IQR Case Study: A View from Macao
Connie Loi, Vice-Rector, Macao University of Tourism
Macao University of Tourism (UTM) is nestled in Macao, a city with a truly tourism-driven economy on the southeastern coast of China. We’re the only public higher education institution (HEI) solely dedicated to the provision of hospitality and tourism-related education in Macao, and so we (and Macao itself) have a vested interest in delivering quality education. For us, securing global accreditation from a reputable quality assurance agency such as the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) was one of the best ways to achieve the level of quality we want.
UTM has developed a strong network in Europe, partially attributable to Macao’s history, and this led us to choose a quality assurance agency that has a high standing both in Europe and internationally. Being an observer of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN), we knew that QAA would have a sound knowledge of the way higher education operates in this part of the world.
As a result, we went through QAA’s International Quality Review, and were proud to be the first HEI in the world to successfully complete the process in 2017 and be renewed in 2022. We also received international accreditation for successfully completing the IQR. The entire process was smooth and transparent, following a set of clear guidelines.
UTM is ranked as one of the best higher education institutions worldwide in tourism and hospitality. Over the years, it has grown into a comprehensive higher education institution - offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programmes with enhanced teaching and research expertise, and introducing new programmes to nurture high-calibre education in order to meet the industry needs in the region. Moreover, UTM has achieved a prominent position in QS World University Rankings by Subjects throughout the years. In 2023, UTM ranked as 10th in the world, and first in Asia and Macao, in the field of hospitality and leisure management studies. Additionally, in the newly-released 2023 ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, the ranking of UTM has achieved a significant rise to 42nd globally in the subject 'Hospitality and Tourism Management'.
What are the benefits of IQR and International Accreditation?
It will be different for everyone, of course, but we are very much motivated by the best practices identified in the IQR report; in particular to those pertaining to our interactive relationship with industry partners, effective organisation of internships, and the high-level of student engagement in our quality assurance process. At the same time, we have received useful suggestions for areas which can be enhanced.
In summary, International Quality Review provided us with a guided journey to self-evaluation, bringing the following benefits:
- Identification of our strengths and weaknesses by external experts
- Help to ensure the right resources are in place for continuous improvement
- Enhanced reputation, competitiveness and global image
- Assurance to students and parents that the programmes offered meet international academic standards, giving added confidence.
These benefits are pivotal to the long-term development of any HEI. In the case of UTM, we can further expand our network, both locally and internationally, as our institution’s reputation, competitiveness and global image have been endorsed by a globally-recognised quality agency. UTM currently has 113 non-local partners spread across 34 countries and regions, six of which are in the UK.
As UTM moves towards a new milestone, marked by the launch of postgraduate programmes and the recently revised Institute Charter, we will continue to honour our mission statement of becoming an 'international tertiary institution of choice for tourism and service industry studies' by seeking global accreditation and quality assurance for both new and existing programmes. After all, quality is at the heart of education and it should not only be performed, but also be assured.