UM Culminates 400th AUNQA Program Assessment

After local accreditation (PACUCOA), ISO, ISA, COE, COD, PTC, PICAB, and PQA Level 4, UM goes to the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance (AUNQA) for international certification. The University of Mindanao just culminated the 400th AUNQA Program Assessment last August 13-15, 2024. The four programs visited and assessed by AUNQA foreign assessors included the BS Criminology (BSCrim) of the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE); BS Hospitality Management (BSHM) of the College of Hospitality Education (CHE); BS in Information Technology (BSIT) of the College of Computing Education (CCE); and Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) of the College of Teacher Education. These four programs belong to the most advanced programs in the university, all with Level 4 PACUCOA accreditation, CHED-COD and COE, and Seoul Accord-recognized program.

In pursuit of the university's global engagement vision, the AUN-QA brings the university to a higher level of international certification for all its academic programs. AUN-QA is an association of universities in ASEAN pursuing global academic standards and quality assurance among member-countries. Its institutional and program-level assessment grants a seal of global excellence among certified universities and programs.

The AUNQA Program Assessment consists of eight criteria that a school needs to qualify: Expected Learning Outcomes (Criterion 1); Program Structure and Content (Criterion 2); Teaching & Learning Approach (Criterion 3); Student Assessment (Criterion 4); Academic Staff (Criterion 5); Student Support Services (Criterion 6); Facilities and Infrastructure (Criterion 7) and Output & Outcomes (Criterion 8).

If a school is AUNQA-certified at the program and institutional levels, it is accorded the Seal of Excellence globally, specifically in ASEAN member countries. The certification follows a set of global standards where all schools and academic programs are assessed and evaluated in terms of program and institutional performance. As the AUNQA is the higher step for internationalization in pursuit of its global engagement vision, the university has set aside the necessary resources to apply for program assessment every year with eight programs every time. This will be followed suit with institutional assessment after most academic programs are certified by the AUNQA.