QA in Higher Education
Content
Quality Assurance in Higher Education Quality Assurance is the planned and systematic review process of an institution or programme to determine whether or not acceptable standards of education, scholarship and Infrastructure are being met, maintained and enhanced. It is an instrument designed to add value to higher education by encouraging high quality. A sustainable quality assurance programme enhances employment opportunities, improves the education and training of future employees, harnesses future leaders, facilitates an enabling learning environment, and enriches the academic and intellectual landscape. Thus it fuels the engine of economic and social development at the national, regional and international levels. The term quality assurance in higher education is increasingly used to denote the practices whereby academic standards, i.e., the level of academic achievement attained by higher education graduates, are maintained and improved. This definition of academic quality as equivalent to academic standards is consistent with the emerging focus in higher education policies on student learning outcomes -- the specific levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities that students achieve as a consequence of their engagement in a particular education program (Brennan and Shah, 2000). A quality higher education system is essential to the successful development and functioning of an open and democratic civil society. Higher education is expected to provide the social norms of communication and interaction such as philosophical thinking and reasoning to promote the sovereignty of its individuals, and to eliminate all kinds of social-class ethnic conflicts and
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gender or religious biases. A quality providing institution of higher education is a model for creating a modern civil society. This ideal state of academic quality is not commonly realized but it is, nevertheless, a yardstick by which to measure the effectiveness of higher education systems operating in the country. The development of Quality Assurance is a continuous process and therefore, continuity of strategies, actions and efforts is a prerequisite for quality in higher education. Quality Assurance including its processes, procedures and outcomes of assessment is a challenge and its management is even a greater challenge to practitioners seeking workable guidelines, evidences of good practices and tools that will facilitate the process. The essence of quality assurance in higher education According to Wahlen (1998) quality assurance in higher education is the activity that aims at maintaining and raising quality, e.g. research, analysis, assessing acceptability, recruitment, appointment procedures and different mechanisms and systems. The aim of the quality assurance in higher education is to guarantee the improvement of standards and quality in higher education in order to make higher education meet the needs of students, employers and financiers (Lomas, 2002). A useful distinction is drawn between internal and external academic quality assurance. Internal quality assurance refers to those policies and practices whereby academic institutions themselves monitor and improve the quality of their education provision, while external quality assurance refers to suprainstitutional policies and practices whereby the quality of higher education
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institutions and programs are assured. Individual universities have always possessed policies and practices designed to assure the quality of education, but academic institutions have also always operated within a national policy framework designed by the state to assure academic standards. External quality assurance. External quality assurance monitoring is a broad concept that includes several quality related assessments provided by different bodies or individuals outside the higher education institutions. The aim is to achieve accountability. The government institutions usually decide upon the systems of external quality assurance of higher education institutions. (Westerheijden, 1998). External quality assurance is necessary in order to prove to the public that the goals set by the institution will be achieved. Higher education institutions bear responsibility to assure their supporters, state and society in general that they are committed to the fulfillment of their mission, use the resources honestly and responsibility and that they meet the legal expectations (El-Khawas, 1998). Internal or institutional quality assurance. Internal or institutional quality assurance aims at institutional development and assessment of internal accountability. Institutional quality assurance incorporates every institutional activity that focuses on quality insurance and development in all the fields of activity of the institution (European dimension of institutional quality management, 2000). Internal quality assurance concentrates mainly on academic issues and lies in collecting evidence and information about mission fulfillment, efficiency of activity and ways of insuring quality within the institution (El-Khawas, 1998).
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Quality assurance systems are classified according to the aims and in this context we can speak about the so-called “As of quality” and “Es of quality”: As of quality are assurance, accountability, audit and assessment. It is strongly connected with control – it refers to quality control. Quality assurance mechanisms are imposed by university administration or state and they concentrate on insuring the minimum (often not defined) level of instruction and courses. Es of quality include empowerment, enthusiasm, expertise and excellence of the staff. These aspects characterize the raising of quality (McKay, Kember, 1999).
Quality assurance in Higher Education Quality assurance is often presented as a technical issue that involves terms and procedures from handbooks. According to Harvey (1999) quality assurance is based on three main principles: control, accountability and improvement. Accountability usually requires meeting the preferences of politicians, outside parties and financiers. Control means that the institution does not merely control the expenditure of resources but also shows how high quality is achievable with the existing resources. It raises the issue of the definition of “good value”.
4
Improvement is probably the most widely spread aim of quality assurance. It enables the institution to get necessary input, refine the process and raise the standards of output in order to meet the goals set. Different approaches to higher education and quality and different systems have resulted in developing a quality monitoring system that caters for the needs of various models and levels. This system highlights the emphases and priorities. Quality assessment in higher education. At the first sight the whole topic of quality assessment could be concluded in the following way: define what quality is, set assessment standards, compare the latter with the real outcome and decide to what extent the standards are met. This approach to the external quality assessment anticipates three prerequisites: quality is definable, education level index and quality are interrelated and quantitative measurement and assessment of quality is possible. Hernon (2002) states that quality assessment should meet the needs of people who benefit from this, as one of the aims of the assessment should be the improvement of activity within the institution under assessment. The result that includes the quality of service, customer satisfaction outcome assessment should be related to the planning process. Quality assessment should give answers to “the general public: both to those who have the credentials to assess as well as to those who are affected by the assessment”. But what does quality assessment entail? It entails assessing quality that has been created by the institution. Quality assessment includes assessing to what extent the activity meets the criteria (both external and internal). Here the problem can be that quality assessment tends to be mission sensitive (Hernon, 2002).
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Quality audit of higher education investigates whether the process of activity is efficient (whether the goals are achievable). In other words, quality audit means checking whether relevant systems and structures within organization support the goal of instruction. Quality audit can be internal as well as external. Quality audit checks whether university systems function and whether documents prove that (Hernon, 2002). Accreditation of higher education is often delegated by the government to specially formed assessment agencies (e.g. Higher Education Accreditation Centre in Estonia) as it is also common in accreditation of curricula (especially for specific specialties) American voluntary accreditation system that has its roots in the US market system is unique and hardly applicable in education systems of different market systems and in other countries (Eastern Europe, South America) where rapid increase of private education sector can be observed. In such situations a central (government led, controlled, supported) body is created to monitor that the private offer meets the minimum standards. The closer the central body is to the higher education sector, the more successful the procedures are and improvement happens; especially in these cases where the assessment agency is seen as independent of government as well as universities (like in Sweden, for example). When the assessment agency tries to impose itself on the sector or influence it– reluctance is expressed and trust in the process diminishes (like it happened in Britain). Generally speaking, together with the development and improvement of agencies, they start to focus their attention on activities that stress improvement (instead of responsibility) that in its turn bring along more influence form the side of politicians who would like the agency to
6
maintain or develop “their teeth” (Harvey, 2002). In case of accreditation one can pose a question “Are we good enough to deserve approval”. Accreditation is a form of assessment that defines the status of the higher education institution. Quality control is a system that checks whether the produced product or offered service meets the set standards. Quality is checked usually at the end of the production procedure and somebody from outside the institution administers it. This approach in higher education results in the problem that the institution is checked and the fact that everybody who is working for the institution holds responsible for the quality of the institution (Harvey, 2002).
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1. Organizational Profile The Organizational Profile provides an overview of the organization. The profile addresses: • Operating environment, • Key organizational relationships, • Competitive environment and strategic challenges, and • Approach to performance improvement. The Organizational Profile provides the organization with critical insight into the key internal and external factors that shape the operating
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environment. These factors, such as the mission, vision, values, competitive environment, and strategic challenges and advantages, impact the way the organization is run and the decisions one make. As such, the Organizational Profile helps the organization better understand the context in which it operates; the key requirements for current and future organizational success and sustainability; and the needs, opportunities, and constraints placed on the organization’s performance management system. Leading organizations have well-defined governance systems with clear reporting relationships. It is important to clearly identify which functions are performed by senior leaders and, as applicable, by the governance board/policymaking body. Independence and accountability frequently are key considerations in the governance structure. Suppliers may play critical roles in processes that are important to running the organization and to maintaining or achieving overall organizational performance success. Requirements for suppliers might include on-time or just-in-time delivery, flexibility, variable staffing, research and design capability, and customized services. Knowledge of an organization’s strengths, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for both improvement and growth is essential to the success and sustainability of the organization. With this knowledge, one can identify those educational programs, offerings, services, processes, competencies, and performance attributes that are unique to your organization; those that set you apart from other organizations; and those that help you to sustain your competitive advantage.
9
Operating the organization in today’s challenging and sometimes competitive environment means one is facing many strategic challenges that can affect one’s ability to sustain performance and maintain advantages such as academic program leadership, unique services, or optimal student-tofaculty ratio. These challenges might include the anticipation of and adjustment for your operational costs; an expanding or decreasing student population; a decreasing local and state tax base or educational appropriation; changing demographics and competition, including charter schools; diminishing student persistence; the introduction of new or substitute programs, offerings, or services; and state and federal mandates. In addition, it is challenging to recruit, hire, and retain a qualified workforce. One of the many issues facing organizations today is how to manage, use, evaluate, and share their ever-increasing organizational knowledge. Leading organizations already benefit from the knowledge assets of their workforce, students, stakeholders, suppliers, collaborators, and partners, who together drive organizational learning and improve performance. 2. Leadeship It addresses • How the senior leaders guide and sustain the organization, • Setting organizational vision, values, and performance expectations. • How your senior leaders communicate with your workforce, develop future leaders, measure organizational performance, and create a
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learning environment that encourages ethical behavior and high performance. • Organization’s governance system and • How your organization ensures ethical behavior and practices good citizenship. An integral part of performance management and improvement is proactively addressing (1) the need for ethical behavior; (2) the observance of all legal, regulatory, safety, and accreditation requirements; and (3) risk factors. Ensuring high performance in these areas requires establishing appropriate measures or indicators that senior leaders track in their performance reviews. The organization should be sensitive to issues of public concern, whether or not these issues currently are embodied in laws and regulations. Role-model organizations look for opportunities to exceed requirements and to excel in areas of legal and ethical behavior. Examples of organizational community involvement include partnering with businesses and other community based organizations to improve educational opportunities for students, as well as efforts by the organization, senior leaders, and faculty and staff to strengthen and/or improve community services, the environment, athletic associations, and professional associations. Community involvement also might include students, giving them the opportunity to develop social and citizenship values and skills. 3. Strategic planning
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Strategic Planning addresses : • strategic and action planning, • deployment of plans, • how adequate resources are ensured to accomplish the plans, • how plans are changed if circumstances require a change, and • how accomplishments are measured and sustained. It stresses that learning-centered education, long-term organizational sustainability, and the competitive environment are key strategic issues that need to be integral parts of the organization’s overall planning. 4. Student, stakeholder and market focus Student, Stakeholder, and Market Focus addresses • how the organization seeks to understand the voice of the customer (i.e., input from the students and stakeholders) and of the markets, with a focus on meeting students’ and stakeholders’ requirements, needs, and expectations; • delighting students and stakeholders; • And building loyalty. It lays stress on relationships as an important part of an overall listening, learning, and performance excellence strategy. Although many of the needs of stakeholders must be translated into educational services for students, the stakeholders themselves have needs that organization also must accommodate. A key challenge frequently may be to balance differing needs and expectations of students and stakeholders. The student and stakeholder satisfaction and dissatisfaction results provide vital information for understanding the students, stakeholders, and markets.
12
Student requirements should be interpreted in a holistic sense to include knowledge, application of knowledge, problem solving, learning skills, interpersonal skills, character development, critical thinking skills, conflict resolution, and citizenship. The determination of future requirements and expectations of students and stakeholders should take into account the following: demographic data and trends; changing requirements of graduates in the workplace or other schools; changing local, state, national, and global requirements; and education alternatives for prospective students. Changing requirements of graduates should reflect requirements set by stakeholders, taking into account paths followed by the organization’s graduates. These requirements might include qualification standards, licensure requirements, workplace skills such as teamwork, and admission requirements. In determining student and stakeholder satisfaction and dissatisfaction, a key aspect is the comparative satisfaction of these groups with competitors and organizations delivering similar educational services or alternative offerings. Such information might be derived from available published data or independent studies. The purpose of this comparison is to develop information that can be used for improving the delivery of educational, student, and support services and for creating an overall climate conducive to learning for all students. 5. The Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management
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This category is about all key information about effectively measuring, analyzing, and improving performance and managing organizational knowledge to drive improvement in student and operational performance. It addresses: • Measurement, analysis and improvement of organizational performance • Measurement of Information, Information technology & knowledge Alignment and integration are key concepts for successful implementation of the performance measurement system. They include how measures are aligned throughout the organization and how they are integrated to yield organization-wide data and information. They also include how performance measurement requirements are deployed by the senior leaders to track work group and process-level performance on key measures targeted for organization wide significance or improvement. The focus of an organization’s knowledge management is on the knowledge that people need to do their work; improve processes, programs, offerings, and services; keep current with changing educational service needs and directions; and develop innovative solutions that add value for students, stakeholders, and the organization. 6. Workforce Focus Workforce Focus addresses key workforce practices—those directed toward creating and maintaining a high-performance workplace with a strong focus on students and learning and toward engaging the workforce to enable it and the organization to adapt to change and to succeed. It addresses:
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• workforce engagement, • development, and • Management requirements in an integrated way (i.e., aligned with your organization’s strategic objectives and action plans). High-performance work is characterized by a focus on student achievement, flexibility, innovation, knowledge and skill sharing, good communication and information flow, alignment with organizational objectives, and the ability to exercise discretion and make effective decisions to respond to changing educational service needs and requirements of the students, stakeholders, and markets. Compensation and recognition systems should be matched to the faculty and staff work systems. To be effective, compensation and recognition might be tied to demonstrated skills, administrator/supervisor evaluations, or student evaluations of teachers’ classroom performance. 7. Process management Process Management is the focal point within the Criteria for the key work systems and work processes. Built into the Category are the central requirements for identification and management of the core competencies to achieve efficient and effective work process management: • effective design; • a focus on student learning; • a prevention orientation; • linkage to students, stakeholders, suppliers, partners, and collaborators • a focus on value creation for all key stakeholders;
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• operational performance; • cycle time; • emergency readiness; • evaluation, continuous improvement, • Organizational learning. Agility, cost reduction, operational efficiencies tied to changes in revenue and cycle time education are increasingly important in all aspects of process management and organizational design. The key work processes include those nonprogram and nonservice business processes that are considered important to organizational success and growth by your senior leaders. These processes frequently relate to an organization’s core competencies, strategic objectives, and critical success factors. Key business processes might include processes for innovation, research and development, technology acquisition, information and knowledge management, supplier partnering, outsourcing, project management, and marketing. For some education organizations, key business processes might include fundraising, media relations, and public policy advocacy. Specific reference is made to in-process measurements and to student and stakeholder and supplier interactions. These measurements and interactions require the identification of critical points in processes for measurement, observation, or interaction. These activities should occur at the earliest points possible in processes to minimize problems and costs that may result from deviations from expected
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performance. Achieving expected performance frequently requires setting in-process performance levels or standards to guide decision making. 8. Results This Category focuses—superior value of offerings as viewed by the students, stakeholders, and markets; superior organizational performance as reflected in your operational, workforce, legal, ethical, and financial indicators; and organizational and personal learning—are maintained. It focuses on improvement by the organization over time and on achievement levels relative to those of competitors and comparable organizations or student populations. Student learning results should reflect not only what students know but also what they have learned as a result of the educational program, what they are able to do, and how well they are able to function. Results measures reported for indicators of workforce engagement and satisfaction might include improvement in local decision making, organizational culture, and workforce or leader development. Input data, such as the extent of training, might be included, but the main emphasis should be on data that show effectiveness or outcomes.
CORE VALUE & CONCEPTS The Criteria are built on the following set of interrelated Core Values and Concepts: ■ visionary leadership ■ learning-centered education
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■ organizational and personal learning ■ valuing workforce members and partners ■ agility ■ focus on the future ■ managing for innovation ■ management by fact ■ social responsibility ■ focus on results and creating value ■ systems perspective
18
1
gender or religious biases. A quality providing institution of higher education is a model for creating a modern civil society. This ideal state of academic quality is not commonly realized but it is, nevertheless, a yardstick by which to measure the effectiveness of higher education systems operating in the country. The development of Quality Assurance is a continuous process and therefore, continuity of strategies, actions and efforts is a prerequisite for quality in higher education. Quality Assurance including its processes, procedures and outcomes of assessment is a challenge and its management is even a greater challenge to practitioners seeking workable guidelines, evidences of good practices and tools that will facilitate the process. The essence of quality assurance in higher education According to Wahlen (1998) quality assurance in higher education is the activity that aims at maintaining and raising quality, e.g. research, analysis, assessing acceptability, recruitment, appointment procedures and different mechanisms and systems. The aim of the quality assurance in higher education is to guarantee the improvement of standards and quality in higher education in order to make higher education meet the needs of students, employers and financiers (Lomas, 2002). A useful distinction is drawn between internal and external academic quality assurance. Internal quality assurance refers to those policies and practices whereby academic institutions themselves monitor and improve the quality of their education provision, while external quality assurance refers to suprainstitutional policies and practices whereby the quality of higher education
2
institutions and programs are assured. Individual universities have always possessed policies and practices designed to assure the quality of education, but academic institutions have also always operated within a national policy framework designed by the state to assure academic standards. External quality assurance. External quality assurance monitoring is a broad concept that includes several quality related assessments provided by different bodies or individuals outside the higher education institutions. The aim is to achieve accountability. The government institutions usually decide upon the systems of external quality assurance of higher education institutions. (Westerheijden, 1998). External quality assurance is necessary in order to prove to the public that the goals set by the institution will be achieved. Higher education institutions bear responsibility to assure their supporters, state and society in general that they are committed to the fulfillment of their mission, use the resources honestly and responsibility and that they meet the legal expectations (El-Khawas, 1998). Internal or institutional quality assurance. Internal or institutional quality assurance aims at institutional development and assessment of internal accountability. Institutional quality assurance incorporates every institutional activity that focuses on quality insurance and development in all the fields of activity of the institution (European dimension of institutional quality management, 2000). Internal quality assurance concentrates mainly on academic issues and lies in collecting evidence and information about mission fulfillment, efficiency of activity and ways of insuring quality within the institution (El-Khawas, 1998).
3
Quality assurance systems are classified according to the aims and in this context we can speak about the so-called “As of quality” and “Es of quality”: As of quality are assurance, accountability, audit and assessment. It is strongly connected with control – it refers to quality control. Quality assurance mechanisms are imposed by university administration or state and they concentrate on insuring the minimum (often not defined) level of instruction and courses. Es of quality include empowerment, enthusiasm, expertise and excellence of the staff. These aspects characterize the raising of quality (McKay, Kember, 1999).
Quality assurance in Higher Education Quality assurance is often presented as a technical issue that involves terms and procedures from handbooks. According to Harvey (1999) quality assurance is based on three main principles: control, accountability and improvement. Accountability usually requires meeting the preferences of politicians, outside parties and financiers. Control means that the institution does not merely control the expenditure of resources but also shows how high quality is achievable with the existing resources. It raises the issue of the definition of “good value”.
4
Improvement is probably the most widely spread aim of quality assurance. It enables the institution to get necessary input, refine the process and raise the standards of output in order to meet the goals set. Different approaches to higher education and quality and different systems have resulted in developing a quality monitoring system that caters for the needs of various models and levels. This system highlights the emphases and priorities. Quality assessment in higher education. At the first sight the whole topic of quality assessment could be concluded in the following way: define what quality is, set assessment standards, compare the latter with the real outcome and decide to what extent the standards are met. This approach to the external quality assessment anticipates three prerequisites: quality is definable, education level index and quality are interrelated and quantitative measurement and assessment of quality is possible. Hernon (2002) states that quality assessment should meet the needs of people who benefit from this, as one of the aims of the assessment should be the improvement of activity within the institution under assessment. The result that includes the quality of service, customer satisfaction outcome assessment should be related to the planning process. Quality assessment should give answers to “the general public: both to those who have the credentials to assess as well as to those who are affected by the assessment”. But what does quality assessment entail? It entails assessing quality that has been created by the institution. Quality assessment includes assessing to what extent the activity meets the criteria (both external and internal). Here the problem can be that quality assessment tends to be mission sensitive (Hernon, 2002).
5
Quality audit of higher education investigates whether the process of activity is efficient (whether the goals are achievable). In other words, quality audit means checking whether relevant systems and structures within organization support the goal of instruction. Quality audit can be internal as well as external. Quality audit checks whether university systems function and whether documents prove that (Hernon, 2002). Accreditation of higher education is often delegated by the government to specially formed assessment agencies (e.g. Higher Education Accreditation Centre in Estonia) as it is also common in accreditation of curricula (especially for specific specialties) American voluntary accreditation system that has its roots in the US market system is unique and hardly applicable in education systems of different market systems and in other countries (Eastern Europe, South America) where rapid increase of private education sector can be observed. In such situations a central (government led, controlled, supported) body is created to monitor that the private offer meets the minimum standards. The closer the central body is to the higher education sector, the more successful the procedures are and improvement happens; especially in these cases where the assessment agency is seen as independent of government as well as universities (like in Sweden, for example). When the assessment agency tries to impose itself on the sector or influence it– reluctance is expressed and trust in the process diminishes (like it happened in Britain). Generally speaking, together with the development and improvement of agencies, they start to focus their attention on activities that stress improvement (instead of responsibility) that in its turn bring along more influence form the side of politicians who would like the agency to
6
maintain or develop “their teeth” (Harvey, 2002). In case of accreditation one can pose a question “Are we good enough to deserve approval”. Accreditation is a form of assessment that defines the status of the higher education institution. Quality control is a system that checks whether the produced product or offered service meets the set standards. Quality is checked usually at the end of the production procedure and somebody from outside the institution administers it. This approach in higher education results in the problem that the institution is checked and the fact that everybody who is working for the institution holds responsible for the quality of the institution (Harvey, 2002).
7
1. Organizational Profile The Organizational Profile provides an overview of the organization. The profile addresses: • Operating environment, • Key organizational relationships, • Competitive environment and strategic challenges, and • Approach to performance improvement. The Organizational Profile provides the organization with critical insight into the key internal and external factors that shape the operating
8
environment. These factors, such as the mission, vision, values, competitive environment, and strategic challenges and advantages, impact the way the organization is run and the decisions one make. As such, the Organizational Profile helps the organization better understand the context in which it operates; the key requirements for current and future organizational success and sustainability; and the needs, opportunities, and constraints placed on the organization’s performance management system. Leading organizations have well-defined governance systems with clear reporting relationships. It is important to clearly identify which functions are performed by senior leaders and, as applicable, by the governance board/policymaking body. Independence and accountability frequently are key considerations in the governance structure. Suppliers may play critical roles in processes that are important to running the organization and to maintaining or achieving overall organizational performance success. Requirements for suppliers might include on-time or just-in-time delivery, flexibility, variable staffing, research and design capability, and customized services. Knowledge of an organization’s strengths, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for both improvement and growth is essential to the success and sustainability of the organization. With this knowledge, one can identify those educational programs, offerings, services, processes, competencies, and performance attributes that are unique to your organization; those that set you apart from other organizations; and those that help you to sustain your competitive advantage.
9
Operating the organization in today’s challenging and sometimes competitive environment means one is facing many strategic challenges that can affect one’s ability to sustain performance and maintain advantages such as academic program leadership, unique services, or optimal student-tofaculty ratio. These challenges might include the anticipation of and adjustment for your operational costs; an expanding or decreasing student population; a decreasing local and state tax base or educational appropriation; changing demographics and competition, including charter schools; diminishing student persistence; the introduction of new or substitute programs, offerings, or services; and state and federal mandates. In addition, it is challenging to recruit, hire, and retain a qualified workforce. One of the many issues facing organizations today is how to manage, use, evaluate, and share their ever-increasing organizational knowledge. Leading organizations already benefit from the knowledge assets of their workforce, students, stakeholders, suppliers, collaborators, and partners, who together drive organizational learning and improve performance. 2. Leadeship It addresses • How the senior leaders guide and sustain the organization, • Setting organizational vision, values, and performance expectations. • How your senior leaders communicate with your workforce, develop future leaders, measure organizational performance, and create a
10
learning environment that encourages ethical behavior and high performance. • Organization’s governance system and • How your organization ensures ethical behavior and practices good citizenship. An integral part of performance management and improvement is proactively addressing (1) the need for ethical behavior; (2) the observance of all legal, regulatory, safety, and accreditation requirements; and (3) risk factors. Ensuring high performance in these areas requires establishing appropriate measures or indicators that senior leaders track in their performance reviews. The organization should be sensitive to issues of public concern, whether or not these issues currently are embodied in laws and regulations. Role-model organizations look for opportunities to exceed requirements and to excel in areas of legal and ethical behavior. Examples of organizational community involvement include partnering with businesses and other community based organizations to improve educational opportunities for students, as well as efforts by the organization, senior leaders, and faculty and staff to strengthen and/or improve community services, the environment, athletic associations, and professional associations. Community involvement also might include students, giving them the opportunity to develop social and citizenship values and skills. 3. Strategic planning
11
Strategic Planning addresses : • strategic and action planning, • deployment of plans, • how adequate resources are ensured to accomplish the plans, • how plans are changed if circumstances require a change, and • how accomplishments are measured and sustained. It stresses that learning-centered education, long-term organizational sustainability, and the competitive environment are key strategic issues that need to be integral parts of the organization’s overall planning. 4. Student, stakeholder and market focus Student, Stakeholder, and Market Focus addresses • how the organization seeks to understand the voice of the customer (i.e., input from the students and stakeholders) and of the markets, with a focus on meeting students’ and stakeholders’ requirements, needs, and expectations; • delighting students and stakeholders; • And building loyalty. It lays stress on relationships as an important part of an overall listening, learning, and performance excellence strategy. Although many of the needs of stakeholders must be translated into educational services for students, the stakeholders themselves have needs that organization also must accommodate. A key challenge frequently may be to balance differing needs and expectations of students and stakeholders. The student and stakeholder satisfaction and dissatisfaction results provide vital information for understanding the students, stakeholders, and markets.
12
Student requirements should be interpreted in a holistic sense to include knowledge, application of knowledge, problem solving, learning skills, interpersonal skills, character development, critical thinking skills, conflict resolution, and citizenship. The determination of future requirements and expectations of students and stakeholders should take into account the following: demographic data and trends; changing requirements of graduates in the workplace or other schools; changing local, state, national, and global requirements; and education alternatives for prospective students. Changing requirements of graduates should reflect requirements set by stakeholders, taking into account paths followed by the organization’s graduates. These requirements might include qualification standards, licensure requirements, workplace skills such as teamwork, and admission requirements. In determining student and stakeholder satisfaction and dissatisfaction, a key aspect is the comparative satisfaction of these groups with competitors and organizations delivering similar educational services or alternative offerings. Such information might be derived from available published data or independent studies. The purpose of this comparison is to develop information that can be used for improving the delivery of educational, student, and support services and for creating an overall climate conducive to learning for all students. 5. The Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management
13
This category is about all key information about effectively measuring, analyzing, and improving performance and managing organizational knowledge to drive improvement in student and operational performance. It addresses: • Measurement, analysis and improvement of organizational performance • Measurement of Information, Information technology & knowledge Alignment and integration are key concepts for successful implementation of the performance measurement system. They include how measures are aligned throughout the organization and how they are integrated to yield organization-wide data and information. They also include how performance measurement requirements are deployed by the senior leaders to track work group and process-level performance on key measures targeted for organization wide significance or improvement. The focus of an organization’s knowledge management is on the knowledge that people need to do their work; improve processes, programs, offerings, and services; keep current with changing educational service needs and directions; and develop innovative solutions that add value for students, stakeholders, and the organization. 6. Workforce Focus Workforce Focus addresses key workforce practices—those directed toward creating and maintaining a high-performance workplace with a strong focus on students and learning and toward engaging the workforce to enable it and the organization to adapt to change and to succeed. It addresses:
14
• workforce engagement, • development, and • Management requirements in an integrated way (i.e., aligned with your organization’s strategic objectives and action plans). High-performance work is characterized by a focus on student achievement, flexibility, innovation, knowledge and skill sharing, good communication and information flow, alignment with organizational objectives, and the ability to exercise discretion and make effective decisions to respond to changing educational service needs and requirements of the students, stakeholders, and markets. Compensation and recognition systems should be matched to the faculty and staff work systems. To be effective, compensation and recognition might be tied to demonstrated skills, administrator/supervisor evaluations, or student evaluations of teachers’ classroom performance. 7. Process management Process Management is the focal point within the Criteria for the key work systems and work processes. Built into the Category are the central requirements for identification and management of the core competencies to achieve efficient and effective work process management: • effective design; • a focus on student learning; • a prevention orientation; • linkage to students, stakeholders, suppliers, partners, and collaborators • a focus on value creation for all key stakeholders;
15
• operational performance; • cycle time; • emergency readiness; • evaluation, continuous improvement, • Organizational learning. Agility, cost reduction, operational efficiencies tied to changes in revenue and cycle time education are increasingly important in all aspects of process management and organizational design. The key work processes include those nonprogram and nonservice business processes that are considered important to organizational success and growth by your senior leaders. These processes frequently relate to an organization’s core competencies, strategic objectives, and critical success factors. Key business processes might include processes for innovation, research and development, technology acquisition, information and knowledge management, supplier partnering, outsourcing, project management, and marketing. For some education organizations, key business processes might include fundraising, media relations, and public policy advocacy. Specific reference is made to in-process measurements and to student and stakeholder and supplier interactions. These measurements and interactions require the identification of critical points in processes for measurement, observation, or interaction. These activities should occur at the earliest points possible in processes to minimize problems and costs that may result from deviations from expected
16
performance. Achieving expected performance frequently requires setting in-process performance levels or standards to guide decision making. 8. Results This Category focuses—superior value of offerings as viewed by the students, stakeholders, and markets; superior organizational performance as reflected in your operational, workforce, legal, ethical, and financial indicators; and organizational and personal learning—are maintained. It focuses on improvement by the organization over time and on achievement levels relative to those of competitors and comparable organizations or student populations. Student learning results should reflect not only what students know but also what they have learned as a result of the educational program, what they are able to do, and how well they are able to function. Results measures reported for indicators of workforce engagement and satisfaction might include improvement in local decision making, organizational culture, and workforce or leader development. Input data, such as the extent of training, might be included, but the main emphasis should be on data that show effectiveness or outcomes.
CORE VALUE & CONCEPTS The Criteria are built on the following set of interrelated Core Values and Concepts: ■ visionary leadership ■ learning-centered education
17
■ organizational and personal learning ■ valuing workforce members and partners ■ agility ■ focus on the future ■ managing for innovation ■ management by fact ■ social responsibility ■ focus on results and creating value ■ systems perspective
18
