Impact of academic accreditation on teaching and learning: faculty members’ perceptions

This mixed-method research study investigates the impact of programme accreditation conducted by the Saudi National Commission for Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) on teaching and learning at the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The quantitative data was collected through an online survey consisting of 53 statements as indicators of the teaching and learning practices required by the NCAAA accreditation and ten flow-up qualitative interviews. Furthermore, this study draws on the findings of numerous contemporary studies worldwide to discern the global patterns and compare these with our findings. The results revealed varying degrees of improvement in all practices. The highest impact was on learning outcomes practices. The findings indicate the importance of designing quality assurance policies close to academic realities to drive improvement, which the NCAAA sought to achieve through a learning outcomes-led approach and a gradual implementation intended to promote a quality culture to reform an educational system in need of transformation.