1.1. The Quality Assurance Policy (hereinafter referred to as the Policy) defines the basic concepts, tasks, procedures, and criteria for ensuring the quality of teaching and learning at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (hereinafter referred to as the University).

1.2. The Policy is intended for students, teaching staff, managers, and employees of structural divisions of the University, as well as other interested persons.

1.3. The Policy has been developed in accordance with the “Standards and Recommendations for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (ESG 2015), the current legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, regulatory legal acts of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter – the MSHE of the RK), and internal documents of the University.

1.4. The Policy supports:

– departments, faculties/schools, other structural units, university management, students performing their duties on quality assurance;

– processes that ensure academic reputation and freedom;

– processes that prevent intolerance of any kind of discrimination of students and teachers;

– participation of external stakeholders in quality assurance.

1.5 The Quality Assurance Policy may be revised in the event of changes in regulatory legal acts regulating educational activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan, changes in the Charter, and the University Development Program.

2.1 The Academic Committee on Training Areas is a body formed to develop and update the OP in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 4 of Article 43-1 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Education”, the National Qualifications Framework, industry framework, and professional standards. The Academic Committee consists of academic staff, employers, and students of the University.

2.2 Academic Council (educational-methodical, scientific-methodical) is a body whose purpose is to improve the quality of the educational process, and improve educational programs in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 4 of Article 43-1 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Education”, the National Qualifications Framework, industry frame, work, and professional standards, the requirements of employers and expectations of students, the development of recommendations regarding the concept of academic and strategic development of the University.

2.3. SCES HE and PE – the State Compulsory Educational Standard of higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State Compulsory Educational Standard of postgraduate education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

2.4 Quality of Education – balanced compliance of education as a result, as a process, as a value, as a system, with established needs, goals, requirements, and norms (standards).

The quality of education is the result of interaction between teachers, students, and the educational environment of the University.

Quality Assurance should provide an educational environment in which the content of the programs, educational opportunities, and facilities correspond to the goals of the program.

2.5 Educational Program (EP) is a single set of basic characteristics of education, including the goals, results, and content of training, the organization of the educational process, methods and methods of their implementation, criteria for evaluating learning outcomes.

2.6 OHPE – organizations of higher and postgraduate education.

2.7 Professional Standard (PS) is a standard that defines the requirements for the level of qualification and competence, for the content, quality, and working conditions in a specific field of professional activity.

2.8 The Register of Educational Programs of Higher and Postgraduate Education (hereinafter referred to as the Register) is an information system of the Center for the Bologna Process and Academic Mobility of the MSHE of the RK, which includes a list of EPs developed by OHPE.

2.9 Learning Outcomes (LO) – the amount of knowledge, skills, acquired, demonstrated to students by mastering the LO, the values and attitudes formed, confirmed by the assessment.

3.1. The main goal of the University in implementing the Policy is to ensure high quality of education and teaching.

3.2. When assessing the quality of education, it is necessary to evaluate not only processes and procedures. It is important to assess the actual learning effect of the planned training activities, including the achievement of the final goals of the EPs, that is, the development of the necessary competencies by the graduate. Therefore, ensuring these processes is an important element of the overall Quality Assurance Policy.

3.3. The University’s internal quality assurance policy is based on two approaches to the concept of quality: the quality of the educational process and the quality of training.

3.4. Quality of the Educational Process.

3.4.1. Processes and procedures ensure the quality of the EPs and ensure their proper implementation in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, regulatory legal acts of the MSHE Affairs of the RK and internal documents of the University.

3.4.2. The high quality of the educational process enables the structured and systematic implementation of the QA, ensuring a minimum of administrative errors and maintaining the quality of education.

3.4.3. A high-quality educational process ensures that teachers and university administration adhere to the recommendations set by the Academic Committees for achieving the goals in personnel training as developers of the QA, as well as by the University's Academic Council.

3.5 Quality of instruction.

3.5.1. The quality of learning, involving both teachers and students, is determined by the interaction between the teacher's personality and pedagogical professionalism on one hand, and the motivation and intellectual potential of students on the other hand.

3.5.2. The level of teaching is determined through the assessment of students using a point-rating system to evaluate learning achievements.

3.5.3. QRs (Quality RQAorts) reflect the evaluations made by the teacher based on formative and summative assessments during theoretical learning, as well as the results of final exams and certifications.

3.5.4. Ensuring the quality of learning at the University involves the implementation and monitoring of the following two processes:

– Enhancing the educational and didactic competencies of teachers through regular professional development.

– Providing a high-quality learning environment and modern infrastructure that facilitate student engagement and motivation.

3.6 Quality Culture.

3.6.1. Administrative Staff: The university aims to hold faculty, students, and administrative staff personally accountable for ensuring that the quality of the QA and the quality of learning and teaching meet established standards. The specific responsibilities for quality assurance assigned to individual employees are described in their job descriptions.

3.6.2. Learners: The content and organization of the training are designed to stimulate critical thinking among students. Grades in disciplines and participation in the university's governance, such as actively participating in the development and monitoring of the quality of the QA as members of the Academic Committees in their respective areas of training, encourage learners to play an active role in ensuring quality at the University.

3.6.3. Personal responsibility of each employee, teacher, and student of the University is extremely important, as everyone has an obligation to contribute positively to the sustainable improvement of the quality of the educational process and overall quality in accordance with established standards.

4.1. The content of education program (EP) reflects the latest research results.

4.2. The content of EP is linked to a recognized international research environment that conducts research in the relevant subject area.

4.3. The development and updating of EP are managed by scientists: university employees, professors, or researchers associated with the University in the relevant subject area, unless there is a reason to involve specialists or practitioners with other qualifications.

4.4. Students receive training in scientific methodology, both in theory and through practical interaction with researchers, by participating in research projects.

4.5. Trainees gain an understanding of the research process and develop competencies, including acquiring new knowledge, independently using materials, etc.

4.6. Objective recognition of higher education qualifications, study periods, and prior education, including recognition of non-formal education, is an integral component of ensuring learners' progression through the learning process and facilitating mobility. To ensure appropriate recognition procedures, the University:

4.7. Ensures that the actions of the educational institution comply with the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

4.8. Cooperates with other higher education institutions (HEIs) and the Centre for Bologna Process and Academic Mobility of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the CBP&AM of the MSHE RK) to ensure comparable recognition of qualifications in the country.

4.9. The competences of University graduates must be in demand in the labor market.

4.10. The University maintains and develops a culture of quality, in which everyone—students, faculty, staff, and management—constantly works together to improve EP.

4.11. Academic committees in the University's training areas develop EP through close dialogue with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Central Bureau of Educational and Scientific Affairs of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

4.12. Teaching and learning materials of the disciplines, including the learning environment, are constantly being improved to ensure an effective, modern, and motivating learning environment.

4.13. A balance is achieved between the requirements of the national qualifications framework, sectoral qualifications frameworks, professional standards, and an increasingly internationalized educational environment in terms of teachers, students, and the labor market.

4.14. Appropriate academic content and proper planning of EP are ensured so that learning can be completed within the planned time frame.

4.15. Ongoing work to update EP, the content of disciplines, and the acquired competencies comply with the regulations governing educational activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Charter, and the University Development Program.

4.16. Management, faculty, staff, and students influence the process of quality assurance.

5.1. Demand for the educational program (EP) in the labor market (at local, regional, national, international levels).

5.2. Demonstration of the University's potential to implement the EP.

5.3. Existence of a clearly described EP in the EP, based on the Sectoral Qualifications Framework and professional standards.

5.4. Determination of the number of academic credits required for the full achievement of the EP.

5.5. Adequacy of methods for assessing students' mastery of EPs, as stipulated by the EP and described in detail in the Policy of Evaluation of Learning Outcomes, Rules for Final Control, and Regulations for Checking Students' Text Documents for Plagiarism.

5.6. Correspondence of the activities of students in the learning process to those developed by the responsible office.

5.7. Ensuring constructive interaction with stakeholders.

5.8. Transparency of the process of teaching, learning, and evaluation of EP development.

5.9. Ensuring the continuous improvement of the EP based on the results of monitoring.

5.10. Provision of students with both academic knowledge and necessary skills, including transferable skills, that can impact their personal development and be utilized in their future careers.

6.1 The University conducts a detailed analysis, including annual and cyclic (3-5 years) monitoring of the evaluation results of EP by the University's academic staff, employers, and students.

6.2 Monitoring and evaluation of EP quality by the University's academic staff includes expertise in:

– financial and economic sustainability of the EP;

– the compliance of the teaching staff with the qualification requirements;

– the content of the EP in the light of the latest scientific research in order to ensure the relevance of the content of the disciplines;

– the periodically changing needs of society and the labour market in specialists and their competencies;

– the study load of students, academic performance and graduation;

 – the effectiveness of student assessment procedures;

 – the expectations, needs and satisfaction of students with training in the EP;

–  the teaching conditions at the faculties;

 – student support services and their compliance with the goals of the EP.

6.3. During the cyclic monitoring of the EP, which is carried out every 3-5 years, depending on the period of study in the EP, an overview of the results of the study in the EP and an assessment of the development of the RS in the EP are added to the annual monitoring procedure.

6.4. Members of the Academic Committees for areas of study are responsible for the content of the EP, including for plagiarism with the EP of other ОHPE.

6.5. The quality assessment of the EP is carried out on the basis of the analysis of curricula, the catalogue of elective disciplines, schedules, individual plans of students, and internal regulations governing the implementation of the EP.

6.6. Monitoring and evaluation of EPs by employers are carried out both at the stage of EP development and during their implementation. The employer is involved in the educational process at all stages of the implementation of the EP in order to evaluate and improve their quality: leading practitioners are involved in the educational process as teachers of disciplines and heads of professional practice.

6.7. Monitoring and evaluation of the EP by students are carried out as part of the assessment of the EP using formal (questionnaire) and informal (survey) types of research.

6.8. EP monitoring includes monitoring of student progress and is carried out by the Registrar’s Office based on the results of midterm control, intermediate and final certification.

6.9. Members of the Academic Committees in the areas of personnel training, in order to harmonize the content of the EP with similar EPs of the leading foreign and Kazakhstani OHPEs, analyze the EPs of the OHPE. Based on the results of the analysis, the University concludes cooperation agreements with the OHPE of the near and far abroad.

6.10. Internal technical expertise for compliance with the requirements of the SCS of Higher and Postgraduate Education is carried out by employees of the Office for the Design of Educational Programs.

6.11. After being included in the “Register of Educational Programs of Higher and Postgraduate Education” EPs are examined by experts of the Higher Educational Institution of the CBPaAM MSHE RK. If necessary, appropriate changes are made to the EP Passports. The EP is subject to re-consideration if there are comments and recommendations from experts of the EP HPE at the stage of inclusion/updating in the EP Register.

6.12. The University participates in the external quality assurance procedures of the EP in various formats:

a) institutional and specialized accreditation;

b) institutional OHPE rating and EP rating;

c) certification of the quality management system.

External quality assurance procedures measure the effectiveness of quality assurance processes within the University.

Annual and cyclic revisions of the EP are carried out during the autumn semester of the year following the year of data collection and analysis.

Reports on the results of monitoring of the EP are provided to the Member of the Board-Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, the Academic Council of the University for the revision of curricula, quality assurance, enrollment of students and awarding grants for consideration and decision-making.

In cases of serious issues or the need for revisions, the issues are submitted for consideration by the Academic Council and the Board of the University.

7.1. Recognizing the importance of teaching, clear, transparent and objective criteria for hiring employees, appointments, promotions, and dismissals have been developed. The university follows them in its activities.

7.2. The competencies and qualifications of the teacher must meet the qualification requirements.

7.3. Teaching is carried out by active researchers. All teaching researchers are involved in the improvement of both teaching and EP, strengthening the links between teaching and research.

7.4. Innovative teaching methods and the use of advanced technologies are encouraged. Teachers know the methods of testing and checking the knowledge of students and improving their skills in this area.

7.5. The results of student assessment of the quality of teaching are used to develop the individual competencies of teachers.

7.6. All teachers receive appropriate educational opportunities for professional development and career growth.

7.7. The pedagogical competencies of teachers are monitored and improved through performance reviews and refresher courses.

7.8. Learners regularly evaluate individual learning elements.

7.9. An up-to-date teaching portfolio is used to document the development of researchers as teachers.

7.10. Teaching portfolios are central to recruitment, promotions and professional development reviews.

8.1. The teacher and students work together to develop, provide and improve the quality of the educational experience.

8.2. The composition of the trainees influences the continuous development of learning opportunities. Representatives of students who are members of the Academic Committees for the areas of training, make an important contribution to the work of committees dealing with issues of educational strategy.

8.3. Associations between staff and students are the main platform for interaction at the faculty level.

8.4. A range of issues are discussed from reports from external experts, annual monitoring reports and changes in the EP to practical issues such as the availability of computers and more.

8.5. Academic committees for training areas include student representatives who will liaise between the committees and students of their faculty in order to coordinate the agenda with the student community in advance. Learners are encouraged to provide feedback on learning opportunities through these surveys.

8.6. Representation of students on Academic Committees in areas of training ensures that students work closely with the University administration and academic staff to resolve issues raised and that any action taken is brought to the attention of students.

8.7. Meetings of students with members of the Board of the University, heads of departments of the Department of Academic Affairs, heads of the Registrar’s Office, deans and heads of departments of faculties, and directors of the Al-Farabi Library.

9.1. The role of student support units is especially important for stimulating the mobility of students both within the educational system and between different OHPEs.

9.2. When allocating, planning and providing educational resources, student support units should take into account the needs of different groups of students, including adults, working, international students, as well as students with disabilities, and take into account trends in student-centred learning.

9.3. When providing additional services, the key role belongs to the administration and specialized departments of the University.

The University provides professional staff and opportunities to improve their skills.

9.4. Implementing the principle of student-centered learning, the University provides: 

– respect and attention to different groups of students and their needs, providing flexible learning paths;

– use of various forms of teaching (where appropriate);

– flexible use of a variety of pedagogical methods;

– regular feedback on the techniques and methods used to evaluate and adjust pedagogical methods;

– support for the autonomy of the learner with proper guidance and assistance from the teacher at the same time;

– strengthening mutual respect between the teacher and the student;

– availability of appropriate procedures for responding to student complaints;

– industrial practice includes internships and other types of training according to the program, which the student conducts outside the University to acquire practical experience relevant to his/her training.

9.5. Taking into account the importance of assessing students’ academic performance for their future careers, quality assurance procedures for evaluating learning outcomes should take into account the following:

– evaluators should be proficient in testing methods, other methods of testing students' knowledge and improve their skills in this area;

– evaluation criteria and methods must be published in advance;

– the assessment should demonstrate the level of achievement of students of the planned LO;

– the student should receive feedback, and, if necessary, advice on the learning process;

– where possible, the exam should be conducted by more than one examiner;

– evaluation rules should include consideration of mitigating circumstances;

–  the assessment should be consistent, objective in relation to all students and conducted in accordance with the established rules;

–  A formal appeal procedure should be provided for.