1. Internal Quality Assurance from a HEI Perspective – Uppsala University
2nd Conference on Internal quality assurance at higher education institutions, 1 Dec. 2006, Bern
1 Background of the quality system at UU and the national demands
2 Main features of the quality system at UU
3 Some examples, outcomes and benefits of the system at UU
4 Some conclusions

2. Main University Building

3. Uppsala University – some facts
Oldest university in the Nordic countries - founded in 1477
6 000 employees - including 4, 000 teachers/researchers
Education and research across nine faculties
Three disciplinary domains: Arts and Social Sciences Science and Technology Medicine and Pharmacy
Tradition-drenched student activities
Interdisciplinary campus areas
More information:

4. Education 40,000 undergraduate students More than 40 programs of study
1,800 single-subject courses
2,500 graduate students
Student exchange programs with 400 universities in 40 countries
More information:

5. Organisation
More information:

6. Background of the actual quality system at UU
1995 National Agency for Higher Education established
st central quality group at UU
1996 1st quality audit at UU
nd central quality group & 2nd quality audit at UU
SAUNA – an internal quality evaluation
The National Agency policy changes from quality audit to quality assessment of all subjects and programs
From 2001 A new quality and evaluation unit 3d central quality group
From 2002 The actual quality enhancement policy

7. Some demands from the National Agency
Quality audits at all institutions between 1995 and 2002
Quality assessments of all subjects & programs between 2001 and 2006 – ”The six year plan”
Evaluations with focus on specific aspects, e.g. - students´ influence, internationalization
Both quality audits and quality assessments between 2007 and 2013 A new ”six year plan” will be decided later this year Perhaps including the possibility to apply for ”honour for an excellent educational environment”

8. Our view of the National Agency´s six year plan between 2001 and 2006
Positive effects and conclusions:
UU has been successful
The NA has focused on important national problems, e.g. the situation for small subjects, lack of resources
Negative effects and conclusions:
Sometimes (often?) a heavy burden for departments
Lack of clarity of the aims and focus
The usefulness for departments and programs?
the self evaluation
the site visit

9. To discuss………..
What are your own experiences of quality audits and/or quality assessment concerning the effects on quality, quality assurance and quality enhancement?
Are your experiences the same as the experiences at Uppsala university?
Or are your experiences quite different? If YES: In what ways?

10. The concept of quality ”You know it when you see it”
Quality is a concept with different potential meanings…
The standard of something when it is compared to other things like it; how good or bad something is
High standard
a thing that is a part om a person´s character, especially something good
a feature of something, especially one that makes it different from something else
Oxford Advanced Learner´s Dictionary

11. Quality … depends ”on the eye of the beholder”
develops and changes over time
cannot be described in a subtle way using quantitative data
can focus different aspects: prerequisites, processes, results and effects
is a relative concept - fitness for purpose - value for money
will have different concrete meaning depending upon what you focus, e.g. students´view of a certain course or the development of a new vocational program

12. The actual quality assessment system at Uppsala university
* The nine faculties are responsible for their quality and quality assurance in education and research
* Decisions in the University Board concerning infrastructural matters and resources
* A long term policy for quality enhancement in education and research
* An action plan for central quality enhancement has been decided each year
* Central unit for quality and evaluation and a quality committée
* : - evaluation of research at UU work on a new quality enhancement policy quality assurance will be more integrated with the operational planning & annual reporting

13. Some values and conditions of quality assessment at UU
Quality is created and shaped in faculties and departments … by teachers and students
The central strategies and actions must reinforce a culture of quality enhancement
The Vice Chancellor´s engagement is essential for a well-functioning quality system
An active student union enhances work with quality issues
Some external demands are good for enhancing the internal quality work

14. Internal resources and quality work
Central level A quality committée Units for quality & evaluation, for teaching & interactive learning, for management training etc.
Policies, e.g. Quality Enhancement Program Educational policy Projects, e.g. Teaching portfolios Training, e.g. teacher training
ACTION ORIENTED EVALUATIONS
Faculty level Different activities on quality issues, e.g. analyses of resource allocations, quality enhancement etc.
Departmental Different projects level Program- & subject- course evaluations

15. Aims and objectives for the unit for quality and evaluation
Policy work together with the quality committé, e.g. this year work on Bologna issues
Implementation of the actual action plan; among others action oriented evaluations, e.g. this year reporting on an PhD-alumni evaluation
Support and consultative work to faculties, departments and programs, e.g. this year the faculty of social science – webbased course evaluations the faculty of pharmacy – a webbased evaluation of the students views of each semester in programs together with the Student Union: how to prevent dropouts
Covering the national and international discussion

16. The National Agency´s Quality Assurance of Subjects and Programmes every year 2001–2006
Audit of UU
Unit for Alumni evaluations of all subjects & programs Quality & Evaluation
evaluation of PhD-studies
PhD-alumni evaluation
- Consultations & ACTION ORIENTED evaluations

17. The National Agency´s Quality Audit & Quality Assessments 2007-2013
Audit of UU
Unit for Continued Alumni evaluations Quality & and probably a second set of PhD-evaluations Evaluation Action oriented evaluations
Faculty Responsible for the quality level Demands for quality enhancement in the operational plan for all faculties a certain year
Reporting on quality enhancement in the annual report

18. Undergraduate alumni evaluations
Selection of approx students who have graduated at least two years earlier in subjects or programmes assessed by the National agency a certain year, e.g. 2006: nursing, pharmacy, law, history of art am.others
Questionnaires are sent by mail
Separat – more than 80 – reports to all departments of the specific subject/program
A final report on the results of the different faculties

19. Undergraduate alumni evaluations: the Questionnaire
Background questions - Sex, age, degree
Position in the labour market - How long time until employment? Working position, tasks, salary etc.
Evaluation of the education - Attainment of goals set for higher education in the the Higher Education Act and goals set by the Faculty Board - Attainment of skills, e.g. communication skills - What the students were especially satisfied and dissatisfied with
The demands of the present employment - To what extent do the respondents use certain skills? - The usefulness of the education

22. Undergraduate alumni evaluations cont.
Some more examples of the results:
nine out of of ten students would have chosen UU again
many students satisfied with teaching & learning in problemsolving & written work
about six out of ten students dissatisfied with the training in oral communication
Some outcomes and benefits:
faculties, departments, programs and teachers get more interested and find evaluations useful
quality enhancement in different areas

23. The value of the alumni evaluations?
an interview study with responsible professors/lecturers at twelve different departments and programs
the most interesting parts of the reports, e.g. the most interesting results, are - the employment situation for the alumni - how the alumni value the outcomes and their teaching and learning experiences - the appendixes in which the answers from every alumni on all open ended questions are described, e.g current employment especially valuable in the education what was missing in the education

24. The value of the alumni evaluations? – cont.
The usefulness of the report:
very useful when - doing the self assessment - working with the Bologna process
the report actualizes both new and old questions on the agenda for further discussion
gives arguments for changes
gives suggestions for concrete action
confirmation that the quality enhancement and/or course/program planning is working well
gives much information to use in study counselling

25. To discuss…
The alumni evaluations we have implemented are ACTION ORIENTED:
Which are your own experiences of the value of alumni evaluations?
Can you see clear advantages and disadvantages with these centrally implemented alumni evaluations?

26. Evaluation of PhD-studies
Questionnaires to all PhD-students * importance of and satisfaction with working & research conditions * importance of and satisfaction with supervision & dissertation work * courses * pedagogical experience & training
Separate reports of the results to each department

27. Evaluation of PhD-studies cont.
3. Departments: self-assessment
4. Analysis of results and summary report for all faculties at institutional level
5. Faculties: analysis and suggestions for enhancement in each faculty

28. Evaluation of PhD-studies: some outcomes and benefits
Some results:
big differences between departments
most PhD-students satisfied with physical aspects of their working environment
some students dissatisfied with some aspects of supervision & support of their own lecturing
Some outcomes and benefits:
Department management and teachers are interested and find the report useful
Quality enhancement in departments and faculties

29. Evaluation of PhD-alumni
Questionnaires to all PhD-alumni who graduated between 1997 to 2001 * Current relation to Uppsala university * Labour market placement * Main working assignments * To which extent is research included in the assignment? * Usefulness of the PhD-education * Satisfaction and demands with the PhD-education in different aspects, e.g. critical scientific thinking, working in a project group (a total of 18 aspects)
Separate reports of the results to each faculty

30. Evaluation of PhD-alumni cont. Demands and satisfaction: generic skills
(Faculty of Medicine)

31. Some conclusions
Necessary with some external demands, especially in the initial work of building an internal quality system
Important that as many teachers and students as possible are involved in some elements of the quality system (incl. pedagogical training) and find it useful
The University management & University Board must be involved both in discussions and decisions and find this work useful
It is important to make the quality work visible
Quality enhancement should be ”evidence based” (Action oriented evaluations)
The quality system must be well known and it is very important to have quality in the quality work to strengthen the legitimacy of the system

32. Thank you for your attention