Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Quality assurance in higher education has gained increasing importance in the last decades with the states moving towards a ‘steering from the distance’ approach, placing the primary responsibility for quality management on higher education institutions themselves. At the same time, the number of stakeholders defining, and demanding, quality is on the rise, and ever-increasing internationalization adds an extra dimension to institutional thinking about quality. Universities are required to set up and maintain internal quality assurance systems, engage stakeholders and maintain compliance with legal requirements and accreditation standards. University administrators at all levels play a key role in institutional efforts to maintain and enhance quality. They are instrumental in assuring that the university-wide approach to quality is data-driven, implementable through efficient processes, and oriented towards continuous improvement.   

This course aims to offer university administrators solid knowledge on quality assurance standards and best practices, with the goal of helping participants perform better in their jobs and contribute to quality enhancement at their institutions. It focuses in particular on the role non-faculty actors (quality assurance managers, administrators, students, and external stakeholders) play in ensuring the quality of university education. By the end of the course, participants will become familiar with good practices of quality assurance and enhancement at university level and will be able to reflect critically on the QA system in place at their own institutions.