Quality Enhancement Cell

1. The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) at NWSM was established in 2018 as per the directives of Khyber Medical University (KMU). Following KMU’s decision to extend its quality assurance network to affiliated colleges, NWSM integrated QEC as a permanent and independent section under its regular budget.
2. The primary objective of QEC is to enhance and sustain the standards of education and institutional performance in line with the national framework for quality medical education.
3. QEC’s core responsibilities include the assessment and evaluation of academic programs, faculty performance, and institutional policies, followed by constructive recommendations for continuous enhancement.
4. QEC is actively engaged in developing systems for feedback collection, monitoring, and review, ensuring that decisions are data-driven and improvement-oriented.

Vision

To establish a culture of continuous quality improvement in medical education, research, and institutional governance, ensuring that NWSM attains excellence and recognition as a leading center of medical education and innovation at the national and international level.

Mission

• Develop and sustain a comprehensive quality assurance framework that ensures academic and administrative excellence.
• Foster an environment of accountability, integrity, and innovation in teaching, learning, and research.
• Promote evidence-based evaluation and continuous professional development among faculty and staff.
• Strengthen collaboration with KMU, PMDC, and other regulatory bodies to align institutional practices with recognized standards.

Core Values

• Integrity: Upholding honesty, fairness, and transparency in all quality assurance activities.
• Commitment: Striving for excellence and continuous improvement in all institutional functions.
• Accountability: Ensuring responsibility and ownership at every level of academic and administrative work.
• Innovation: Encouraging creative and effective methods to enhance quality education and research.
• Collaboration: Promoting teamwork and partnership within departments and with external quality bodies.

Core Aim

The Quality Enhancement Cell of NWSM is committed to fostering a sustainable quality culture that enhances academic standards, research integrity, and institutional performance. Through systematic evaluations, constructive feedback, and evidence-based decision-making, QEC strives to uphold the vision of Northwest School of Medicine as a leading institution dedicated to excellence in medical education and healthcare.

NWSM Quality Plan

• Evaluation of teachers, students, courses, and the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) at regular intervals.
• Conducting workshops, training sessions, and seminars on academic quality, research ethics, and institutional development.
• Preparation and submission of Self-Assessment Reports (SARs) for all academic programs in coordination with department heads.
• Compilation and dissemination of quality assessment summaries to relevant stakeholders.
• Implementation and follow-up of recommendations derived from evaluations and SAR reports.
• Continuous monitoring of improvements to ensure sustained quality enhancement.

NWSM Quality Policy

• The QEC Section at NWSM serves as the institutional representative body for ensuring the implementation of quality assurance processes.
• Periodic evaluations of teaching, learning, courses, and VLE are conducted according to defined schedules.
• Feedback from students, faculty, and alumni is collected confidentially and shared with relevant authorities for improvement measures.
• All QEC processes are executed with integrity, objectivity, and confidentiality.
• Faculty research activities and publications are reported to QEC for institutional ranking, quality tracking, and nomination for the Best Researcher Award.
• Cases of research misconduct or academic irregularities are handled in accordance with institutional policy, under the supervision of the Research and Ethics Committee, which holds final decision-making authority.

Organizational Structure of QEC

• Patron: Principal, Northwest School of Medicine
• Director QEC / Manager QEC: Responsible for overall planning, implementation, and monitoring of quality assurance activities.
• Assistant Manager QEC: Supports QEC operations including data collection, report compilation, and follow-up actions.
• Departmental QEC Coordinators: Faculty representatives from each department PT & AT members ensuring smooth communication and compliance with QEC requirements.
• Administrative Support Staff: Responsible for documentation, logistics, and coordination of QEC activities, Officers & Coordinators.

• The Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) is to be headed by a Dean/Director reporting directly to Vice Chancellor/Rector. He is to be the correspondent with the outside bodies.
• QEC is responsible for promoting public confidence that the quality and standards of the award of degrees are enhanced and safeguarded.
• QEC is responsible for the review of quality standards and the quality of teaching and learning in each subject area.
• QEC is responsible for the review of academic affiliations with other institutions in terms of effective management of standards and quality of programs.
• QEC is responsible for defining clear and explicit standards as points of reference to the reviews to be carried out. It should also help the employees to know as to what they could expect from candidates.
• QEC is responsible to develop qualifications framework by setting out the attributes and abilities that can be expected from the holder of a qualification, i.e. Bachelors, Bachelor with Honors, Master’s, M. Phil., Doctoral.
• QEC is responsible to develop program specifications. These are standard set of information clarifying what knowledge, understanding, skills and other attributes a student will have developed on successfully completing a specific program.
• QEC is responsible to develop quality assurance processes and methods of evaluation to affirm that the quality of provision and the standard of awards are being maintained and to foster curriculum, subject and staff development, together with research and other scholarly activities.
• QEC is responsible to ensure that the university’s quality assurance procedures are designed to fit in with the arrangements in place nationally for maintaining and improving the quality of Higher Education.

Feedback

A Series of Workshops for NWSM faculty under Faculty Development Program

 

 

Webinars/Meetings/Trainings

Seminars on ‘The Mechanism of Student Feedback and Evaluation’

• QEC-NWSM organized seminars on 31st Jan 2024 and 18th Dec 2023, with 1st and 2nd year students, respectively. Students were oriented on the feedback mechanism to effectively communicate their perspectives on the educational experience using prescribed proformas. Dr. Neelum Ali, focal person for QEC, NWSM, familiarized students with logging in using their IDs to access the designated feedback forms on VLE.
  By equipping students with the knowledge to communicate their perspectives, NWSM aims to foster a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in medical education.

• QEC-NWSM organized a meeting with the Assessment Team on 4th July 2023, an Exit Meeting occurred where the Assessment Team shared their observations and findings according to the HEC format to QEC-NWSM. Prof. Dr. Shafiq Ur Rehman, Advisor Quality Assurance, Higher Education Department, Govt. of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Prof. Dr. Niaz Muhammad, Kabir Medical College, Peshawar participated as External Evaluators. The Assessment Team recognized several strengths of the MBBS Program and expressed appreciation for the college

1st Meeting on Laboratory Manuals

• QEC-NWSM has arranged a meeting regarding the review and check of Laboratory Manuals on 2^nd June, 2023 at Principal Secretariat. The purpose of this meeting was to ensure the quality and effectiveness of our laboratory manuals and make necessary revisions.Prof. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman discussedthe current laboratory manuals and identified the areas for improvement. He suggested that the Laboratory Manuals should be available online and requested the faculty to prepare and upload Laboratory Manuals on VLE so that the students receive the best possible practical education.

2nd Meeting on Laboratory Manuals Uploading to Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

• QEC-NWSM has arranged a meeting about the reviewand uploading of Laboratory Manuals to Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) on 9^th June 2023, under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman. This meeting wasarranged to ensure the quality of laboratory manuals and their availability to students through VLE. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman discussed the content and process for uploading laboratory manuals to the VLE to enhance the learning experience for students

3 consecutive tutorial sessions on “Self-Assessment Report Writing”

• Self-Assessment is the major tool to assess, improve and promote quality of learning and education and ensure high academic standards. In this connection, QEC-NWSM has conducted a Tutorial Session on ‘Self-Assessment Report (SAR) Writing’ with the program team members and HoDs of different departments on 26th of May 2023, at the Principal Secretariat. Criterion 5, 7 & 8 of the SAR were finalized by Prof. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman Principal-NWSM and were submitted to the QEC by the corresponding program team member.

• A tutorial session was arranged by QEC-NWSM for the Program Team members, held on 25th of May 2023, at Principal Secretariat. Relevant data on faculty, students, libraries, laboratories and infrastructure were collected and compiled by the participants during the session. Prof. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman discussed and reviewed various components (Criterions 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8) of the Self-Assessment Report.

• A tutorial session was organized by Dr. Neelum Ali, Focal person QEC-NWSM for the Program Team members to prepare the SAR by responding to each criterion/standard given in the Self-Assessment Manual and integrating the collected information/data. The session was held on 24th of May 2023, under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman at the Principal Secretariat.

A Seminar on “Role of QEC in undergrad Medical School”

• QEC-NWSM has conducted a seminar on the “Role of QEC in undergrad Medical School” on 18th May 2023, at Principal Secretariat with the Basic and Clinical Sciences faculty.
  Dr. Shazia Sadaf was the resource person for the seminar. She addressed participants of the seminar that Brightspace VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) is a robust online learning management system developed by D2L, designed to facilitate and manage online courses and training programs. She focused on course management, content creation and delivery, communication and collaboration tools, assessment and feedback mechanisms, personalization and adaptive learning capabilities, as well as analytics, reporting functionalities, and reinforcement of student concepts at the educational institute. She emphasized the development of curriculum, planning, and rubric planning before the academic commences. She also added different features on Brightspace which were student and faculty friendly.
  She also emphasized mandatory training for the faculty on IT skills and talked about the academic features of Brightspace which works for counseling cells for the students. She shared the functions of the digital library linked with students and faculty ID’s.
  In the seminar, Northwest shared its learning management system and features with the resource person which she appreciated and give some commendable remarks on such progress.

2 consecutive tutorial sessions on “Self-Assessment Report Writing”

• QEC-NWSM has arranged Tutorial Sessions on ‘Self-Assessment Report (SAR) Writing’ to facilitate Program Team members on 9th & 19th of May 2023 at Principal Secretariat. Prof. Dr. Noor-ul-Iman Principal-NWSM, chaired the sessions and briefed participants on how to appropriately deal with each criterion of the SAR. Program Team members from Basic & Clinical Sciences attended the tutorial sessions.

• QEC Meeting
  

  A meeting was organized by QEC-KMU with Deans/Principals/Directorsof all affiliated colleges under the chairmanship of Vice ChancellorKMU, on February 08, 2023 at 11:00 am.

  Dr. Bilqis Hassan (DME) and Dr. Neelum Ali (Focal person QEC) attended and fully participated in the meeting along with the Deans, Directors, Principals, Focal persons and faculty members from all the affiliated (public and private) colleges of KMU. Director QEC-KMU Dr. Asiya Bukhari discussed the ‘Targets accomplished by the affiliated colleges/institutes for the year 2022 and Targets set for the year 2023 for QECs of affiliated colleges/institutes’ in detail.

  Vice-Chancellor KMU Prof. Dr. Zia-Ul-Haq said that more than two hundred affiliated institutes of KMU are part of our existence and raising their overall quality is our top priority. He said that the purpose of today’s meeting is to establish a quality enhancement cell in all affiliated institutions as well as to provide guidance regarding international standards of quality in all sectors. He further discussed that the common goal of all of us is to prepare the best medical personnel by providing quality medical education in the province, which will result in revolutionary changes in the health delivery system. 

  In the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor and Director QEC answered the various questions of the participants and assured them that all possible guidance and support will be provided by the KMU for Best Quality Practices.

• Orientation 
  Orientation sessions were organized for MBBS 2^nd Year and 1^st year students by QEC, NWSM under Quality & Patient Safety Program (QPSP) on 2^nd and 24^th January 2023, respectively, followed by Assessment and Feedback.Resource Persons of the session were Dr. Neelum Ali, Rida Iftikhar, Mr. Rehmat Ali and Mr. Mubassir Khan.

• QPSP/OHS&E Trainings

  QPSP/OHS&E Trainings for MBBS 1^st Year and 3^rd Year students by QEC, NWSM under Quality & Patient Safety Program (QPSP) on 26^th and 27^th January 2023, respectively, followed by Assessment and Feedback.

The Resource Persons of the session were Ms. Rida Iftikhar/Fakhria, and Mr. Imdadullah.

Students were oriented on:

• • International Patient Safety Goals (IPSGs)
  • Hospital Waste Management
  • Fire and Safety
  • Emergency Preparedness and Evacuation
  • Deep Cleaning
  • Donning and Doffing of PPEs
  • Spill Kit and CSSD

• QEC-NWSM organized a meeting/training session for HoDs on ‘ISO Certification and Requirements’, held on 14 November, 2022 at Principal Secretariat, NWSM to facilitate and discuss ISO Certification and documentation management to meet ISO requirements.

• QEC officials, the Infection Control Team and Director Lab attended a Webinar on “Northwest laboratory related Hospital Acquired Infection and role of Microbiologist” delivered by IFC consultant Dr. Manuel Salvador on 1 September, 2022 from 9:30 pm-11 pm.

• QEC officials, infection control team and Director lab attended a Webinar on “Northwest laboratory related Hospital Acquired Infection” delivered by IFC consultant Dr. Manuel Salvador on 10 August, 2022 from 9:30 pm-11 pm

• QEC officials and the Infection Control Team attended a Webinar on “Hospital Acquired Infections” delivered by IFC consultant Dr. Joseph on 27July, 2022 from 2:30pm-4:30pm

• QEC officials attended a Webinar on “Patient Safety and Incident Management” delivered by IFC consultant Dr. Ajibike on 6 July, 2022 from 1pm-6pm.

• QEC officials attended a meeting at Khyber Medical University (KMU) on 25 November, 2021 to discuss QEC Activity Calendar/ Targets QEC/ HEC for Year 2021-22.

Membership:

Pakistan Network of Quality Assurance in Higher Education is intended to provide a platform to QECs of Pakistani HEIs in 170 Universities. Northwest School of Medicine (NWSM) is a now a FULL MEMBER of PNQAHE. Through this membership, NWSM aspires to collaborate and connect with QECs of Pakistani HEIs in member universities/colleges.

For details please click the below link:

• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12gt7OcUxO6AIcBXg7fyG4HpY0flJvQGm-5aXFrFGJn8/edit#gid=543771803