Creating an institution wide system that promotes and oversees a culture of quality education

Background/context. Quality is valued by all stakeholders. Quality in a higher education context does not have a simple definition but rather
is multi-faceted and underpinned by a philosophy that values students, educators, and continuous improvement (Mizikaci 2006). The
regulator requires providers to monitor quality (HESF 2021, 5.3). The challenge for institutions is to create a system to oversee quality that
does not oversimplify quality and hence reduce to just an unwelcome hurdle.
The initiative/practice. At the authors’ institution, the previous monitoring system was not effective. A new IT system and associated process
was built to remedy the situation. The system was infused with the following ideals – collegiality (drawing from both academic and
professional staff); integrated (to other systems and processes); data rich; yet holistic (encouraging more than just the standard data). There
is a focus on a growth mindset that celebrates successes and encourages improvements rather than be punitive for inferior metric values.
Training emphasises not just how to use the system but attempts to build a culture of quality.
Methods of evaluative data collection and analysis. The new system was evaluated quantitatively by comparing the engagement
(completion and timing) with the old system. Qualitatively, the new system was evaluated by feedback solicited from users.
Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness. The old system had 60% of subjects where the moderation and reflection processes were
completed by the teaching team and assessment committee while the new system raised engagement to 91% with timelier responses.
Feedback on the system was very positive. For example, one component that made it effective was the embedded data that created insights
for both teaching teams and committees overseeing the process. Another key success were the action items, which allowed staff to easily
seek support from non-academic parts of the institution on issues identified in the subject. The items persisted for progress tracking as well
as documenting continuous improvement.
References. HESF (2021). Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022C00105
Mizikaci, F. (2006). A systems approach to program evaluation model for quality in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education.