Abstract
The quality of study programme delivery is currently framed by a number of contextual factors, including national and institutional requirements. However, few studies have been investigating the relationship between the quality work taking place at study program level and how this work is externally conditioned. In the current chapter, we study specifically the potential relationship between quality work at program level and systems established for external quality assurance (EQA). Through comparing two countries employing two very different EQA-systems, we investigate similarities and differences in the work and responsibilities of study programme leaders. The chapter finds that while tasks assigned to study programme leaders in Denmark and Norway is quite similar, the responsibilities associated with the tasks are perceived as very different. Danish study programme leaders report having more influence on a range of issues than their Norwegian counterparts. It is argued that EQA might have influenced on these different outcomes, and the relationship between EQA and the quality work conducted at study programme level is seen as important to explore further.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The taximeter system is the primary activity-level dependent appropriation model for distributing state funding to HEI together with a number of supplementary management tools in the form of basic grants, targeted research and development funds, etc. In HE, the taximeter rates are based on the level of completed study activity (STÅ) and are determined in the annual Appropriations Acts. The intention has been to implement a system that is oriented towards results and incentives. Thus, the size of the grant is linked with the direct results of the institution, measured in terms of the annual number of fulltime students that have passed their exams or student fulltime equivalents (i.e. 30 ECTS per semester).
References
Aamodt, P. O., Hovdhaugen, E., Stensaker, B., Frølich., Maassen, P., & Dalseng, C. F. (2016). Utdanningsledelse i høyere utdanning. En analyse av ledere av studieprogrammer. NIFU Arbeidsnotat 2016:10. Oslo: NIFU.
Aamodt, P. O., Frølich, N., & Stensaker, B. (2017). Learning outcomes – A useful tool in quality assurance? View from the academic staff. Studies in Higher Education, 43(4), 614–624.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill.
Bollaert, L. (2014). A manual for internal quality assurance in higher education. EURASHE: Brussels.
Brennan, J., & Shah, T. (2000). Managing quality in higher education. An international perspective on institutional assessment and change. SRHE/Open University Press: Buckingham.
Bryman, A. (2007). Effective leadership in higher education: A literature review. Studies in Higher Education, 32(6), 693–710.
Burnes, B., Wend, P., & By, R. T. (2014). The changing face of English universities: Reinventing collegiality for the twenty-first century. Studies in Higher Education, 39(6), 305–326.
Dill, D. D., & Beerkens, M. (Eds.). (2010). Public policy for academic quality. Springer: Dordrecht.
Gibbs, G., Knapper, C., & Piccinin, S. (Eds.). (2009). Departmental leadership of teaching in research-intensive universities. London: The Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.
Graversen, E. B., Lyng, A. R., Kalpazidou Schmidt, E., Ludvigsen, J. V., Lehmann Nielsen, M., & Lauridsen, P. S. (2017). Uddannelsesledelse ved danske videregående uddannelsesinstitutioner: Studielederes rolle i uddannelsernes kvalitetsarbejde. Aarhus: Dansk Center for Forskningsanalyse/Aarhus universitet. Online accessible document. http://www.qnhe.no/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Uddannelsesledelse-ved-danske-videreg%C3%A5ende-uddannelsesinstitutioner-2016.pdf.
Haakstad, J. (2001). Accreditation: The new quality assurance formula? Some reflections as Norway is about to reform its quality assurance system. Quality in Higher Education, 7(1), 77–82.
Irving, K. (2015). Leading learning and teaching: An exploration of ‘local’ leadership in academic departments in the UK. Tertiary Education and Management, 21(3), 186–199.
Kalpazidou Schmidt, E. (2012). University funding reforms in the Nordic countries. In F. Maruyama & I. Dobson (Eds.), Cycles of university reform: Japan and Finland compared. Tokyo: Centre for National University Finance and Management.
Kalpazidou Schmidt, E. (2017). Quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education systems: Convergence or different paths? Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 39(3), 247–265.
Manatos, M., Sarrico, C. S., & Rosa, M. J. (2017). The integration of quality management in higher education institutions: A systematic literature review. Total Quality Management, 28(1–2), 159–175.
Mårtensson, K., Roxå, T., & Stensaker, B. (2014). From quality assurance to quality practices: An investigation into strong micro-cultures in teaching and learning. Studies in Higher Education, 39(4), 534–545.
Møthe, S., Ballangrud, B., & Stensaker, B. (2015). The values and visions of the professional department head: Not so different from the past? The International Journal of Educational Management, 29(3), 298–308.
OECD. (2016). Education at a Glance 2016: OECD Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Pratasavitskaya, H., & Stensaker, B. (2010). Quality management in higher education. Towards a better understanding of an emerging field. Quality in Higher Education, 16(1), 37–50.
Stensaker, B., Langfeldt, L., Huisman, J., & Westerheijden, D. F. (2011). An in-depth study on the impact of external quality assurance. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(4), 465–478.
Stensaker, B., Frølich, N. & Aamodt, P. (2018). Policy, perceptions and practice: A study of educational leadership and the balancing of expectations and interests and micro-level. Higher Education Policy, Online first: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-018-0115-7.
Thune, C. (1996). The alliance of accountability and improvement: The Danish experience. Quality in Higher Education, 2(1), 21–32.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Aamodt, P.O., Graversen, E.K., Hovdhaugen, E., Kalpazidou Schmidt, E., Maassen, P., Stensaker, B. (2020). The Relationship Between External Quality Assurance and the Work of Study Programme Leaders: A Comparative Study. In: Elken, M., Maassen, P., Nerland, M., Prøitz, T., Stensaker, B., Vabø, A. (eds) Quality Work in Higher Education. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 54. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41757-4_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41757-4_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41756-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41757-4
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)