International Experience for Assessing the Quality of Educational Services at Higher Education Institutions
The Government of Poland benefits from a Technical Assistance Activity in support of the reforms under way in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. This Technical Assistance accompanies Development Policy Loans financed by the World Bank; i...
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| Format: | Policy Note |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/02/16280995/international-experience-assessing-quality-educational-services-higher-education-institutions http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12547 |
| Summary: | The Government of Poland benefits from a
Technical Assistance Activity in support of the reforms
under way in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
This Technical Assistance accompanies Development Policy
Loans financed by the World Bank; its activities have been
identified jointly by the Government of Poland and the World
Bank. One activity is focused specifically on the assessment
of the quality of educational services at Higher Education
Institutions, specifically for post-graduate courses and
training (adult education). This report has helped us to
identify the main key characteristics of a good quality
assurance system. To us, it should in particular: Be capable
of correctly grasping the essence of university teaching and
learning and being able to seize it correctly, encourage
universities to develop a quality culture promoting
improvement instead of encouraging them just to pass the
criteria necessary for accreditation or similar
ratification, but it should also provide an external check
and support. To make it happen, the system should be focused
on the fitness for purpose of the strategies followed by
HEIs and quality assurance processes more than on
pre-defined criteria; be as much institution-driven as
agency-driven, which means that internal quality assurance
procedures are an important element of quality assurance; be
as light as possible by pushing the concerned institution to
do a great part of the work as it is finally in its interest
and by avoiding processes in which the bulk of the work is
done by external experts. Finally be partly adapted to the
type of institution. The higher the level of the institution
measured by its research performance and quality of its
teachers and students, the more it is advisable to have an
institutionally-led system. On the other hand, modest
professional schools or universities, particularly if they
have been strongly regulated for a long time, as well as
private institutions that are permanently fighting for
survival, are more in need of a rigorous external evaluation
made by an agency. This does not mean, however, that they
are freed of developing their own internal QA system as it
is also important for them to put quality as a high priority. |
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