How do the Mission and Role of Professionally
Oriented HEIs impact internal QA proceedings?
Mindaugas Misiūnas,
EURASHE Seminar on Quality Assurance
Nicosia, 27 September 2012
The Structure of the Workshop
• The Mission and Role of professional HEIs/UAS.
• Internal QA systems and ESG.
• UASnet “Eduprof” project on developing applied research
indicators.
• Internal QA system at Kauno kolegija/Kaunas University
of Applied Sciences.
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EURASHE holds the view that all professionally oriented
institutions of higher education have a threefold mission:
teaching, research and services to the community.
PHEIs are responsive to wider needs of society through the
diversity of they mission.
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Mission and specific role of the professionally oriented
PHEIs/UAS
• Professionally oriented higher education institutions within the
Bologna process, deliver graduates competences specifically tailored to
the requirements of the labour market needs.
• The specific role of professional HEIs is that they should widening
mission and should be involved in applied research, innovation,
impact-driven (and market-oriented) knowledge creation and
knowledge transfer, in close cooperation with stakeholders at regional
level.
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Levels of degrees of professionally oriented HEI/UAS:
some examples
 Denmark – bachelor
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Estonia – bachelor, master
Finland – bachelor, master
Ireland – bachelor, master and Phd
Lithuanian – bachelor
The Netherlands – bachelor, master
Portugal – bachelor, master
Slovenia - bachelor (short cycle)
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“Doing more with less???”
• Governments are paying increasing attention for greater efficiency on
the HE and better value for individuals or society and stimulating the
higher education institution to create and implement the internal
quality assurance system.
• Now biggest PHE institutions management challenge is how to
mobilize resources and navigate through the economic reality and not
to lose educational quality at the same time to be dynamic,
competitive, attractive.
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Internal quality assurance in higher education institution
•
The responsibility of the HEI’s to choose a model that fits their
requirements. It’s very important a diversity in quality assurance
models.
•
Professionally oriented HEI should constantly update his quality
assurance system in order to respond to the demands of the labour
market and to the needs of society.
•
Each area of activity in the mission on higher education institution,
such as study program, applied research, resources etc., needs an
appropriate evaluation. It should be integrated into quality assurance
system.
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Designing of the quality assurance system
Higher education institution can design the quality assurance
system in three ways by grounding its choice with the following
actions:
• creating a totally new, original model of quality assurance
system.
• adapting the already existing system (TQM, EFQM, ISO, etc.).
• designing a system by integrating the already existing models or
their particular structural parts with the original structural
components and principles of quality assurance system.
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But……Quality assurance systems should follow
the Standards and Guideline for Quality Assurance
in the European Higher Education Area.
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European Standards and Guidelines for internal quality
assurance within higher education institutions
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Policy and procedures for quality assurance
Approval, monitoring and periodic review of programs and awards
Assessment of students
Quality assurance of teaching staff
Learning resources and student support
Information systems
Public information
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How to enhance quality and evaluate applied
research activities?
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Partners of the UASnet on the Eduprof
project
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Finland
Ireland
France
Denmark
Estonia
Flanders
Lithuania
Portugal
Netherlands
Switzerland
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The EDUPROF project: developing indicators of
applied research, 2011
Questions that arise are:
• How to ensure good system of quality assurance for applied research?
• How to adjust the qualities of staff members in relation to applied
research?
• How to translate research findings into educational programmes;
• How to form good regional networks?
• How to finance the research activities?
• How to strengthening the position and image of research at UAS;
• Producing guiding information for UAS and the sector;
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What problems we identify?
• Unclear boundaries between applied research at UAS and classical
University.
• Applied research effectiveness often is evaluated according to evaluation
criteria designed for classical universities.
• Disbalance between lecturers FTE spent on research and teaching;
• UAS aren’t involved into international (Framework ) and often national
(social funding for research and development) programs.
•Weak collaboration with SMEs and low institutional income from
Applied Research activities;
• Orientation to quantity, not quality (“the more articles lecturer publishes
the better he/she is”).
• Student’s projects still lack orientation on applied research activities.
The EDUPROF project: feasible indicators
• Finance (total income; direct basic (government) funding for research;
research income from competitive research funding sources; research
income from working/professional fields (private and public).
• Lectures/researches (total (number and FTE) of academic staff; total
FTE spent on research; FTE spent on teachers; total number of staff
involved in both research and teaching).
• Publication and media appearances (total number of research
publications; total number of peer-reviewed research publications;
number of research publications relevant to professional fields; total
number of research presentations; total number of research
presentations relevant to professional fields).
• Artefacts and services (total number of Continuous Professional
Development (CPD) courses as a result of research; total number of
patents; total number of licenses;
• Start-ups/spin offs (total number of start-up firms)
• Awards and prizes (total number of awards and prizes won – number).
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UAS IN LITHUANIA
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According to the law, the UAS sector in Lithuania was established in
2000.
•
UAS provides professional bachelor degree. No master degree study
programmes.
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Minimum 10 procent of all the academic staff must have scientific
degree.
• Kaunas UAS: 8000 student, 350 FTE lecturers, 45 study programs on
5 areas: technologies, biomedicine, art, social science, humanities.
WWW. KAUKO.LT
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In Kaunas University of Applied Sciences internal quality
assurance system is inseparable from the external quality
assessment, covering study programmes and institutional
levels.
Principles of internal QA system
• The primary responsibility for the quality lies with HEI community.
• IQA system should deliver real benefit to students, lectures and
management.
• All members of HEI community should be involved in the IQA
processes through the training, seminars, debates, self assessment,
evaluation.
• All activities of HEI should bee integrated into IQA system.
• Constant development, personal accountability and responsibility.
• Annual qualitative and quantitative reports on HEI achievements and
public presentation.
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Internal Quality Assurance System
Existing internal quality assurance system in Kaunas UAS has been
functioning according to quality management model, which integrated the
principles of Total Quality Management. The functioning of the model is
cyclic and its implementation is realized through self-assessment and
benchmarking.
The purpose of the internal quality assurance system is a constant
development of the UAS activity, based on the principle of the personal
accountability.
Special attention is given to the feedback.
Self-assessment process
Self-assessment is carried out at every level: lecturer, department,
faculty, service, UAS. Every year lecturers present their self -analysis to the
heads of their departments, the heads of departments to the deans of the
faculties and the deans of the faculties, vice-deans and heads of services to
the director of the UAS.
The UAS director jointly with the working groups (comprised of
members of the UAS community) drafts an annual summary report of the
activity analysis which is presented to the academic community and the UAS
Board. This is also the director’s annual activity report. Thus, on the basis
of the reports of divisions, services and centers the summary of the UAS
annual activities self-assessment is prepared.
Self-assessment process
A very significant role within the system of quality assurance falls on a
student. As self-analysis is conducted at all levels, it is necessary to
identify students’ opinion about their teaching staff, department, faculty
and overall activity quality of the UAS. Students surveys are carried out,
round table discussions are organized as well as other activities.
Self-assessment process
After the self-assessment has been carried out, every institution
level(faculty, department) identifies strengths and weaknesses,
opportunities and threats of certain activities; priority areas of
improvement as well as examples of good experience are identified;
the plan for the quality improvement is designed.
Public presentation
A very important component of internal quality assurance system is public
presentation and evaluation of every faculty activity self-analysis where all
members of the UAS community are invited and where opinion about a
subdivision’s progress in a particular area is expressed by the head of faculty or
department. Thus, all the staff is involved in the cycle of the self-analysis
process.
During public presentation the staffs are invited to express their ideas and
suggestions, participate in decision making, and express their own opinion
This way UAS successfully implements quality culture.
Annual Report, evaluation and conclusion
The rector jointly with the working groups (comprised of members of the
institution community) drafts an annual summary report of the institution activity
analysis (quantitative and qualitative) which is presented to the academic
community and the Institution Board. This is also the personal rector’s annual
activity report.
The Board evaluate an institutional achievements and personal rector’s input and
draw a conclusion about a progress and do the recommendation on future
improvements. The Annual Report should be published on the institutional
website.
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Kaunas University of Applied Sciences:
a link with external quality assessment
External evaluation
(institutional and study programs levels):
dimensions, criteria, indicators
Adapted
Internal evaluation of Kaunas University of Applied Sciences
(institutional, faculty, department, teacher levels):
dimensions, criteria, indicators
Facilitates the
preparation for
external evaluation
Appears the opportunity
of internal and external
benchmarking
Provides the directions
of the performance
improvement
The disadvantages of internal quality assurance system
• Don’t used a Process Approach.
• Too much bureaucratic system (“spongy and slow”, sometimes the
system lies; not always this system creates a worth; takes time)
• Decision making is based on facts and analysis. After one year we will
sometimes raise the same problems…
• The feedback from social partners and graduates is episodic and
single-sided.
• Quality assessment of teaching and learning.
• Cost of internal quality assurance.
THE SYSTEM IS NOT ALWAYS EFFECTIVE!
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THANK YOU!
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