3.2 Quality Culture in the institutional context

Reading

Key lessons:

From our the following key lessons can be drawn (Kotmann et al., 2016):

• Establishing a baseline of shared values that defines high quality teaching and learning is important to
  successfully implement further quality work or quality management and to enhance quality cultures.
• The motivation of academic staff to engage in quality work can be triggered by framing teaching and
  learning activities as having similar traits as research activities. Integrating teaching achievements in
  career schemes institutionalises the importance of teaching and learning. Offering resources, in
  particular time, to staff to engage more strongly in teaching and learning activities gives impetus to
  quality enhancement.
• Effective leaders are those who commit themselves to implementing changes with careful timing and
  convincing narratives. A blended leadership style – bottom-up collegial initiatives combined with a
  managerial vision – is particularly relevant.
• Staff are more strongly motivated to engage in professional development if goal conflicts (e.g. time
  constraints due to prioritizing research over teaching) are prevented and if professional training is
  embedded in communication structures that allow teachers to discuss and exchange their experiences.
  Creating a quality culture may be a challenge, the same goes for sustaining it. Institutionalising regular
  reporting and reflecting on achievements are important mechanisms. Formal and institutional
  accreditation may support sustainability, but sufficient attention must be paid to continuing the
  involvement and ownership of academics.

How Can One Create a Culture for Quality Enhancement? (Kotmann et al., 2016)

Read Chapter 4 POLICIES AND INSTRUMENTS FOR ESTABLISHING OR ENHANCING QUALITY
CULTURES (pp.17-23, 15 minutes reading)

Read two case studies 5.1.2 UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES MÜNSTER, GERMANY

5.1.3 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURES IN DUTCH STUDY PROGRAMMES (pp.25-26, 6 min reading)

Exercise:

Identify strengths & weaknesses of your own HEI in term of Quality Culture (20 minutes work)