Sónia Cardoso

The EUA Institutional Evaluation Programme: an account of institutional best practices

When evaluating the EUA Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP), Nilsson et al. emphasised the interest in creating a data bank on good practices derived from its reports that would contribute to disseminating examples of effective quality management practices and to supporting mutual learning among universities. In IEP, evaluated institutions present a SWOT analysis that is examined by the external reviewers. This article identifies and systematises the strengths identified by external evaluators, related to good management practices, which may contribute to the data bank. The paper also suggests that the IEP reports present a set of strengths that define a certain type of university, namely a centralised institution, with strong leadership, well-defined strategic management practices, capacity to change and an institutional identity and culture promoting its worldwide competitiveness. Along with other prioritised characteristics the IEP process potentially contributes to convergence towards a more uniform European higher education model. The analysis of the strengths identified by reviewers does not show a significant regional influence.

Why is quality in higher education not achieved? The view of academics

Quality assurance is currently an established activity in Europe, driven either by national quality assurance agencies or by institutions themselves. However, whether quality assurance is perceived as actually being capable of promoting quality is still a question open to discussion. Based on three different views on quality derived from the literature – quality as culture, as compliance and as consistency – the current article sheds light on this issue by identifying the main obstacles to quality as perceived by Portuguese academics. The analysis reveals that academics tend to see those obstacles as essentially related to the view of quality as culture and especially with its structural component, including the design and functioning of institutional governance and management. Although this may indeed correspond to the Portuguese higher education institutions’ reality, one must not forget that academics tend to have a poor knowledge about the structural frames that are embedded in governance and management. By highlighting obstacles related to different views on quality, this study may serve as a base to the development of more effective quality assurance mechanisms.

Gender in Higher Education: A Critical Review

This chapter is concerned with describing and critically evaluating the literature on the existence of and explanations for gender imbalances in higher education (HE) focusing particularly on girls’ increasing access to HE and women’s limited access to senior positions there. These topics reflect a fundamental paradox in HE across Western society, namely that despite increases in women’s participation at undergraduate and post-graduate levels (UNESCO, 2012) their access to senior positions remains limited (EU, 2013). It cannot simply be assumed that the latter will automatically increase, since the growth of girls’ access to HE is not a recent phenomenon. Women, especially in Western Europe and North America, started to catch up with men in terms of enrolments in the 1970s and had surpassed them by the early 1980s, with the rate of women’s enrolments growing almost twice as fast as men’s rate (UNESCO, 2012). This raises fundamental problems for Western societies since educational achievements have been seen as a meritocratic basis for accessing senior positions in HE.

Shifting Institutional Boundaries Through Cross-Border Higher Education

Cross-border higher education (CBHE) has been changing the organizational boundaries of higher education institutions (HEIs). This study aims to analyze the shifting boundaries of Portuguese HEIs through the lens of the identity concept in organization theories, considering three contexts with different levels of regulation: African Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil, and Europe. These different regulation contexts allow to analyze how the level of national regulation influences CBHE, how this relates to the shifting boundaries of HEIs, and how the public or private character of the institutions plays a role in influencing boundary shifts. This research indicates that shifting boundaries through CBHE are influenced by institutional identities shaped by different rationales and conditioned by local policy contexts. Public universities have refrained from creating campuses abroad or from franchising activities, and their international activities seem driven by academic and cultural rationales. Public polytechnics, more recent than universities, seem more open to embarking on CBHE, suggesting the existence of a malleable identity. Contrary to the public sector, private institutions have created campuses abroad, mainly in African Portuguese-speaking countries, apparently following an economic rationale to guide their CBHE activities.

The social representations of students on the assessment of universities’ quality: the influence of market- and managerialism-driven discourse

Although students are considered major actors in the quality assessment of universities, the way they perceive this process and the meanings they ascribe to it are still neglected as a research subject. This article aims to reduce this gap by focusing on the social representations of students on quality assessment. Specifically, it tries to understand how these social representations reproduce elements of two common discourses thought to exist on higher education, universities and the assessment of their quality: one more traditional, the other more driven by managerialism and market assumptions. Based on the findings of a study taking the Portuguese case as a reference, it is possible to conclude that students’ social representations seem to be shaped by and replicate many of the features characterising the latter discourse. Because these social representations certainly influence the relation of students with quality assessment, it would be appropriate to take them into account when (re)defining quality assessment systems.

Academics' Participation in Quality Assurance: Does It Reflect Ownership?.

Abstract Academics’ support for quality assurance (QA) depends on several factors, including their sense of ownership, which seems to be influenced by academics’ participation in QA’s implementation. This paper aims to understand whether this participation is indeed contributing to academics’ ownership of QA. Findings from a survey of Portuguese academics’ on their participation in study programmes accreditation suggests that this may not be the case. Academics present a partial withdrawal towards effective participation in study programmes’ accreditation, especially regarding external assessment. Furthermore, they do not seem willing to enhance this participation nor are they very critical about it. Since academics’ sense of ownership is essential for the successful implementation of QA, these results may represent a challenge for both institutions and QA agencies.

Ascribing meaning to quality cultures in the Portuguese context

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to discuss Portuguese academics’ views on quality assessment and the elements that are important for a better understanding of what ascribes meaning to “quality cultures” in Portuguese higher education. Design/methodology/approach – The discussion was based on the results of a survey run in 2010 among Portuguese academics on quality assessment objectives and purposes. Descriptive statistics was used to investigate academics’ support to what quality assessment was supposed to guarantee (its purposes) and which should be its objectives. Furthermore, a factorial analysis using Promax rotation (oblique) was performed to investigate if the different purposes could be grouped according to the different areas they address in terms of quality assessment, helping to uncover a rationale that could explain the answers obtained. Theoretically, the results have been analysed in the light of the “quality culture” concept. Findings – Perceptions of Portuguese academics that suppo...

Internal quality assurance systems: “tailor made” or “one size fits all” implementation?

Purpose This paper aims to look at the characteristics of internal quality assurance (IQA) systems of higher education institutions to understand whether these systems tend to reproduce a given model, externally defined and suggested to institutions, or rather to be shaped by institutions’ features and interests. Design/methodology/approach The study is supported in the analysis of the content of self-assessment reports of 12 internal QA systems certified, in Portugal, between 2012 and 2015. An analysis grid was used based on three categories: IQA systems’ historical framework, structural/managerial component and monitoring, assessment and continuous improvement. Findings Institutions tended to follow a “one size fits all” approach, meaning that external (European and national) quality assurance (QA) references were used in an identical way, giving origin to rather similar IQA systems. Institutional characteristics do not seem to have played a relevant role, eventually due to institutions’ will to obtain their systems’ certification and, thus, achieve a light-touch external QA. Research limitations/implications The study was based on the analysis of only certified IQA systems and relies on document analysis. It would be interesting to also include non-certified systems, in a comparative perspective, complemented with data deriving from interviews and/or questionnaires with some of the actors involved in the certification process. Practical implications The study provides an understanding of how IQA systems are being implemented in Portugal. Thus, it can be of interest to other institutions as well as to QA agencies. Originality/value The study addresses a topic still relatively absent from research on QA in higher education, being of interest for researchers in the field.

European Policy Implementation: Challenges for Higher Education Quality Assurance

The chapter addresses the challenges faced by European quality assurance (QA), under the framework of a series of initiatives designed to establish a European Higher Education Area and market. A set of documents translating the positions of European and international agents are discussed. First, the initiatives taken at European level to build a higher education (HE) market are put forward. Emphasis is then given to the contributions of different European agents aiming to promote and assure HE quality under this context. Trust and cooperation are discussed as ‘prerequisites’ for the establishment of QA as an effective tool towards HE European integration. Finally, the challenges currently faced by European QA are systematised, while avenues for future debate are proposed.

Internal quality assurance: A new culture or added bureaucracy?

Abstract This paper analyses teaching and non-teaching staff perceptions on the implementation of internal quality assurance (QA) practices at their higher education institutions. The aim is to understand how far different perspectives on quality – as culture, as compliance or as consistency – are reflected in the views of these two groups on such practices. Data from a survey sent to all Portuguese institutions show that, to some extent, the perspectives of quality as culture and quality as compliance seem to permeate both groups’ views. This is evident in regard to the factors identified as supporting the development of internal QA, the main features underlying the implementation of such practices and their main effects. As the study allows for a better understanding on how these practices are perceived by teaching and non-teaching staff, it can contribute to promoting the critical reflection of institutions about QA and the way it can be both more effective and aligned with academia’s needs and expectations, contributing to influencing institutional practices.