Quality Assurance Practices in the Time of COVID 19: What Works in Tertiary Institutions in Tanzania

Abstract

Despite natural disasters like COVID-19, tertiary institutions around the world
should be more responsive and use a proactive approach to quality assurance. The
COVID-19 eruption halted the operation of normal classrooms. Teaching was done
from home, although many teachers were not aware of online facilitation. The
current study examined the practice of quality assurance in Tanzanian tertiary
institutions following COVID-19 eruption from 2020 to 2021. To achieve this, the
study adopted a mixed-methods approach with the help of a sequential explanatory
research design. The study involved 113 respondents, obtained randomly from four
tertiary institutions. The study adopted an automated questionnaire and semi
structured interviews for collecting data from the respondents. The two methods of
data collection enabled the gathering of voluminous information with little bias.
The data were analysed descriptively and by using content analysis for qualitative
data. Results from this study revealed that both external and internal mechanisms
were adapted to varying degrees in the practice of quality assurance amid COVID
19. They also reveal that some tertiary institutions have adopted a blended online
mode of teaching and learning. However, it was not successfully implemented
because most tertiary institutions lacked the necessary resources and personnel to
use digitalisation in teaching and learning. According to the study, digitalisation
quality assurance systems should be improved further to overcome the current
situation and the future effects of unpredictable disasters. Furthermore, higher
education institutions must improve open and remote e-communication between
tutors and students.