MCG is a well established provider of management and IT training services. Since 1979 we have been committed to providing the best possible environment for education and training.

Until 2000, MCG worked for 8 years in association with one of the largest universities in England. It is a mandatory requirement for all UK universities to be assessed for quality by the U.K. Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education. Organisations working in association with UK universities, are included in the assessment. The former collaborative partnership between Sheffield Hallam University and MCG was audited in respect of the University’s International MBA Programme by distance learning and we are delighted to quote from the resultant QAA report that “ the partnership between the University and MCG had been soundly established” and the administration of the programme was “commended as a model of good practice.”

The full QAA report – Reference Report No. IRD549, ISBN 1 85824 394 7 – is available on the QAA web site through ---here---

AUDITED COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP

The following information is taken from literature produced by QAA and is presented in accordance with guidelines and recommendations in relation to the reproduction of material and reports produced by them.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is a body, established and funded by UK universities and colleges, acting collectively to provide assurance to institutions, students, professional bodies and the wider public generally, of the effectiveness of academic quality systems operated by UK higher education institutions. It has two principal functions: quality assurance and quality enhancement. Quality assurance is principally undertaken through organised external academic quality audits of all universities and colleges offering programmes of higher education. Quality enhancement assists and supports institutions in the further improvement of their assurance arrangements by identifying, developing and disseminating good practice.

UK higher education universities and colleges, are subject to academic quality audits conducted by QAA. These audits or assessments are periodic enquiries into how the UK higher education institutions discharge their obligation to provide high quality education for all their students, wherever and however programmes are delivered, and how institutions safeguard the academic standards they seek to uphold.

Academic audits are undertaken by senior academic staff seconded to QAA, co-ordinated by a QAA permanent staff member who accompanies the team on its visits to the institutions concerned, and their overseas associates. All audit reports on individual institutions are published and are available to any party who may wish to review their content and conclusions.

Sheffield Hallam University were quality audited during October 1997 in respect of the collaborative provision for the International MBA Programme by distance learning in the Gulf. This included interviews in Bahrain with associate Management Consultancy Group (MCG), students, mentors and corporate clients.

The following points are extracts from the Final Report which reflect MCG’s position and refer to their involvement in the programme.

The complete Final Report is available to the public through ---here---

" ACADEMIC CONTROL-QAA acknowledge that Sheffield Hallam University retains all academic control of the MBA Programme and that their association with MCG is for the provision of non-academic assistance in the fields of marketing and logistic support.

STUDENT SATISFACTION- QAA reported that students expressed satisfaction with the level and nature of the information provided by both the University and MCG. In addition, students reported that the staff of MCG and the Local Mentors provided a rapid and highly satisfactory service.

In general, students expressed satisfaction with their experience of the MBA programme. In certain respects, for example the provision of residential units, the students were particularly appreciative of the University’s arrangements.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE - The audit team acknowledge that new initiatives were being introduced to improve the student experience, such as a networking system specifically designed to encourage contact between students for the exchange of ideas and general peer support.

LOCAL MENTORS-The audit team commended as good practice, the Local Mentor system as it was designed not only to support students but also to provide continual and informed feedback on the programme.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL- QAA agreed that the promotional material associated with this MBA programme prepared by the University and MCG was informative, succinct and accurate and commended this aspect of the partnership.

PARTNERSHIP - QAA acknowledge that the partnership between the University and MCG had been soundly established and that the administration of the programme, with evidence of efficient communication, was important in ensuring that it was managed to a high standard. A particular feature of the link was the careful control over the promotion of the MBA which the audit team commended “as a model of good practice."

EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT - The team further acknowledge that the programme clearly benefited from the active approach of staff at MCG who not only efficiently manage the programme but also contribute significantly to its development.

QAA CONCLUSIONS AND POINTS FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

57. The partnership between the University and MCG in Bahrain has been soundly established. The MBA programme was the subject of careful validation and approval procedures and, in operation, is generally providing an experience for its registered students which is meeting University objectives. In respect of the administration of the programme, the evident efficient communication between the two partners is important in ensuring that it is managed to a high standard. A particular feature of the link is the careful control over the promotion of the MBA in Bahrain which can be commended as a model of good practice.

58. There remains room, however, for improvement in some aspects of provision, such as the opportunities afforded for student evaluation and the regularising of the position of local tutors. It would also enhance the programme if the University’s own stated requirements concerning the timely turnaround of assessments and student contact with tutors at the University were met.

59. In terms of the general development of the University’s distance learning programmes, the work of the Outreach Office and its successor, the Quality Office, has created a sound institutional context in which the quality assurance of such provision can be maintained and enhanced. More specifically, the MBA programme clearly benefits from the active approach of staff at MCG who are not only efficiently managing the programme in Bahrain but are also contributing significantly to its development. As such, there is clearly the potential for even further enhancement of this link to the benefit of both partners and to the students for whom they provide."