Quality assurance in higher education is the holistic and continuous process of ensuring that all stakeholders, students being foremost among them, are served according to expected quality standards. The Engineering Faculty Quality Assurance Cell (EFQAC) of the University of Moratuwa is committed to ensure and enhance the quality of the undergraduate academic programs of the Engineering Faculty. Currently, the Faculty of Engineering conducts thirteen degree programs: ten engineering degrees, a degree in transport and logistics management, and a degree in fashion design & product development. Engineering degree programs are accredited by IESL (Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka) in accordance with the Washington Accord. Each degree program is regularly reviewed by an experienced academic from a reputed foreign university every four years to ensure adherence to international standards.
The Director of the EFQAC is appointed by the Vice-Chancellor for a period of three years. The Director works on part-time basis and reports to the Dean of the Faculty and the Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Unit (IQAU). The Director is a member of the University’s IQAU management committee which meets every 2nd working Thursday of a month, where the Director reports faculty level QA activities to the IQAU which in turn reports to the Senate. The Director is an invited member of the Senate. A Management Assistant who works on full-time basis is stationed at a dedicated office space, located on Level 1 of the Sumanadasa Building.
The Faculty has a Quality Assurance Committee chaired by the Director and consisting of thirteen Quality Assurance Coordinators representing the different departments/undergraduate programs of the Faculty. The Senior Assistant Registrar of the Faculty serves as the convener. The QA Committee meeting, scheduled to take place on the 3rd working Thursday of every month at 11:25 AM at the Engineering Faculty Boardroom, is a regular meeting in the Faculty calendar. The agenda for the meeting covers the full spectrum of quality assurance activities of the Faculty. The QA Committee serves as a medium to share best-practices in the different departments and provides a critical review of the effectiveness of existing QA procedures and makes necessary improvements.
In recognition of the importance of being informed of the progress of QA activities in the Faculty a dedicated agenda item has been allocated for quality assurance in the Faculty Board Meeting. The QAC produces comprehensive reports covering all major QA activities of the Faculty which are submitted to the Senate via the Faculty Board and the IQAU with the aim of continuously enhancing the quality. Through acting as an interface in core quality assurance activities of the University and proposing broad quality assurance policies the EFQAC continues to play a vital role in the improvement and sustenance of the quality of the academic programs of the Faculty of Engineering.