Conclusions from Working Group 4:

Improving Educational Quality for a Diverse Student Body

Chair:Judith EatonPresident

Council for Higher Education Accreditation

USA

…2…

Introduction

Academic quality has been a shared responsibility within institutions for most of the history of universities Academic quality has been based on a set of values:trustlink between teaching and researchinstitutional autonomy and academic freedomHE as a public good and serving the public

interest

…3…

Recent developments

Greater intrusion of governments at national, regional and international levels represents a threat to academic values because: bureaucratic and over-regulatory approach HE as a private good and students as customers

This approach can lead to:standardisation in a context where HE must

address conflicting demands and a diversity of needs

compliance and loss of HE’s ownership of qualityloss of quality

…4…

How do institutions sustain ownership of academic quality?

Respond to globalisation through: Rethinking “liberal-arts” education and re-stating its

importance Educating global citizens while contributing to the local

communityRespond to massification through: Developing appropriate sustainable practices for our work

with students: e.g., Teaching methods that combine personalised learning paths within a team project

Understanding better the diversity of students and using its richness in the classroom

Respond to accountability demands by developing internal quality processes of all programmes and activities

…5…

How do institutions sustain ownership of academic quality?

Assert the university as the appropriate forum for continued reflection and dialogue on academic values as part of a strategy to sustain our academic qualityEnsure a QA role for institutions at national levelPursue a supranational, mutual recognition approach: EUA must play a role in facilitating the interface of national processesEmbrace diversity of institutional missions and standards and avoid a single set of quality standards

…6…

Conclusion

What did higher education do before government QA

procedures?