Evaluation of the Challenges of 21st Century on Quality Assurance of Higher Fashion Education in Ghana

Abstract

Quality Assurance has become an important component in Higher Education (HE). Even though a significant number of studies have been conducted on it, there are still many unanswered issues about how Quality Assurance (QA) improves the core processes involved in Higher Fashion Education (HFE). This study attempted to evaluate the challenges of QA in Higher Fashion Education in Ghana, using a mixed methods design based on the premise that, QA in HFE is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that involves the perspectives of different actors and requires the collection and analysis of data from different sources. The sample for this study included 100 participants from four higher education institutions in Ghana. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were employed to gather data. The study shows that, quality of education, particularly student learning is threatened by problems such as poor quality of educational inputs, processes and outputs, unavailability of resources due to increasing student population, the absence of a well-planned curriculum design and review processes. Other policy implications are discussed.

Keywords: Ghana, higher fashion education, quality assurance, the design school model