ODESSA – NOVEMBER 2010

1. ODESSA – NOVEMBER 2010 The role of leadership in internal quality assurance

2. Questions to leadership Who is responsible for quality in your institution? Does your institution have in place an internal quality assurance procedure? Is it widespread inside the institution? Does it have consequences? Is it permanent and improvement oriented?

3. Questions to leadership Do you know the ESG for internal quality assurance? If yes, what are you doing to apply them in your institution?

4. ESG for internal QA Policy and procedures for quality assurance: Institutions should have a policy and associated procedures for the assurance of the quality and standards of their programmes and awards. They should also commit themselves explicitly to the development of a culture which recognises the importance of quality, and quality assurance, in their work. To achieve this, institutions should develop and implement a strategy for the continuous enhancement of quality. The strategy, policy and procedures should have a formal status and be publicly available. They should also include a role for students and other stakeholders.

5. ESG for internal QA Approval, monitoring and periodic review of programmes and awards: Institutions should have formal mechanisms for the approval, periodic review and monitoring of their programmes and awards.

6. ESG for internal QA Assessment of students: Students should be assessed using published criteria, regulations and procedures which are applied consistently.

7. ESG for internal QA Quality assurance of teaching staff: Institutions should have ways of satisfying themselves that staff involved with the teaching of students are qualified and competent to do so. They should be available to those undertaking external reviews, and commented upon in reports.

8. ESG for internal QA Learning resources and student support: Institutions should ensure that the resources available for the support of student learning are adequate and appropriate for each programme offered.

9. ESG for internal QA Information systems: Institutions should ensure that they collect, analyse and use relevant information for the effective management of their programmes of study and other activities.

10. ESG for internal QA Public information: Institutions should regularly publish up to date, impartial and objective information, both quantitative and qualitative, about the programmes and awards they are offering.

11. Questions to leadership and institutions (EUA) ● What is the institution trying to do? ● How is the institution trying to do it? ● How does the institution know it works? ● How does the institution change in order to improve?

12. Leadership needs support The ESG for internal QA as well as, in another form, the answer to the EUA questions need involvement of all parts of the institution (this has also to do with governance). → QUALITY CULTURE

13. Key principles for a quality culture Primary responsibility for quality assurance lies with universities themselves. The role of external quality is to review these internal processes while respecting and promoting the primary responsibility of HEIs in designing them.

14. Key principles for a quality culture Institutional quality management requires a comprehensive, all-encompassing approach. This covers all activities of a university: research, teaching and learning, service to society and support services. Quality management should be derived from the mission statement and strategic goals of each institution and constitutes a fundamental part of an overarching institutional quality culture that aims at continuous enhancement of the quality.

15. Key principles for a quality culture Quality is contextual. This is important in order to take account of and further promote the diversity of the sector, both the diversity of institutional missions and profiles, as well as of national contexts and traditions, including national quality assurance procedures. There is no one-dimensional definition of quality for the purposes of quality assurance. Defining quality must take into account the specific institution and the national context. Equally, quality assurance processes should be flexible and adaptable so as not to stifle diversity, innovative teaching practices and creative research.

16. Key principles for a quality culture The ultimate goal of all quality assurance – both internal and external - is to enhance quality thus promoting trust among stakeholders. Regardless of how quality is defined, the ultimate aim of all quality assurance processes – whether they are internal or external and related to research, teaching and learning or other activities – should always be to enhance quality levels through a considered examination of processes and their outcomes and by maintaining a balance between accountability and improvement.

17. Key success factors for a quality culture Promote shared values and attitudes about quality (i.e. quality culture) rather than regarding it as simply a managerial process and ensure that the internal evaluation processes develop professional attitudes and competence, thus fostering creativity and innovation.

18. Key success factors for a quality culture Be fit for their purposes. While there is no single way to set up these processes, the cycles and scope of internal evaluations should be linked in a pragmatic and cost-effective way and attention should be paid to the global picture that emerges through the internal evaluation of the different activities.

19. Key success factors for a quality culture The role of leadership consists in communicating the need for these processes, framing them in consultation with the university community – students, academic and support staff – and using their results in the strategic cycle.

20. Key success factors for a quality culture Ensure central institutional data collection and analysis to measure institutional performance of all activities.

21. Key success factors for a quality culture Ensure an appropriate leadership and staffing of a quality unit in order to avoid over-bureaucratisation

22. Essential • Strategy (strategic plan)

23. Essential • Strategy (strategic plan) • Involvement of all parts

24. Essential • Strategy (strategic plan) • Involvement of all parts • Improvement oriented

25. Essential • Strategy (strategic plan) • Involvement of all parts • Improvement oriented • Consequences

26. Essential • Strategy (strategic plan) • Involvement of all parts • Improvement oriented • Consequences • Information (internal and external)

27. Essential • Strategy (strategic plan) • Involvement of all parts • Improvement oriented • Consequences • Information (internal and external) • Capacity to change

28. Thank you