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Quality Assurance at Ghent University (Flanders)

Quality Assurance at Ghent University (Flanders). Joke Claeys Ghent University Department of Educational Affairs Educational Quality Management Office. Ghent University. Founded in 1817 by King William I 4 faculties: Arts & history Law Medicine Science 16 professors

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Quality Assurance at Ghent University (Flanders)

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  1. Quality Assurance at Ghent University (Flanders) Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  2. Joke Claeys • Ghent University • Department of Educational Affairs • Educational Quality Management Office Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  3. Ghent University • Founded in 1817 by King William I • 4 faculties: Arts & history • Law • Medicine • Science • 16 professors • 190 students Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  4. Ghent University 2006 • - 11 faculties • Students: over 28000 • Number of staff: over 6400 • * 909 professors • * 893 assisting academic staff • * 781 other scientific staff • * 1668 externally financed researchers • * 2179 administrative and technical staff Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  5. Since the beginning of the nineties: • a continuous growth from about 15000 to 28000 students has occurred. • This is unique in Flanders. Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  6. Context in Flanders: 6 000 000 inhab. • Basic higher education (bachelor/master) • 161 539 (2005-06), of which: • - higher education: 102 367 • universities: 59 172 • share UGent: 35 % Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  7. Mission (some excerpts): • - distinguishes itself as a socially committed and pluralistic university, open to all students, regardless of their ideological, political, cultural and social background • defines itself in a broad international perspective, all the while accentuating its individuality in terms of language and culture • offers a broad spectrum of high-quality research-based educational programmes,… • opts for a decentralised, dynamic organisation model Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  8. Central administration • Rector • Vice rector • Registrar Bursar • Dep of Personnel & Organization Financial Department • Dep of Administrative Affairs ICT Department • Dep of Research Affairs Dep of Infrastructure • Dep of Educational Affairs Dep of Student facilities Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  9. Department of Educational Affairs • 4 offices: • Educational Quality Management • Student and Career Advice • Student Administration and Study • Programmes • International Relations Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  10. Structures in quality assurance • Central office for quality assessment • Faculty level: 11 quality cells • containing: some professors (one • director of education per faculty), one • full staff member, some students, one • or more administrative member Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  11. Decision making bodies • General: • Central: board of directors (34 members), • executive committee, management committee • Faculty: faculty board • Education: • - Educational board: advisory to the central bodies • * Vice rector + director of education • * Representatives of the faculties: professors, assistants, • students • * Experts Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  12. Quality Assurance of educationin Flanders • Central element in the startup: • Decree on universities (June 12th, 1991) • Art 122 Imposes a continuous monitoring of the quality of education: internal and external QA are mentioned Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  13. Realisations: • Internal QA: student questionnaires • External QA: peer review: • visitations of the first generation Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  14. Ghent University: student evaluation (since 1993-94) • The evaluation of education is • considered as an essential part of • the quality system. • The users of the education, namely • the students, are ideally placed to • judge it. Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  15. Student evaluation: what about ? (1) • An impression of the satisfaction of • students with the services offered • by the university • Specific: the perception of several • aspects of the teaching and learning • activities, namely: Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  16. Student evaluation: what about ? (2) • The teaching process itself • The examinations • Supporting services: study • guidance, library, electronic learning • environment • Infrastructure: audiences, laboratories, • buildings,… Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  17. External QA: • First round: 1992-2002 • Peer review of all basic study programs • Strongly inspired by the Dutch approach • by VSNU (now QANU), e.g. manual Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  18. Flemish Interuniversitary Council (°1976) • Autonomous body, representing the universities, financed • by them • Gives advice to the minister of education and science • Organises interuniversitary consultations about: • * quality assurance and accreditation • * educational policy • * research policy • * university governance • * administration • It’s secretariat organises the external quality assurance for • all Flemish universities Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  19. External QA: peer review (visitations) • 8 year cycle • A panel of experts judges the program • Result: • - a public report on all the important issues • - a related score list (comparison between • institutions is possible) • - recommendations for improvement Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  20. External QA: Visitations (peer review) • Phases in the process: • 1 .The program writes a self • evaluation report. Professors, • assistant professors, students, • alumni,… are all involved. • A manual with guidelines is strictly • followed. Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  21. Contents of the self evaluation report (1) • Profile, goals and aims • Program: structure, contents, teaching, evaluation • Dissertation and training • Students: numbers, success rates • Study timing, tutorship, information Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  22. Contents of the self evaluation report (2) • 6. Alumni: quality and work situation • 7. Organisational elements of the • program • 8. Infrastructure • 9. Personnel and personnel policy • 10. Internationalisation • 11. Internal quality assurance Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  23. External QA: Visitations (peer review) • 2. - A commission of experts is • composed, on the proposal of the • programs involved. They act on a • completely independant base. • - Experts in the subject matter; 5 • persons, 1 president, 1 didactical • expert Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  24. External QA: Visitations (peer review) • 3. The commission reads the self • assessment report. • 4. - Site visit: 2,5 days • - meetings with professors, assistant • professors, other personnel involved in • education, students, alumni, study • guidance,… Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  25. External QA: Visitations (peer review) • 5. The commission writes a report • containing their evaluation of the • program, recommendations, good • practices,… • The different programs are also • compared. Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  26. External QA: Visitations (peer review) • 6. - The report is published and can • be consulted by future students, • newspapers, other institutions,… • - The Minister of Education gets a • report. • 7. The programs react upon the • recommendations and can make • adaptations to the study program. Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  27. External QA: • - Second round: 2003-2011 • Programs are reviewed a second • time • Reactions to recommendations and • improvements are also taken into • consideration Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  28. Decree on Higher Education (April 2nd, 2003) • Introduction of the bachelor/master • structure • Obligation of Quality Assurance is • repeated • Introduction of Accreditation: • condition for organisation of programs Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  29. Accreditation: a second generation of external QA • Antecedents: societal evolutions • Internationalisation: cooperation; • mobility of professors and students • Globalisation: a market for research • and study programs emerges • Liberalisation: commercial suppliers can • can organise education • - Evolution towards a knowledge society Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  30. Accreditation: definition • A formal, public judgement made by an independant body, based upon an evaluation of quality, guaranteeing that basic standards are met Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  31. Functions of accreditation • Guarantee a certain basic quality of • institutions or programs • Reinforce the existing forms of QA e.g. by • strenghtening their sanctioning capacity • Create more standardisation of norms, • procedures and criteria, to enhance • comparability • Improve the public responsibility function of QA • by giving transparant info to students, parents,… Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

  32. Contents of self evaluation/ style accreditation • Different arrangement, same • contents as in 1st round • 6 subjects, divided in facets • The commission judges the subjects • and facets • - Consequences for accreditation Tempus Bitola, 8/12-11-06

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