University Quality Assurance Research Articles

Quality Assurance in Preschool Teacher Training According to the Aun-Qa Approach

Ensuring the quality of teacher training programs is an important aspect of organizing higher education activities at universities and is the primary factor in improving the quality of school education. Currently, many countries around the world regard quality assurance in training programs as a crucial step in the educational reform process, contributing to the overall development of the nation. This article focuses on surveying and researching the content of quality assurance in pedagogical universities. The content of quality assurance in pedagogical universities according to the AUN-QA approach covers all activities that these universities implement to maintain, improve, and enhance their training quality. Researching the AUN-QA approach for quality assurance in teacher training in general, and specifically in preschool teacher training, serves as a method to enhance training quality and plays an important role in the trends of internationalization, competition, and global cooperation in education. All these studies represent significant theoretical and practical findings that align with modern trends and the current requirements for fundamental and comprehensive reform in education and training. Therefore, identifying the research issue "Quality Assurance in Preschool Teacher Training According to the AUN-QA Approach" has highlighted new points and made direct contributions to improving the quality of preschool teacher training to meet societal needs and current international integration.

Potret Program Institutional Support System dalam Mendukung Ketercapaian IKU di Universitas Palangka Raya Tahun 2024

As the oldest and largest tertiary institution in the Central Kalimantan region, Palangka Raya University (UPR) welcomes the policy of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemdikbudristek) regarding Independent Learning Campus (MBKM). Since 2020, UPR has been aggressively socializing the MBKM policy to all faculties, units, and institutions at UPR. To ensure that MBKM activities at UPR are carried out well and produce quality output and outcomes, the Chancellor has established various policies about MBKM such as the Chancellor's Regulation on the Implementation of MBKM within Palangka Raya University, the Chancellor's Decree regarding Curriculum Guidelines for Supporting MBKM at UPR for 2022/2023, Chancellor's Decree regarding Implementation of UPR Collaboration Supporting MBKM Implementation, Chancellor's Decree regarding Technical Instructions for Implementing Learning in the Context of the MBKM Program at UPR. In 2023, UPR will form an MBKM study center which is under the organizational structure of the University Quality Assurance Institute. To encourage, accelerate, and facilitate the transformation of higher education, the Ministry of Education and Culture launched the Independent Campus Competition Program (PKKM) for study programs and the Institutional Support System (ISS) program for its universities/institutions. In 2024, Palangka Raya University, in a competition grant proposal, succeeded in passing 1 ISS program and 2 PKKM programs for the Bachelor of Laws study program, Faculty of Law and Bachelor of English, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education.

The Influence of Academic Staffing Practices on Quality Assurance Mechanisms in Selected Universities in Uganda

Quality assurance in universities has always been the professional duty of the faculty. In Africa quality assurance mechanisms (QAMs) were initiated as soon as universities were established in the continent. Although in Uganda the teaching staff are at the center of QAMs, inadequacies in academic staffing practices in the areas of remuneration, quality and quantity of the teaching staff have been some of the challenges experienced by universities in the country. This led to the establishment of the National Council for Higher Education to promote QAMs. This study established the extent to which academic staffing practices influenced QAMs in selected universities in Uganda. The study adopted the systems theory where the academic staffs are part of the inputs universities employ to offer services. The study is based on the pragmatic paradigm and cross-sectional survey design. By use of the disproportionate stratified random sampling 180 and 120 students and academic staff members respectively responded to questionnaires. In addition 47 students were conveniently sampled to participate in focus group discussions and 20 managers were purposefully sampled for individual interviews. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze and interpret the quantitative data and corroborated with qualitative data. The results presented a mixed picture; chi-square test for the academic staff is not statistically significant and for students is statistically significant. The study concludes that there is moderate influence of academic staffing practices on QAMs in the selected universities in Uganda. In order to enhance QAMs, the study recommends the need to further improve levels of remuneration, quality and number of academic staff in the universities.

Stakeholders’ involvement in economics and management programs quality assurance

Purpose This study aims to investigate the stakeholders’ (employers and students) involvement in economics and management programs quality assurance in Italian universities from the external audit perspective. Design/methodology/approach The research tests if employers are positively associated with the coherence between program objectives and job prospects, and if student involvement is positively associated with student orientation, tutorship and flexibility for specific types of students (differently abled students and working students). Based on data from the Italian Agency for Quality Assurance (ANVUR) in Italian universities, this study selects a sample of 44 bachelor and master university programs. Findings When a program coordinator assures coherence between competencies included in the study plan and job prospect, the employers’ involvement in the plan and management of the program increases and becomes more effective. High-quality services regarding student orientation, tutorship and flexibility for specific types of students increase the students’ involvement in university governance. Originality/value Findings contribute to literature extending the stakeholder theory in universities, better specifying how employers and students may play a key role in improving the quality assurance of teaching activities.

The Effect of Woman Leadership in Improving Academic Performance: Implications of Quality Assurance and Green Human Resource Management in Private Universities

Women's leadership in private universities has great potential in improving academic performance through quality assurance and environmentally friendly human resource management (GHRM). However, how women's policies influence the implementation of these two strategies is still not fully understood. This research aims to explore the role of women's leadership in improving academic performance through quality assurance and GHRM at private universities. The method used is a qualitative literature study with content analysis from various academic sources. The research results show that women's leadership significantly contributes to the effectiveness of quality assurance and GHRM implementation, which in turn improves academic performance. In conclusion, strengthening women's leadership roles and integrating mutual assurance and GHRM are important strategies for private universities to improve academic performance. The practical implications of this research include recommendations for private universities to strengthen the leadership role of women and adopt quality assurance and GHRM strategies to achieve better academic performance.

Quality assurance of science and technology universities in Bangladesh: a catalyst for sustainable employment during the 4IR

Purpose This study aims to report the quality of Bangladesh's science and technology universities (STUs) in ensuring sustainable employment of graduates during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) by assessing their vigilance in skill development activities and exploring students’ perspectives on the university. Design/methodology/approach This research used mixed methods: a close-ended five-point Likert scale questionnaire to understand students’ perspectives and a thematic analysis of the interviews of students, faculties, policymakers and relevant stakeholders. The data was collected through a random sampling method where 1,000 university students took part in the quantitative analysis along with other respondents for the qualitative portion. The analysis was done with a 99% confidence level and a 4.5% margin of error. Findings Bangladesh's STUs still have a long way to go to ensure quality education and generate sustainable employment for their graduates. The universities' preparation to comprehend the 4IR is not at the expected level. In addition, despite students' favourable perception of universities as providers of qualified labour, there is a significant mismatch between supply and demand. Research limitations/implications This research has some limitations regarding time and resources. Due to the limited number of responses from a few universities, this study's findings might only apply to some of the STUs of other countries. This study provided several recommendations for providing quality education to the STUs of Bangladesh. Practical implications The findings of this study indicate that there is still a crucial gap between the initiatives of STUs and the employment market, which prevents graduates from offering the necessary skills to achieve sustainable employment. The findings also support the idea of significant changes in the approach of these universities to address the mentioned issues. Social implications This study suggests collaboration among social actors, relevant stakeholders, STU authorities, education experts and government officials to ensure a demand-based curriculum for the students. The relevant stakeholders should come forward to ensure advanced technologies and internet connectivity in the STUs. Originality/value The data set used in this study is significantly large and varies in the number of institutions, departments and socioeconomic backgrounds of the students, faculties, policymakers and various stakeholders. Furthermore, the capacity of scientific and technology institutions to guarantee sustainable employment through quality assurance in education has also not been recently evaluated in Bangladesh.

PhD holders’ working conditions and job satisfaction in Spain: a cross-sector comparison

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to compare PhD holders’ current working conditions, satisfaction, and changes in their job four years after graduation across three job sectors, namely universities, research institutes and industry. We analysed the responses to the survey on PhD graduates’ employability of the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency, AQU Catalunya. Participants were 1,798 PhD holders from all disciplines who graduated between 2014 and 2016. Our findings show that PhD holders working outside academia had better working conditions in terms of the type of contract, working hours and salary than those at universities and research institutes. PhD holders working outside academia experienced fewer changes after the PhD and were less satisfied with the connection between their job and the PhD, but no differences were found among sectors in the satisfaction with job content and overall job satisfaction. Results show a clear mismatch between the education level required for the job and the level of responsibilities, not only for PhD holders working beyond academia but also, to a lesser extent, for those working at universities and research institutes. This study contributes to the understanding of academic and non-academic trajectories and points out several gaps and lines for future research and doctoral education.

Strategic Planning And Instructional Supervision As Determinants Of Quality Assurance In Public Universities In Cross River State, Nigeria

Quality assurance plays a crucial role within the university education system. It is determined by upholding elevated standards in teaching, research, and the overall educational experience. This study investigated the interplay between strategic planning, instructional supervision, and quality assurance in public universities in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses framed the study. The correlational research design was adopted. Census approach was adopted in selecting the entire population of 169 departmental heads and deans of faculties from two public universities in Cross River State. An instrument titled Strategic Planning, Instructional Supervision and Quality Assurance in University Scale (SPISQAUS) was used for data collection. It was validated by three experts in the department of Educational Management, Measurement and Evaluation, University of Calabar. The reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha and it ranges from .80 - .89 respectively. The null hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) and multiple regression analyses of statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 26 for data analysis. It was discovered that there was a statistically significant relationship between strategic planning, instructional supervision, and quality assurance in public universities in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study recommended among others, the university administrators must establish a robust instructional supervision system, which includes ongoing professional development for staff, effective classroom observation measures, and a culture that promotes constructive feedback.

Quality and Accreditation Standards in Physical Education Colleges in Libyan Public Universities from the Point of View of Executive Management

This research aims to identify quality standards in physical education colleges in Libyan public universities, in relation with educational literature and the most important drivers of interest in implementing the quality assurance and accreditation system in universities. To achieve the research objectives, the descriptive method using the survey method was used. The sample consisted of ninety (90) individuals from the executive management in the colleges, thirty-eight (38) quality coordinators in the departments in the colleges, and fifty-two (52) department heads. In this research, a questionnaire form was applied that included four (4) axes and fifty-eight (58) statements, and statistical treatments were applied using the SPSS version 2020 software. The most important results of this study are that the college sets its goals based on its vision and mission in line with the needs of society through effective strategies announced in a public place to be a reference for evaluating progress in the college. It was also concluded that the college’s human resources (trainers and administrators) are sufficient to perform the tasks assigned to them through the work of committees and work teams and writing periodic reports on achievements, work performance, and development. The College Council also makes its decisions according to clear and specific tasks with the formation of distinguished work teams. One of the most important recommendations of the research is the college council’s approval of formulating the college’s vision and mission, the need to emphasize the presence of a quality and accreditation office in every college and unit for every department in the organizational structure of physical education colleges in Libyan public universities, and the necessity of developing a guideline for quality standards for accreditation in physical education colleges in Libyan public universities.

The analysis of collaboration in educational quality assurance policy: A case study of Walailak University

Collaboration is a contemporary management concept that is considered essential for achieving development policy outcomes. However, research on collaboration and quality assurance policies in higher education in Thailand has been challenging. The aim of this study was to investigate how collaboration contributes to the successful implementation of the educational quality assurance policy at Walailak University.To address this research question, a mixed-method approach was used which combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. This approach was chosen to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject and was based on the collaborative governance theory and resource-based framework. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 key informants who are important actors in the quality assurance process at the university. These interviews were supplemented by a questionnaire survey of 400 respondents from various stakeholders at the university.
 The findings of this study showed that facilitative leadership, incentive to collaborate, repetition of effort to collaborate and resource-knowledge sharing are among the key determinants contributing to collaboration processes in educational quality assurance. The results also indicated that these factors are interrelated and can contribute to the successful implementation of the university's quality assurance policy. Based on these findings, models of collaboration in enhancing quality assurance outcomes were demonstrated that resource-knowledge sharing, negotiation, trust-building, commitment to the process and shared-understanding have statistically significant positive impact on educational quality assurance outcomes including producing graduate outcomes, research outcomes, academic services outcomes and preserving arts and cultures. The practical benefits were proposed and discussed.

Hybrid blended learning solutions in a STEM teaching of the degree course in Computer Engineering

The case study reports the implementation of Hybrid Blended Learning solutions in the teaching of Fundamentals of Analysis and Probability in the Computer Engineering Degree Course at the University of Padua. The teaching organization and methodology have been revised in a transformative perspective, using innovative STEM and digitally integrated approaches in blended learning mode (Ministerial Decree 289/2021). The context of the study is a cohort of 200 students, divided into two groups for organizational issues. The study analyzed data collected with different instruments: a survey administered by the lecturer and the course evaluation questionnaire required by university quality assurance standards, focusing on overall satisfaction, organizational and teaching aspects and perceived workload. In addition, data on final examination assessment were taken into account.

The Initiatives for Enforcing the Quality Assurance Standards in Fostering Universities’ Compliance in Tanzania

The world university system currently emphasizes strict compliance with established quality assurance standards for enhancing graduates' quality and academic capabilities. In that vein, compliance with university quality assurance standards across the globe requires critical consideration of the adequate and correct application of initiatives for enforcing such standards. Similar to other countries, Tanzania has some initiatives for enforcing its universities’ quality assurance standards. Despite the application of such initiatives, the country is witnessing low to extreme non-compliance cases each year. This study examined the application of initiatives for enforcing quality assurance standards in fostering universities' compliance in Tanzania. It was informed by the qualitative approach and adopting a case study design. Interviews, documentary analysis, and focus group discussion were data collection methods applied in the four universities involving 46 respondents that were purposively chosen. The data analysis was done through a content analysis approach. The analysis revealed that both technical and administrative enforcement initiatives were found to be applied in universities. The technical initiatives are monitoring and evaluation for teaching, examination moderation and strict invigilation, independent examination, self-assessment and academic audits, and accreditation, while administrative ones are improving quality assurance staff motivation and capacity, promoting quality assurance stakeholders’ involvement, and establishing an effective quality assurance leadership system. In applying such initiatives, the deficiencies (i.e., incorrect and inadequate applications), strengths, differences and similarities were found across the involved universities. Besides, very unsatisfactory applications of enforcement initiatives were found in private universities compared to public ones. Due to such unsatisfactory applications, non-compliance cases at various university stakeholders' levels exist in those universities. This study concludes that the existing university non-compliance cases in Tanzania are attributed to the existing inadequate and incorrect application of enforcement initiatives. It recommends that there is a need for the Tanzania Commission for Universities to issue more detailed guidelines to harmonize the application of some enforcement initiatives that have attracted different application practices across universities. Besides, the Tanzania Commission for Universities and university quality assurance agencies must take the strongest punitive measures against non-complying individuals and universities to discourage such behavior.

Challenges Facing Enforcement of University Quality Assurance Standards in Fostering Compliance in Tanzania

Compliance with quality assurance standards worldwide requires universities to be strongly enforced by external and internal quality assurance bodies. Tanzania, as in the case of other countries, enforces quality assurance standards through national and institutional quality assurance bodies. Despite such efforts, non-compliance cases are still found at various university stakeholders’ levels. This study explored the challenges in enforcing quality assurance standards to foster universities’ compliance in Tanzania. The qualitative approach and multiple embedded case study design informed the study. Data was collected from the four public and private universities involving 46 participants who were purposively selected. In addition, data was gathered through focus group discussions, individual interviews and documentary reviews and then analyzed by content analysis. The study found that academics' resistance to quality monitoring of teaching, financial challenges, inadequate quality assurance awareness, quality assurance officers acting as police officers, underestimating the quality of tests, and lack of detailed national guidelines for some enforcement initiatives were the challenges encountered in enforcing quality assurance standards. Such challenges impede the successful enforcement of quality assurance standards. Therefore, they contribute to the universities' non-compliance cases. As such, this study recommends that national and institutional quality assurance bodies continue educating and guiding their stakeholders about the essence of quality assurance standards and how to implement each enforcement initiative to foster compliance. Also, universities must keep searching for multiple sources of funds to enhance their financial stability and sustain quality assurance standards.

An Exploration into the University Quality Assurance Practices for Maintaining the Students'™ Retention

This qualitative study was a follow-up study of a quantitative study that was conducted to investigate the impact of quality assurance practices on university students' satisfaction and retention. The sample has been selected purposively from the already selected sample for the quantitative study. The sample consisted of six respondents who have extensive experience in the higher education sector more specifically in the quality enhancement department/cell. An interview protocol was developed focusing on research questions to collect their responses of them regarding the "exploration of the role of the Quality Assurance practices in students' retention and satisfaction". The conversations commenced with the introduction of the interviewees and the researcher and followed by opening questions transitioning to key questions. It was reflected by the participants' responses that there is a strong role of quality assurance practices in attaining students' satisfaction and retention.

Management Capacity of University Administrators as a Predictor of Quality Assurance in Federal Universities in North East Geo-Political Zone, Nigeria

Quality in education has become the major concern of the world. For this reason; universities all over the globe has been making efforts to achieve the best quality in their programmes. However, it is a known fact that no university can succeed in the achievement of its quality assurance without dedicated university administrators. University administrators proper planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and controlling of university resources is paramount for internal quality assurance to be realized. The objective of the study is to determine university administrators Planning, Organizing, Directing, Coordinating and Controlling capacity as it predicts the level of internal quality assurance in Federal Universities in North East Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria. Based on this a research question and a hypothesis (tested at 0.05 level of significance) emerged. The population of the study comprise of 3,417 Academic Staff from the six federal universities in the zone. Six hundred and eighty three (683) staff was sampled for the study. Mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research question while multiple regressions and one way ANOVA statistics was used to test hypotheses. The result reveals that planning; organizing, directing, coordinating and controlling management capacity explained 99.1% of the variance in internal quality assurance and is therefore significant predictors of internal quality assurance in federal universities in north East Geo-Political Zone, Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that; University administrator should emphasise on proper planning and implementation of university activities, share duties and responsibilities appropriately to staff, supervise and monitor the activities of the universities in the right manner, harmonise all work activities of academic staff and constantly check on the work carried out by academic staff to identify areas of deviation and equally take proactive measures in correcting them for internal quality assurance to be realized.

Undergraduate Teaching Audit and Evaluation Using an Extended ORESTE Method with Interval-Valued Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Sets

Undergraduate teaching audit and evaluation (UTAE) plays a substantial role in the teaching quality assurance and monitoring of universities. It achieves the goal of selecting the best university for promoting the quality of higher education in China. Generally, the UTAE is a complex decision-making problem by considering competing evaluation criteria. Moreover, the evaluation information on the teaching quality of universities is often ambiguous and hesitant because of the vagueness existing in human judgments. Previous studies on UTAE have paid subtle attention towards the managing of linguistic expressions and the performance priority of universities. The interval-valued hesitant fuzzy linguistic sets (IVHFLSs) can effectively describe uncertainty, hesitancy, and inconsistency inherent in decision-making process. The ORESTE (organísation, rangement et Synthèse de données relarionnelles, in French) is a new outranking decision-making method which can show detailed distinctions between alternatives. Therefore, in this study, we propose a new UTAE approach based on the VHFLSs and ORESTE method to resolve the prioritization of universities for selecting the optimal university to benchmark. Specifically, the presented method handles the hesitant and uncertain linguistic expressions of experts by adopting the IVHFLSs and determines the ranking of universities with an extended ORESTE approach. Finally, a practical UTAE example illustrates the feasibility the proposed approach and a comparison analysis provides grounding for the superiority of the integrated approach. When the obtained results are evaluated, U2 has been determined as the best university. The results indicate the good performance of the proposed UTAE approach in evaluating and improving the teaching quality of universities.

Research on Factors of Quality Culture Affecting Internal Education Quality Assurance of Universities in Vietnam

This research aimed to identify and evaluate the factors of quality culture affecting the formation, operation, and effectiveness of internal education quality assurance in Vietnamese universities. From that point of view, the authors proposed and recommended specific solutions to establish and develop education quality culture in Vietnamese universities. This research used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. To be more specific, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and regression model were used to determine the level of impact of each factor on internal education quality assurance in universities. At the same time, the researchers administered a survey of over 30 universities representing different types of universities in Vietnam. The findings revealed that the factors of quality culture which have impacts on internal quality assurance include those in the field of academics, social sciences, humanities, culture, and environment.

The Effect of Performance of LP3M Undana Employees on Quality Improvement and Implemenation of MBKM Regulations for the 2022/2023 Academic Year

Indonesian higher education institutions (PT) face many changes in the globalized era. To handle complex changes, PT education must be improved. University quality assurance is not only carried out externally. Permenristekdikti Number 62 of 2016 on the Higher Education Quality Assurance System requires universities to conduct the Internal Quality Assurance System autonomously (SPMI). The Undana Learning Development and Quality Assurance Institute (LP3M) implements quality assurance. The curriculum must also adapt to students' interests, needs, and expectations in revolution 4.0. The Central Government, through the Ministry of Education and Culture-Ristek, issued a policy of Free Learning and Independent Campus (MBKM). Human resources are an essential asset for the successful implementation of quality assurance and implementation of the MBKM policy. The research method used is a quantitative method to know and describe the effect of the performance of LP3M (X) Undana employees on internal quality improvement (Y1) and the implementation of the MBKM regulations for the 2022/2023 Academic Year (Y2).

Perspectives of Academics and Graduates into the World of Work: A South African Study

The aim of the study was to ascertain the expectations and perceptions of engineering graduates regarding an engineering career in the world of work, and compare them to perspectives of academic leaders of the engineering disciplines in which these graduates studied. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study firstly entailed a quantitative survey of engineering graduates at a South African University during their graduation using a questionnaire and convenience sampling. Graduates’ needs, aspirations, reason for pursuing engineering and their expectations of the workplace were determined and analysed using the Biggs’ Study Motives and Strategies framework. The study thereafter attempted to ascertain the perspectives of academic leaders at the same university, drawing from their years of experience and liaison with industry partners. Academic leaders at the university were interviewed qualitatively. An interpretivist paradigm was considered using deductive thematic semantic analysis on various themes concerning their views on graduate and employer expectations, trends, training programmes, postgraduate study, outcomes and attributes. The study also drew upon findings by the university Quality Promotions and Assurance survey for further corroboration of findings. Key misalignments between graduates and academic leaders were identified and discussed. The main misalignments included guidance expectations, niche proficiencies and innovation expectations. Key causes included language barriers, lack of engineering drive, high workload and surface study strategies, and assessment changes. Recommendations for the university’s role in mitigating many of the issues and mis-alignments were provided, along with recommendations for any possible future research in this area.

They met for ‘Quality’…

Üsküdar University Student Council President Zeynep Omaç, Quality Club President İbrahim Bahçekapılı and Rümeysa Nur Savaş listened to the work of Üsküdar University's quality assurance system and the Quality Department.