Criterion 7 – Facilities and Infrastructure
Requirements for AUNQA Criterion 7
| No. | Title | Description |
| 7.1 | Physical resources | The physical resources to deliver the curriculum, including equipment, material, and information technology, are shown to be sufficient. |
| 7.2 | Laboratory and equipment | The laboratories and equipment are shown to be up-to-date, readily available, and effectively deployed. |
| 7.3 | Digital library | A digital library is shown to be set-up, in keeping with progress in information and communication technology. |
| 7.4 | Information technology | The information technology systems are shown to be set up to meet the needs of staff and students. |
| 7.5 | Computer network | The university is shown to provide a highly accessible computer and network infrastructure that enables the campus community to fully exploit information technology for teaching, research, service, and administration. |
| 7.6 | Health and safety | The environmental, health, and safety standards and access for people with special needs are shown to be defined and implemented. |
| 7.7 | Conducive environment | The university is shown to provide a physical, social, and psychological environment that is conducive for education, research, and personal wellbeing. |
| 7.8 | Facility service competences | The competences of the support staff rendering services related to facilities are shown to be identified and evaluated to ensure that their skills remain relevant to stakeholder needs. |
| 7.9 | Facility quality enhancement | The quality of the facilities are shown to be subjected to evaluation and enhancement. |
Diagnostic questions
- Are there sufficient lecture-halls, seminar rooms, laboratories, reading rooms, and computer rooms?
- Do these facilities meet the needs of students and staff?
- Is the library sufficiently equipped for education and research?
- Is the library accessible and within easy reach (location, opening hours)?
- Are there sufficient laboratory facilities?
- Do the laboratories meet the relevant requirements?
- Are sufficient teaching aids and tools available to staff and students?
- What hardware and software are made available to meet the needs of education and research?
- To what extent do the facilities and infrastructure promote or obstruct the delivery of the programme?
- Is the total budget for teaching aids and tools sufficient?
- How are the facilities and infrastructure maintained?
Scoring for TRSU QA
| TRSU QA score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Items showing QA practice | 1-2 item | 3-4 items | 5-6 items | 7-8 items | 8 items + 7.9 |
AUNQA scoring rubrics
A seven-point rating scale used for AUNQA assessment is described below.
1. Absolutely inadequate
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is not implemented.
There are no plans, documents, evidences or results available.
Immediate improvement must be made.
2. Inadequate and improvement is necessary
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is still at its planning stage or is inadequate where improvement is necessary.
There is little document or evidence available.
Performance of the QA practice shows little or poor results.
3. Inadequate but minor improvement will make it adequate
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is defined and implemented but minor improvement is needed to fully meet them. Documents are available but no clear evidence to support that they have been fully used. Performance of the QA practice shows inconsistent or some results.
4. Adequate as expected
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is adequate and evidences support that it has been fully implemented. Performance of the QA practice shows consistent results as expected.
5. Better than adequate
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is better than adequate. Evidence supports that it (the QA practice) has been efficiently implemented. Performance of the QA practice shows good results and positive improvement trend.
6. Example of best practice
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is considered to be example of best practices in the field. Evidences support that it has been effectively implemented.
Performance of QA practice shows very good results and positive improvement trend.
7. Excellent (example of world-class or leading practice)
The QA practice to fulfil the criterion is considered to be excellent or is an example of world-class practices in the field. Evidences support that it has been innovatively implemented.
Performance of the QA practice shows excellent results and outstanding improvement trends.
How to write a response to the criterion requirements
- The response should describe a QA practice that the program do to fulfil the criterion. The QA may be a PDCA (plan-do-check-act) process to ensure the quality, and include documentation, evidence and result of the implementation.
- The response should illustrate clearly what the QA mechanisms or instruments are; when, where, by who, and how they are implemented and managed to fulfil the criteria.
- The response should identify and evaluate problems or issues that are not addressed, and indicate how the problems will be dealt with. The diagnostic questions in each of the criterion requirements may help identify the problems.
- To be concise and factual, the response should focus on information or data (or objective evidence) that directly addresses the criteria, and provide trends and statistics to show achievement and performance.
How the QA practice fulfil the criterion
Quality assurance practice should have QA plan that evaluates and may modify organization’s procedures to ensure that they provide the desired results. It includes documentation for the planning, implementation and assessment procedures for a project, process or any QA activity. To fulfil requirement 1.1 Outcomes formulation, for example, the QA plan should provide information to answer the following questions.
- What procedure does the program use to formulate the expected learning outcomes?
- Is a learning taxonomy used to write the statement of LOs? What taxonomy and how is it used?
- Is the taxonomy used for program or course learning outcomes, or both? Why?
- What are the objectives in terms of the quality of the learning outcomes (e.g. transparency, ease of assessment, the extent of alignment, enabling hierarchy, effectiveness, clarity to the stakeholders)?
- What is the process used to ensure that the quality objectives are met?
- What is a method used to measure the achievement of the quality objectives?
Operational Result
7.1 The physical resources to deliver the curriculum, including equipment, material, and information technology, are shown to be sufficient.
Master of Business Administration is currently self-sufficient with regards to facilities for didactic instructions and research supervision for the program, while the Faculty of Business Administration and St. Teresa International University also offers additional facilities and support. The Program’s own facilities and resources to support the students are as follow:
1) Classrooms: There are 2 classrooms for the coursework sessions. The rooms are equipped with monitors and internet connection of adequate speed. All equipment is monitored and maintenance frequently.
2) Study Rooms and Cubicles for Students: The program also provide group study rooms and individual study cubicles. There are 3 group study rooms and 6 cubicles available at the TRSU library for our students. Beside the small group study room and cubicles, there are two big common/co-working space for the students. Students are entrusted to manage the spaces in the room by themselves. We keep track of the students’ satisfaction through regular facilities and support satisfaction surveys.
7.2 The laboratories and equipment are shown to be up-to-date, readily available, and effectively deployed.
No course in Master of Business Administration involves lab-based research, thus there is no need for research laboratories and equipment. As such, a student’s working area generally consists of the working desk with an adequate electrical outlet and a wireless internet connection, which the program has ensured with IT staff to provide support during official working hours.
7.3 A digital library is shown to be set-up, in keeping with progress in information and communication technology.
Students have full rights to use and borrow books from the library and Learning Resources Center. The Library also has online services including e-books, e-journals, e-databases, and query services for educational support. The books and articles in the library are adequate and updated to support education and research for students The program maintains a collection of alumni’s theses and proposals in soft and hard copies, which students can borrow.
We provide students with the recommended reading list during orientation. Faculty members in the program also provide relevant reading materials list to support the coursework and thesis writing. Nearly all of which are available via physical library and e-resources.
7.4 The information technology systems are shown to be set up to meet the needs of staff and students.
Internet access is available 24 hrs.
IT staff are responsible for monitoring IT facilities usage, IT facilities satisfaction survey and report to the curriculum committee at least once a year. Budgets for facilities and infrastructures are planned at the beginning of the fiscal year, and the budget use will be considered by the head of the program according to budget estimation and also submitted to the Faculty of Business.
Students and staff remarked that the WiFi connection speed slowed down when there was a high number of users. We have made modifications to improve the WiFi signal strengths and eliminate blind spots. We keep track of the satisfaction with the IT services with a survey.
According to the latest student survey, the current batch of students deemed that the existing IT facilities and infrastructures to be adequate. IT staff of the department are supporting the needs in setting up the courses on google classroom.
Students can access the Management Information System (MIS) for searching the information about the TRSU and their study such as registration status, study results, tuition fee payment, attendance, academic calendar, activities, announcements, the important forms etc.
7.5 The university is shown to provide a highly accessible computer and network infrastructure that enables the campus community to fully exploit information technology for teaching, research, service, and administration.
IT staff set up the network infrastructure to fully utilize the facilities supplied by the Faculty and the TRSU for teaching, research, service, and administration. The budget for computer and network infrastructure is allocated and proposed by the head of the program and submitted to the Faculty. All equipment is maintained and upgraded frequently by the IT staff.
7.6 The environmental, health, and safety standards and access for people with special needs are shown to be defined and implemented.
Description of our environments and practice guidelines for special needs are documented and handed over to the students on the first day of orientation. This includes safety, hygiene, etiquettes, and insurance. General safety and security measures explained to students include the issue of staying outside after 10 pm (dorm residence), key card and passwords, hacking of the computer systems and the personal credit card, traveling between the dormitory and the classroom, and traveling in Thailand. Any important event shall be reported to the program committee to solve the current and prevent future problems.
There is a fire exit plan, and the fire drills are practiced periodically. We will also give students a briefing on fire during orientation prior to the start of classes. In addition, the Master of Business Administration Program also asks students and staff to be vigilant of any sign of pest infestation.
During the orientation session, students are briefed on physical and mental healthcare and well-being during their time at TRSU. In case of physical illness, students are referred to SWU Hospital with the help of university staff. We also provide students with information on counseling services during the orientation session. Master of Business Administration staff and administrators maintain a log of incidents concerning the health and safety of students and staff and are reviewed during regular meeting, and contingency plans and future recommendations are discussed and recorded.
7.7 The university is shown to provide a physical, social, and psychological environment that is conducive for education, research, and personal wellbeing.
The St. Teresa International University and the Faculty of Business Administration provides sport complex, fitness, and recreation facilities for all students.
Students who need medical treatment are provided with treatment and medical care as needed. Psychological supports are provided as needed. Student service support staff always accompany foreigner students to the SWU hospital for translation and services. Student’s well-being is also concerned and assessed at the department level.
There are many dormitories for our students in the campus that students can select. The students support staff normally provide the list of the dormitories and all information related to the dormitories to students and help them to book the dormitory before arrival at the TRSU.
For the canteens in the campus, there are several choices for the students. The students can choose main canteen at the campus or small facilities around the campus that serve different verities of food which are composed of halal and other foods. University controls the quality of food provided at the canteen.
7.8 The competences of the support staff rendering services related to facilities are shown to be identified and evaluated to ensure that their skills remain relevant to stakeholder needs.
The competencies of IT and the support staff are documented and regularly evaluated by peers according to the regulations of the Faculty. All trainings for improving IT staff skills are highly supported by the Dean of the faculty and the University. All support staff certainly understand that they are responsible to support academic staff in terms of education, research, and services of the program relevant to the stakeholders’ needs.
The training needs committee that consists of the Heads of the Programs, academic staff and the personnel officer always conduct the support staff meeting at least once a year for collecting feedback and training needs from support staff. After the meeting, the training plan is approved and announced to all support staff.
7.9 The quality of the facilities (library, laboratory, IT, and student services) are shown to be subjected to evaluation and enhancement.
The support services to students in the program and enhancement after evaluation are summarized as listed:
(1) Support staff
Quantity and quality of academic support services to the students of our program are evaluated. The program has 1 support staff who facilitate and support the students from enrollment, during the study in academic and personal issues, and at graduation.
(2) IT staff and facilities
More advanced IT facilities have been installed to be used efficiently by more staff and students. Our program (together with the faculty) has 2 IT staff who help in facilitating the students and staff for IT purposes. Database of IT users is recorded, and feedback of user problems is available. In order to assess the IT staff’s performance, we will ask our IT staff to maintain a log of requested and completed work orders. We encountered some internet traffic congestions and loss of connection for sometimes due to the heavy load during online meetings. We tried to adapt some offline methods such as emails and e-learning modules to resolve the issue of too much bandwidth need.
Students are also requested to fill out the IT facilities satisfaction survey to suggest rooms for improvement for IT.
Evidence
| ID_Evidence | Name_Evidence |
| 7.1-1 | Group study room and cubicles |
| 7.2-1 | Individual study cubicles |
| 7.3-1 | e-Library |
| 7.4-1 | IT system |
| 7.5-1 | Language Lab |
| 7.5-1a | Computer Lab |
| 7.6-1 | Student orientation handbook |
| 7.7-1 | Facilities |
| 7.7-1a | Sport facilities(Golf) |
| 7.8-1 | Competence of support staff |
| 7.9-1 | Student satisfaction survey (facilities) |
| 7.9-2 | Faculty member satisfaction survey |
Self-Assessment
| Requirements | Result | Score |
| 7.1 The physical resources to deliver the curriculum, including equipment, material, and information technology, are shown to be sufficient. | / | 1 |
| 7.9 The quality of the facilities are shown to be subjected to evaluation and enhancement. | / | |
| 7.2 The laboratories and equipment are shown to be up-to-date, readily available, and effectively deployed. | / | 1 |
| 7.3 A digital library is shown to be set-up, in keeping with progress in information and communication technology. | / | |
| 7.4 The information technology systems are shown to be set up to meet the needs of staff and students. | / | 1 |
| 7.5 The university is shown to provide a highly accessible computer and network infrastructure that enables the campus community to fully exploit information technology for teaching, research, service, and administration. | / | |
| 7.6 The environmental, health, and safety standards and access for people with special needs are shown to be defined and implemented. | / | 1 |
| 7.7 The university is shown to provide a physical, social, and psychological environment that is conducive for education, research, and personal wellbeing. | / | |
| 7.8 The competences of the support staff rendering services related to facilities are shown to be identified and evaluated to ensure that their skills remain relevant to stakeholder needs. | / | 1 |
| Overall | 5 | |