Academics’ feedback on the quality of appraisal evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-294
Author(s):  
Chenicheri Sid Nair ◽  
Jinrui Li ◽  
Li Kun Cai
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Staff ◽  
The University

Purpose – This paper aims to explore academics’ perspectives on the quality of appraisal evidence at a Chinese university. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey with both closed items and open-ended questions was distributed among all academics at the university (n = 1,538). A total of 512 responded to the questionnaire. The closed items were initially analysed using EXCEL and SPSS; the open-ended questions were thematically analysed. Findings – The academics believed that the quality of student survey and peer observation of teaching were affected by subjectivity and the lack of understanding of appraisal. Academics also suggested that appraisals should be contextualised and the approach standardised. The study suggests the need for training that informs and engages relevant stakeholders to ensure the rigour of appraisal. Originality/value – The study raises the issue of quality assurance regarding appraisal data from the perspective of academics. It is based on the collaborative effort of academics in Australia, China and New Zealand, with the support of the management staff at the case study university. The study informs both appraisers and academics of quality assurance issues in appraisal. It also contributes to the literature, in that it initiates dialogues between communities of practices through collective questioning on the quality and mechanisms of appraisal in tertiary education.

Do sustainability practices influence university quality? A Colombian case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1525-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula M. Hernandez-Diaz ◽  
Jorge-Andrés Polanco ◽  
Sandra Milena Castaño
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Study Results

Purpose This paper aims to know how university’s strategic managers, from botacademic and administrative systems, perceive the relationship between sustainability and accreditation as sustainability incorporation and the quality of their processes are amongst the actual challenges of universities. Design/methodology/approach This paper opted for an inductive, exploratory study using the case study approach, including 19 in-depth interviews to administrative and academic managers in a private, high-quality certified university in Colombia. The data were assessed using the content analysis methodology. The Colombian accreditation guidelines were the base to analyse the data as accreditation is part of the quality assurance system. Findings This paper provides empirical insights into how the implementation of sustainability in universities relates to the Colombian accreditation factors. The main links found were in the areas of the university’s social impact and organisational responsibility, which are highly relevant to graduates, external stakeholders and sustainability skills. Sustainable campus operation was associated with environmental management and improvement of the quality of the physical plant, with social and economic benefits in the long-term. Additionally, this research found a need for administrative and academic managers to understand and increase their commitment to sustainability. Research limitations/implications Because it was a case study, results are not generalisable. Consequently, further research on similar lines is required to universalise the mentioned observation and results. Practical implications The accreditation factors related to sustainability, inductively defined and exposed in this paper, provide an idea of how sustainability implementation could contribute to higher education quality assurance. Originality/value This paper contributes to filling the knowledge gap about embedding sustainability in Latin-American universities. This paper postulates a starting point considering accreditation standards and the link of the strategic manager’s perceptions of sustainability.

scholarly journals The Experience of Online Marking and the Future Development of Online Marking Practice

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Rankin ◽  
James Demetre
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Storage Space ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The University ◽  
Limited Period

This case study describes a snapshot of the use and the perceptions of online marking (OM) via Turnitin within the School of Health & Social Care at the University of Greenwich. A small online survey was made available to teaching staff for a limited period of three weeks. The purpose of the survey was to informally review how staff felt about using online marking (OM) compared to paper marking. Those staff members who had already used online marking were invited to respond to three quantitative and two qualitative questions about their online marking preferences. A 28% response rate indicated that those who used online marking identified several positive aspects of OM such as handling less paper, the need for less storage space and increased quality of feedback to students.

Scientific excellency model in Iran’s higher education case study: Guilan university of medical sciences

foresight ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-436
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hoseini Moghadam ◽  
Abtin Heidarzadeh ◽  
Hassan Bashiri ◽  
Hossein Khoshrang ◽  
Ideh Dadgaran
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Experiences ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer the question of how scientific excellency can be achieved. The origin of scientific excellency in Iran, national and international experiences concerning the subject has been investigated to review the literature. The authors also designed a process and then a model to test the course. Guilan University of Medical Sciences was selected as a case study for the research. Design/methodology/approach The approach used in this paper is from Future Studies, with emphasis on the “Participatory Learning and Action” method. It means that different stakeholders, including the strategic council members, managers, faculty members, students, alumni and non-academic staff, have been involved in different parts of the process. Findings After semantic analysis of scientific excellency in the theoretical field; the examination of national and international experiences in universities; the analysis of higher-level documents of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education as well as strategic documents of the university; the determination of the strengths and weaknesses of the Guilan University of Medical Sciences in online survey; the completion of the scientific excellency canvas in the expert panel and finally obtaining other stakeholders, a conceptual model was designed for achieving scientific excellency. Practical implications The study of the actions, policies and trends of pioneering universities indicates that it is important to consider issues such as the internationalization of education and research and the modification of university structures. To achieve a superior national and international status, the university must specifically enhance a range of different aspects, from intangible aspects, such as motivation of employees to tangible aspects, such as human resources, structure and facilities. Originality/value Scientific excellency is going to be one of main streams between universities to attract top students and researchers from all over the world. There has been little academic attempt on scientific excellency. In this research, first the authors examined the concept of scientific excellency, criteria and measurement in higher education, then based on that case study and participatory action learning method, a conceptual framework to achieve scientific excellency in Iran’s higher education system was proposed.

APPLICATION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION (HEI) IN OMAN: SHINAS COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY- A CASE STUDY

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Samiya Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Qayoudhi ◽  
Dr.Syed Sulaiman Hussain ◽  
Dr. M. Firdouse Rahman Khan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Institutional Accreditation ◽  
College Of Technology ◽  
Management Staff

PURPOSE The objective of the study is to investigate into the quality of the systems, processes, and practices at ShinasCollege of Technology (ShCT) and to propose a plan for future improvements in relates to quality perspectives and to provide recommendations in various areas of operations on the lines of OAAA institutional accreditation standards.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH  Samples include 50 students, 33 academics, and 16 management employees were selected, and the data was collected through a well-defined questionnaire. Students from the Department of Engineering, Business and Information Technology, were selected on stratified random sampling basis whereas staffwas selected on asimplerandom sampling basis. FINDINGSThe survey reveals that the systems prevailing in ShCT and the practices are aligned with OAAA requirements except for staff promotion and incentives. The ADRI analysis and the study of SAR, QAR and QIP indicates thatShCT practices about Management, Staff, and Students are continuously assessedand well-defined.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The study considers quality assurance as for the top pyramid of higher education. The study throws light on the future improvements of the various areas of operations of the College about the requirements of criteria of the OAAA national standards.SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS The study considers TQM as the most important method for HEIs to achieve efficiency for providing better services and continuous improvements. The Quality is considered as the required power to implement the entire objective desired by the HEIs to attain the efficiency and get the HEIs accredited.ORIGINALITY/VALUE No study has attempted to find out theapplication of TQM in ShCT, Oman ever before considering the quality assurance in education and it is the first-hand study of its kind.RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The study was restricted to various areas of the operations of the college on three stakeholders namely management, staff and students only. The study could be extended to other areas as well as to other stakeholders so that a detailed insight could be obtained. 

Is feedback to tutors the key to supporting quality in adult education?

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-346
Author(s):  
Euan Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Academic Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Constructive Feedback

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine best practices in supporting tutors in academic quality within private training enterprises (PTEs) in New Zealand and to make practical recommendations for people working in the tertiary education sector. Design/methodology/approach A hypothesis is proposed, which is then tested using a case study examining what support from the quality assurance section of a PTE’s tutors perceive to be important. The hypothesis is that additional feedback is required for tutors. The results are compared with those on the literature on quality assurance to see if there is consistency in themes. Findings The primary themes that emerged from interview and survey data were that tutors with more than three years of experience feel they would benefit from more regular, clear and constructive feedback and that these tutors need support during any programme-related changes. Research limitations/implications This research highlights that the quality of feedback is crucial in education and a worthwhile area of further investigation. Limitations include the size of the sample of interviewees and that the study was based on only one organization in New Zealand. Future research is also suggested, which could include data from other tertiary educational institutions. Practical implications The paper concludes with a practical overview of “dos” and two “don’ts” identified from the case study. The objective is to share recommendations in a practical and useable way with other practitioners. Social implications This account of an inquiry into internal quality assurance processes and outcomes offers transferable learnings to tutors, academic quality assurance teams, employers and other stakeholders across the education sector. Originality/value The conclusion drawn from this is case study is that educational organisations should ensure that anyone tasked with providing feedback to tutors is first coached themselves; otherwise, the feedback can be unhelpful.

scholarly journals Mentors' experiences in an osteopathic medical student research program

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Hamby ◽  
W. Paul Bowman ◽  
Don P. Wilson ◽  
Riyaz Basha
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Medical Schools ◽  
Systematic Instruction ◽  
Medical Student Research ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Student Mentor ◽  
The University

Abstract Context Medical students, especially at osteopathic medical schools, have limited research exposure. Systematic instruction in research, supervised by qualified mentors, could motivate osteopathic medical students to pursue research in their careers, thereby increasing the number of future clinician-scientists. Recruiting and retaining suitable research mentors are crucial to sustaining such programs, but this task is also particularly challenging for osteopathic medical schools. Objectives To assess mentors' experiences in a voluntary student-mentor medical research program. Methods An online survey was sent to 76 university- or hospital-based participants who previously mentored 219 medical students between 2014 and 2019. The questionnaire consisted of 13 items with responses in checklist, five-point Likert scale, and categorical multiple-choice formats, assessing motivation for participation, satisfaction with the program, and interest in future participation. Data were analyzed descriptively, and responses from mentors at the university and hospital were compared using univariate logistic and ordinal regression analyses. Results Among 70 (92.1%) mentors who responded to the survey, 61 (87.1%) reported being motivated by a desire to help medical students learn research. Forty-nine (70.0%) mentors indicated that furthering their own research productivity was a motivation, and hospital-based mentors were statistically significantly more likely to endorse this source of motivation (OR=2.02; 95% CI=1.18–3.45; p=0.01). Most respondents were satisfied with the quality of the students' work (59 [84.3%]) and with the program (59 [85.5%]). However, 46 (65.7%) suggested the program could be enhanced by requiring medical students to be physically present in the clinic or laboratory for a minimum amount of time. Importantly, most (58 [84.1%]) mentors reported that they would be interested in participating in future mentored research programs. Conclusions Mentors were motivated to participate in the voluntary research program for both altruistic and professional reasons. Since most mentors reported being satisfied with the program, it is likely they would participate in future mentored research programs. Our results suggest that mentors viewed this voluntary research program as mutually beneficial.

Which journal ranking list? A case study in business and economics

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayana Jaafar ◽  
Vijay Pereira ◽  
Samer S. Saab ◽  
Abdul-Nasser El-Kassar
Keyword(s):  
Research Output ◽  
Citation Count ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Journal Ranking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Quality ◽  
Hard Time ◽  
Yearly Average ◽  
The University

PurposeWith over 3,000 academic journals in the fields of Business and Economics, most academics face a hard time selecting an adequate journal to submit their work to. In today's demanding academic environment and with the presence of different journal ranking lists (JRLs), the selection becomes more difficult when considering employment, promotion and funding. The purpose of this paper is to explore key differences among multiple JRLs pertinent to the latter common objectives. An extensive analysis is conducted to compare the content of journals in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality list, Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) in the fields of Business and Economics. Then, a case of a university with medium research output is considered where scholarly performance evaluation is based on the ABDC Journal Quality List.Design/methodology/approachAfter ranking journals in the fields of Business and Economics based on SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator, JCR's Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and JCR's Eigenfactor (EF), a methodology is proposed to categorize journals in the three JRLs into the same categorization adopted by ABDC. The latter establishes a way to compare the four JRLs under consideration and serves as a basis to compare and analyze the content of journals in the ABDC Journal Quality list, Scopus and WoS. As a proxy impact metric, a normalized citation count is associated with each article based on Google Scholar. The publications of the considered university are then evaluated from the perspective of the four JRLs in terms of citation-based impact and quality while considering the exposure to popular world university ranking tables.FindingsFor journals classified under fourth tier by ABDC, over 53 and 59% are not indexed by Scopus and WoS, respectively. In this case study, over 42% of the publications appear in journals that are not listed in JCR despite the fact that over 94% of them are listed by the SJR list. Generally, publications that appear in journals listed by JCR achieve, on a yearly average, significantly higher citation rates when compared to those that appear in journals listed in ABDC and SJR Lists.Originality/valueA four-tier mapping is proposed for consistent comparison among JRLs. Normalized citation count associated with each article based on Google Scholar is employed for evaluation. The findings provide recommendations for scholars, administrators and global universities, including Euro-Med Universities, on which JRL can be more influential for both faculty development and positioning of the university.

Can you measure IT? The UK experience of TechQual+

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 32-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Hall ◽  
Jessica Stephens ◽  
Sarah Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Data Protection ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Technology Services ◽  
Protection Legislation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

Purpose – The University of York Library, part of its Information Directorate, has successfully run an annual user survey using LibQUAL+ since 2008. The tool has proven invaluable in understanding user needs and measuring improvements. The ability to benchmark performance has been well received by university senior managers. Following this positive experience, the Directorate piloted the TechQual+ survey to assess its technology services. TechQual+ is a total market-survey tool developed on the same principles as LibQUAL+. York was the first university in the UK to do this. The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the experience and its relevance to information services. Design/methodology/approach – A team was established to co-ordinate the distribution of the survey, which was e-mailed to all university members. The survey was conducted over a period of three weeks in December 2011 using their web-based tool. The team worked with the survey providers to make amendments in order to comply with UK Data Protection legislation. Findings – The TechQual+ tool provided a rich set of data on the IT needs of University of York students and staff, including a wealth of comments. As the first use of the tool in the UK, a number of outcomes arose from the pilot: methods for running the survey in order to meet UK data protection requirements; feedback on the tool itself, with some questions not understood from a UK context; a rich set of results data, with some similarities (and several differences) to those available through LibQUAL+. Originality/value – The paper presents the first application of the TechQual+ survey in UK and discusses the issues faced when implementing it in a UK context. The case study will be of interest to libraries or converged services interested in assessing their IT provision.

Communicating value through strategic engagement

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 154-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Walter
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
First Century ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Engagement ◽  
Library Assessment ◽  
Culture Of Assessment ◽  
The University ◽  
Library Value ◽  
University Setting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore ways in which “library value” may be communicated in a university setting through more effective engagement with strategic planning and a broader array of campus partners. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study of an academic library in which alignment with the university mission and strategic plan and alignment of library assessment efforts with the broader culture of assessment at the university have resulted in positive gains for the library in terms of campus engagement and recognition of library value. Findings This paper provides insights into successful strategies for improved communication of library value to senior leadership, new investment in library facilities, and enhanced opportunities for collaboration across the university on strategic initiatives including student success, innovation in teaching and scholarship, and community engagement. Originality/value This paper provides library leaders with new approaches to engagement with campus partners and senior academic leadership in promoting the library as a strategic resource worthy of investment in the twenty-first century.

Technical services and user service improvement

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 505-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Huang ◽  
Katherine Wong
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Service Improvement ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Of Oklahoma ◽  
Online Catalog ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
The University ◽  
Technical Services

PurposeFrom the cataloging librarians' point of view, this paper aims to present how technical services, especially the cataloging department, can play important roles in the improvement of user services.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the practices of the University of Oklahoma Libraries.FindingsThe paper identifies several aspects in which technical services can enhance the quality of user services, especially in the cataloging department. A library's online catalog becomes the first point of access to the library's information resources. Its quality can be improved and enriched in many ways to raise users’ satisfaction. Aside from the improvement in technical aspects, efforts should also be made to promote collaboration between technical and public services so as to ensure efficient processing of materials and to meet the needs of library users.Originality/valueThe value of the paper is in showing that the quality of an online catalog and the cooperation between public and technical services are two of the key factors in achieving high quality of user services.

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