scholarly journals Factors Affecting Successful Quality Assurance Implementation in Vietnamese Higher Education: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loc Thi My Nguyen ◽  
Trung Tran ◽  
Thuan Van Pham ◽  
Tien-Trung Nguyen ◽  
Hien Thi Thu Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
University Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Teaching Learning

Quality assurance and accreditation was officially introduced into the higher education system in Vietnam over ten years ago. It is evident that quality assurance has resulted in positive impacts on university management, teaching, learning and research activities. This paper aims to explore factors that aid the successful implementation of higher education quality assurance and accreditation in Vietnam. Through semi-structured interviews with 32 participants, this study identified a number of factors that contributed to quality assurance processes, including awareness of the importance of quality assurance, better institutional manager leadership, support of university lecturers, staff, and students, and the vital responsibility of internal quality assurance staff. These confirm that internal stakeholders play an important role in undertaking quality assurance programmes and activities.

scholarly journals EUROPEAN APPROACHES AND PRACTICES TO ASSURE HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Sokolova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Source Analysis ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Higher Education Reforms ◽  
Higher Education Quality

The article analyzes the national context of higher education reforms in Southern Europe, based on broad source analysis. The author has found out that the countries of Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece) are distinguished by the national peculiarities of institutional transformations in the field of higher education, demonstrate the experience of successful implementation of the EHEA educational policy, taking into account the national priorities and historical traditions of higher education. A qualitative approach was applied when judging the level of involvement in quality assurance (QA) agencies in Eastern Europe. To implement the national Laws on Higher Education, harmonized with «Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA», agencies & HEIs in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece emphasize quality assurance procedures focused on learning, teaching, and research output. The article highlights organizational, content and procedural activities of higher education QA agencies. The competencies of national agencies have been characterized in the article. Study findings identified the trends in the implementation of the European concept of QA in higher education: the institutionalization of national systems, articulation of consistency with EU documents, national legislation; the scientific and educational collaboration in different fields of activity; internationalization and visualization of the agencies’ activities in the international educational space. It is concluded that general trends determine the directions of dynamic organizational and procedural changes in national higher education systems. Particular attention in the article is paid to the internal QA systems in HEIs under the guidance and with methodological support national agencies provided. The general and specific procedures of external and internal quality assurance in the countries of Southern Europe have been described. From the material presented in this paper, the following theme may require further attention: examining quality frameworks and quality assurance standards in Eastern Europe.

scholarly journals Quality assurance systems of higher education - The case of european institutions: origin, evolution and trends

2014 ◽  
pp. 61-76
Author(s):  
Ángela Corengia ◽  
Juan Carlos Del Bello ◽  
María Pita Carranza ◽  
Cecilia Adrogué
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Strong Trend ◽  
Higher Education Quality ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance

The purpose of this research is to analyze the origin, evolution, performance and trends of higher education quality assurance systems in the following European countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom and France. It also studies the performance and impact of the organizations that join the European Quality Assurance Agencies together. The main sources of data collection were in situ semi-structured interviews to members of these agencies. It was found that in higher education institutions there is a strong trend towards the development of ‘internal quality assurance systems' in response to the public policies known as 'quality audits'. This overview about what is taking place in Europe may provide innovative instruments that could be considered for higher education quality evaluation and accreditation in Latin-American countries: quality audits, disciplinary agencies, evaluation of the quality assurance agencies, among others.

Assessing quality of academic programmes: comparing different sets of standards

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedig Ahmed Babikir Ali ◽  
Mohammad Nazir Ahmad ◽  
Nor Hidayati Zakaria ◽  
Ahmed Mohammed Arbab ◽  
Kamal Badr Abdalla Badr
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Mutual Recognition ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Divergence Points

Purpose Standards should provide a means for transparently comparing academic programmes delivered by higher education providers and the research activities they carry out. The purpose of this study is to investigate the different sets of standards related to the quality assurance of academic programmes in four countries with regard to the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), developed by the European Association for Quality Assurance, for internal quality assurance within higher education institutions. The main aim is to find the convergence and divergence points and to test the consistency of terminologies in use which may impede international collaboration to develop one comprehensive international quality assurance system. Design/methodology/approach The study relied solely on desk-based research and no fieldwork or interviews were conducted for data collection; a point-by-point comparative approach has been applied to explore the standards related to quality assurance of academic programmes. Findings Although there is a great deal of convergence between the different sets of standards compared in this study, fundamental differences still exist. Research limitations/implications This study compared the standards of academic programmes in four countries with the ESG. To generalise the findings of this study, future research may include other standards for comparison. Originality/value This study engages in the debate of how quality of higher education will remain maintained, in times, when higher education is facing challenges such as internationalisation, which requires new initiatives and integrated mechanisms to facilitate mutual recognition of qualifications of students and staff moving across borders.

scholarly journals Study environment in the context of HEI study quality assurance: Case study at Daugavpils University (Latvia)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Davidova ◽  
Irena Kokina
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Keywords Quality Assurance ◽  
Study Process

In recent years the system of higher education quality assurance has undergone several essential changes: a greater emphasis is being laid on the qualification framework, on student-centered learning and study results, the development of the teaching staff, active students’ participation in the assessment of the study process. The given study is oriented towards studying students’ opinions about the quality assurance of a study process at Daugavpils University (DU), Latvia. The participants of this study were 60 students from 12 master and doctoral study programs at Daugavpils University. The analysis of structured interviews with the students made it possible to identify the typical characteristic features of DU internal quality assessment. The research showed that students assess highly lecturers’ personal qualities (attitude to their profession, personal interest in students’ success, empathy, striving for cooperation) and their professional qualities (knowledge of the subject, didactic and communicative competence, and ability to get the feedback from students as well). To promote the cooperation between the students and the academic staff of DU, it is useful to practice trans-disciplinary out-of-study forms, which contribute to a deeper understanding of the study content, of topicalities in global education and possibilities of synergetic thinking in cooperation with students and lecturers. Keywords: quality assurance, higher education institution

scholarly journals EVALUATION OF RESEARCH ACTIVITIES OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ACADEMIC STAFF AS PART OF THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE

2021 ◽  
pp. 146-157
Author(s):  
Valeriia Smirnova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Research Activities

In modern society, the issue of quality assurance by higher education institutions is of particular importance. One of the aspects of the internal quality assurance system is to monitor the level of professional competence of teachers, ensuring openness, transparency of evaluation indicators. In their turn, indicators of research activities of teachers, such as citations in scientometric databases Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar directly affect the ranking of higher education institutions in international and Ukrainian rankings. Therefore, the issue of formation and implementation of systems for the analysis of professional activity of teachers, in particular research, which allow monitoring and evaluation of key performance indicators of research activities of academic staff, is particularly relevant. The paper analyzes the experience of Ukrainian and foreign universities in implementing systems for presenting the professional activities of teachers, analyzing the research activities of academic staff and building ratings of professional and research activities. Modern higher education institutions use various technologies to present the professional activities of teachers in the public domain - Wiki technology, published pages on official websites and developed information systems. The main indicators used in rating the effectiveness of research activities are citation indicators in scientometric databases Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar - citation value, number of documents, h-index, i10-index, therefore, for high-quality presentation of research results in rankings it is important to ensure the visibility of scientific publications - the use of Open Journal Systems, placement of publications in open institutional repositories, electronic libraries, updating profiles of scientists in scientometric and bibliometric databases to update citation indices, etc.

Quality assurance systems: enemies or allies of innovation in higher education institutions?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Ferreira de Mello Silva ◽  
Eduardo Raupp de Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
University Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Innovation In Higher Education

Purpose This study aims to examine the extant literature to analyze the relationship between quality assurance (QA) and innovation in the higher education context. Design/methodology/approach This study selected 63 articles through a systematic literature review in Scopus and Web of Science databases and performed a descriptive and thematic synthesis-analysis on the sample. Findings The research identifies several perspectives discussed on QA systems covering experiences, criticisms and practice implications. The literature review shows there is no clear consensus on whether innovation in higher education institutions (HEIs) is fostered or hindered by QA processes. However, it seems that the likelihood of innovativeness and positive QA outcomes are directly linked to how these processes are managed in universities. Research limitations/implications This review highlights the university management concerns that emerge with QA issues as it is not yet clear to what extent innovation is actually promoted in scenarios where QA is applied. Hence, this literature review could be considered comprehensive but not exhaustive. Further studies are recommended to improve the understanding of how HEIs can both innovate and ensure quality at the same time. Originality/value The paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by advancing the opportunities and challenges that HEIs face due to QA system features.

scholarly journals Conceptualising External and Internal Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Pragmatist Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Ansah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Education Quality ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Practical Relevance ◽  
Higher Education Quality ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Education Quality Assurance

The traditional tension between external and internal quality assurance implementation in higher education appears to be declining, based on a rethinking of the relationship between the two concepts. Although there are quality assurance agencies that still consider external and internal quality assurance as separate entities, most quality assurance agencies now regard the two concepts as complementary. In this paper, a case is put that the present rethinking of external and internal quality assurance in most higher education settings is guided by pragmatism, but not explicitly acknowledged in the literature. For a better appreciation of pragmatists’ influence on the current understanding of the relationship between external and internal quality assurance in higher education, this paper provides a further pragmatist conceptualisation of the two concepts to enhance stakeholders’ appreciation of employing a pragmatist approach to quality assurance practices in higher education. The conceptualisation is done through a pragmatist analysis of selected international accounts on higher education quality assurance. The paper concludes that pragmatism helps to understand external and internal quality assurance as nested concepts with reciprocities of accountability and improvement roles, and influences which call for alignment of perspectives through negotiations and settlements in order to focus on their practical relevance for implementation in higher education. La tension traditionnelle entre l’implémentation de systèmes d’assurance qualité interne et externe dans l’enseignement supérieur semble s’affaiblir grâce à la reconsidération de la relation entre ces deux concepts. Bien qu’il existe des agences d’assurance qualité qui continuent à considérer les assurances qualité interne et externe comme deux entités distinctes, la plupart des agences considèrent désormais qu’elles sont complémentaires. Cet article soutient que la nouvelle manière de penser les assurances qualité interne et externe dans l’enseignement supérieur est guidée par un souci de pragmatisme mais est encore peu reconnue dans la littérature. Pour mieux apprécier l’influence des pragmatistes sur la compréhension actuelle de la relation entre les assurances qualité interne et externe, cet article offre une conceptualisation pragmatique approfondie de ces deux concepts dans le but d’augmenter l’appréciation des parties prenantes pour l’utilisation d’une telle approche. La conceptualisation proposée provient d’une analyse pragmatique d’un choix d’expériences internationales en matière d’assurance qualité pour l’enseignement supérieur. En conclusion, cet article affirme que le pragmatisme aide à comprendre les assurances qualité interne et externe comme des concepts imbriqués qui ont des rôles réciproques en ce qui concerne la responsabilisation du système et son amélioration. Ces rôles ainsi que l’influence exercée par ces deux types d’assurance qualité requièrent des négociations et accords, pour s’accorder sur les perspectives et pouvoir ensuite se concentrer pleinement sur la pertinence pratique de leur implémentation dans les systèmes d’enseignement supérieur. 

scholarly journals Comparison of regulatory models of higher education in Europe: the Portuguese situation

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Rei Bernardino ◽  
Rui Cunha Marques
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Education System ◽  
Quality Assurance System ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Assurance System ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
Portuguese Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance Standards ◽  
Regulatory Models

The regulation of Portuguese Higher Education is now in a period of evolution and undergoing profound changes. The quality assurance system implemented was criticised from the beginning, raising many doubts, and was often associated with some weaknesses. The pressure put on the Portuguese government to meet quality assurance standards in the scope of European Higher Education is enormous and several reforms and policy developments show that Portugal's Higher Education system is on the move. This paper compares the regulatory models in other European countries and analyses the new Portuguese model.

scholarly journals Main Features and Challenges of Implementing Internal Quality Assurance Within African Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Eduardo Mondlane University

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Casimiro Zavale ◽  
Luisa Alcantra Santos ◽  
Maria Da Conceição Dias
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Internal Quality Assurance ◽  
Reflection On Action ◽  
First Time ◽  
Eduardo Mondlane University

Founded in 1962, Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), Mozambique’s largest and most prestigious university, established an Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) system for the first time in 2013. Based on UEM’s case, this paper examines the features and challenges faced when implementing an IQA system within African higher education institutions. Literature on higher education quality assurance has widely examined the features of, and challenges faced by national QA systems, or by a QA system established across several higher education institutions (HEIs). However, this literature has rarely targeted single HEIs, particularly (African) HEIs that are establishing, for the first time, their IQA systems. Besides, even when IQA at a single HEI is targeted, this is often done by outsiders. Based on reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action, this paper addresses the perspectives of both insiders and outsiders. The authors analyse a system that they have been involved in establishing. The paper’s findings enable to conclude that the main challenges of implementing an IQA system in an African HEI are associated with linking QA to decision-making and to a funding strategy; training human resources and allocating funds for the system to operate and to be sustainable; enabling the system to be assimilated by the university community; and defining measurable and objective quality standards to enable unbiased performance classification. Fondée en 1962, l’Université Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), la plus grande et la plus prestigieuse université du Mozambique, a créé pour la première fois en 2013 un système interne d’assurance qualité (IAQ). A partir de l’étude du cas de l’UEM, cet article examine les caractéristiques et les défis qui attendent les institutions d’enseignement supérieur africaines qui désirent implémenter un IAQ. La littérature sur l’assurance qualité de l’enseignement supérieur a largement examiné les caractéristiques des systèmes nationaux d’AQ (ou de systèmes communs à plusieurs institutions), et les défis auxquels ils sont confrontés. Elle s ‘est cependant rarement concentrée sur des cas uniques d’institutions, notamment des institutions (africaines) qui ont créé pour la première fois leur propre IAQ. Par ailleurs, même quand elle s’attarde sur une institution en particulier, l’analyse est souvent effectuée par des personnes étrangères à l’institution. Fondé sur la réflexion dans l’action et la réflexion sur l’action, cet article présente les perspectives de personnes internes et étrangères à l’établissement. Il permet de conclure que les principaux défis à affronter lors de l’établissement d’un IAQ sont dus à la difficulté de lier l’AQ à la prise de décision et à une stratégie de financement ; à la formation des ressources humaines et l’allocation des fonds nécessaires pour que le système fonctionne et perdure ; à l’assimilation du système par la communauté universitaire ; et à la définition de standards de qualité mesurables et objectifs pour permettre une classification de la performance impartiale. 

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