Exploring Innovative and Effective Methods for IQA (Internal Quality Assurance) - Research Framework Autor: Michaela Martin, programme specialist IIEP-UNESCO Presentation made for CIES 2016, Vancouver, Canada

1. EXPLORING INNOVATIVE AND
EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR
IQA
– RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
CIES Conference, Vancouver
6-10 March 2016
MICHAELA MARTIN,
IIEP Programme Specialist
An IIEP research project

2. THIS PANEL
 The IIEP research project on « Exploring
innovative and effective solutions for
internal quality assurance (IQA)»
 The case of IQA at Xiamen University
 A comparative overview on the research
findings
 A commentary on the project

3. 1. Introduction
 « Quality crisis » in higher education since
1980s
 International trend : External Quality
Assurance (EQA)
 Since 2000, EQA is a major focus of
research and capacity development at the
UNESCO/IIEP
 But without IQA, no sustainable quality
improvement
 IQA therefore is a major reform strand
 in HE worldwide

4. 2. Variation in definition of IQA
 Internal Quality Assurance: procedures and
instruments which measure whether a higher
education institution is in line with external
standards and its own development goals in its
fields of activities (UNESCO).
 IQA refers to quality enhancement processes if
they are directly derived from measurement
procedures and instruments (ESG)
 IQA systems are an integrated whole which
together support quality policy and institutional
goals (IIEP).

5. 3. Major Challenges
 Articulation of IQA instruments among each other
 Articulation of IQA with strategic planning,
management
 Balance between centralized and decentralized
structures
 Information systems, data management and
analytical capacities
 Human and financial resource constraints

6. 4. Three major research
questions
 What are innovative and effective options for IQA
policy, structures, processes and instruments ?
 What are the effects of such IQA systems on
 the quality and relevance of academic programmes
(employability of graduates), and
 managerial effectiveness ?
 What internal and external factors condition the
effective functioning of IQA systems?

7. 6. Research methodology
Case study research design
 Better understand IQA systems within
their national and institutional contexts
 Exploratory and descriptive design
 Mixed methods data collection process
to study the effects

8. 7. IIEP’s role in the project
 IIEP set the research framework
 IIEP selected identified the universities
selected as case studies and the research
teams
 IIEP prepared the research instruments and
discussed methodology with the research
teams
 IIEP accompanied the preparation of the case
studies, organized a research validation
workshop

9. 8. Primary Data sources
Integrated qualitative and quantitative design
 Online surveys of academic and administrative staff on
perceptions of the local IQA system, their effects and
conditioning factors
 Semi-structured interviews with key actors
 Central and middle level academic and
administrative decision-makers
 Focus group discussions
 Head of departments with selected programme
directors
 Students

10. 9. Secondary Data sources
 Content analysis of official documents to
document effects
 EQA Reports (e.g. institutional or programme
accreditation)
 University annual reports
 University statistics
 Reports produced by IQA structure
 Triangulation of different actors’ perspectives
 Triangulation of perceptions and secondary
data sources

11. 10. Selection of eight university
case studies
Europe:
▪ University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
▪ Economics University of Vienna, Austria
Asia:
▪ Xiamen University, China
▪ International American
University of Bangladesh
Anglophone Africa:
▪ Daystar University, Kenya
▪ University of the Free State, South Africa
Latin America region:
▪ Talca University, Chile
Arab region:
▪ University of Bahrain

12. 11. Scope and limitations
 Focus on IQA mainly in the domain of T&L and
management, not on research
 Actors’ perceptions only a proxy for change,
not impact assessment
 Case study design does not produce
generalizable results, however insights into the
effective functioning of IQA methods in specific
contexts