QUALITY MANAGEMENT AS A TOOL FOR QUALITY CULTURE EMBEDMENT: VILNIUS

UNIVERSITY APPROACH

Inga Milisiunaite, Roma Adomaitiene, Juozas GalginatisVilnius University

31st Annual EAIR Forum in Vilnius, Lithuania23 to 26 August 2009

Quality as Eenhancement or Improvement

• Stress on the responsibility of the higher education institution to make the best use of its institutional autonomy and freedom;

• Achieving quality is central to the academic ethos;

• Academics themselves know best what quality is.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation (2007). A Glossary of Basic Terms and Definitions. UNESCO-CEPES.

1587

2

1516

4

1379

2

1213

1

1071

2

9805

9709

9881 10

965

1195

2 1376

6

1512

8 1749

0 1932

6 2128

4 2305

7

2378

8

2358

3

2364

8

2316

1

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Students' numbers 1989 - 2008 m.

FacultiesTeacher Student Ratio

General Satisfaction, %

Teaching Satisfaction, %

Religious Studies and Research Centre 4,31 85,7 85,7

Faculty of Medicine 6,35 60,4 38,0

Centre of Oriental Studies 9,54 78,9 68,4

Faculty of Philology 9,89 67,8 56,1

Faculty of Natural Sciences 11,70 66,6 44,5

Faculty of Chemistry 13,99 65,2 50,4

Faculty of Physics 14,98 63,4 48,8

Faculty of Philosophy 17,78 69,7 45,8

Faculty of Humanities in Kaunas 17,99 65,2 40,8

Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics 19,42 61,1 38,6

Faculty of Law 19,62 63,7 38,5

Institute of International Relations and Political Science 22,20 76,5 50,6

Faculty of History 22,94 69,9 47,8

Faculty of Economics 27,63 46,8 27,2

Faculty of Communication 31,25 54,2 31,9

Total: 15,42 61,4 40,2

Some Elements of Quality Assurance System (1)

Documentation Procedures Tools

• Regulations of the studies process• Regulations for Study programmes• Students’ assessment regulations• Final thesis preparation guidlines, defence and storage

rules• Credits’ transformation rules

Some Elements of Quality Assurance System (2)

Documentation Procedures Tools

• Approval, monitoring of study programmes • Electronic study programme catalogue • Student satisfaction survey• Academic consultancy services• Career councelling• Distance Study Education Center• Students’ research societies• Students’ sports societies (annual rector’s cup tournament• Students’ cultural societies

Some Elements of Quality Assurance System (3)

Procedures Structures

• Students’ introduction programme (since 2001)

– Students’ mentoring programme

– Student’s manual

– Camps for the first year students (47 in 2001......1600 in 2008)

• Examination center– Computer examination (11451 students from 2007 to 2009; 73% -

computer examination is more objective; 44% - suitable for test type exams; 47% - suitable for test type and other types of exams)

– Plagiarism prevention and control tool (since 2005 to 2009 data base of 18 633 students’ papers: 5975 Bachelor course papers, 7896 Bachelor thesis; 738 Master research paper; 4024 Master thesis).

Quality Management Center (February, 2008)

The mission of the established office is the promotion of quality culture while initiating, supporting and coordinating the development and implementation of the quality management system.

The Ingredients of a Quality Culture

• A set of shared, accepted, and integrated patterns of quality (often called principles of quality) to be found in the organizational cultures and the management systems of institutions;

• Awareness of and commitment to the quality of higher education, in conjunction with a solid culture of evidence;

• Efficient management of this quality (through quality assurance procedures).Quality Assurance and Accreditation (2007). A Glossary of Basic Terms and Definitions. UNESCO-CEPES.

VU Continuous Performance Improvement Model

• Quality culture concept;

• Learning organisation theory;

• Main principles of quality management;

• Principles of management information system.

Culture of Learning

Higher education is about “transforming the person”, not simply about transforming his or her skills or domain of understanding. A commitment to life-long learning, critical thinking and continuous flow of change are the main characteristics of transformation.

Consortium for Excellence in Higher Education. (2003b). Organisational Learning and the Future of Higher Education. Sheffield Hallam University

Analysis at Managerial Level

Continuous Improvement of Studies

Process (Corrections and Prevention

Activities)

Student Admission

Delivery of Study Programmes

(study process)

Development and Improvement of

Study Programmes

Formulation of Studies Quality

Policy and Aims; Planning of Studies

Quality

Evaluation of Learning

Outcomes

Evaluation of Shareholders’ Needs

Satisfaction

Internal Evaluation of Study Programmes

Studies Processes Supportive Processes

Managerial Processes

Process

Feedback

1

33

2

1

Research Performance

Administration of Studies Process

Shareholders’(university community, present and potential students,

alumni, society, market) Needs and Expectations

Shareholders’(university community, present and potential students, alumni, society, market) Needs and

Expectations

ANONYMITY

TRANSPARENCYPUBLICITY

2

Student Support

Management of Human Resources

Management of Material Resources

Acquisition of Services/Products

Management of Financial Resources

Management of Information Technologies

Quality management system implementation

stages• analysis, updating and/or development of the documents that regulate processes of studies quality monitoring;

• development of the system of studies quality criteria and indicators, and their calculation methods;

• piloting of the criteria and indicators system while monitoring input, process and output indicators of the studies process quality;

• approval of the system of studies quality criteria and indicators, and their calculation methods as a framework for studies quality assurance and improvement;

• development and implementation of management information system.

Conclusion

The assurance and improvement of academic quality is inseparable from nurturance of quality and learning culture supported by effective managerial structures. Successful quality management principles should be supported by effective information systems.