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2. Quality in higher education The example of Uppsala University, SwedenProfessor Eva ÅkessonVice ChancellorUppsala University, SwedenThe 2012 HEIR Conference University of Liverpool

3. Uppsala University

4. A full-scale comprehensive university Pharmacy Arts Law Medicine Science and Technology Social Sciences Languages Theology Educational Sciences

5. Education in figures • 40,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students ≈ 23,000 full-time students • 60 programmes for beginners and 50 master programmes • 2,000 single-subject courses • 4,500 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees every year • 2,300 doctoral students • Lifelong learning through continuing and mid-career education

6. Research in figures • 3,400 teachers and researchers • 600 professors – 23% women • 4,000 academic publications per year • 2,300 doctoral students • 300 doctorates every year • 50% of research is funded by external sources

7. High ranking in education, research and internationalization Superbly equipped, purpose-designed campus areas Oldest university in the Nordic countries with living cultural settings Eight Nobel Prizes Key collaborative partner for business and society Uppsala University – a world leading University

8. Student life

9. Uppsala University shall: • Pursue research and education of the highest quality • Play an active role in global society, promoting development and innovation • work to promote equality and diversity, as well as openness between different cultures • Be far-sighted and open to change in all facets of its work • Contribute to making our world a better place

10. Quality work – current challenges Balancing quality assurance and quality enhancement while considering: • external demands vs. core academic values • university wide strategies vs. local initiatives and creativity

11. Academic core values Autonomy – independence of political authority and economic power Teaching and research inseparable Freedom in research and training Attainment of universal knowledge - transcending geographical, cultural and political frontiers Magna Charta Universitatum, Bologna, Italy, September 18, 1988

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13. External influences on HEIs External quality assurance Internationalisation Massification Marketisation Demographics • The knowledge economy The Audit Society Consumerism The Bologna process Economy • New Public Management • Employer demands

14. Quality work at Uppsala university 1. University-wide policies and projects 2. Programme monitoring 3. Support for quality enhancement … in addition to academic quality assurance of research by peer review

15. Quality work at Uppsala university • The university board and the Vice-chancellor takes decisions on overall aims and strategies • A quality committee advises the Vice-chancellor • The faculties are responsible for the quality of education and research

16. Quality work at Uppsala university 1. University-wide policies and projects 2. Programme monitoring 3. Support for quality enhancement

17. Programme for Quality Work at Uppsala University The quality work should be: • Integrated in daily life at all levels • Founded on academic values • A joint concern of the university's staff and students • Actively supported by the leadership • Making use of collegial exchange of experience • Relevant for action • Cost-effective • Documented and visible

18. However, it might be… Said, but not heard Heard, but not understood Understood, but not accepted Accepted, but not put into practice Put into practice, but for how long? Konrad Lorenz

19. TEACHING AND LEARNING at Uppsala University Guidelines for Educational Activity and Development

20. The four overall objectives Condition for Student’s learning Development of Education Programmes Professional Development in Teaching and Learning The Value of Teaching Qualifications

21. Of importance for its success… Anchoring among teaching staff Short and concrete Clear responsibility Strategy for implementation and follow-up Students’ role in effective learning made explicit

22. Responsibility

23. Quality work at Uppsala university 1. University-wide policiesand projects 2. Programme monitoring 3. Support for quality enhancement

24. Creative Education Development CrEDKrUUt2010‒2012

25. Purpose • Implementation of the policy programme Teaching and learning at Uppsala University • Enhancing the development of T&L by increasing the sharing of ideas across different disciplines • Getting international peers’ feedback on UU’s development activities with regard to T&L

26. Prioritized enhancement themes • University wide (top-down): • Cross-disciplinary education • Research-teaching linkages • Bottom-up generated: • Constructive alignment of learning outcomes to assessment methods • Generic skills and employability • Degree projects • Student services and support • Teaching qualifications and recognition • Evaluations of T&L

27. Activities 2010-2011: • Locally managed development projects within faculties relating to enhancement themes • Sharing of innovative projects, practices and ideas across disciplines: • Workshops and Special Interest Group(s) focusing on the enhancement themes • Web site • Formative visit of international panel 2012: • Summative evaluation of development projects using peer review (internal and international)

28. CrED Panel Members Prof Denise Chalmers, Director, Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, UWA, Australia Dr Bengt Ove Bostrom, Vice Chancellor’s Advisor, Gothenburg University, Sweden Prof Brenda Ravenscroft, Associate Dean of Studies, Arts & Science, Queens University, Canada Prof Stefan Lindgren, Project leaders of EQ11, Lund University, Sweden Prof Vernon Squire, DVC(A & I) Otago University, NZ Prof Lee Harvey, Consultant, UK, External Expert Prof Stefanie Gropper, Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Tubingen University, Germany Dr Victoria Gunn, Acting Head, Academic Development Unit, Glasgow University, UK, External Expert Prof Thomas Luxon, Director, Centre for the Advancement of Learning, Dartmouth University, USA Dr Claire Carney, Head of Quality Enhancement, QAA, Scotland, External Expert

29. Task of the international panel To evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and potential for further development in terms of: • The design and content of the policy programme Teaching and Learning at Uppsala University • Developmental work accomplished within domains/faculties • Central support for educational development • The design of the CrED project

30. The Quality and Renewal exercise in 2007 and 2011 Self-initiated overall evaluation of research quality Aim - to identify: • strong areas of research, “golden nuggets” • promising emerging research groups, and • weaknesses …as a basis for strategic decision making at all levels Method: • 25 different expert panels with 200 experts from some 20 countries • Bibliometric data

31. World-Class Research Uppsala University finds its strength in its breadth. Foreign experts who carried out a comprehensive research assessment at Uppsala University in 2011 gave 90 research groups the grade “world leading” and 140 groups the grade “of high international standard”.

32. Quality work at Uppsala university 1. University-wide policies and projects 2. Programme monitoring 3. Support for quality enhancement

33. Quality assurance – a constructive minimum? Systematic • Course evaluations • International Student Barometer • Alumni evaluations • Doctoral education surveys • Staff surveys • External evaluations Needs based • Program evaluations • Semester evaluations • Employer surveys • Thematic evaluations

34. PROCESS RESULTS PRECONDITIONS UUs evaluation system – first and second-cycle studies Evaluation by Swedish National Agency for Higher Education External evaluations, incl. international accreditation of study programs Environmental scanning Risk assessments Course evaluations Performance indicators Evaluations of study programmes Themed evaluations Validation of new study programmes Employment and promotion requirements (incl. appointment as excellent teacher) Alumni surveys I____I____I____I____I____I____I____I____I____I____I_ _ Continuing education of staff Beginner questionnaires Student representatives on all boards and committees Performance indicators, term evaluations, other periodic evaluations Admission requirements

35. PROCESS RESULTS PRECONDITIONS UUs evaluation system – third-cycle studies Environmental scanning Evaluation by Swedish National Agency for Higher Education External evaluations Risk assessments Themed evaluations Validation of new study programmes Performance indicators Cross-sectional PhD Student surveys 2002 & 2008 Employment and promotion requirements I_____I_____I_____I_____I_____I_____I_____I_____I _ _ Alumni studies Continuing education of staff Student representatives on all boards and committees Individual study plan Developmental conference Performance indicators Admission requirements

36. Closing the loop What do we want? What do we do? What became of it? Goals & Strategies, Goal fulfillment Quality Work Policy , in relation to annual Teaching and Learning operational plans Policy, and other policies (based on evaluations) Activities Results Goals Operational plan Quality culture/ academic culture • Annual report • including analysis and • identification of measures • to be taken

37. Alumni evaluations Follow-up of students at least two years after graduation Questions about their education (self-perceived attainment of goals and satisfaction) and whether their education meet the demands of their job Result reports are delivered to the departments Department management and teachers use the results as a basis for decision making

38. Doctoral education survey Questionnaire directed to all active doctoral students at Uppsala University in 2002 and 2008 Questions about: Admission procedures Research environment Work environment – psychosocial climate Quality of supervision, seminars and course work Teaching opportunities Future plans Results are fed back to faculties and departments as a basis for decision making

39. Courses offered by the Division for Development of Teaching and Learning in HE Basic course: Teacher Training Course (5 w), Eng., Sw. Deepening and specialization: Educational leadership • New students – new challenges (1 w) • Communication training for your students, (1 w) • Course development (1 w) • Educational leadership (2 w) • Strategic leadership in research ed. (1 w) Supervision: • Presenting science, (1w). Sw, Eng • Vocal training (2 days) • Learning and study habits (3 days) • Teaching and learning for Sustainable Development (1 w) • English in the Classroom, (1 w), Eng • Supervising Students for Degree Projects (1 w), Eng., Sw. • Supervising PhD Students (3 w), Eng., Sw. • Supervising PHD stud, experienced supervisors (semianrs) • Mentor training (1w)

40. Quality work at Uppsala university 1. University-wide policies and projects 2. Programme monitoring 3. Support for quality enhancement

41. Central support for staff development • Individual staff members improve their practice and potentially influence their colleagues • Staff from different parts of the university meets and share experiences and ideas • Central support is complemented by discipline specific support at the faculty level

42. Quality work - university wide support • Div. for Development of Teaching and Learning • Leadership and Organizational Development Office • Uppsala Learning Lab • Unit of Quality and Evaluation

43. Some (humble) recommendations based on the UU experience… • Balance external demands with internal proactivity • Balance top-down and bottom-up initiatives • Increase cross-fertilisation accross the university • Support and trust staff and collaborate with students • Put academic values at the centre of the quality system • Do not produce more results from internal evaluations than can be acted upon • Use critical friends from the international academic community - and research evidence - to inform quality enhancement

44. External influences on HEIs External quality assurance Internationalisation Massification Marketisation Demographics • The knowledge economy The Audit Society Consumerism The Bologna process Economy • New Public Management • Employer demands

45. New national QA system launched in 2011 focusing on results only Study programmes are evaluated in terms of how well they achieve the requirements laid down in the Higher Education Act and the ordinances linked to the act …or in other words… To what extent do students’ achieved learning outcomes correspond to intended learning outcomes?

46. Method • Peer review of students’ achieved learning outcomes (LOs) based on: • Degree projects • HEI’s self evaluation • Students’ evaluation • Former students’ evaluation • The National Agency for Higher Education is not actively stimulating enhancement – it is a mere control system

47. Grading on a three-level scale • Very high quality basis for quality based resource allocation (< 2% of the governmental funding for higher education) • High quality just go on • Inadequate quality degree rewarding powers are questioned  HEI has to rectify the situation within a year, or the concerned degree rewarding powers will be withdrawn

48. What about the outcome? So far, every fourth degree has been deemed to have deficient quality (nationwide) Are Swedish HEIs in such a bad shape – or is the system measuring the wrong thing (or just a part of the picture)?

49. Recent ENQA review of the National Agency for Higher Education “/…/ The extent to which the new system was prescribed [by the Swedish government] cast doubts on HSV’s operational independence. The system is not aligned with the fundamental principles of ESG. In the view of the Review Panel there are weaknesses inherent in the system that make it possible that unreliable judgements will emerge, even on the narrow and reductive basis intended.” ENQA will decide on NHEs membership status in September

50. External influences on HEIs External quality assurance Internationalisation Massification • The knowledge economy Marketisation Demographics • Knowledge and evidence gained • from • institutional research The Bologna process The Audit Society Consumerism Economy • New Public Management • Employer demands