Internal Quality Audit is the matching of institutional activities with educational quality standards. Both learning activities, research, and community service. This process is carried out internally, led by the head of the audit team and composed of several auditors.
Its strategic role means this process cannot be undertaken haphazardly. The internal audit team responsible for this process must possess audit principles and an understanding of the internal quality management system. Thus, audits can serve as a control tool for improving the institution's quality.
What is an Internal Quality Audit?
An Internal Quality Audit is a systematic examination and review of a higher education institution to ensure that activities at the institution comply with procedures and that the results meet standards to achieve the institution's goals.
Therefore, an Internal Quality Audit (AMI) is not an assessment, but rather a process of matching implementation to specific program plans. For universities, AMI is a mandatory baseline audit.
As stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Permenristekdikti) Number 62 of 2016 concerning the Higher Education Quality Assurance System, Article 67 states, "universities are required to implement internal quality assurance by developing an Internal Quality Assurance System (SPMI)."
Purpose of Internal Quality Audit
The primary purpose of an internal quality audit is to ensure that activities comply with established quality standards. Furthermore, universities aim to achieve several objectives through the audit process, including the following.
1. Ensure Compliance with Education Quality Standards
Ensuring that institutions adhere to standards and implement them in accordance with the educational quality standards set by higher education accreditation bodies. Thus, audits can prevent deviations from standards that negatively impact graduate quality and the institution's reputation.
2. Support the Accreditation Process
Audit results can be used as important material and components in preparing higher education accreditation reports. Data and information from the audit process can demonstrate an institution's compliance with accreditation criteria.
3. Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Quality Management System
Another purpose of conducting internal quality audits is to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement in operational areas. This allows the quality management system to continuously improve its performance.
4. Increase Stakeholder Satisfaction
This audit also plays a role in ensuring the needs and expectations stakeholders fulfilled, both students, lecturers or educational staff, graduate users, cooperation partners, and the community.
Audits result in improvements in the quality of learning, administration, and public trust in higher education.
5. Building a Quality Culture
Audits help institutions build a quality culture that leads to continuous quality improvement. This culture of quality refers to a culture where each unit can conduct self-evaluations, audit findings are viewed as a tool for improvement, and quality becomes part of the work ethic.
Stages of Internal Quality Audit Implementation
1. Document Audit
The first stage of an internal quality audit is a document audit. This audit assesses the adequacy of the organization's system documents, quality assurance systems, and documentation to meet established standard requirements. Document audits are conducted in-house by each member of the audit team.
This audit process produces a checklist and field audit readiness. Furthermore, the following are the document audit stages in AMI.
- The audit team leader received the AMI material documents
- The audit team leader informs the audit team members of the auditee's identity, audit scope, and related documents.
- The audit team leader assigns tasks to team members.
- Each audit team member reviews and cross-checks the documents. They then create a checklist or list of questions based on the SPMI document audit results for further verification during a field audit or visit.
2. Field Audit
A field audit is an inspection conducted to determine whether the standards set out in the SPMI standard documents or those promised are being met. This audit also ensures that the SPMI documents have been implemented properly and in accordance with regulations.
- Opening meeting – the team leader and members introduce themselves, convey the audit objectives, scope, areas to be audited, and the audit schedule plan.
- Collection of audit evidence and audit performance – from an interview with stakeholders or managers, examination of documents or records, observation of processes or activities, and field conditions. Audit objects can include documentation, materials, personnel, processes, and equipment.
- Audit evidence search – auditors trace evidence to ensure the accuracy of their findings.
- Auditor meeting or findings meeting – before preparing the audit report, the audit team studies the audit evidence, groups the evidence based on standards or criteria, completes the non-conformance form, reviews all non-conformances, prepares the audit conclusion, and the closing meeting agenda.
- Closing meeting – discuss audit findings for agreement, the audit leader and auditee sign the audit findings list, and the audit leader submits the PTK form to analyze the causes of non-conformities and follow-up plans for each audit finding.
- Preparation of audit reports and PTK – the audit team prepares a report that includes the objectives, scope, audit program, auditor, implementation date, audited area, supporting evidence, list of findings, quality improvement suggestions, and audit conclusions.
Example of Internal Quality Audit Results
To get a clear illustration, here is an example of the results of the internal quality audit of FDH University Management Study Program for the 2024/2025 Academic Year which is presented descriptively.
1. Summary of Audit Results
Based on an internal quality audit, it was found that most academic activities were carried out in accordance with the standards set out in the SPMI. However, there were still several non-conformities that required follow-up.
2. Audit Findings
- Minor nonconformity – Semester Learning Plan (RPS) documents for several courses have not been updated according to the latest curriculum.
- Observation – monitoring and evaluation of the learning process has been carried out, but documentation of the evaluation results has not been stored centrally.
3. Recommendations
- Study programs need to update the RPS periodically and ensure its compliance with the applicable curriculum.
- The learning monitoring and evaluation documentation system needs to be improved to make it more organized and easier to trace.
4. Conclusion
The implementation of the academic quality standards of the Management Study Program is quite effective, but improvements are needed in the documentation and document updating aspects to support continuous quality improvement.
Benefits of Internal Quality Audits for Higher Education
Internal quality audits play a crucial role in ensuring that all higher education activities meet standards and support continuous quality improvement. Furthermore, internal quality audits offer several benefits, including:
- Ensuring that the goals, educational standards, and values of the college are implemented according to regulations.
- Ensuring compliance of implementation or achievement of objectives with applicable standards.
- Ensure accountability for the implementation of standards.
- Identifying areas of improvement to mitigate risks, such as legal, quality, financial, compliance, strategic, operational, and reputational risks.
Closing
An Internal Quality Audit is an examination that ensures that higher education institutions' activities are carried out according to procedures and that the results meet standards. The audit, conducted by an internal audit team, requires a thorough and adequate understanding of the audit process.
Considering that audits are often hampered by limited resources, insufficient time capacity, and incompetence with the latest technology.
This situation leads to a decline in the quality of audit findings, suboptimal coverage, and less targeted recommendations. To prevent this from happening, institutions can use Audithink audit application as a solution so that the audit process can run efficiently and effectively.
This application is equipped with systematic planning, monitoring features. real-time, and automated reporting according to format. This allows audit work to be more easily monitored centrally. Schedule an app demo now or contact the Audithink team to help customize it to your needs.
