Measuring the gap in applying academic accreditation standards for a sample of Iraqi colleges of administration and economics/a case study in the Department of Business Administration at Al-Nisour University College

Abstract

     The research encompasses the variable of academic accreditation through its dimensions (message and impact, innovation, the impact of scientific contributions and their alignment with the message, financial strategies and resource allocation, student admission and graduation, adequacy of faculty members and their distribution, management and support of faculty members, adequacy and distribution of specialized academic staff, curriculum management and ensuring learning, curriculum content, interaction between students and faculty members, program levels and structure, teaching effectiveness, scientific and professional participation of students, executive education, qualifications of faculty members, and their contributions). The study sheds light on the academic accreditation system as one of the important and principal systems enabling the management of programs and activities in higher education institutions. The research aims to measure the gap between the reality of the Business Administration Department at Eagles University (the research sample) and what it should be in light of the requirements of the academic accreditation dimensions for Iraqi colleges of management and economics. The research community is represented by Eagles University, while the research sample is the Business Administration Department. The case study method was adopted, using a checklist to collect necessary data and reviewing documents related to the college. Personal interviews were conducted with employees in the Quality and Academic Accreditation Department. After analyzing the collected data using arithmetic mean and percentage measures selected to identify the gap for the purpose of understanding the feasibility of applying academic accreditation standards for the accreditation of management and economics colleges in Iraq, the research concluded that it is possible to apply national standards for academic accreditation for management and economics colleges in Iraq because these standards are tailored to our Iraqi environment and are suitable for the conditions of Iraqi universities. However, there are difficulties in applying these standards due to centralized decision-making, delays in approvals, and continuous preoccupation of senior management and relevant stakeholders.

The research concludes with a set of recommendations, with a focus on continuing to apply national standards for accrediting management and economics colleges in the researched sample. It emphasizes prioritizing them due to their impact on the quality of education, along with facilitating decision-making by administrations and obtaining approvals for the ease and speed of continuing work to meet the requirements of academic accreditation.