QA Handbook

Chapter One: Introduction

This handbook gives all regulation and information about the quality assurance at Knowledge University (KNU). KNU following the standard to assure a quality teaching and learning. The following should be considered:

  1. Th QA calendar starts on 1st June and ends on 31 May next year.

  2. All teaching staff at KNU are under the umbrella of the QA as long they are teaching and have classes.

  3. The QA assessment including three activities, i.e., Student's Feedback (SF), Teacher Portfolio (PF) and Continuous Academic Development (CAD)

Chapter Two: Teacher Portfolio

Chapter Three: Continuous Academic Development

Chapter Four: Seminars

Definition; A presentation of a scientific topic, related to the academic’s research/teaching field only, in the Department/Faculty/University with a presence of at least 6 academics, excluding the QA officer, for at least 40 min and no more than 50 min. The academics do not need to upload any proof letter to their PF&CAD site concerning this activity.

  1. The seminar topic should not interfere the topics that usually presented by the University directorates, e.g., Quality assurance, curriculum development, health, etc.

  2. The attended/presented seminars to be considered are only that registered via the Quality Assurance online system inside Knowledge University. Any other seminars outside the university are not be considered.

  3. A one week online seminar registration in advance is compulsory.

  4. Holding two seminars per Faculty or two seminars per Department at the same day will not be considered.

  5. Registering a seminar in the online system needs an approval from the scientific committee of the department. The approval is the duty of the Quality Assurance Officer.

  6. Each academic can present no more than one seminar per semester. Other seminars based on journal/book publications during the academic semestic or based on outside the University training course can be presented after registration via the QA online system.

  7. The seminar presenter is obligated to send the QAD the electronic presentation no more 7 days after the presentation, otherwise the activity will not be considered.

  8. The academic does not need to upload any proof letter to his/her PF&CAD site for the seminar activity, it is scored by the online system.

  9. A seminar that presented by the new staff as a part of the interview to be accepted as a teaching staff is not considered in this activity.

  10. A seminar that presented by any academic for the sake of the scientific promotion is not considered, but for the attendees, in this activity.

  11. Attending the seminar is scored by 1 point and presenting the seminar is scored by 3 points.

  12. Seminars with feedback score less than 2.5 will be discarded and more than 4.5 will gain 4 points.

  13. Lecturing in a training course is the only activity that considered as presenting a seminar and it is scored by 3 points per day, for no more than 5 days.

Chapter Five: Workshop/Conference/Symposium Activity

  1. The national and international workshop/Conference/symposium are considered as two activities; attending the conference days or/and presenting an accepted paper. According to the international regulation, publishing a paper without a live presentation during the conference will not be considered. Presenting the paper is not considered as a seminar since it is considered as a conference publication. The “speaker” activity is considered as attending the seminar day.

  2. A maximum 5 days per conferences/symposium is considered.

  3. Attending each day of the conference is scored by 2 points, including the day of presenting the paper.

  4. Publishing/presenting a paper inside the conference is scored by 3 points inside the country and 5 points abroad.

  5. A maximum of 3 days will be considered for workshop without paper submission/presentation. Every day attendance is scored by 2 points and 3 points for the lecturer/presenter per day.

  6. Workshop inside the University is considered if there is an Official Letter from the Faculty or the University. For more than one day workshop, every day attendance is scored by 2 points. For a one day workshop, every session of a complete three hours is scored by 2 points.

Chapter Six: Article Review Activity

Only journal publication/Book/Book chapter’s review are considered in this activity.

  1. The publications review for a scientific promotion that belongs to one academic, whatever the publication number is, are considered as a one journal publication review and scored by 1 point.

  2. The reviewing for the Extraction (إستلال) is considered as a review for the scientific promotion that belongs to one academic, whatever the publication number is, are considered as a one journal publication review and scored by 1 point.

  3. Reviewing the conference papers is scored by 2 points for each conference, regardless the number of reviews.

  4. Reviewing the journal publication without Impact Factor is scored by 1 point.

  5. Reviewing the journal publication with Impact Factor is scored by 3 points.

  6. The Book chapter review is scored by 3 points.

  7. The Book review is scored by 5 points.

  8. The impact factor (IF) that considered in assessment is the one that assigned by ISI (Thomson Reuters). Any other derived

Chapter Seven: Editorial Board

  1. Journals with/without Impact Factor (IF) Editorial boards are considered.

  2. A member of the editorial board of a journal inside KRG is scored by 2 points

  3. A member of the editorial board of a journal without IF is scored by 1 points.

  4. A member of the editorial board of a journal with IF is scored by 4 points

  5. The proof is uploaded as a committee.

Chapter Eight: Publications

  1. Publication inside Kurdistan with DOAJ membership is scored by 4 points.

  2. Publication inside Kurdistan without DOAJ membership is scored by 2 points.

  3. Publication in journals listed by SCOPUS: with Q1 = 8 points; Q2 = 6 points; Q3 = 4 points; Q4 = 2 points.

  4. Journal publication with Impact Factor (WoS IF); If the IF <1 (this includes ARO), the score is 10; If the 1<=IF< 4, the score is 12 points, If the IF >=4, the score is 15.

  5. Scientific Book-chapter published with famous publisher is scored by 4 points.

  6. Scientific Book published with famous publisher is scored by 12 points.

  7. Scientific Book published inside Kurdistan with a valid ISBN is scored by 4 points.

  8. Book translation published with famous publisher is scored by 8 points

  9. Book translation published inside Kurdistan with a valid ISBN is scored by 4 points.

  10. Patent registered inside Iraq is scored by 10 points.

Chapter Nine: Scientific Committees Activity

This activity includes all department/Faculty/University/Ministry committees with the following regulations;

  1. The committee should be approved by a “Farman” entitled “Committee”, otherwise it will not be considered.

  2. Any Department/School/Faculty committee is scored by 1 point.

  3. Any University committee is scored by 2 points.

  4. Any Ministry committee is scored by 3 points for the academic staff-member . If the committee is lasting more than one academic year, the committee letter should explain this or a new letter will be requested.

  5. The conferences/symposium organization and technical committees are scored by 3 points.

  6. The University promotion committee is considered as a University committee and is scored by 2 points.

  7. The Msc/MA/PhD thesis examination committee is considered as a University committee and is scored by 2 points.

  8. The Examination committee is considered according to its level; 1 point for the department Exam committee and 2 points for the Faculty Exam committee. Both mid-term Exam committees are considered as a one committee. The final Exam committee is considered as a separate committee.

  9. The external assessor inside/outside a University is considered by 2 points.

Chapter Ten: Training Courses Activity

This activity includes the national and international training course and as follows;

  1. Every seven days of participating the training course are scored by 2 points. 4, 5 or 6 days may considered as a one week. A maximum 5 weeks are considered.

  2. Lecturing in a training course is scored as a seminar presentation and scored by 3 points per day. Maximum of 5 days are considered.

  3. The pedagogy courses are not considered for the participants and the lecturers, as well.