General description

The course is offered at the Danube University Krems.

Learning outcomes

Students should be able to:
- distinguish between quality control, quality assurance, quality improvement and quality management
- identify strengths and weaknesses in various aspects of activities
- define and implement quality policy
- devise assessment and quality assurance system
- define quality indicators
- apply procedures and instruments of quality assessment, assurance and improvement
- set up a programme for self-assessment of structures and programmes
- carry self-auditing of teaching, learning and research

Contents

- Defining and assessing "Quality” in Higher Education
- Costs and benefits of quality
- Methods of quality assessment
- The emergence of National Quality Agencies
- Accountability and quality assurance
- Self-assessment quality indicators
- Instruments for self-auditing
- Quality improvement and culture change
- Quality policy and quality plan
- The role of the leader in developing a quality culture
- Quality control, quality assurance and Total Quality Management
- Teaching evaluation, research evaluation. Responsible bodies/ structures for evaluation and the mechanisms, processes involved.

Teaching methods

Teaching method	Contact	Online
Lectures	35 h	0 h
Independent work	90 h	0 h

Teaching methods:
Guided pre-reading
Lectures and workshops
Action learning and action research
Group work

Teaching language

English

Evaluation and evaluation criteria

Numeric 1-5.
Assessment methods: Class attendance (20%) Case studies (30%) Paper (50%)

Study materials

Recommended reading

• Biggs, J., Teaching for Quality Learning at University, SRHE and Open University Press, 2003.
• Dunkerley, D., W.S. Wong (eds.), Global Perspectives on Quality in Higher Education, Ashgate Publishing Limited, England, 2003.
• Sallis, E., Total Quality Management in Education, Cogan Page, 2002.
• Brennan, J., T. Shah, Managing Quality in Higher Education. An International Perspective on Institutional Assessment and Change, SRHE and Open University Press, 2001.
• Messick, S.J. (ed.), Assessment in Higher Education, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, Mahwah, New Jersey, London, 1999.
• Liston, C. Managing Universities and Colleges: Guides to Good Practice. Managing Quality and Standards, Open University Press, Buckingham, 1999.
• Calder, J., Programme Evaluation and Quality. A Comprehensive Guide to Setting up an Evaluation System, Kogan Page, London, 1997.
• Ruben D.B. (ed.), Quality in Higher Education, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick (USA) and London (UK), 1995.
• Roberts, H.V. (ed.), Academic Initiatives in Total Quality for Higher Education, ASQC Quality Press, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1995.
• EUA Quality Forum 1st in Munich 2006, 2nd in Rome 2007, 3rd in Budapest 2008  (EUA website).
• CEPES,  Indicators for Institutional and Programme Accreditation in Higher/Tertiary Education, ed. By Vlasceanu and Barrows, 2004
• “Quality assurance in Europe and the U.S.: Professional and political economic framing of higher education policy”, Rhoades and Sporn, Higher Education 43: 355–390, 2002.

Belongs to following study modules