Pub Date : 2021-10-21DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1988222
Irena Petrušić, Mia Đikić, J. Havranek
ABSTRACT The efforts in establishing quality assurance schemes in Croatia have faced a relatively new task of evaluating their effect on multiple levels. The effects of institutional compliance with European and national quality assurance framework and introduction of higher education management approach tools for internal quality assurance are noticeable in the compliance parts of the re-accreditation reports. In contrast, analysis of open parts of re-accreditation reports in humanities has shown unexpected results. The reviewer teams’ recommendations are addressing positive disciplinary practices characteristic of the humanities and suggesting the improvements targeting the modifications of practices related to the cultural-cognitive aspect of academic discipline. Content analysis results outline that reviewers have detected institutional strengths related to teaching which correspond with traditional cultural-cognitive practices in humanities (soft-pure sciences) contrastively, recommendations for improvement are mostly related to research practices, which demonstrate characteristics of hard sciences.
{"title":"The change of disciplinary practices as an effect of peer review in re-accreditation: the case of humanities in Croatia","authors":"Irena Petrušić, Mia Đikić, J. Havranek","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1988222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1988222","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The efforts in establishing quality assurance schemes in Croatia have faced a relatively new task of evaluating their effect on multiple levels. The effects of institutional compliance with European and national quality assurance framework and introduction of higher education management approach tools for internal quality assurance are noticeable in the compliance parts of the re-accreditation reports. In contrast, analysis of open parts of re-accreditation reports in humanities has shown unexpected results. The reviewer teams’ recommendations are addressing positive disciplinary practices characteristic of the humanities and suggesting the improvements targeting the modifications of practices related to the cultural-cognitive aspect of academic discipline. Content analysis results outline that reviewers have detected institutional strengths related to teaching which correspond with traditional cultural-cognitive practices in humanities (soft-pure sciences) contrastively, recommendations for improvement are mostly related to research practices, which demonstrate characteristics of hard sciences.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89968459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-10-06DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1968107
A. Keykha, M. Ezati, Zahra Khodayari
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the obstacles and influential factors of the quality of higher education in Allameh Tabataba’i University based on the viewpoints of academic staff. The study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. The research population included 34 academic staff of the university, who were selected using a purposive sampling method. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews. The perceptions and experiences of academic staff were analysed using Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Based on the obtained data, the factors affecting higher education quality at micro and macro levels were identified and categorised with sub-themes. The existing obstacles to the promotion pathway of the higher education quality in Iran were also identified and categorised at the micro and macro levels. The study showed that allocation of increased budget to universities and increasing their autonomy in decision making can improve the quality of higher education.
{"title":"Identification of the barriers and factors affecting the quality of higher education in Allameh Tabataba’i university from the viewpoints of faculty members","authors":"A. Keykha, M. Ezati, Zahra Khodayari","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1968107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1968107","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the obstacles and influential factors of the quality of higher education in Allameh Tabataba’i University based on the viewpoints of academic staff. The study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. The research population included 34 academic staff of the university, who were selected using a purposive sampling method. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews. The perceptions and experiences of academic staff were analysed using Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Based on the obtained data, the factors affecting higher education quality at micro and macro levels were identified and categorised with sub-themes. The existing obstacles to the promotion pathway of the higher education quality in Iran were also identified and categorised at the micro and macro levels. The study showed that allocation of increased budget to universities and increasing their autonomy in decision making can improve the quality of higher education.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76582889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-30DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1977482
A. Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Daniel R. Rondinel-Oviedo
ABSTRACT The study examines the impact, added value and relevance of accreditation as a way of assuring quality at an institution of higher learning in the field of architecture. The qualitative impact of accreditation was examined through a survey presented to students, teachers and employers. A quantitative assessment was carried out by reviewing academic indicators, such as pass rate or weighted average per year, before and after the accreditation processes. The study examined a private institution of higher education in Peru; however, the methodology and results may be relevant to future studies of schools in developing countries with similar characteristics.
{"title":"Impact, added value and relevance of an accreditation process on quality assurance in architectural higher education","authors":"A. Acevedo-De-los-Ríos, Daniel R. Rondinel-Oviedo","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1977482","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1977482","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The study examines the impact, added value and relevance of accreditation as a way of assuring quality at an institution of higher learning in the field of architecture. The qualitative impact of accreditation was examined through a survey presented to students, teachers and employers. A quantitative assessment was carried out by reviewing academic indicators, such as pass rate or weighted average per year, before and after the accreditation processes. The study examined a private institution of higher education in Peru; however, the methodology and results may be relevant to future studies of schools in developing countries with similar characteristics.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77598410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-27DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1977481
Montgomery Van Wart, A. Ni, H. Hamilton, Stacy Drudy
ABSTRACT While there has been a good deal of discussion of what principles and practices tend to foster online education quality, there has been very little about what professional accrediting bodies at the university level could or should do to ensure appropriate levels of quality. This study uses five practice areas derived from the literature to survey 144 member institutions in the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). The article provides an analysis of the findings related to institutional support, student readiness, faculty (i.e. teaching staff) motivation, course delivery consistency and systemic online quality standards. The findings highlight that explicit use of online quality standards, training of faculty, faculty member motivation to teach online and technical support for faculty and students are the most highly correlated with perceived quality of programme. Generalisable recommendations for practice and considerations for future research are discussed.
{"title":"Considering the roles of professional accrediting bodies in online programme quality: the case of the NASPAA","authors":"Montgomery Van Wart, A. Ni, H. Hamilton, Stacy Drudy","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1977481","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1977481","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT While there has been a good deal of discussion of what principles and practices tend to foster online education quality, there has been very little about what professional accrediting bodies at the university level could or should do to ensure appropriate levels of quality. This study uses five practice areas derived from the literature to survey 144 member institutions in the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). The article provides an analysis of the findings related to institutional support, student readiness, faculty (i.e. teaching staff) motivation, course delivery consistency and systemic online quality standards. The findings highlight that explicit use of online quality standards, training of faculty, faculty member motivation to teach online and technical support for faculty and students are the most highly correlated with perceived quality of programme. Generalisable recommendations for practice and considerations for future research are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82166235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-30DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1951451
Maarja Beerkens
ABSTRACT Performance data in higher education has gone through a major development in the last few decades. Simple input measures have given way to increasingly nuanced and dynamic output measures and performance indicators have become an integral part of management at the organisational and system level. The evolution of higher education performance measurement shows a reiterative relationship between data availability, its purpose in a governance system and its target audience. Digitalisation of learning, management and communication systems has revolutionised data availability, creating new possibilities for ‘big data’ use. Based on insights from the past evolution, current experiments with ‘big data’ and lessons from other sectors, the article explores what the new ‘big data’ era might mean for higher education governance. The high volume of data but also its speed of accumulation and related analytical techniques, are likely to substantially transform the current relationship between data and performance but also create some technical, ethical and policy challenges.
{"title":"An evolution of performance data in higher education governance: a path towards a ‘big data’ era?","authors":"Maarja Beerkens","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1951451","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1951451","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Performance data in higher education has gone through a major development in the last few decades. Simple input measures have given way to increasingly nuanced and dynamic output measures and performance indicators have become an integral part of management at the organisational and system level. The evolution of higher education performance measurement shows a reiterative relationship between data availability, its purpose in a governance system and its target audience. Digitalisation of learning, management and communication systems has revolutionised data availability, creating new possibilities for ‘big data’ use. Based on insights from the past evolution, current experiments with ‘big data’ and lessons from other sectors, the article explores what the new ‘big data’ era might mean for higher education governance. The high volume of data but also its speed of accumulation and related analytical techniques, are likely to substantially transform the current relationship between data and performance but also create some technical, ethical and policy challenges.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91157373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-28DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1948460
M. Romanowski
ABSTRACT Worldwide accreditation systems for higher education are used by institutions and programmes to demonstrate their legitimacy to deliver quality education. Although there are many perceived benefits and criticisms of accreditation and little empirical research on its impact for improvement, there is still an increasing demand for this form of quality assurance. This essay applies the lens of idolatry to provide a distinctive perspective and offer insight into accreditation. The theory of idolisation and nine characteristics of idols provides a means to understand accreditation power over institutions, its demands, its impact on institutions and professors and its ability to shape and legitimise a particular understanding of education and academic disciplines.
{"title":"The idolatry of accreditation in higher education: enhancing our understanding","authors":"M. Romanowski","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1948460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1948460","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Worldwide accreditation systems for higher education are used by institutions and programmes to demonstrate their legitimacy to deliver quality education. Although there are many perceived benefits and criticisms of accreditation and little empirical research on its impact for improvement, there is still an increasing demand for this form of quality assurance. This essay applies the lens of idolatry to provide a distinctive perspective and offer insight into accreditation. The theory of idolisation and nine characteristics of idols provides a means to understand accreditation power over institutions, its demands, its impact on institutions and professors and its ability to shape and legitimise a particular understanding of education and academic disciplines.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75197797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-27DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1945524
Myrte Legemaate, Roel Grol, J. Huisman, Helma Oolbekkink– Marchand, L. Nieuwenhuis
ABSTRACT Despite increasing scholarly interest in the phenomenon of quality culture, the existing literature is largely silent on or ambiguous concerning how to realise such a quality culture. In this paper, insights from the field of socio-technical systems design (STSD) are used to explore how to enhance a quality culture. STSD seems to be able to add to the realisation of a shared value of collective ownership and continuous improvement by using a systematic approach; by paying attention to cultural and psychological aspects, structural and managerial aspects, as well as by participation of lecturers, support staff and leadership. Research using the STSD approach in higher education is still scarce and, therefore, additional empirical studies are needed to explore the potential of STSD to enhance a quality culture.
{"title":"Enhancing a quality culture in higher education from a socio-technical systems design perspective","authors":"Myrte Legemaate, Roel Grol, J. Huisman, Helma Oolbekkink– Marchand, L. Nieuwenhuis","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1945524","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1945524","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Despite increasing scholarly interest in the phenomenon of quality culture, the existing literature is largely silent on or ambiguous concerning how to realise such a quality culture. In this paper, insights from the field of socio-technical systems design (STSD) are used to explore how to enhance a quality culture. STSD seems to be able to add to the realisation of a shared value of collective ownership and continuous improvement by using a systematic approach; by paying attention to cultural and psychological aspects, structural and managerial aspects, as well as by participation of lecturers, support staff and leadership. Research using the STSD approach in higher education is still scarce and, therefore, additional empirical studies are needed to explore the potential of STSD to enhance a quality culture.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81547220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-12DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1946273
Gonca Uludağ, Salih Bardakci, M. D. Avşaroğlu, Funda Çankaya, Sena Çatal, F. Ayvat, Ayhan Koçer, S. Yildirim, M. Elmas
ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate Turkish higher education students’ participation behaviours in quality assurance systems. The data were collected from 113 students through a semi-structured qualitative questionnaire developed based on the theory of planned behaviour. The data were analysed under three main themes: feelings, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. According to the results, students generally had positive opinions concerning their feelings about the quality assurance system and had positive subjective norms. However, the results for these two aspects indicated implementation-based passive participation rather than decision-based active participation. Challenges in behavioural control and ways of coping with these challenges were observed. The overall results has revealed the behavioural basis of student participation in quality assurance processes. In addition, the results can contribute to policy improvement processes in the higher education system and quality assurance activities for higher education institutions.
{"title":"Investigation of the higher education students’ participation in quality assurance processes based on the theory of planned behaviour: a case of Turkey","authors":"Gonca Uludağ, Salih Bardakci, M. D. Avşaroğlu, Funda Çankaya, Sena Çatal, F. Ayvat, Ayhan Koçer, S. Yildirim, M. Elmas","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1946273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1946273","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate Turkish higher education students’ participation behaviours in quality assurance systems. The data were collected from 113 students through a semi-structured qualitative questionnaire developed based on the theory of planned behaviour. The data were analysed under three main themes: feelings, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. According to the results, students generally had positive opinions concerning their feelings about the quality assurance system and had positive subjective norms. However, the results for these two aspects indicated implementation-based passive participation rather than decision-based active participation. Challenges in behavioural control and ways of coping with these challenges were observed. The overall results has revealed the behavioural basis of student participation in quality assurance processes. In addition, the results can contribute to policy improvement processes in the higher education system and quality assurance activities for higher education institutions.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85847509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-11DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1948675
S. Matear
ABSTRACT Assessing impact of external quality assurance is a critical component of the professional practice reflection of external quality assurance agencies. This paper analyses the responses of universities in Aotearoa New Zealand to recommendations made in the most recently completed cycle of academic audits using artefacts (universities’ one-year follow-up reports on responses to recommendations) from the quality assurance process. This approach allows for an assessment at system level and qualitative analysis provides further insight into thematic areas where response to recommendations is further advanced. One year after the release of audit reports, impact has been greater in the areas of leadership and management of teaching and learning and research student supervision. An index developed in the paper can support inter-institutional and inter-system comparative analyses of impact.
{"title":"Impact of institutional quality audit in the Aotearoa New Zealand university system","authors":"S. Matear","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1948675","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1948675","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Assessing impact of external quality assurance is a critical component of the professional practice reflection of external quality assurance agencies. This paper analyses the responses of universities in Aotearoa New Zealand to recommendations made in the most recently completed cycle of academic audits using artefacts (universities’ one-year follow-up reports on responses to recommendations) from the quality assurance process. This approach allows for an assessment at system level and qualitative analysis provides further insight into thematic areas where response to recommendations is further advanced. One year after the release of audit reports, impact has been greater in the areas of leadership and management of teaching and learning and research student supervision. An index developed in the paper can support inter-institutional and inter-system comparative analyses of impact.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87632140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-17DOI: 10.1080/13538322.2021.1935277
Pamela Dottin
ABSTRACT This article explores the status of quality assurance provisions, internal and external, for online education in the Anglophone Caribbean region and provides a comparative analysis of current global trends. The findings of that analysis show that there is a misalignment between the provisions of the external quality assurance agencies and needs of the online institutions, particularly in the region. However, it also highlights the existence of a regional framework policy for quality assurance of online programmes which, if implemented, could alleviate much of the disconnect between the national external quality assurance agencies and the online institutions. Finally, it suggests the need for greater harmonisation between the standards of the various national quality assurance agencies and alignment to regional and international quality assurance for online models.
{"title":"Institutional accreditation of online institutions in the Anglophone Caribbean: synergies and misalignments","authors":"Pamela Dottin","doi":"10.1080/13538322.2021.1935277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2021.1935277","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article explores the status of quality assurance provisions, internal and external, for online education in the Anglophone Caribbean region and provides a comparative analysis of current global trends. The findings of that analysis show that there is a misalignment between the provisions of the external quality assurance agencies and needs of the online institutions, particularly in the region. However, it also highlights the existence of a regional framework policy for quality assurance of online programmes which, if implemented, could alleviate much of the disconnect between the national external quality assurance agencies and the online institutions. Finally, it suggests the need for greater harmonisation between the standards of the various national quality assurance agencies and alignment to regional and international quality assurance for online models.","PeriodicalId":46354,"journal":{"name":"Quality in Higher Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2021-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76817595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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