A Quality Assurance Model for Continuing Technical Education P. Venkataram +, Anandi Giridharan*
+ Professor at Dept. of Electrical Communication Engineering &
Chairman of Centre for Continuing Education,
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, email:pallapa@ece.iisc.ernet.in
* Dept. of Electrical Communication Engineering,
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. email:anandi@ece.iisc.ernet.in
Organization of the talk
 Trends in continuing education
 Quality assurance and assessment
 Some of the quality assurance structure
 General methods and tools used  The proposed Continuing Educational Quality Assurance and Assessment (CEQ­AA) system  Case studies
• 1. Continuing education programmes for Students • 2. Case study of Continuing education programme for Academic association & Professional groups
• 3.Case study of continuing education programme for Adults
 Conclusion Trends in continuing education
The block diagram of Continuing Education system processes .
Trends in continuing education
 Planning and design process: . It may consist of the following important factors: Curriculum design; Learning styles; Learning methods; Teaching/learning facilities; Assessment methods and Staffing, etc.
 Delivering the designed courses: The Output component is associated with the student output after finishing the course curricula. It consists of the following elements: Academic results; Professional profile; Employability; On­the­job success rate and Social and workplace activities, etc.
 Evaluation process of a course : The objectives of the course were identified through a survey that was conducted among the participants before commencement. Quality Assurance
 Quality assurance: consists of all planned and systematic activities implemented within the framework of a given quality system
 Demonstrated as needed to provide adequate confidence that an entity will fulfill requirements for quality. Quality Assurance
Quality planning consists of activities, which establish objectives and requirements for quality and for application of quality­system elements. 
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planning of training programmes and teaching materials, identification, classification and determination of the weight of characteristics with regard to the training quality as well as establishing objectives, requirements for the quality of lecturers and limiting factors.
planning of control and operation: preparations for implementing quality, including organisation process and time schedules.
preparing quality plans and measures for improving the quality of training.
Some of the quality assurance structure
Quality Assurance structure
Quality Assurance structure for the International Distance Education master of business Administration
Quality Assurance structure for qualification of UK
Standards for the external quality assurance of Continuing education
External analysis of Continuing education
External quality assurance of Continuing education
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Development of external quality assurance processes Criteria for decisions Processes fit for purpose Reporting Follow­up procedures Periodic reviews System­wide analyzes Accreditation Agencies Internal analysis of Continuing education Quality Assessment 
Quality assessment: It is the process of transfer of knowledge and skills about the given subject from the teacher/trainer to the student/participant using predominantly active learning methods.  Consist of principles of total quality and the evaluation is focused on the degree of achievement of the objectives through the analysis of quality factors such as participation, methodology, content, subject knowledge and teaching ability of the course deliverers. 
In order to assess quality in Continuing education, we must know, who is the customer and what his/her requirements are relative to a number of individual attributes, which together constitute quality. Quality Assessment 
Quality assessment:  Setting of goals to be reached: Determining methods to be used for their achievement at economically acceptable costs.  Delimiting responsibilities: and authority and issuing directives for goal fulfillment. 
Financial, human and other resources: for the achievement of 
goals.
Checking the fulfillment of directives and goals, feedback with corrective action: in the case of non­fulfillment, continuous efforts at improving the performance of the organisation.
General methods and tools used
The proposed CEQ­AA system In the CEQ­AA model we have the following components:
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Programme board: that decides and directs the planning and need of the continuing education. Programme coordinator: is the head of the team who is responsible for the entire programme.
Programme review group: responsible for reviewing the quality of the continuing education.
Examination board: Set of expert contaminators with be in the board, who will be responsible to conduct examination, recruitment of faculty etc.
Programme management team: who manages the entire program and suggests the different techniques to maintain the quality of continuing education.
Continuing education programmes for Students
These Continuing education programmes enable:
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1. To equip the students and community with skill and training required to get an employment.
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2. To provide skill for income generating programmes and life skills to educated unemployed students.
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3. To provide opportunities to University/College teachers to participate in the extension/ filed outreach activities, the third dimension of higher education.
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4. To facilitate extension of the knowledge generated in higher education to the community in India and abroad.
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5. To provide facility to the employees to update their knowledge and skills.
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6. To orient younger generation towards extension and field outreach and imbibe Social Commitment.
Continuing education programme for students
Gives some of the options that were given in our CEQ­AA system for quality assessement in case of Students Continuing education programmes for Students
Quality assessement in case of Students
Case study of Continuing education programme for Professional groups
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Company professionals need to be well trained to improve their skills, knowledge, and technologies from time to time. The essential step to be either hired by these companies or improve the quality of products produced by their own. companies is to advance the competence and efficiency of the workers. To meet the international requirement of knowledge­based workers and for high quality of the products, continuing education for professionals is a must! Case study of Continuing education programme for Professional groups
The quality of continuing education courses offered for the professionals Case study of continuing education programme for Adults
Conclusion
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The important quality assurance process and methodology in developing successful Continuing education for Students, Professionals and Adults has been presented (1)The trends (such as open course, in­house training, hands­on workshop, on­line course, long­term consultant, conference seminar, and company internal training course quality in continuing education have been presented and examined.
(2) The most current popular continuing education courses model structures have been highlighted.
(3) How to run a smooth, successful, and profitable Continuing education (such as pre­training course development, pre­training course preparation, on­training course organization, and post­
training course evaluation) for Students, Professional and Adults has been thoroughly examined and discussed.
 THANK YOU
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