Projects

Application of the Cultural Theory to the impact of Assessment processes

Frederiks, Westerhijden and Weusthof used Child’s contingency analysis and the methodology of political economy to explain the differences in using the results of the assessment by individuals or groups who belong to higher education organisations to conclude that their success was only partial.
In this approximation we consider that the different attitudes of higher education institutions are strongly determined by their culture, namely by the different cultures of universities and scientific areas. The cultural theory of Mary Douglas is used to interpret the results.
The project consists in an analysis of a set of double questionnaires, the first part allowing locating the respondent in one of the cultural quadrants and the second part determining the position relative to quality processes.

Enquiry on the new higher education quality assurance system

The Assessment and Accreditation Agency for Higher Education has developed a questionnaire about its implementation that was sent to diverse entities with intervention in higher education, including universities and polytechnics, both public and private institutions, student unions and professional organizations.
In this project the results of the responses to the questionnaire are analysed.

Consistency analysis of evaluation reports

A careful reading of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) shows that one necessary condition to becoming a member of the European Quality Assurance Register is the consistency of decisions made, when measured against the systematic application of criteria previously made public.
This project aims at developing an automatic system for content analysis of a set of assessment results, using for this purpose sixty external institutional evaluation reports provided by the European Universities Association.

Internal quality assurance systems for assessment agencies

The European Standards and Guidelines impose that the assessment and accreditation agencies must demonstrate that they have implemented an internal quality assurance system.
This work will consist in making a …..of internal quality assurance agencies registered in the European Quality Assurance Register as well as the eventual determination of the conformity with European norms of the internal quality assurance mechanisms proposed by the Agency.

Performance indicators

The use of performance indicators instead of evaluative appreciations that are directly linked to the quality of higher education is an urgent but complex task that should become one of the future preoccupations of the Agency.
Starting from the seminal work developed by Henkel, Cave, Hanney and Kogan, we initiate this project of definition of performance indicators, including characteristics such as relevance, ambiguity, manipulability, the costs of data collection, the aggregation level and the relationship with other indicators.

Students participation in quality assessment

The European Standards and Guidelines foresee student participation in different phases of the assessment process.
With student collaboration, this project aims at discussing the level of student participation in the assessment processes as well as methodologies for appointing students.

The rationality of student choice (a PhD project)

The students who want to enter high education are confronted with a vast education offer, ether in terms of study programmes or in terms of institutions, or even in terms of geographic distribution. Moreover, a growing competition for students has demanded that institutions have their own set of strategies to attract them. Understanding student choice and its eventual rationality may become essential, both for institutions to organize their strategies and for the elaboration of higher education policies aiming at access equity.