Abstract
Institutions in higher education (HE) continuously strive to develop and deliver impactful educational programs. At the same time, they should continue to fulfill their mission to educate students in basic applied subjects and in parallel respond to the need to equip students with new skills. For this reason, higher education institutions (HEI) perform periodical curricular reviews adhering to internal and external quality assurance systems. The subsequent curricular reforms are of a transformative nature, preparing graduates to tackle the challenges of globalization, unemployment and vanishing professions. For these reforms to lead to sustainable curricula, the integration of quality into educational programs is instrumental. A suggested way of achieving a transformative stance is to provide the context for the application and diffusion of quality metrics in teaching and learning. This research intends to provide a discussion of key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality. This paper presents the second round of qualitative interviews with higher education administrators and professors as a promising vehicle for advancing towards the formulation of KPIs based on their understanding of the different independent dimensions of the quality construct. These KPIs will provide valuable insights into improving teaching, learning and assessment and will eventually lead to sustainable curricula. Research findings outline the significance of the time invested to design and update a course, indicate that technology-enhanced learning solutions are perceived as key quality drivers, and point out the need to align courses with industry requirements and real-world problems. Additionally, findings indicate that the quality and impact of teaching and learning is promoted by the multi/inter-disciplinary character of a course, the engagement of students in interactive discussions and student research as part of summative assessment. The main contribution of this research is an analytic discussion of perceptions of higher education administrators and professors about quality, leading to a significant enrichment of the relevant literature. A set of innovative generic KPIs which can be used in multidimensional quality assessment in higher education is eventually proposed.
Highlights
Without doubt, the university is no longer a quiet place to teach and do scholarly work at a measured pace and contemplate the universe as in centuries past
This paper presents the second round of qualitative interviews with higher education administrators and professors as a promising vehicle for advancing towards the formulation of key performance indicators (KPIs) based on their understanding of the different independent dimensions of the quality construct
The objective is that the integration of the perceived complementary aspects will enlighten a detailed mapping of quality metrics; Second, to reveal several concerns and limitations as perceived by administrators and professors related to the integration of the quality value components to the design of learning content and academic programs; Third, to emphasize the understanding of hidden or existing relationships between quality perceptions and performance indicators from different perspectives
Summary
The university is no longer a quiet place to teach and do scholarly work at a measured pace and contemplate the universe as in centuries past. It is a big, complex, demanding, competitive business, requiring large-scale ongoing investment [1]. To be able to respond to these challenges, HEIs need to adapt quickly and change what they have been doing in a mediocre way, capitalize on what they do excellently and make quality a necessary ingredient. Academics need to view quality as a means of continuous improvement and realize that curricula are continuously evolving, living structures. Quality should be considered as the pivotal instrument for the transformation of HEIs
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