibility and a focus on boosting social capital in the context of social sustainability. Adjustment of accreditation requirements to meet the sustainable development priorities, at least identified within the study, should, in the long run, raise awareness within the field, enable museums to target their efforts at addressing their downsides and finding possibilities for growth in the context of sustainable development as well as foster sustainable development in the larger field of cultural heritage sites and institutions, which, unlike its kindred sector of museums, exists outside the scope of restrictions associated with accreditation. Such adjustments will help achieve a broader input from the heritage sector towards sustainable development goals.

Analysis of the Experience of Participation in Interlaboratory Comparisons of the Radiation Control Laboratory in National Accreditation System

Purpose: Formation of the idea of laboratories accredited by Accreditation System of Russian Federation, in particular radiation control laboratories, about the possibility of confirming technical competence by means of participation in interlaboratory comparison tests at international level. Content: Description of the experience of successful passing the international comparisons by radiation control laboratories under up-to-date requirements. Conclusion: The experience described in the article can be used by accredited laboratories in practice for conformity validation with accreditation criteria.