This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation... more This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation of what quality is. Many of the issues are not technical in nature, they are political. Assessment is used as a proxy for quality, but the question is, what is quality? The corollary, therefore, is who determines what quality is? The discussion reflects how assessment and quality are used as proxies for each other. The emphasis is on how higher education in the USA is facing the external influences attempting to shape the discussion.
This discussion presents findings from 24 higher education institutions (HEIs), recommendations r... more This discussion presents findings from 24 higher education institutions (HEIs), recommendations regarding the benchmarks themselves and for university practice, potential expansion of the benchmark methodology to provide more capacity to create and use data to evidence student learning in a technology enhanced learning (TEL) environment. Design/Methodology/Approach: These are preliminary results of a major benchmarking activity that is designed to be part of a continuing program that is still under review. Results are provided through frequency distribution and illustrative qualitative information gleaned from two surveys provided participants, one during the collaborative session between participants from the 24 HEIs and nine months later. An analysis of the data in the form of recommendations is also provided. Practical implications: Firstly, Australia's Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency (TEQSA) is expanding the use of benchmarking activities at HEIs as part of their quality assurance practice to meet regulatory compliance requirements. The use of the ACODE Benchmarks facilitates therefore assists HEIs meet their regulatory compliance obligations. Secondly, Originality/value: ACODE is one of the few international agencies focusing on TEL benchmarks, criteria, guidelines or standards. A number of the participating HEIs are considered leading practitioners of learning and teaching in TEL and thus they not only inform but help shape the values and inform QA agencies of appropriate practice that should be embedded within the standards and/or practices that generate recognition of HEI practice.
This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation... more This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation of what quality is. Many of the issues are not technical in nature, they are political. Assessment is used as a proxy for quality, but the question is, what is quality? The corollary, therefore, is who determines what quality is? The discussion reflects how assessment and quality are used as proxies for each other. The emphasis is on how higher education in the USA is facing the external influences attempting to shape the discussion.
In educational research and quality management alike, models for understanding the underlying sy... more In educational research and quality management alike, models for understanding the underlying system are required. Assessments and results can better understood within the context of a model. It was a challenge to establish the order of the chapters in this publication since all include important concepts and information about advancing the STEM agenda; however, we decided to start with the collaborative models because we recognize the importance of models in defining systems thinking and developing appropriate thought processes. Furthermore, in other ASQ Education Division publications, we have discussed the importance of successful transitions from one education system to another in the overall P-16 system; from K-12 schools to college and universities and from universities to the workplace. In between we see the work of the university faculty in improving the delivery of STEM education in their college classrooms. In addition, we had a special interest in gender issues in STEM education, which had its own section
The focus of this paper is twofold: [1] to explain risk management (RM) from an enterprise (ERM) ... more The focus of this paper is twofold: [1] to explain risk management (RM) from an enterprise (ERM) or institutional perspective and from a regulatory (RRM) perspective and [2] to explore issues pertinent to choices involved in determining whether to adopt RM and how to implement it from the single college or university standpoint and/or from a sector viewpoint in relation to existing quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) practices. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper is a conceptual analysis of the RM literature as it applies to higher education. RM is a developing practice in higher education and RM itself is a maturing field with transdisciplinary interests.
Abstract This paper addresses questions raised when a criminal investigation challenges the integ... more Abstract This paper addresses questions raised when a criminal investigation challenges the integrity of a state higher education quality assurance system by what the report considers an erosion of trust based on the many findings of criminal and ethical wrongdoing. Issues are brought forth that lead to questions regarding the independence of quality assurance vis a vis different stakeholders. The goal is for the reader to consider these points and decide what is appropriate and what is not. The basis of the presentation is a case study that looks at official documents framing the arguments and state responses, comparing what was suggested and is still ongoing with ideas from the literature that undergirds the framework of this type of discussion.
It is argued that higher education institutions are part of a knowledge industry feeding a knowle... more It is argued that higher education institutions are part of a knowledge industry feeding a knowledge economy. One of the positive consequences of making education the key to future economic prosperity is a pronounced interest in access, affordability, learning, and benefits to individuals and society at large. However, there is the negative consequence of national interest potentially overriding individual preferences as exemplified by government efforts to steer students toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in order to generate the intellectual capital needed to fuel national economies. Such efforts place higher value on the aforementioned academic disciplines while de facto de-emphasizing others that are not seen as direct contributors to the national well-being based on extra- and intra-institutional allocational directives generated to meet these expectations. What happens to disinterested research? Creativity, an intended consequence linked to economi...
The 2006 Spellings Commission Report was seen as an attempt by critics of higher education to res... more The 2006 Spellings Commission Report was seen as an attempt by critics of higher education to reshape it in a manner that diminishes institutional autonomy, changes the role of faculty, institutional mission and focus in the name of accountability. Previous national reports had called for a similar shift based on a reconceptualization of what higher education institutions should be doing based on a global knowledge industry Humboldtian capacity-building model in order to maintain a national competitive economic advantage and the quality of life issues this advantage brings. However, the Spellings Commission Report was not an isolated incident; it reflected a larger international trend in higher education. The global economy has expanded the demand for higher education to meet the intellectual capital and workforce development needs from outsourced activities and has led to the internationalization of numerous college and university programs to meet this demand. Europe’s Bologna Proc...
A case study regarding issues regarding the state coordination and oversight over colleges and un... more A case study regarding issues regarding the state coordination and oversight over colleges and universities because it is the specific response or lack thereof by a state coordinating board to a set of recommendations generated by a criminal investigation by a state’s attorney general’s office regarding practices found at different public universities in that state.
Faculty evaluations are a hot item for discussion within the framework of quality assurance at un... more Faculty evaluations are a hot item for discussion within the framework of quality assurance at universities. Now-a-days, the traditional concerns of academic freedom are being reframed through a lens of performance based on student satisfaction along with the more traditional lines of scholarship, instructional acumen, and service. The more traditional approach toward faculty evaluation in this country frames the process in terms of a metaprofession: “a profession that assumes content expertise as a foundation but requires professional-level performance in areas outside a faculty member’s recognized area of expertise.” (Arreola, 2007, p. xix) On the other side of what has become a continuum due to thinking of faculty performance from a quality control and quality assurance perspectives, there is a different set of criteria that have been identified based on a customer satisfaction or service quality model. This author has seen some instances the suggestion that the quality improveme...
The Australasian Council on Open Distance and E-learning (ACODE) benchmarks were the first major ... more The Australasian Council on Open Distance and E-learning (ACODE) benchmarks were the first major attempt, in an Australasian context, to bring a consistent framework to the use of e-Learning at higher education institutions (HEIs). Successful as these were, given the HEI need to interpret the benchmarks differently in accordance to institutional culture, they were not able to fully capture measures of quality of technology enhanced learning (TEL). Ongoing research is demonstrating that distributed leadership can prove to be an additional dimension in establishing quality measures pertinent to TEL activity at HEIs based on identification of role and boundary of activities within a university to help attest to internal efforts and support (fiscal, human, programmatic, and technical) driving the TEL offerings provided by universities.
This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation... more This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation of what quality is. Many of the issues are not technical in nature, they are political. Assessment is used as a proxy for quality, but the question is, what is quality? The corollary, therefore, is who determines what quality is? The discussion reflects how assessment and quality are used as proxies for each other. The emphasis is on how higher education in the USA is facing the external influences attempting to shape the discussion.
This discussion presents findings from 24 higher education institutions (HEIs), recommendations r... more This discussion presents findings from 24 higher education institutions (HEIs), recommendations regarding the benchmarks themselves and for university practice, potential expansion of the benchmark methodology to provide more capacity to create and use data to evidence student learning in a technology enhanced learning (TEL) environment. Design/Methodology/Approach: These are preliminary results of a major benchmarking activity that is designed to be part of a continuing program that is still under review. Results are provided through frequency distribution and illustrative qualitative information gleaned from two surveys provided participants, one during the collaborative session between participants from the 24 HEIs and nine months later. An analysis of the data in the form of recommendations is also provided. Practical implications: Firstly, Australia's Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency (TEQSA) is expanding the use of benchmarking activities at HEIs as part of their quality assurance practice to meet regulatory compliance requirements. The use of the ACODE Benchmarks facilitates therefore assists HEIs meet their regulatory compliance obligations. Secondly, Originality/value: ACODE is one of the few international agencies focusing on TEL benchmarks, criteria, guidelines or standards. A number of the participating HEIs are considered leading practitioners of learning and teaching in TEL and thus they not only inform but help shape the values and inform QA agencies of appropriate practice that should be embedded within the standards and/or practices that generate recognition of HEI practice.
This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation... more This chapter discusses the notion of quality and those strands that contextualize the expectation of what quality is. Many of the issues are not technical in nature, they are political. Assessment is used as a proxy for quality, but the question is, what is quality? The corollary, therefore, is who determines what quality is? The discussion reflects how assessment and quality are used as proxies for each other. The emphasis is on how higher education in the USA is facing the external influences attempting to shape the discussion.
In educational research and quality management alike, models for understanding the underlying sy... more In educational research and quality management alike, models for understanding the underlying system are required. Assessments and results can better understood within the context of a model. It was a challenge to establish the order of the chapters in this publication since all include important concepts and information about advancing the STEM agenda; however, we decided to start with the collaborative models because we recognize the importance of models in defining systems thinking and developing appropriate thought processes. Furthermore, in other ASQ Education Division publications, we have discussed the importance of successful transitions from one education system to another in the overall P-16 system; from K-12 schools to college and universities and from universities to the workplace. In between we see the work of the university faculty in improving the delivery of STEM education in their college classrooms. In addition, we had a special interest in gender issues in STEM education, which had its own section
The focus of this paper is twofold: [1] to explain risk management (RM) from an enterprise (ERM) ... more The focus of this paper is twofold: [1] to explain risk management (RM) from an enterprise (ERM) or institutional perspective and from a regulatory (RRM) perspective and [2] to explore issues pertinent to choices involved in determining whether to adopt RM and how to implement it from the single college or university standpoint and/or from a sector viewpoint in relation to existing quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) practices. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper is a conceptual analysis of the RM literature as it applies to higher education. RM is a developing practice in higher education and RM itself is a maturing field with transdisciplinary interests.
Abstract This paper addresses questions raised when a criminal investigation challenges the integ... more Abstract This paper addresses questions raised when a criminal investigation challenges the integrity of a state higher education quality assurance system by what the report considers an erosion of trust based on the many findings of criminal and ethical wrongdoing. Issues are brought forth that lead to questions regarding the independence of quality assurance vis a vis different stakeholders. The goal is for the reader to consider these points and decide what is appropriate and what is not. The basis of the presentation is a case study that looks at official documents framing the arguments and state responses, comparing what was suggested and is still ongoing with ideas from the literature that undergirds the framework of this type of discussion.
It is argued that higher education institutions are part of a knowledge industry feeding a knowle... more It is argued that higher education institutions are part of a knowledge industry feeding a knowledge economy. One of the positive consequences of making education the key to future economic prosperity is a pronounced interest in access, affordability, learning, and benefits to individuals and society at large. However, there is the negative consequence of national interest potentially overriding individual preferences as exemplified by government efforts to steer students toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in order to generate the intellectual capital needed to fuel national economies. Such efforts place higher value on the aforementioned academic disciplines while de facto de-emphasizing others that are not seen as direct contributors to the national well-being based on extra- and intra-institutional allocational directives generated to meet these expectations. What happens to disinterested research? Creativity, an intended consequence linked to economi...
The 2006 Spellings Commission Report was seen as an attempt by critics of higher education to res... more The 2006 Spellings Commission Report was seen as an attempt by critics of higher education to reshape it in a manner that diminishes institutional autonomy, changes the role of faculty, institutional mission and focus in the name of accountability. Previous national reports had called for a similar shift based on a reconceptualization of what higher education institutions should be doing based on a global knowledge industry Humboldtian capacity-building model in order to maintain a national competitive economic advantage and the quality of life issues this advantage brings. However, the Spellings Commission Report was not an isolated incident; it reflected a larger international trend in higher education. The global economy has expanded the demand for higher education to meet the intellectual capital and workforce development needs from outsourced activities and has led to the internationalization of numerous college and university programs to meet this demand. Europe’s Bologna Proc...
A case study regarding issues regarding the state coordination and oversight over colleges and un... more A case study regarding issues regarding the state coordination and oversight over colleges and universities because it is the specific response or lack thereof by a state coordinating board to a set of recommendations generated by a criminal investigation by a state’s attorney general’s office regarding practices found at different public universities in that state.
Faculty evaluations are a hot item for discussion within the framework of quality assurance at un... more Faculty evaluations are a hot item for discussion within the framework of quality assurance at universities. Now-a-days, the traditional concerns of academic freedom are being reframed through a lens of performance based on student satisfaction along with the more traditional lines of scholarship, instructional acumen, and service. The more traditional approach toward faculty evaluation in this country frames the process in terms of a metaprofession: “a profession that assumes content expertise as a foundation but requires professional-level performance in areas outside a faculty member’s recognized area of expertise.” (Arreola, 2007, p. xix) On the other side of what has become a continuum due to thinking of faculty performance from a quality control and quality assurance perspectives, there is a different set of criteria that have been identified based on a customer satisfaction or service quality model. This author has seen some instances the suggestion that the quality improveme...
The Australasian Council on Open Distance and E-learning (ACODE) benchmarks were the first major ... more The Australasian Council on Open Distance and E-learning (ACODE) benchmarks were the first major attempt, in an Australasian context, to bring a consistent framework to the use of e-Learning at higher education institutions (HEIs). Successful as these were, given the HEI need to interpret the benchmarks differently in accordance to institutional culture, they were not able to fully capture measures of quality of technology enhanced learning (TEL). Ongoing research is demonstrating that distributed leadership can prove to be an additional dimension in establishing quality measures pertinent to TEL activity at HEIs based on identification of role and boundary of activities within a university to help attest to internal efforts and support (fiscal, human, programmatic, and technical) driving the TEL offerings provided by universities.
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Papers by Fernando Padro