Quality work in education and knowledge-based decision making
Quality work and quality management in education refers to the procedures and processes by which we systematically plan, implement, maintain, monitor, evaluate and develop educational activities and their quality.
Elements of quality management include educational policies, appropriate processes and guidelines, functioning feedback systems, effective evaluations, strengthening the competence of the university community as well as promoting good practices.
The University is bound to the requirements of national regulations and agreements it has signed. In addition to national regulations, the University's own regulations and principles guide the planning, implementation, evaluation, and development of education. The quality management of Finnish higher education institutions and its external evaluation are guided by the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015).
The major goals guiding education are included in the strategic development programme for education Educating experts with influence which guides the educational activities of our university and its development. The Education Council promotes and monitors the implementation of the strategic development programme for education.
Shared policies guide the establishment of degree programmes, curriculum development, setting learning outcomes, supervision, and study planning (personal study plans). In addition, the three-year curriculum development cycle includes a systematic evaluation study conducted by the Finnish Institute for Educational Research. The principles for the establishment and discontinuation of degree programmes are applied when establishing new degree programmes or when revising or discontinuing existing ones.
Research-based teaching is carried out in line with the curriculum. Study guidance and counselling is underpinned by the principles for high-quality guidance and counselling at the Ģֱ and is carried out according to the units' counselling plans.
A key operational model in quality management is continuous and proactive development based on monitoring, feedback, and evaluation data. Education and degree programmes are regularly evaluated as part of curriculum development. The University participates in thematic and system evaluations as well as evaluations of study fields carried out by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (KARVI).
“In practice, quality management in education means, for example, that the curriculum process is developed in a research-based way and that curricular planning is guided by collaboratively prepared policies. We support the implementation of students’ personal study plans by means of high-quality guidance, for which we have shared principles and training that supports their application.”
Marja-Leena Laakso
Vice rector for Education, Ģֱ
Quality work applies to all members within the university. Every staff member and student in our university community is responsible for the quality of their own activities and their development. The whole university community is involved in the continuous improvement of quality as an inherent part of its work and activities.
The responsibility for quality management in education lies with the management system. The directors of all units of the university, the Education Council, and the community development groups are responsible for the quality of activities and related development in their own domain in accordance with the university’s management system and delegated responsibilities. The University services, and especially the Student and academic services, are responsible for the quality and development of the University's administration and support services for education.
At the Ģֱ, high-quality operations mean activities aimed at achieving collectively defined objectives that are appropriate and meet the requirements. We are working together in line with the university’s values, goals, and shared practices.
The systematic collection of information, monitoring, and the reporting and analysis of generated information are key elements of education quality management. In the management and development of education, at various levels of the university, data produced by education registers and by the education feedback system, as well as national positioning data are utilised.
The education feedback system is one of the key tools for quality management in education. Course feedback, feedback collected during studies and feedback from graduating students provide information on teaching, counselling, student wellbeing, the development of expertise and skills.
Feedback on quality of teaching and education, as well as study experiences, are utilised in teaching development, curriculum development, strategic development of education, decision-making and in research on learning.
The University and the units monitor the achievement of objectives in the annual reports of the units and via performance reviews between the Rector and units' management, which are an important part of the knowledge-based approach and the dialogue between the units and the university's management. The state of education is monitored at unit and university level through annual reporting and follow-up of strategy development programmes.
