Abstract:
Quality assurance activities that are carried
out in the Sri Lankan university system since 2002
were introduced to the alternative higher education
sector in 2010. External quality assessment reviews of
Higher National Diploma (HND)programme offered
in eleven Advanced Technological Institutes (ATIs)
located in different regions of the country were carried
out to identify the best practices, strengths and
weaknesses and make suitable recommendations to
improve the quality of those programmes. The aspects
reviewed were curriculum design, content and review;
teaching, learning and assessment methods; quality of
students, their progress and achievements; use of
student feedback; peer observation; skills development;
and academic guidance and counseling. The objective
of the present study was to determine whether there
are regional differences among ATIs when best
practices that are in place in different HND
programmes are considered. Best practices identified
by the reviewers in external quality assessment review
reports of HND programmes in Accountancy,
Agriculture, Business administration, English,
Information Technology and Management conducted
in Ampara, Dehiwala, Jaffna, Kandy, Kegalle,
Kurunegala, Labuduwa and Trincomalee ATIs were
analysed using Principal Component Analysis to
determine whether there are regional differences
among ATIs with respect to best practices that are in
place in each programme. Results indicated that the
good practices identified by reviewers in different
HND programmes do not depend on the location of
the ATI, the ethnicity of the majority community and prevalence of deterrent factors such as armed
secessionist conflicts in the area. Differences in the
resources available and the motivation and
dedication of the staff may have contributed to the
differences in the good practices that are in place in
different ATIs.