Quality assurance and enhancement at the K.U.Leuven
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Transcript of Quality assurance and enhancement at the K.U.Leuven
29 November 2005
Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Quality assurance and enhancement at the K.U.Leuven
Veerle Hulpiau
29 November 2005
Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Legal framework
• Since 1991: universities responsible for the internal and external quality assurance
• involvement of students, alumni and external experts
• common and regular external assessment
→ each university organises its own system of IQA
→ the VL.I.R. coordinates EQA (peer review at the level of the discipline)
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
• decree 2003: introduction of a accreditation system– report of the visiting committees serve as
input for accreditation (programme level)– collaboration with the Netherlands: dutch-
flemish accrediting body– accreditation depends upon the presence of
general quality standards
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Educational quality: general framework
Implemen-tation-Curriculum development-…
Educational concept:-GIL-Educational framework
Quality assessment:-evaluation courses-evaluation programmes
Follow-up:-professional development
- Educational innovation
Educat. quality
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Quality assessment
Internal quality assurance External quality assurance
External peer review
+report
External peer review
+report
Evaluation of curriculaEvaluation of curricula
Evaluation of particular coursesEvaluation of particular courses
Ad hoc evaluationsAd hoc evaluations
Self-eval.
report
Self-eval.
report
accountabilityaccountability
Ad hoc evaluationsAd hoc evaluations
Periodical evaluationsPeriodical evaluations
AccreditationAccreditationimprovementimprovement
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Quality assessment
• Guiding principles
• Periodic evaluation of curricula
• Periodic evaluation of courses (what do staff members expect?)
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Guiding principles
• Quality assessment initiatives are embedded in the concept of GIL
• Responsibility lies at the level of the permanent curriculum committees and the staff members
• QA stands or falls with the actual follow-up of the evaluation initiatives
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Evaluation of curricula
• Every 8 years
• Permanent curriculum committee
• Accordance with external evaluations:– timing– content: internal ev. prepares for the
external
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
• University wide procedure with room for local adjustments
• supported by the Educational support office
Evaluation of curricula
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
• Broad consultation of the academic community– Goal:
gain a clear understanding of the expectations of faculty members and students of the new evaluation system
– How?• Hearings
• Individual web-based questionnaire
• Questionning PCC’s
Evaluation of coursesa new approach – policy determination
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
– Topics:• goals (quality improvement and/or accountability)• periodicity• evaluation instruments• submission of evaluation instruments
(electronically/on paper; before/after exams, …)• follow-up• (de)centralization
Evaluation of coursesa new approach – policy determination
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
– Results: what does the academic community expect?
• disconnection of quality improvement and accountability
educational quality should be taken into account• frequency: different opinions, not on a yearly basis;
maybe more frequent in the case of accountability• instruments:
– improvement: flexible, up to the PCC to decide– accountability: certain degree of standardization, but at the
level of the faculties/departments
Evaluation of coursesa new approach – policy determination
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
• more enthousiasm for electronic evaluation than before
• communication with regard to the results– Improvement: faculty member, PCC– Accountability: faculty member, PCC, dean, appraisal
committees
• decentralization (esp. improvement) with central support
Evaluation of coursesa new approach – policy determination
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
• Decision?– Two tracks– Evaluations aiming at quality improvement
• every 4 years• flexible• PCC• no direct link with tenure and promotion
– Evaluations aiming at accountability• every 4 years• degree of standardisation
Evaluation of coursesa new approach – decision
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
General reflections
• Tension:– Centralised vs. decentralised approach?
• Curricula: universitywide procedure• Courses:
– Accountability (certain degree of standardisation)– Improvement (up to the PCC)
– External and internal QA
• IQA: or own system?
• Staff involvement in the design of IQA
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
GIL: Characteristics
• Guided Independent Learning is a comprehensive concept- Defines goals for university teaching, roles
and responsibilities of students and faculty members
- It is referred to in all decisions with educational consequences
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
GIL: Characteristics (2)
• Guided Independent Learning is a comprehensive concept
• GIL does not reject particular instructional approachesStill there are guidelines:
- education has to be functional
- participation in research activities is highly valuable
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
GIL: Goals of university teaching
Critical scientific attitude: students should- assimilate discipline specific research findings and frameworks- acquire insight in the coming about of these findings- be able to acquire information independently- be able to contribute themselves to the development of knowledge- be able to use the knowledge acquired in solving new problems and in developing independent and articulated viewpoints
Graduates should be able to take responsibility in society: able to develop an articulated viewpoint in societal matters
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Professional development
• Varied offer and different ‘providers’
• Voluntary participation
• Group sessions and instruments for individual teachers
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Educational innovation
• Ad hoc university-wide policy
• 3 levels– individual staff member (competitive)– faculties (educational development plans)– central services
• Main focus– GIL– Internationalisation
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Curriculum development
• Responsability of PCC
• Last years: BaMa– Fase 1: proposels from all faculty members– Fase 2: proposels supported by dean– Fase 3: implementation = now
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Decision structures and support systems
Executive Committee[Vice-President Educational Affairs]
Academic Council
Faculty
Programmes
Permanent Program Committee
Council of EducationExpert Center for Educational Support
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Educational quality at the K.U.Leuven
Until 1993:- IQA = permanent concern of PCC- ad hoc curriculum evaluations- ad hoc evaluations of subjects
ad hocPCC
ad hocfaculty
Improvement
Evaluation of curricula
Evaluation of subjects
periodicPCC
ad hocPCC
ad hocfaculty
Improvement & accountability
Improvement
tenure and promotion
external QA
Evaluation of curricula
Evaluation
of subjects1993-2000:- IQA = permanent concern of PCC- ad hoc: curriculum and subjects- 4-yearly curriculum and subjects
tenure and promotion
periodicPCC
ad hocPCC
Improvement & accountability
Improvement
external QA
Evaluation of curricula
Evaluation
of subjects
periodicPCC
ad hocfaculty
2003-2004:- IQA = permanent - concern of PCC- ad hoc: curriculum and subjects- yearly subjects- 8-yearly curriculum
A shortcut to more than 10 years of IQA