Application Process
Membership application process consists of 5 steps. The flow chart below shows the process.
Step 1: The applicant (potential QAAs or HEIs) submitted the expression of interest (EoI) to APQN Secretariat.
Step 2: The Secretariat verifies that the request for membership complies with either of the conditions mentioned in Clauses 12.1–12.4 and makes a recommendation about membership category.
Step 3: The applicant (potential QAAs or HEIs) fill in the applications and submitted to the Secretariat. The Membership Committee reviews the application.
Step 4: The application is then reviewed by APQN Board which has the right to ask additional questions when the information provided by the applicant is not clear.
Step 5: The Board decides if the application fulfills the membership criteria in the Constitution. The Secretary acts as a convener for the Board and communicates the decision of the Board to the applicant. In case of a negative decision the communication is limited to the message that the applicant did not fulfill the membership criteria stipulated in the Constitution.
Application Criteria
There are 8 membership criteria. See table below
Table: The membership criteria
Criteria | Examples of documentation |
1.Nature of the operations of the organization | The organization is responsible for reviews at institutional or programme level of post-secondary education institutions or post-secondary quality assurance organizations |
2.Mission statement and objectives | The organization has formulated a mission statement and objectives which are consistent with the nature of the organization |
3.Organization staff numbers profile roles | The profile of the staff is consistent with the Mission Statement |
4.Profile of reviewers | The profile of the reviewers is consistent with the Mission Statement |
5.Independence | The judgments and recommendations of the organization’s reports cannot be changed by third parties |
6.Resources | The organization has sufficient resources to run its operations in accordance with its mission statement and objectives |
7.External quality assurance criteria and processes | The description of the processes and criteria applied should be transparent and publicly available and normally include: self-evaluation, site visit, public report and follow-up measure |
8.Quality assurance | The organization has quality assurance measures in place and is subject to occasional review |
(available at http://www.apqn.org/membership/criteria/)
Those within the APQN region who satisfy the membership criteria referred to Clauses 12.1–12.4 of APQN Constitution, are accepted as members of APQN on completion of the online “Membership Application” (available at www.apqn.org/membership/application/)