QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: STORIES OF ENGLISH AND CZECH ACADEMICS AND HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERS

PurposeThis paper sets out to report on a research project investigating the academic voice in higher education quality in the UK and the Czech Republic. It aims to describe the origins and reasons for introducing quality monitoring and assurance into higher education, showing the differences and impacts on higher education quality in England and the Czech Republic, including the current practices and presenting the concerns and issues voiced by the academics and higher education leaders in both higher education systems.Design/methodology/approachThe research utilised a critical event narrative inquiry method, which focuses on issues of complexity and human‐centredness in studied phenomena. In this way the method addresses issues that are frequently overlooked by quantitative research methods. It is argued that, by extracting “critical events,” the method is more efficient in dealing with large amounts of data, which often result from the use of qualitative research methods. In the presented research, “critical events” voicing important issues and concerns in higher education quality are extracted from stories of UK and Czech academics and higher education leaders.FindingsThrough extracting “critical events” in the professional practice of academics and higher education leaders, the research uncovered some similar and some culture‐specific issues voiced by Czech and UK academics and higher education leaders. The culture‐specific issues were revealed mainly in the Czech higher education context.Practical implicationsThe research uncovered a number of issues and concerns which were overlooked in the current higher education quality practices in both the higher education systems. The paper does not present all the recommendations for educational practice and further research. These may be consulted in Mertova's Quality in Higher Education: Stories of English and Czech Academics and Higher Education Leader.Originality/valueThe research applied a critical event narrative inquiry methodology, which is a novel qualitative research method focusing on extracting “critical events” in the professional practice of individuals, in this case academics and higher education leaders. Even though the methodology was developed by Webster and Mertova, the study has further refined it and applied it in the field of higher education quality.

ПРОФЕСІОНАЛІЗМ ВИКЛАДАЧІВ ВВНЗ ЯК СКЛАДОВА ВНУТРІШНЬОЇ СИСТЕМИ ГАРАНТУВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВИЩОЇ ВІЙСЬКОВІЙ ОСВІТИ

Part 1 Overview: Growth of the quality movement in higher education. Part 2 Leadership of quality in higher education: Initiative-based quality development and the role of distributed leadership A leadership model for higher education quality A framework for engaging leadership in higher education quality systems. Part 3 Approaches of managers to quality in higher education: Quality management in higher education: a comparative study of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland Towards a culture of quality in South African higher education. Part 4 Auditing quality in higher education: Auditorsi? perspectives on quality in higher education. Part 5 Academic development and quality in higher education: Academic development as change leadership in higher education Quality in the transitional process of establishing political science as a new discipline in Czech higher education (post 1989) Academic development and quality in Oman: mapping the terrain. Part 6 resources and trends in higher education quality: New directions in quality management Dubai's Free Zone model for leadership in the external quality assurance of higher education Trends in quality development.

Introduction The article deals with the tendencies of further development of the higher military education system and peculiarities educational activity in the higher military educational institutions and military educational units of higher education institutions in the context of the evolution of perspectives on education quality ensuring and changes made to the definitions in the new edition of the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” concerning essence of the concept of “quality of higher education” and its main components, namely “education standards”, “competence”, “learning outcomes”.Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to define tendencies of further development of higher military education in the context of the evolution of perspectives on education quality ensuring and changes made to the definitions of Ukrainian legislation in the educational sphere.Methods. The study was conducted using the following theoretical methods: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, comparison, classification, generalization and systematization.Results. The concept of “quality of higher education” and its main components, namely “education standards”, “competence”, “learning outcomes” are determined in the article, its interrelations and interdependencies in the educational system of the HMEI are observed.Originality. According to the purpose of the paper, tendencies of further development of higher military education in the context of the evolution of perspectives on education quality ensuring and changes made to the definitions of Ukrainian legislation in the educational sphere are defined. Conclusion. The article presents the view of the tendencies of further development of higher military education in the context of the evolution of perspectives on the problem of education quality ensuring, guaranteeing quality of higher military education and changes made to the definitions in the new edition of the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” concerning essence of the concept of “quality of higher education” and its main components, namely “education standards”, “competence”, “learning outcomes”. The directions for future research are study off education quality and change management monitoring in the system of higher military education.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of workplace spirituality and servant leadership on service quality in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: This was done by examining the function of job satisfaction as a mediator in this relationship. The study was carried out in a tertiary educational institution in Bali, Indonesia, and the data was analysed using PLS-based SEM (Structural Equation Model). Findings: The study findings indicate that (1) workplace spirituality and servant leadership in higher education have an impact on job satisfaction, (2) workplace spirituality and servant leadership do not have a direct effect on service quality in higher education, and (3) job satisfaction acts as a mediator between workplace spirituality, servant leadership, and service quality in higher education. Research limitations/implications: Research was carried out using scientific procedures and methods, but in its implementation, some limitations provide room for improvement in the future. Other variables that are decisive to service quality in education should be involved in future studies. Originality/value: Based on the findings, this study introduces a novel paradigm offering theoretical and practical advancements in ensuring quality of service in higher education. Additionally, it suggests fostering spirituality in the workplace and adopting servant leadership to guarantee lecturers' contentment to enhance the quality of service in higher education.

У статті здійснено науково-теоретичний аналіз підходів та обґрунтування методологічного концепту побудови та функціонування системи якості вищої фармацевтичної освіти.

Reviewed by: Diversity Leadership in Higher Education Dorian L. McCoy (bio) Adalberto Aguirre, Jr., and Ruben O. Martinez. Diversity Leadership in Higher Education. ASHE Higher Education Report, Vol. 32, No. 3. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. 136 pp. Paper: $28.00. ISBN: 978-0-7879-9578-2. Diversity Leadership in Higher Educationexplores the roles and practices of diversity leadership in academia. Aguirre and Martinez define diversity leadership as leadership focused on issues and concerns of diversity in higher education. They present two contrasting leadership/organizational practices as options for responding to diversity—cooptation and transformational strategies. Co-optation is used to manage diversity in institutions, while transformation is used to embrace diversity and make it an integral component of an institution's culture and environment. University leaders who employ transformational strategies view diversity as a positive social force in higher education. The monograph is comprised of four chapters with each chapter designed to "serve as a window for observing how diversity is shaped and promoted in different contexts in higher education" (p. 3). The authors introduce theoretical and applied approaches from a number of disciplines as organizational strategies for linking leadership and diversity initiatives. Each chapter begins with discussion questions that guide the "conversation" on diversity leadership. It is a useful device, and the authors use it well, presenting compelling reasons for implementing transformational and diversity leadership strategies in the academy. In Chapter 1, Aguirre and Martinez present an overview of the challenges facing diversity leadership. The discussion in this chapter is guided by "What is the public's perception of diversity initiatives in higher education?" and "How are diversity initiatives perceived by faculty, staff, and students in higher education?" (p. 19). The authors assert that the public acknowledges a need to further diversify higher education in the United States. However, they also acknowledge that the public does not favor legal initiatives or preferences that promote diversity. They support this observation by reviewing significant legal cases (e.g., Bakke, Hopwood, Grutter), summarizing the facts of the cases and also the context in which each was adjudicated. Acknowledging that their concern is primarily with predominantly White institutions, in Chapter 2, the authors examine the organizational culture for leadership and diversity in higher education, developing a framework for linking organizational culture, diversity, and leadership. The authors present transformational leadership as an optimal leadership paradigm for higher education as academia responds and adapts to demographic and cultural changes. They articulate the benefits of embracing diversity from both organizational and leadership perspectives and conclude that addressing diversity from a transformational leadership paradigm make it a positive force in academia, influencing curricula, culture, and community. As they continue their discussion on the benefits of embracing diversity, Aguirre and Martinez also identify the challenges to implementing diversity leadership on campus. Unfortunately, one of them is university faculty. They find that formal leaders (presidents, provosts, vice presidents, etc.) are often more open to promoting diversity than faculty members. As a result, diversity initiatives are often marginalized instead of embraced. Chapter 3 examines various diversity leadership models that have produced positive results [End Page 122]in changing the culture and environment in some higher education organizations. "What is the context for diversity in organizational leadership in higher education?" and "How does incorporating diversity into leadership allow institutions of higher education to respond to increasing diversity in society?" (p. 48) are the discussion questions in this chapter. The differences in competing organizational strategies (transformative and co-optive) are illustrated throughout the chapter. Aguirre and Martinez argue that changing the organizational structure is necessary to implement diversity in higher education. They recommend several transformative approaches for promoting diversity leadership in higher education, including adopting strategies from the corporate world. In addition, they highlight a number of professional associations (e.g., American Council on Education, ACE Fellows Program, Council for Graduate Schools, and Preparing Future Faculty Program) that offer diversity leadership opportunities in higher education. This chapter overviews significant multicultural/diversity initiatives (e.g., expanding the curriculum to include ethnic studies and incorporating diversity into strategic plans) that have taken place since the 1960s. The discussion in the final chapter is guided by the questions: "Why is practicing diversity leadership...

The aim of the research is to substantiate the necessity, expediency of the wide use of the noospheric management approaches, and technologies applied to the system of higher professional education in modern conditions. The materials and methods. Information base of the research is formed, based on education laws in Ukraine, Russia and the Donetsk People’s Republic, educational standards of higher professional education, as well as publications of scientists on the subject matter under study. In the given research it was used such methods: textological, analysis, generalization and modeling. The results. In the research, it is comprehensively examined the concept of noosphere, analyzed the modern theories and concepts of its development in relation to the development of society, an integral part of which is the system of education. It is indicated that there is the relationship between the noosphere and management in general, and with modern system of education, in particular. The concept of noospheric education is introduced and studied its impact on holistic development of personality. The comparative characteristic of the structure and levels of the educational system of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the Donetsk People’s Republic is performed; the types of educational institutions of the abovementioned states are compared. The structure of educational institution of higher professional education is proposed as a socio-economic system, managed from the perspective of the concept of noospheric education. The factors of competitiveness of educational institution of the higher school from the point of view of noospheric management are considered. Special attention is given to the internal factor of competitiveness of educational institutions, such as the quality of student life, because this position, particularly from the point of view of noospheric management, has a significant influence on the rating among consumers. The interrelation of competences is analyzed – general cultural, first of all, – formed in the process of mastering educational programs, as well as the impact they have on the functions implemented on their basis. The close interrelation is demonstrated between the models of the functioning of the educational institution of higher professional education with its legislative status. The types of educational institutions of higher school are examined and compared; a special attention is paid to such a type of educational institution as educational-scientific-methodical complex. The purpose and objectives of such complex are systematized. Conclusion. According to the results of the research, it is concluded that the mission of noospheric education lies in the strategic breakthrough into the new quality of thinking technologies, social state, and standards of living. Taking into consideration the noospheric approach to manage the system of higher professional education, its aim is to ensure the training of qualified, competitive personnel, that meet the modern requirements to the quality of specialists with higher education that are capable of independent work on selected areas of expertise, have high spiritual, cultural and moral qualities, and are able to ensure scientific-technical, economic, social and cultural development of the state. Perspective and social significance of noospheric technologies in education prove the expediency of their widespread introduction into the practice of training of young professionals. The direction of further research indicates the formation, based on the principles of noospheric management, of an innovative strategy for improving the quality of educational services.

Abstract. In the sphere of modern higher education, the following main requirements to the performance level of modern professional of any profile can be distinguished: comprehensive fundamental expertise, capacity to work in the team, fast mastering of new technologies, self-education skills and ability to conduct creative work and research. These qualities of a specialist become the main objectives and reference points in building the modern system of higher education that would contribute to creation of expertise, respective access, management, dissemination and achievement control. The requirements to medical education are one of the most precise, especially on the background of critical demographic situation in the world, in general, and in Ukraine, in particular. The participation of the Ukrainian system of higher education in the Bologna reforms should be aimed only at its development and acquisition of new quality features without losing the best traditions and decrease of its national quality standards. Orientation towards Bologna process should not cause the excessive restructuring of the national education system. The main aim of Bologna process is to create a unified, all-European, strong and competitive education system (first of all, with the American education system), and also expand the possibilities for employment of future professionals. The European Credit Transfer System was implemented in Ukraine in 2005 and is aimed at the development of national school. This system enables transfer of credits from different educational institutions and it expands the access to the European education, leads to the modernization of European education and provides more efficient training of graduating specialists. Therefore, the higher educational institutions of our country constantly take the measures towards improvement of teaching and education process and methods of education using different forms of knowledge control. Having as an objective the control of education results and evaluation of efficiency of study, the objective monitoring of knowledge and skills that provides for the use of its different forms, becomes an integral part of the educational process. The Bologna declaration forms the model of European higher education with consideration of the specific features and traditions of the national educational systems. One of the key criteria of the implementation efficiency of credit-modular system of educational process organization is advancement of higher professional education quality. However, the implementation of surgical educational programs has a series of problematic issues. In the article, we describe the inclusion of the Ukrainian medical education into Bologna process, the stages of creation of Bologna educational system in Ukraine. We introduce the conceptual peculiarities of higher medical education reforms within the context of medical reforms in Ukraine. We have shown the credit-modular system of educational process organization in the Ukrainian education and demonstrated the advantages of credit transfer system in medical education. We also have added to the concept of higher medical school reforms in the context of medical reforms in Ukraine.

The Review o f Higher Education Fall 1993, Volume 17, No. 1, pp. 69-93 Copyright © 1993 Association for the Study of Higher Education All Rights Reserved (ISSN 0162-5748) Institutional Climate and the Quality of the Academic Workplace Theodore H. White, Melinda G. Spencer and Marvin W. Peterson The “New ” Focus on Quality Discussions of institutional and academic quality in higher education literature date back over a century (Fairweather and Brown 1991; Kuh 1981; Lawrence and Green 1980; Webster 1986); but since the early 1980s, issues relating to quality in education have climbed steadily higher on public, government, and higher education agendas. The current em­ phasis on quality is punctuated by external calls for faculty and admin­ istrator accountability and for “proof’ that institutions provide quality environments for faculty teaching and student learning (Lenth 1990; Mayhew, Ford, and Hubbard 1990). A growing number of institutions see quality management as a means for controlling their costs internally while enhancing their “product”— their academic offerings (Chaffee 1991; Deming 1986; Massy 1989; Scherkenbach 1991; University of Michigan Theodore H. White is Assistant Professor of Educational Administration in the Pro­ gram for Adult and Higher Education at the University of South Dakota. Melinda G. Spencer is Director of Research and Education with the Society for College and University Planning and a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Michigan. Marvin W. Peterson is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Michigan. He serves as Chairperson for the Program in Higher and Adult Continuing Education as well as Director of the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. 70 The Review of Higher Education Fall 1993 1990). Quality has even been viewed as the central defining issue for higher education (Marcus, Leone, and Goldberg 1983; Sherr 1990). Research on quality in higher education is confusing and contradic­ tory for several reasons. First, “quality,” like “effectiveness,” is difficult to define explicitly because it is a perceptual construct that is formulated at the individual level (Peterson, Cameron, Mets, Jones, and Ettington 1986). Not only do different constituencies use different definitions of quality but individuals within constituencies do not agree on common definitions. For this reason, studies purporting to study quality often focus on very different phenomena (Garvin 1988). This confusion is compounded when the units of organizational analyses vary or are not made explicit, and findings are generalized beyond the scopes of their studies (Webster 1986; Fairweather 1988). Finally, the greater part of the writing about quality is theoretically, not empirically, based. Thus, many assumptions regarding quality improvement remain untested. Interest in better performance by higher education institutions has brought increased attention to higher education work environments and institutional quality from both internal and external constituencies. This focus emerges from the centrality of the academic workplace to the ac­ ademic functions of the institution and to such related outcomes of a high quality workplace as innovativeness, excellent teaching, high mo­ rale, improved communication, and quality scholarship (Austin and Gamson 1983; Peterson 1988). Although no set of variables is “necessary and sufficient” for defining quality (Cameron 1987), certain organiza­ tional dimensions have become widely accepted as important quality indicators. One way to begin developing our understanding of quality improve­ ment is to examine some of the dimensions associated with quality within a defined context such as the academic workplace. Based on a review of the literature, we found that generally accepted dimensions of quality in the academic workplace include support for academic innovation, chal­ lenging work, and professional treatment of faculty and their work ac­ tivities. The purpose of this study is to use these critical dimensions to study relationships of quality by examining the following question: How are institutions’ organizational and administrative climates related to the perceived innovation, challenge, and professionalism in the academic workplace when individual and organizational characteristics are held constant? The Quality o f the Academic W orkplace For the reasons just described, the research literature varies consid­ erably regarding the key characteristics of a high-quality workplace. De­ White, Spencer, & PerERSON/Institutional Climate 71 spite this variation, we find that studies focused on improving academic organizational quality repeatedly call for the creation of a flexible work...

The replacing of world civilization and Ukrainian society in particular played a significant role in the evolution of medical education in Ukraine. The system of higher education simultaneously affects the development of the future generation of doctors and is a remarkable social institution. That is why, the role of the system of higher medical education in difficult periods of the state’s development and proposed ways to innovate and optimize the scientific potential of students of higher medical education was analyzed.
 The aim of the study. The aim of the study is to analyze the current trends of transformational changes in the field of medical education and to propose ways to optimize the scientific potential of students of higher medical education.
 Objects and methods of the study include the system of medical education at the Higher Secondary School of the PSMU in various periods of its formation and development.
 Results and discussion. During our research, an analysis of modern trends in the development of medical education in Ukraine by studying well-known literary data was performed. The basis of own research is: quantitative analysis and synthesis (for the study of the higher education system of Ukraine); comparative analysis (to highlight the peculiarities of the functioning of the system of higher medical education in the conditions of modern challenges).
 Studying the system of higher education of Ukraine, it pays attention to the fact that the entire period of its development was accompanied by certain tests that prompted the transfer of the educational process to online format. At the same time, it should be noted that students are most often concerned with the following problems: poor or no Internet 30.2% of respondents; complex emotional state and psychological problems of higher education applicants 25.9; absence or lack of gadgets for learning 12.1%; a higher education student does not accept distance learning 10% of respondents; 9.2% of respondents noted that they were able to join distance learning partially or only for a certain period. Most of the higher education seekers who pointed out this problem lived in the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions before the war; absence or partial distance learning happened to 2.5% of respondents, who for a certain period, namely at the beginning of the war, should not have been able to join the training at all; 2.0% faced the problem of studying during their stay abroad.
 Analyzing the transformational changes that have occurred in our state, one can safely say that the social and medical conditions in which the society found itself have caused many problems in the field of medical education. There is an urgent need to solve the strategy, content, structure, methods of teaching, education and formation of views.

Ukraine is a part of the European educational environment and obligatorily reacts to global changes, thus Ukraine strives to improve modern higher education and, in particular, technical education. Higher education is an integral part of the harmonious life of a modern, developed citizen, and obtaining it is a key to success in the modern world. Every year certain changes occur in the system of higher education at the global level, and Ukraine doesn’t stay aside. With the challenge of today’s requirements, the introduction of the latest methods and learning technologies is an important component of further success and the highly qualified employees’ training. The main problem that leading experts in the field of education care about and try to eliminate, is to overcome difficulties and obstacles that arise. Higher technical education has been attracting applicants from different parts of Ukraine for many years, as specialists in various technical specialties are in high demand on the labor market. The system of higher technical education in Ukraine is constantly developing and, as a result, the personnel potential, that is responsible for the specialist’s training in various fields, is increasing. The article examines the system of higher technical education on the example of three technical universities of Ukraine: National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute", Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University and Lviv Polytechnic National University. The article analyzes institutes, faculties and specialties that provide technical training. The number of educational programs at each educational degree is shown and the possibilities of obtaining the corresponding degree are investigated. Development and improvement prospects in various higher technical institutions of Ukraine are outlined.

This paper seeks to address the problem of expansion of the system of higher and technical education from the perspective of democratising the system and improving the access to higher education for the people as a whole. It analyses how the policymakers are failing to do justice to the dimension of a sustained and meaningful expansion of the system of higher education in India. The pressure of rising demand from the socially and educationally backward classes is also largely traced to the desire of these classes to be a part of the new economy. The policymakers must keep in mind that the pressures from the upper sections of these classes are basically generated owing to the decline of profitable opportunities in the older sectors of agriculture and traditional occupations. They should plan for the system of education to make its contribution to the sectoral revival. Though the Nehruvian framework cannot be absolved of its limitations and negative contributions to the system of higher education, the paper argues that the growing trends of privatisation and commercialisation has damaged the agenda of equity as well as quality of education and has aggravated the crisis in higher education in India. The new institutions have failed to make their contributions to nation building and to self-reliant development. The aggravation of the crisis is reflected not only in the crisis of funding and governance but also in the crisis of purpose and credibility of education being imparted by the institutions of higher and technical education in India. Today the solution lies in addressing squarely the problems through the formulation of a vision and strategy that would enable the policymakers to democratise the higher and technical education system in the interest of the society as a whole.

The place of leadership support for technological innovation in advancing quality management in higher education cannot be underrated in the fourth industrial revolution. This chapter examines the role of leadership in higher education and innovative teaching and learning methods for quality assurance in higher education system. The literature review approach and author observation were adopted to cross-examine the influence of leadership on innovative teaching/learning methods and quality assurance in higher education. This chapter shows that leadership support for innovative teaching and learning methods is a benchmark for quality assurance in higher education in recent times. Therefore, no meaningful change will happen in any higher institution without a strong leadership support for innovation and quality management. Policymakers in higher education should create a climate that promotes creativity and innovation by ensuring that transformational leaders are at the helm of affairs for quality management.

Objective: Since the 1990s studies on how stakeholders in higher education perceive quality have burgeoned. Nevertheless, the majority of studies on perception of quality in higher education focus on students and employers. The few studies on academics’ perceptions of quality in higher education treat academics as a homogeneous group and, therefore, do not point out cross-disciplinary perspectives in perceptions of quality. This article explores how academics across six disciplines perceive quality in higher education. Method: The article is anchored in the interpretivist paradigm. Data was collected from 14 purposely selected academics at Makerere University in Uganda and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The findings show that academics perceive quality in higher education as transformation, fitness for purpose, and exceptional. The findings further demonstrate that a stakeholder group or an individual stakeholder can subscribe to a notion of quality in higher education but voice divergent views on its variants. Similarly, the academic discipline, the perceived purpose of higher education, and the problems within a higher education system have an influence on stakeholders’ conception of quality in higher education. Conclusions: From the findings it can be inferred that quality in higher education defies a single definition and that stakeholders’ perceptions of quality do not take place in a vacuum. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: The multidimensional nature of quality and the contestations around it necessitate a multidimensional approach to assuring and assessing it.