Academic Quality Unit

Academic quality assurance at the National University of Samoa is central to its role as a provider of tertiary education and training. Accordingly, the National University of Samoa is committed to improving the quality of the education and training services it offers to an increasingly expanding student body.

The NUS acknowledges that stakeholders will differ on their definition of what constitutes a quality university education. NUS stakeholders include:

a)      Students: as the main recipient or client of NUS services through the fees they pay or scholarships they are awarded, their feedback and suggestions are critical to quality improvement of their learning experience;

b)      Staff: without whom service provision by the NUS would fail, their commitment and quality is critical to providing a high quality learning experience for students;

c)      Employers and Community: as the main users of the attributes developed by graduates throughout their time at NUS, their input is needed through advice on our programmes and courses, and feedback on the performance of our graduates in the workplace and community;

d)      Government of Samoa: as the main financing agent for the university, their priorities and strategic direction influence the NUS strategic direction.

Definition of Quality

The National University of Samoa takes a pragmatic approach to the concept of quality, and defines quality university education as university education and training which:

a)       Consists of:

o   Effective and sufficient inputs (student attributes, curriculum,  staff attributes, physical & learning resources,  student support services, research, governance)

o   Effective and efficient processes (pedagogy/andragogy, assessment, student engagement, staff professional development, faculty management); and which

b)      Results in:

o    Desired outputs (student results, graduate attributes, graduate competencies);  and

o    Desired outcomes (graduate employment and career progression, contribution to society and national development).