seventh quality in higher education seminar transforming quality 30–31 october 2002 melbourne
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Seventh Quality in Higher Education Seminar
Transforming Quality
30–31 October 2002
Melbourne
Transforming quality
Deliberate ambiguity:
can quality transform or do we need to transform quality?
Themes
• Is quality in higher education about transforming students?
• How might (external) quality monitoring be transformed to help improve the quality of the student experience and of the learning?
• What has been the transformative impact of external quality monitoring?
Theme 1
Is quality in higher education about transforming
students?
Quality learning
• What constitutes a high quality learning process and outcomes?
• To what extent is there a need to reconceptualise how higher education engages with the key issues of—access —employability —funding?
standards monitoring
standards monitoring
assessmentassessment
auditaudit
accreditation
accreditation
Object
improvementimprovement
accountability
accountability
Rationale
External evaluationApproach
learnerlearner
outputoutput
medium of delivery
medium of delivery
providerprovider
Focus
qualificationqualification
learning experience
learning experience
curriculum design, admin
curriculum design, admin
governanace & regulation
governanace & regulation
controlcontrol
compliancecompliance
nationalregional
nationalregional internationalinternational
standards monitoring
standards monitoring
assessmentassessment
auditaudit
accreditation
accreditation
Object
improvementimprovement
accountability
accountability
Rationale
External evaluationApproach
learnerlearner
outputoutput
medium of delivery
medium of delivery
providerprovider
Focus
qualificationqualification
learning experience
learning experience
curriculum design, admin
curriculum design, admin
governanace & regulation
governanace & regulation
controlcontrol
compliancecompliance
nationalregional
nationalregional internationalinternational
Interlinked elements
fundingfunding
accessaccess employabilityemployability
learninglearningqualityquality
Interlinked elements
fundingfunding
accessaccess employabilityemployability
learninglearningqualityquality
value for moneyvalue for money
fitness for purposefitness for purpose excellenceexcellence
transformationtransformation
Interlinked elements
fundingfunding
accessaccess employabilityemployability
learninglearningqualityquality
value for moneyvalue for money
fitness for purposefitness for purpose excellenceexcellence
transformationtransformation
employersemployers
institutionsinstitutions
studentsstudents
academic staffacademic staff
Theme 2
How might (external) quality monitoring be transformed to
help improve the quality of the student experience and
of the learning?
improvement audit
improvement audit
accrediting, assessing and checking
accrediting, assessing and checking
Object
improvementimprovement
accountability and conformance
accountability and conformance
Rationale
External evaluationApproach
learnerlearner
providerand what is provided
providerand what is provided
Focus
learning experience
learning experience
static elements:regulation, curriculum, outputs
static elements:regulation, curriculum, outputs
improvement audit
improvement audit
accrediting, assessing and checking
accrediting, assessing and checking
Object
improvementimprovement
accountability and conformance
accountability and conformance
Rationale
External evaluationApproach
learnerlearner
providerand what is provided
providerand what is provided
Focus
learning experience
learning experience
static elements:regulation, curriculum, outputs
static elements:regulation, curriculum, outputs
improvement audit
improvement audit
accrediting, assessing and checking
accrediting, assessing and checking
Object
improvementimprovement
accountability and conformance
accountability and conformance
Rationale
External evaluationApproach
learnerlearner
providerand what is provided
providerand what is provided
Focus
learning experience
learning experience
static elements:regulation, curriculum, outputs
static elements:regulation, curriculum, outputs
improvement audit
improvement audit
Object
improvementimprovement
Rationale
External evaluationApproach
learnerlearner
Focus
learning experience
learning experience
transformation of the learner
transformation of the learner
Transformative learning
• A continuous process of assimilation, reflection, synthesis and critique.
• Questioning absolutes, preconceptions and taken-for granteds —others and ones own.
• Deconstructing knowledge and building alternative understandings.
Transformativelearning
Transformative learning
RoteEngaging/
Questioning
Reconceptualising
Accepting
Understanding
Transformative learning
Enhancing students’ abilities and knowledge
Empowering students to be active learners
Enhancing learners
Enhancing students as transformative learners means:
• providing students with access to a body of knowledge;
• enabling students to develop a range of intellectual and other attributes through which they can engage and develop knowledge.
self skillsself skills risk takingrisk taking
flexibility and adaptabilityflexibility and adaptability
ability to find things out
ability to find things out
willingness to continue learning
willingness to continue learning
intellectintellect
Attributes
knowledgeknowledge
analysis, synthesis, critiqueanalysis, synthesis, critique
communicationcommunication team workingteam working
interpersonal skillsinterpersonal skills
Empowering learners
Empowering students as transformative learners means:
• treating students as intellectual performers rather than as passive recipients of teaching;
• encouraging critical engagement with a body of knowledge.
Quality monitoring?
To what extent can external quality processes assure transformative learning.
Approaches to date are not strong on learning at all —tend to conservatism.
Quality monitoring?
External processes are not the primary mechanism by which transformative quality improvement in higher education is assured.
Day-to-day quality assurance is through internal academic processes.
External processes should articulate with, and augment, internal procedures.
Theme 3
What has been the transformative impact of
external quality monitoring?
Impact• What impact has EQM had and on
what?• Does it go beyond the level of
rhetoric?• Does it lead to short-term response
or does it lead to permanent cultural changes?
• If so, does this permeate all levels of the institution or is it a management preoccupation?
External quality monitoring
leads to bureaucratisation and inflexibilityleads to bureaucratisation and inflexibility
is amateurish, burdensome and inefficientis amateurish, burdensome and inefficient
is concerned with accountability not improvementis concerned with accountability not improvement
leads to ‘game playing’ and ‘performance’leads to ‘game playing’ and ‘performance’
short-term response not cultural changesshort-term response not cultural changes
has no real impact on student learninghas no real impact on student learning
Bureaucracy
• Any form of EQM would involve some level of ‘bureaucracy’.
• Key issue is not the existence of a bureaucracy or of bureaucratic processes but the nature of the bureaucracy and its processes.
• Bureaucracy must meets needs of external and internal stakeholders, not be self-perpetuating.
Quality bureaucracies
Three main roles: • ensure integrity of HE• act as a catalyst for improvement• act as a conduit for useful
information
Amateurism
• Dominant approach —self-assessment, peer review, statistical data — not necessarily seen as the best approach.
• Burdensome.• Most benefit to the peer assessors
not the assessed.
Efficiency
• Doubts about the efficiency of most EQM.
• Cost (of agency and and to the institution) outweighs the value gained.
• Periodic ‘events’ do not help inform change management.
• EQM inhibits innovation through its conservative or rigid evaluation criteria.
Improvement
• Temporary impact.• EQM must interact with internal
quality systems — often not the case.
• Changes in culture—slow—commitment.
• Event or continuous process: performance and game playing.
Performance & game playing
• Engagement mediated by the perceived, short-term affect.
• ‘Game playing’ and compliance.• ‘Performance’ to ensure maximum
return. • Obscures the reality.• No surprise: ‘natural’ outcome of
accountability-oriented processes.• Game playing taking up resources
for very little real return.
Self-assessment
• Main value of EQM is the internal self-reflection.
• But ‘two sets of books’.• Fear of revealing weaknesses.
Longevity of process
• Improvement potential decreases as process becomes more elaborate and routine?
• Emphasis shifts to procedural elements rather than innovative process.
• Need for constant reflection on and change in EQM, more trust and collaboration.
• Periodic change in purposes and in the agencies themselves.
Longevity
Without periodic change, there is the danger of ending up with a British-style, QAA-type, system: a rolling ‘juggernaut’, that is not sure what it is looking for, but which ensures compliance and minimizes innovation and risk-taking. British institutions continue to comply, even if the return on the investment is derisory, because of the fear of loss of income.
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Impact on learning
• Extreme sceptical that EQM had any impact on programme quality or student learning.
• No evidence of clear impact on learning —available research suggests that
other factors outweigh the impact of EQM.
• Structure and organisation of EQM is not compatible with empowering staff and students to enhance the learning situation.
Impact on learning?
I still haven’t seen a study that directly links external evaluation to improved student learning. (NOR)
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Impact on learning?
We still know almost nothing about the outcome of this concern for quality in terms of improvements in student learning. (SWE)
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Impact on learning?
I can detect no improvement in the learning situation of students — perhaps, in fact, even the opposite. Because we spend so much time trying to lay ‘paper trails’ for audit, and trying to ensure good RAE ratings, time to devote to students (certainly for informal interaction with them) is at a premium. (UK)
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A Quality Manifesto
“ Academics and students of the world unite and reclaim the quality agenda…..
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Thank you
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