Gatekeepers on Campus: Peer Review in Quality Assurance of Higher Education Institutions

Policy Issue ◽

Unintended Effects ◽

Self Assessments ◽

And Performance

AbstractThis chapter revisits the policy issue of the balance between peer review and performance indicators as a means to assess the quality of higher education, with a focus on unintended effects that emerge when peer review is employed in quality assurance procedures of higher education institutions as a whole. The attempted solutions of using self-assessments with their base of performance indicators, combined with review teams that stretch the meaning of peer review, increase goal displacement behaviour in higher education institutions. The chapter concludes with two ensuing dilemmas that require careful balancing between quality enhancement and superficial compliance, whatever the role of peer review in institutional quality assurance.

Determinants and Performance Indicators of Higher Education Institutions in Croatia

Drustvena istrazivanja ◽

10.5559/di.23.2.02 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 233-257 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maja Ćukušić ◽

◽

Željko Garača ◽

Mario Jadrić

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Performance Indicators ◽

And Performance

Discourses on quality and quality assurance in higher education from the perspective of global university rankings

Quality Assurance in Education ◽

10.1108/qae-05-2019-0055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 78-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Maruša Hauptman Komotar

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

International Studies ◽

University Rankings ◽

Content Type ◽

World University Rankings ◽

International Ranking ◽

Global University

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how global university rankings interact with quality and quality assurance in higher education along the two lines of investigation, that is, from the perspective of their relationship with the concept of quality (assurance) and the development of quality assurance policies in higher education, with particular emphasis on accreditation as the prevalent quality assurance approach. Design/methodology/approach The paper firstly conceptualises quality and quality assurance in higher education and critically examines the methodological construction of the four selected world university rankings and their references to “quality”. On this basis, it answers the two “how” questions: How is the concept of quality (assurance) in higher education perceived by world university rankings and how do they interact with quality assurance and accreditation policies in higher education? Answers are provided through the analysis of different documentary sources, such as academic literature, glossaries, international studies, institutional strategies and other documents, with particular focus on official websites of international ranking systems and individual higher education institutions, media announcements, and so on. Findings The paper argues that given their quantitative orientation, it is quite problematic to perceive world university rankings as a means of assessing or assuring the institutional quality. Like (international) accreditations, they may foster vertical differentiation of higher education systems and institutions. Because of their predominant accountability purpose, they cannot encourage improvements in the quality of higher education institutions. Practical implications Research results are beneficial to different higher education stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, institutional leadership, academics and students), as they offer them a comprehensive view on rankings’ ability to assess, assure or improve the quality in higher education. Originality/value The existing research focuses principally either on interactions of global university rankings with the concept of quality or with processes of quality assurance in higher education. The comprehensive and detailed analysis of their relationship with both concepts thus adds value to the prevailing scholarly debates.

Advances in Electronic Government, Digital Divide, and Regional Development - Handbook of Research on Modernization and Accountability in Public Sector Management ◽

Performance Indicators and Accountability in Portuguese Public Universities

10.4018/978-1-5225-3731-1.ch010 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 210-233

Author(s):

Augusta da Conceição Santos Ferreira ◽

Carlos Santos ◽

Graça Maria do Carmo Azevedo ◽

Judite Gonçalves ◽

Jonas da Silva Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Public Sector ◽

Performance Indicators ◽

Public Universities ◽

Least Squares Regression ◽

The Public ◽

And Performance

The public sector in Portugal has undergone major reforms, coercing institutions of higher education into greater transparency in accountability and performance indicators. The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate the level of disclosure of performance indicators by the Higher Education Institutions in Portuguese Public Universities, with a special emphasis on the obligatory nature and to evaluate if there are factors that influence the level of disclosure. This study was based on the content analysis of the management or activity reports of the 13 Portuguese public universities to calculate de level of disclosure, and used the quantitative analysis based on the Least-squares regression on the investigation of factors that influence the level of disclosure. According to the data obtained, it can be concluded that Portuguese Public Universities discloses performance indicators imposed by law and voluntarily, and it was verified that the level of disclosure is influenced by the variables dimension, financing from other sources of funding and the ranking of web of universities.

Suboptimal Utilisation of Resources in Sub-Saharan African Higher Education Institutions: the Case of Teaching Space at Makerere University

Journal of Science and Sustainable Development ◽

10.4314/jssd.v5i1.2 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 13-27

Author(s):

J Ssempebwa ◽

SO Owolabi ◽

FEK Bakkabulindi

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Educational Administration ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Makerere University ◽

Need To Evaluate ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The University

Many higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa are underfunded.Consequently, they are operating with encumbering resources constraints that threaten quality assurance. Accordingly, they are working to expand the availability of these resources. Notwithstanding, it is taken for granted that once available, these resources are optimally utilized and that, in instances expanding their availability is not possible, compromising on some elements of the quality of higher education is inevitable. The problem is that this presumption could disguise inadequacies in the utilization of the resources, with the consequence that the institutions’ need for the resources is exaggerated. Preoccupation with expanding the availability of resources could also stifle the innovation of creative ways of making the best use of the resources available. This means that the institutions need to evaluate their utilization of these resources—to pinpoint their need for the resources and potential for quality assurance. This paper reports the findings of a study that responded to this need, taking the case of teaching space at Makerere University. The objective ofthe study was to verify the hypothesis that the University is teaching space constrained. The findings were that the resource is overly underutilized albeit this was disguised by occasional overutilization of the same space, a concomitance that only multidimensional evaluation could unearth. Accordingly, the study gives credence to the hypothesis that shortages of resources at the University, and similar institutions, are ostensible. Therefore, it is recommended that these institutions subject their utilization of resources to rigorous evaluation.Keywords · Resources management · Higher education funding · Educational administration

The Impact of Innovative Technology on the Quality Assurance at Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Jordan

International Journal of Information and Education Technology ◽

10.18178/ijiet.2020.10.11.1465 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 826-831

Author(s):

Nidal Al-Ramahi ◽

◽

Mahmoud Odeh

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Diffusion Of Innovation ◽

Innovative Technology ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Diffusion Of Innovation Theory ◽

Vice Chancellors ◽

The Impact

Quality assurance consider as one of the most important concerns in higher education institutions, which may influence the overall rank of universities. Innovation technology may play an important role in improving such quality of higher education institutions. Innovation technology provides several benefits, which are seen immediately, for instant, allowing students to share information easily and to discover new experiences within the education system. This study aims to find out the key factors of innovative technology affecting the quality assurance at higher education institutions in Jordan. By adopting the diffusion of innovation theory, this study sheds light on several factors that extended from this theory. Fieldwork including five universities in Jordan was conducted to specify the actual technological factors that may influence quality assurance at higher education institutions. An interpretive paradigm using triangulation methods was applied to collect data, conducting sixteen semi-structured interviews with major stakeholders in Jordanian universities, including professors, university vice-chancellors, IT managers, heads of departments, and deans of schools. The researchers also held two focus groups and distributed 232 surveys to Jordanian students.

ОНЛАЙН ОПИТУВАННЯ СТУДЕНТІВ У СИСТЕМІ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

Information Technologies and Learning Tools ◽

10.33407/itlt.v68i6.2415 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 235

Author(s):

Volodymyr M. Moroz ◽

Volodymyr P. Sadkovyi ◽

Volodymyr M. Babayev ◽

Svitlana A. Moroz

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Online Survey ◽

Education Quality ◽

Online Surveys ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Higher Education Quality

Based on the results of the analysis of world experience on the participation of higher education graduates in assessing the quality of educational activities of higher education institutions and the quality of higher education in general, the possibility of including students in expert groups for monitoring the quality of higher education has been substantiated. There was considered the history of implementation the toolkit for surveying the students into the mechanisms of monitoring the higher education quality. Comparative analysis of the domestic experience on attracting the higher education graduates to the assessment of higher education quality with the relevant foreign experience has been conducted. The peculiarities of the organization and conducting of students surveys within the framework of the international consortium "Student experience in the research university" are determined. The authors have considered the prospects of use of the online survey toolkit for the quality control system in higher education, as well as the level of professional activity of universities. The requirements for a software product, that the expert in assessing the quality of higher education can use to ensure the effectiveness of online surveys of students and the guaranteed achievement of the goal of appropriate monitoring are given. The advantages and disadvantages of online surveys of students as a tool for monitoring the quality of higher education have been identified. The benefits of using the cloud service survey by the organizer for development of the questionnaire for students surveys and analysis of the received answers have been proved. In addition, the paper provides conclusions on the possibility of using the online survey of students in the system for quality assurance in higher education both at university and at the state level, as well as practical recommendations on the use of questionnaires for higher education applicants in the framework of mechanisms for monitoring its quality. The directions of further scientific researches concerning the development and using cloud technologies for assessing the level of quality assurance in higher education institutions, the quality of educational activities and higher education as a whole have been formulated.

The Role of Student Self-Government in Ensuring the Quality of Higher Education

Journal of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University ◽

10.15330/jpnu.8.1.65-71 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 65-71

Author(s):

Oksana Kondur ◽

Nataliia Koturbash ◽

Galyna Mykhaylyshyn

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Life Experience ◽

Young Person ◽

Educational Process ◽

Modern World ◽

National Agency ◽

The Right

The current state of development of the Ukrainian state requires further reform of all spheres of life of the Ukrainian community. The democratization of the principles of higher education needs special attention. Since students are the driving force of society, the developer of unique ideas of the present and future, a factor in the formation and development of civil society, so the democratization of student life, active participation of students in different organizations, leadership skills and teamwork, making the right decisions and responsibility for their implementation becomes especially relevant during educational transformations. Student governments have a significant impact on youth. The range of such influence primarily extends to the realization of the student in the modern world, meeting his/her needs, both in education and in other areas, including volunteer, artistic, managerial, social and more. Therefore, membership in student organizations gives a young person a valuable life experience, which can later be implemented in practice. Participation in student self-government contributes to the development of students' leadership qualities, the formation of their active civic life positions. That is, the activities of student government in higher education institutions are aimed at forming the values of the younger generation. At the same time, student self-government is a unique factor in reforming the modern system of the educational process in higher education institutions. Applicants are actively involved in the development, implementation, and accreditation of educational programs, are experts in the accreditation of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. The article demonstrates the effectiveness of student self-government bodies in higher education institutions on specific examples, substantiates the need for their development as one of the factors that contributes to the improvement of quality assurance processes in education.

HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE: FINLAND’S EXPERIENCE

Continuing Professional Education Theory and Practice ◽

10.28925/1609-8595.2020.2.15 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 114-119

Author(s):

Svitlana Zaskaleta

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Basic Education ◽

Evaluation Criteria ◽

Legal Framework ◽

External Evaluation ◽

Quality Assurance Mechanism

The article discusses the main approaches to quality assurance in higher education in Finland. The relevance of studying the experience for Ukraine is determined. Quality assurance in higher education is governed by the legal framework of the country. External evaluation is carried out by the Finnish Education Evaluation Center (FINEEC). The objectives of the FINEEC are: evaluation of education, teaching, teachers and activities of higher education institutions; development of educational evaluation; evaluation of the results of training in basic education, higher secondary education and training, basic education in the arts. Finnish higher education institutions are primarily responsible for the quality of education. Self-esteem is accomplished through a digital platform. Program accreditation aims to increase international recognition. The author notes that Higher Education Institutions are actively involved in external evaluations. The quality assurance mechanism of education is constantly being improved. The results of the external evaluation are used as a benchmark for internal evaluation. Higher education institutions select a national or international team to audit. Particular attention is paid to the accreditation of programs. The analysis of the quality assurance system of higher education gives grounds to claim that it is an effective organization, which provides the necessary resources (academic and administrative staff, students, scientific and administrative leaders, financial, material, information, scientific, educational resources, etc.); effective activity of relevant bodies that ensure the quality of higher education of the country; designation of audit teams; identifying audit objectives; undergoing appropriate procedure; defining clear evaluation criteria that demonstrate the effectiveness and quality of the evaluation. The outlined approaches and methods of quality assurance of education serve as an example of imitation for quality assurance of higher education of Ukraine and a guideline for its development.

The Challenges of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Afghanistan: A Policy Implementation Analysis

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education ◽

10.32674/jcihe.v11iwinter.1536 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (Winter) ◽

pp. 72-76

Author(s):

Sayed Ahmad Javid Mussawy

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Policy Implementation ◽

Research Universities ◽

Public Universities ◽

Education Services ◽

Different Types

The quest for quality has evolved as a major concern for higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing world. A majority of these countries have adopted quality assurance and accreditation (QAA) policies in order to improve the quality of higher education services. However, implementation of QAA has generated diverse responses among different types of HEIs as their mission and scope of work vary from one another. As a result, implementing a QAA in a public HEI is not a straightforward process. The current research examines the challenges faced by public universities in Afghanistan as they implement a QAA system. More specifically, the study investigates how sensemaking and sensegiving occur as QAA is implemented at teaching vs. research universities, and ways that key-informants at various institutions make use of sensemaking and sensegiving as a tool to interpret the policy.

Who Guards the Guard?

International Journal of African Higher Education ◽

10.6017/ijahe.v8i1.13365 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 71-90

Author(s):

Nangula Lipumbu

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Quality Assurance System ◽

External Quality ◽

Higher Education System ◽

Assurance System ◽

Standards And Guidelines

Meta-evaluations by Quality Assurance Agencies (QAAs) aim to evaluate the quality of the evaluators of quality assurance. While such evaluations are the norm, especially in Europe, they are rare in Africa. A critical literaturereview was conducted to ascertain whether meta-evaluations were conducted in Namibia. The study estab- -lished that such evaluations have yet to be practiced in the country. Drawing on Clark’s model of the organisa- -tional analysis of higher education institutions and the higher education system as an analytical lens, and based on the African Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance and some cases of meta-evaluation byQAAs, we argue for the need to conduct such evaluations in Namibia. The article provides an overview of QAAs’ operations and functions, as well as the current external quality assurance system for higher education inNamibia and justifies the necessity of meta-evaluation in the Namibian context in order to enhance the capacity of QAAs and the quality of higher education institutions. Key words: Higher Education, meta-evaluation, Namibia, quality assurance, Quality Assurance Agencies