Transcript Slide 1

How to Cope With the European
Standards and
Guidelines at the Institutional Level
and How to
Benefit from the Standards
Henrik Toft Jensen
Roskilde University
24 February 2011
EUA activities in QA (in short)
Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP)
Workshops and other events on management etc.
Projects e.g.:
 Quality Culture, 2002-2006
 Creativity project, 2006-2007
 Quality Assurance for the Higher Education Change Agenda
(QAHECA), 2008-2009
 Examining Quality Culture in Higher Education Institutions
(EQC), 2009-2011
European Quality Assurance Forum
Co-operation with ENQA, ESU and EURASHE (E4 group)
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European Level Developments in QA
The Berlin Communiqué in 2003 marked a major
turning point by stating that
 “consistent with the principle of institutional autonomy, the
primary responsibility for quality assurance in higher education
lies with each institution itself” and
 Defined key characteristics of national QA systems
European Standards and Guidelines for Quality
Assurance (ESG) adopted in 2005
European Quality Assurance Register for Higher
Education (EQAR) established in 2008
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IEP coordinated evaluation in Slovakia
2005-2006
Strategic challenge identified:
“As part of the Bologna reforms and for the benefit of its own
overall improvement, the Slovak higher education system, like
others in Europe, is facing the challenge of introducing a more
trust-based and more systematic approach to quality
assurance within higher education institutions and of
moving away from methodologies of external control of
minimal standards toward internal improvement-oriented
processes of quality enhancement. These processes
require some resources, however, to address the need for
improvement wherever it is identified. Undoubtedly, such a
change will be vital for building self reinforcing quality culture
at Slovak higher education institutions.”
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IEP coordinated evaluation in Slovakia
2005-2006
Strategic challenge identified:
“Having committed itself to following the European Standards
and Guidelines, the Slovak quality evaluation system will have
to address the challenge of shifting the focus from a central
quality control system to a university-based quality
development system and of establishing a more coherent
quality culture in higher education institutions while
reducing the control mechanisms that currently dominate the
system.”
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IEP coordinated evaluation in Slovakia
2005-2006
Observations related to internal QA:
 increasing awareness of the importance of internal quality
culture
 quality monitoring was still largely seen as monitoring of
data according to standards introduced by the Accreditation
Commission rather than being set by the HEIs themselves.
 at most institutions, students complain that there is no
feed-back to their evaluation in questionnaires
 some institutions or individual faculties within institutions
encourage improvements in research performance through
performance-based resource allocation
 quality development measures for existing staff are also in
need of improvement
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Examining Quality Culture: presentation (1)
An on-going project led by EUA
Project partners German Rectors’ Conference and
QAA Scotland
The project period Oct 2009 – Oct 2011
Co-funded by EC’s LLL programme
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Examining Quality Culture: presentation (2)
Aims to
 Identify internal quality assurance processes in place in
HEIs, particular interest to how the institutions have
implemented the part of the ESGs part I.
 Discuss the dynamics between the development of
institutional quality culture and quality assurance
processes.
 Identify and present good practices in a final report in
order to disseminate them.
Two phases of implementation
 Survey to map internal QA processes
 Interviews for more in-depth discussion
-> The following data is based
on the survey
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Results:
Strategies and QA structures
90% have institutional strategic document or
equivalent document
 2/3 have a separate institutional QA policy statement
 1/4 have its quality statement included in the strategic plan
Large variety of organisational structures, no typical
solution
QA system in teaching and learning, in particular:
 2/3 institution-specific but follows national QA frameworks and
guidelines
 1/4 tailor-made to the institution's needs and does not apply
any ready-made model
 whereas less than 10 % mentioned that it applies a readymade model such as ISO, EFQM, and CAF
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Result: Introducing QA system or equivalent
When did your institution introduce a quality assurance
system (or equivalent)?
16%
8%
Before 1990
19%
In the 1990's
Between 2000 and 2005
Between 2005 and 2009
36%
21%
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We are currently designing
and/or planning it.
Results: Coverage
Activities covered by quality assurance processes:
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Teaching and learning nearly 100%
Research 80 %
Service to society 50 %
Student support services 75 %
Governance and administration of the institution 66 %
Tendency not to recognise all QA related processes
within a HEI as quality assurance processes (may be a
quality culture)
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Results: Responsabilities
and stakeholders’ involvement
In 66% the senior leadership takes the lead in the
process
In those cases 33% where the leadership was not
leading the process, it still somehow follows-up the
process.
Half of the respondents have no committee
responsible for quality assurance
Curriculum design often responsibility of a working
group or committee
 When such committee exist, they involve students in
50% of cases
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Results: The feedback loop
70% of respondents use student surveys as one of
the means to monitor students’ perceptions of the
teaching they receive. Among them:
 90% take the results into account in the assessment of
teaching staff.
 60% of the respondents state that students who
participated in a survey are informed about the
outcomes and the resulting actions taken
 5% make the information on teachers’ aptitudes and
performance publicly available.
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Results: Information systems
95 % have a centralised information system in place
 Student progression and success rates: 90%
 Teacher-student ratio per faculty/department/institute
or in the respective faculty/department/institute: 65%
 Tracking graduates' employment: 40%
 Students' satisfaction with their programmes: 50%
 Profile of the student population (e.g., age, gender,
education background, socio-cultural background...): 80%
 Available learning resources and, when applicable, their
costs: 45%
 Other (such as the institution's own performance
indicators): 10%
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Results: Teaching and Learning
The curriculum typically designed by a committee or a
working group.
A variety of processes for monitoring it exist.
More than 90% of HEIs have developed learning
outcomes, but they do not all make them publicly
available. 40% measure the student workload needed to
reach the described learning outcomes through student
surveys.
Student assessment methods and criteria are usually
made transparent to students.
HEIs offer learning resources, but they do not all
systematically monitor or evaluate them.
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Further reflection
Trends, key perceptions
QA systems are largely in place
developing a quality culture takes time and effort
Participation of all stakeholders still demands attention
HEIs seem to have more information available on the
input and on what is offered, than on the output
 Promoting a better and more efficient use of it may
better contribute to strategic planning and foster
continuous improvement.
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Thus, institutions have been responding to the
increased demand for quality although, it is still work
in progress
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European standarts
HEI need to have policy and procedures for Quality
Assurance
HEI need to have formal mechanisms for approval,
monitoring and periodic review of programmes and
awards.
Students should be assessed using published criteria,
regulations and procedures
HEI should have ways of satisfying themselves that the
teaching staff is qualified and competent
HEI should ensure that the resources available for the
support of the student are adequate and appropriate
HEI should collect ,analyse and use relevant information
for the management of their programmes and other
activities
HEI should up to date information about their programes
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European standarts
Use of internal quality assurance and procedures
Development of external quality assurance processes
Anny formal decision made as a result of an external
quality assurance activity should be based on explicit
published criteria
All external quality assurance processes should be designs
to ensure their fitness for purpose
Evaluation reports be published and written in a style
which is clear for the leadership
Follow up procedures should be in place
Quality assurance procedures should be used in a cyclical
basis
Benchmarking activities with other institutions should be
carried on also at a cyclical basis
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How make most out of the ESGs?
When developing processes the starting point should
be the institutional mission and profile
Adopt an all-encompassing approach to QA adapted to
your institution’s needs
Ensure the link between strategic management and
QA processes
Adopt quality enhancement approach to QA
The goal should be an institutional quality culture
supported by the QA processes, not the processes
themselves (as emphasised in the ESGs)
Use the ESGs as a set of generic principles guiding the
work, not merely as a checklist
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Further information
www.eua.be
Thank you for your attention
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