QUALITY IN EDUCATION

Quality in EducationTuning International Master's Programmes 13 December 2007 Pirjo Halonen Head of Quality Assurance... Quality Assuranceproviding confidence that quality requirements

Quality in Education

Tuning International Master's Programmes

13 December 2007 Pirjo Halonen Head of Quality Assurance

characteristics fulfils requirements

– Characteristics: distinguishing feature

– Requirements: need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory

(ISO 9000)

Quality Management

quality to establish policy and objectives and

to achieve those objectives

Quality Assurance

providing confidence that quality

requirements will be fulfilled

Background to Quality Assurance

in Education

 The Bologna process in 1999:

– The European Ministers of Education set a target to

realise a coherent and cohesive European Higher

Education Area (EHEA):

• Undergraduate and postgraduate levels in all European countries

• European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)

• Common framework of comparable degrees (Diploma Supplement)

• Recognition of studies abroad

• Elimination of obstacles to the free mobility of students and teachers

• European dimension in quality assurance

What is quality in education?

concept and cannot be easily assessed by only one indicator

Quality in Education – for whom?

For students, cont.

– Flexibility

– Lifelong learning – varying student pathways

– Appropriate contents of courses

– Allowing to challenge practice when linking theory

to the real world

– Use of up-to-date evidence

For students cont.

– Student support units - health care, student unions – Part time accepted

– Network of other students on the course - learning from each other, motivation

For students, cont.

– learning

– passing the examinations < motivation <

enthusiasm of the lecturer

satisfaction with teaching

For employers

 Employers do not place emphasis on

information about the quality of a university

 Most of them apply the reputation in their decision making:

– “grapevine” knowledge, or word-of-mouth

communication

– personal, regional, professional networks

– performance of past graduates

– prejudice against new universities

For stakeholders

For administrative personnel

of academic programmes

structures within which the programmes can

be provided and supported

For administrative personnel, cont.

In quality audits

 Instructions are extensive

 The studying process from the student’s point

of view is clearly defined

 Curricula and teaching are well-timed

 The university utilise feedback from graduates

in their curriculum work

 Definition, what kind of learning is expected –

“in-depth learning”

In quality audits, cont.

breaks between departments

– personal curriculum (HOPS)

– systematic feedback systems

– curriculum process

– course assessments

– post-graduate studies

In quality audits, cont.

 Processes are well defined, assessed and developed

 Guidelines to assure quality of education

 The responsibilities well defined

 A department of students services have been established and it has enough resources

 A variety of teaching and testing methods are used

In quality audits, cont.

practices

At the University of Jyväskylä

 Present practices are described in the quality manuals.

 A new education strategy is needed.

 Evaluation policies of the education have to be implemented.

 The education will be evaluated yearly.

 On the basis of the evaluation education will be developed.

ways depending on the speaker

quality

Alves H, Raposo M Conceptual model of student satisfaction in higher

education Total Quality Management & Business Excellence 2007;

18(5):571-588.

Hill Y, Lomas L, MacGregor J Students' perceptions of quality in higher

education Quality Assurance in Education 2003; 11(1):15-20

Morley L, Aynsley S Employers, quality and standards in higher education:

Shared values and vocabularies or elitism and inequalities? Higher

Education Quarterly 2007; 61(3):229-249.

Ross R, Gruber V, Szmigin I Service quality in higher education: The role

of student expectations Journal of Business Research 2007;

60(9):949–959

Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher

Education EU Education and Culture 2005

Yin Cheong Cheng, Wai Ming Tam Multimodels of quality in education

Quality Assurance in Education 1997; 5(1):22–31.

Kekäle T, Ilolakso A, Katajavuori N, Toikka M, Isoaho K (2006) Kuopion

yliopiston laadunvarmistusjärjestelmän auditointi Korkeakoulujen

arviointineuvoston julkaisuja 3:2006 Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvosto Helsinki

Wahlbin C, Hieikkilä J, Hellberg M, Lindroos P, Nybom J, Corrnér S (2007)

Auditering av Svenska handelshögskolans kvalitetssäkringssystem

Publikationer av rådet för utvärdering av högskolorna 3:2007 Rådet

av utvärdering Helsinki

Jokinen T, Malinen H, Mäki M, Nokela J, Pakkanen P, Kekäläinen H (2007)

Tampereen teknillisen yliopiston laadunvarmistusjärjestelmän

auditointi Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvoston julkaisuja 4:2007

Korkeakoulujen arviointineuvosto Helsinki.

Tuomela J (2007) Jyväskylän yliopistosta vuonna 2005 valmistuneiden

maistereiden sijoittumisenseuranta Tutkimus- ja rekrytointipalvelut

Jyväskylän yliopisto Jyväskylä.