The International Conference on Quality Assurance and the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, opens today (24 November) at Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI). Organised by MPI and co-organised by the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN), this international conference will explore factors impacting upon teaching and learning while providing a chance for participants to exchange views on the latest developments in quality assurance in higher education.

The opening ceremony of this conference was officiated by Dr Stephen Jackson, Associate Director International of the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Professor William Lee, Director of HKU SPACE and former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, and Dr Jan Cameron, Director of the Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities, together with Professor Lei Heong Iok, President of MPI.

In his opening address, Professor Lei of MPI pointed out that teaching and research are equally important activities for the Institute’s academic staff, in order for MPI’s students to be able to experience the optimal opportunities to their learning. Professor Lei further mentioned that the growth in numbers of students in tertiary education globally has prompted the increased importance of robust quality assurance in higher education and international cooperation in this area. According to Professor Lei, over the past few years, MPI has been making significant progress with regard to institutional review and programme accreditation, adding that the Institute would continue to strive for excellence by engaging in various international initiatives for academic quality assurance, raising the quality of its teaching and learning, in order to train globally competitive talents to contribute to the development of Macao and beyond.

Dr. Jagannath Patil, President of APQN, praised the quality assurance efforts of MPI in his congratulatory message. He expressed his great pleasure to have been able to assist the Institute in helping to make this conference a great success. He hoped that both institutions would continue to work together to ensure that all their students achieve their best potential within the framework of a higher education system which is the best it can possibly be.

MPI strives to continuously improve its level of teaching and learning. Since 2009 the Institute has held conferences annually for experts and academics from local and overseas countries/regions to share their latest insights in higher education. This year’s conference will be held over 2 days starting today (24 November) with 40 participants coming from countries and regions such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.