A major responsibility of Hong Kong Council for Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) is to assure the quality of higher education programmes offered by private education operators. Since 2008, HKCAAVQ has adopted an outcome-based approach in its accreditation process. This paper reviews the impact outcome-based accreditation has on the operators and the quality of their study programmes, and explains how the outcome-based approach has made the accreditation process more effective in assessing the design of a programme, and how outcome-based teaching and learning (OBTL) was advocated through accreditation guidelines and associated tools.

Through an analysis of accreditation exercises conducted over the years, the paper illustrates that the accreditation process has been driving the gradual adoption of OBTL by operators. The paper also explains how the outcome-based approach has helped address a concern in connection with a proliferation of degree level programmes in Hong Kong over the past decade.

Eric C. L. Li
PhD, Registrar, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Research interests: quality assurance in higher education, accreditation methodology