Work environment and the implementation of Quality Assurance policy in Makerere University: a case of College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Abstract

The study explored influence of work environment on the implementation of the Quality Assurance Policy (QAP) in College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) in Makerere University. To realize this, the specific objectives namely: to explore the influence of rewards, resources and performance feedback on the implementation of the quality assurance policy were developed. The study was based on the qualitative paradigm and employed an interpretive design drawing on a case study. It employed both the primary and secondary data sources such as use of questionnaires, observation, interviews and scrutiny of documents. The population involved ten participants who were lecturers. Data analysis was by coding, categorizing and developing of themes. The findings revealed that rewards given to lecturers were not satisfying and motivating since they were inadequate. Resources were also found to be inadequate, inaccessible, sometimes outdated and ineffectively used to enable effective teaching and research to take place. Feedback to lecturers to enhance their performance was minimal, irregular, ineffective and sometimes lacking. This made the researcher to conclude that rewards, resources and performance feedback given to lecturers in CHUSS influenced lecturers’ performance in terms of quality teaching and research and impacted negatively on the implementation of QAP since they did not guarantee quality assurance. Therefore, it was recommended that rewards given to lecturers should be satisfying and motivating, adequate and appropriate resources required by CHUSS should be provided, operational feedback structures be institutionalized, University’s existing policies need to be favourable and functional, university and government should endeavour to source for funds from local or international organizations and set aside a special fund for sponsoring viable research projects so as to maintain quality standards.