Proposing an Accreditation Model for Medical Universities of Iran

Introduction. Presenting an appropriate model for university accreditation is a great task for supervising and assessment system of higher education institutions. The present survey was conducted to design an appropriate model for the accreditation of medical universities in Iran. The objectives of this study were: to determine the components and performance indicators in medical universities, to design and propose a model for the accreditation of medical universities in Iran and, to determine the amount of national credibility for the proposed model. Methods. A descriptive survey was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, a questionnaire was used to determine the components and performance indicators. The questionnaire consisted of 16 main components and 216 performance indicators which were ranked from 0 to 7 based on their desirability. The second stage included designing a model by reviewing the literature and considering the special situation of the country. Then a questionnaire using Likert scale and two written questions was used in order to determine its national credibility. The findings were analyzed by descriptive statistics and factor analysis method. Results. Some of the components and performance indicators like publishing books and the existence of information systems were more important and had the priority compared to the rest of the factors. Findings of the second stage showed that the proposed model according to the view points of 30 experts in the field of medical education got a high approval (70.27% in high level). Conclusion. Despite many attempts regarding accreditation in higher education in Iran, these institutions suffer from a number of shortcomings in terms of quality. This model is semi-centralized and consists of four steps request for accreditation, determining the components and performance indicators, self - assessment process, and peer evaluation. This model can be implemented for the quality assessment or university accreditation in Iran.