Arab Educational Information Network

In 2005, the Higher Education Council at the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education passed a resolution requiring Public Universities to undertake a self-evaluation of their academic processes with the aim of improving the quality of higher education in Syria. Damascus University translated the concept of “quality in higher education” to signify “meeting the needs of stakeholders interested and affected by the educational processes”. Accordingly, the University embarked on a process to reform the academic, administrative and society outreach aspects of higher education in 2006. The process is carried out on two levels with the participation of students, academic members, administrative staff, and external stakeholders. At the University level, extensive surveys were conducted and a strategic plan was developed based on a redefined mission statement. At the faculties’ level, four pilot faculties were selected and detailed assessments of the current situation were conducted. In the mean time, trends in the academic fields and best teaching and learning practices with reference to leading countries from around the world were evaluated. Findings are being used to determine future orientations for the reform of academic curricula in accordance with the measures highlighted in the University strategic plan. In this paper, the participatory approach and good governance practices developed for the reform processes implemented in redefining the mission statement and in elaborating a strategic plan at the University level, along with outcomes achieved in the faculty of dentistry are presented. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of involving various stakeholders for achieving a comprehensive curriculum reform that can be carried forward into the implementation phase in complex institutional and legal environments.