Internal Qualiy Assurance of Higher Education Using a Soft Systems Methodology Approach
Keywords:
Accountability, University, Higher Education Institutions, Internal Quality Assurance, Soft Systems MethodologyAbstract
Higher education in Indonesia is under pressure from various parties. Apart from the government, strong pressure came from stakeholders. In the midst of this situation, higher education increasingly resembles a business operation, where competition is a key factor. With the increasing cost of higher education, various parties demand the need for accountability for higher education. The higher education accounting system is a consequence of the marketization of the university. Higher education accountability aims to ensure the quality of education in fulfilling all Quality Assurance standards required in the National Quality Assurance Framework for Higher Education. From the results of the evaluation by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education in 2018, it shows that 46% of universities in Indonesia do not have data / output evidence of the implementation of internal quality assurance and this has always been a problem from year to year. This article aims to conduct a reflective review of the internal quality assurance system applied in higher education in Indonesia. This study used the Soft Systems Methodology approach by conducting case studies, that is by comparing two internal quality assurance systems in two different universities. College A is a university that has the accreditation status of institution A (Very Good), while college B is a university that has received the accreditation status of institution C (Sufficient). This study shows how the SSM method can be used by universities for comprehensive evaluation and improvement of the university's internal quality assurance system. The results of this study are a conceptual model of internal quality assurance and recommendations for improvement of the existing system.
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