Health, Environment, Well-being

University-Industry Cooperation as a QA Instrument and External Evaluation

Podgorica, Montenegro28 May 2010

Towards Development of Quality in Higher Education

Prof. Ossi V. LindqvistUniversity of Eastern Finland, Finland

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Global Trends and Developments in HE:

* ’Massification’ of HE, increased student numbers;* Globally, demand for HE generally far exceeds the supply;* New HE market situation, internationalisation, and competition;* The old concept of academic trust replaced by accountability, towards society, the students, the citizens at large, etc.* A move from supply-side policies towards more demand or market-driven actions...* New professional requirements set by the market, for learning outcomes, general skills, and competencies!

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Estimated numbers of universities in 1875 / 1913

North America 360 / 500Latin America 30 / 40Europe 110 / 150Asia 5 / 20Africa 0 / 5Australasia 2 / 5 (Hobsbawn)

Current total number of Higher EducationInstitutions (HEIs) in the world is >20,000

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Historically, Europe has had a very diversified HE system, e.g., with a multitude of degreestructures; still 15 years ago, some 600 different kinds of ’Master degrees’ existed in Europe;

In the US, by contrast, the degree structure in HEwas gradually harmonized, and the credit system was gradually introduced already starting in the 1860’s. Thus also student and staff mobility within theUS higher education was enhanced;

In the 1990’s, it was realized that Europe had toharmonize its HE system; partly as a result of the’massification’ of its higher education;

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The European response was the creation of the so-called Bologna Process, starting in 1999.

It is an agreement between the European Ministers of Education, and it currently includes 47 countries.Its aim is the production of the European HigherEducation Area (EHEA) by the year 2010 and beyond. It is supported by the European Commission.

The functions of the EHEA have been developed inseveral ministerial meetings during the past decade.

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The overall aims of the Bologna Process:

Improving the competitiveness of European universities and Europe at large, enhancing mobility of both students and labour at large, and also quality of HE being of utmost importance!

But Bologna is not an ’exclusive club’!

It has been modified and locally adopted in manyparts of the world; also Africa is developing its own’African Bologna’.

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The tools towards the EHEA:

1. Quality Assurance (QA)2. Harmonised degree structure3. Promotion of mobility4. Establishment of a system of credit (ECTS)5. Recognition of degrees6. Role of students (especially in QA)7. European dimension, etc.8. Life-long learning

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One of the basic elements of EHEA is the qualityin HE, and the development of Quality Assurance (QA)systems for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs);

The ENQA Standards and Guidelines for QA was adopted by European ministers in Bergen in 2005, and the progressof implementation was reviewed in London in 2007;

The Standards involve three parts:

• Internal quality assurance (and self-assessment)• External quality assurance• Peer review of quality assurance agencies (for EQAR)

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1. European standards for internal quality assurance

- Policy and procedures for QA;- Approval, monitoring and periodic review

of programs; - Assessment of students;- QA of teaching staff;- Learning resources and student support;- Information systems:- Public information- (A self-assessment report for external

evaluation)

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2. European standards for external quality assurance

- Use of internal quality assurance procedure;- Development of external QA processes;- Criteria for decisions;- Processes fit for purpose;- Reporting;- Follow-up procedures;- Periodic reviews;- System-wide analysis;

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3. European standards for external QA agencies

- Official status;- Activities, on a regular basis;- Resources:- Mission statement;- Independence;- External QA criteria and processes;- Accountability procedures;

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In Finland, FINHEEC has adopted a quality audit type of procedure, starting in 2005;

Yet the HEI can decide itself which type of quality system it is following (ISO, EFQM, etc.), if any,and some HEIs have developed their own that fits besttheir strategy and tasks;

The Finnish HEIs will be through the FINHEEC audit by 2011, but the HEIs are free to approach national or international quality accreditation agencies or organisations (e.g. EQUIS) as well

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The evaluation of the Quality Assurance Systemin a HEI is based on the principle of developing andimproving its quality.

The main target of the evaluation is the process!

Input --> Process --> Output

If the ’Input’ (financing, student quality, facilities, etc.)is sufficient, and the ’Process’ is of high quality, thenthe ’Output’ should be at least satisfactory.

Of special European concern has been the quality of teaching! (But: teaching learning!)

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FINHEEC:

- more detailed criteria are set in consultation with the HEIs, and they are public;

- the audit process involves partly a peer review, but includes also student and labour market representatives;

- the audit report is published, and it is public;

- FINHEEC gives an Audit Certificate to the HEI which has passed the criteria. Otherwise, a re-audit must be taken after two years. The auditis valid for six years.

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What is being evaluated in FINHEEC audits?

Comprehensiveness,Effectiveness, andTransparency of the QA system

The Institutional QA should cover:

Education, teachingResearch (R&D)Societal interactions (regional development)Support and service functionsStaff development

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The aims of the quality audit (by FINHEEC):

- to establish the qualitative objectives set by HEI for its own activities;

- to evaluate what procedures and processes the HEI is using to maintain and develop the quality of its education and other activities;

- to evaluate whether the HEI’s QA works as intended, whether the QA system produces useful and relevant information for the improvement of its operations, and whether it brings about improvement measures

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Under these general objectives, FINHEEC hasdefined 7 specific objectives for evaluation;

The evaluation is and should be evidence-based;

The evaluation criteria used by the audit group for each target are:

- Absent - Emerging - Developing - Advanced

Passing: with average ’Developing’, and no ’Absent’

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At the end, the responsibility for Qualitylies with the HEIs themselves!

Especially important in the Bologna Processis also the engagement of the students in thequality assurance process itself. - Student mobility is a way of expanding study opportunitiesinternationally;

And the universities themselves should be part of the policy instruments that formulate the nationalHE and innovation policies.

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But challenges exist:

- How to create a real cooperative quality culture- Motivating the staff to self-evaluate their own activities in an open and transparent manner;- An experienced and committed external evaluation team (Agency);- Making useful and relevant recommendations;- Utilization of the report --> consequent measures and follow-up;

Important: can the system create enough trustfor and between all the participants and players!

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Finally, the leadership and governance of each HEI plays an important role in the implementation of its QA system. (But still every university already has ’quality’.)

A system that is based on a quality culture that embraces everybody in the institution.

The leadership has to be the initiatorinitiator of the strategic quality improvement in the institution, and its role is further enhanced in the dissemination of good practices through national and international networks.

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The Bologna Process is an internationalEuropean enterprise, but it is applicable alsoelsewhere;

It also shows the importance and benefits ofregional cooperation at all levels of HigherEducation, and especially in PostgraduateEducation; neighbouring countries shouldpool their resources; (In the past, HE policiesused to be strictly national policies...)

It is further enhanced by transparency of the HEsystems, through open information by Internet, etc., so that anyone can make his/her ownassessment of education opportunities, andfind proper study support systems, etc.

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Do we need a knowledge-based society, or,a civic society?

(or maybe both of them!)

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In short, education seems to become the keyfactor in regulating the relationship between an individual and the state/society.

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Thank you!

but, PS

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Quality relative to Higher Education (I)

Quality meaning the exceptional, where quality isrelated to the conception of excellence;

Quality meaning perfection, where quality has consistent and error-free attributes;

Quality meaning fit for purpose, where qualityfulfills the perceived requirements of stakeholders;

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Quality relative to Higher Education (II):

Quality meaning value, where a governmentalagency, subsidizing employer, or agency find optimum benefits relative to cost;

Quality meaning transformation, where qualitynecessarily involves a change from a current toan ideal end state.

Lee Harvey 1997. In: Tertiary Education andManagement 3(1):25-35