CASS Undergoes AUN-QA Program Assessment

by John Vincent Balustre


As part of efforts to enhance and align educational quality through continuous improvement and mutual recognition of academic programs, four degree programs under the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) underwent the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) Programme Assessment on August 5, 2025, at Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology.


The assessed programs include BA Filipino, BA English Language Studies, BA Sociology, and BA Political Science.


The AUN-QA followed a framework in advancing a quality assurance system to uphold and enhance teaching, research and academic standards across AUN member universities. They have done this through recommending areas for improvement on evidence-based methods, where approaches are shared, assessed, and refined.


As part of its 453rd AUN-QA assessment, MSU-IIT welcomed visiting assessors for an on-site evaluation. Assigned to the Filipino program were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ornsiri Cheunsuang and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hamimah Ujir; for English Language Studies, Dr. Wan Ahmad Kamil, FASc, FMIC, and Assoc. Prof. Pakpong Pochanart; for Sociology, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Van Tuan and Prof. Dr. Yetty Komalasari Dewi; and for Political Science, Prof. Dr. Irfan Naufal Umar and Dr. Porngarm Virutamasen, SFHEA.


Initially, the aforementioned departments prepared and submitted a Self-Assessment Report (SAR) using the AUN-QA criteria. This report included evidence on teaching, curriculum, learning outcomes, faculty qualifications, facilities, and support services, among others.


To validate evidence provided in the SAR, assessors conducted an ocular inspection within the campus along with interviews with students, key faculty members, and support staff.


Today, August 6, assessors are set to meet with employers and alumni for an interview through a hybrid set-up to evaluate the relevance and impact of the academic programs beyond the classroom.


This makes CASS the first college in the entire MSU System to go through the regional program assessment anchored on international standards.