Overview of Quality Assurance

Presenter:
Dr. Heather Welzant
Executive Director, Quality Assurance
Laureate Higher Education Group (LHEG)
[email protected]

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 Introductions
Current:
• Executive Director, Quality Assurance

Past:
• Director, Program Design
• Instructional Specialist
• Faculty and Lead Faculty
• Doctoral Mentor
• Faculty Trainer and Mentor
• Faculty Peer Reviewer

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 Quality quote by Tom Peters:
“Good quality is a stupid idea. The only thing that counts is
your quality getting better at a more rapid rate than your
principal competitors. It’s real simple. If we’re not getting
more, better, faster than they are getting more, better,
faster, then we’re getting less better and more worse.”

Source: Pritchett, R. (2010). New Work Habits for a Radically Changing

World, 5th Edition. Pritchett, LP.
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 Objectives
• Explain the difference between quality control and quality
assurance
• Describe a culture of quality
• Define quality and quality assurance at Laureate Higher
Education Group (LHEG)
• Identify resources to assist with general quality
assurance information

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 Overview
1. What is quality assurance and what is the history in Western higher
education?
2. What is the difference between quality control and quality assurance?
3. Why is quality assurance so important?
4. What is a culture of quality?
5. What are the LHEG definitions of quality and quality assurance?
6. What are the LHEG quality assurance activities?
7. What is a process to build a framework for quality assurance?

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 What is quality assurance?
• Word “quality” Latin word qualis which means “what kind of”
• International definition of quality as the “degree to which a set of
characteristics fulfills requirements” (ISO9000, 2000)
• Green and Harvey (1993) five different approaches quality
definitions
• Quality assurance distinguished from quality as planned and
systematic review focused on the process not the product

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 What is the history of quality assurance in Western higher
education?
The chronology of quality movement (Sallis,1996)
Pre-1900 Quality as an integral element of craftsmanship
1900-1920 Quality control by foreman
1920-1940 Inspection-based quality control
1940-1960 Statistical process control
1960-1980 Quality assurance/total quality control (quality department)
*1980-1990 Total quality management (TQM)
1990-Present TQM, the culture of continuous improvement, organization-wide
quality management
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 What is the difference between!
quality control and quality assurance?
Quality Control (QC) Quality Assurance (QA)

The operational methods and All planned and systematic

activities used to meet processes implemented to provide
requirements for quality. confidence that quality
requirements are met.
e.g., tools, checklists, testing,
inspection e.g., quality audit, rubric, training

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 Discussion Question

Are you concerned about the quality of teaching, programs,

courses, services, and overall perception of quality at
your institution? Why be concerned?

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 Why is quality assurance so important?
• Reality of academic life • Credibility
• Competition* • Prestige and status
• Distinguishing feature • Image
• Growth and prosperity • Visibility
• Customer satisfaction* • Improve employee moral
• Maintaining standards* • Increase employee
• Accountability* motivation
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 What is a culture of quality?
• Prioritize quality as a hallmark for all activities
• Models of excellence based on continuous improvement
• Keep pace with quality standards (to be competitive)
• Assure only products in compliance with quality
standards reach end-user
• End dependency on inspection to achieve quality
• Innovate system of products and services
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 What are the LHEG Definitions of quality and quality
assurance?

Quality: defined as fitness for purpose Quality Assurance: defined as the

evidenced by fulfillment of a stated comprehensive process of evaluating
mission in consideration of regulatory and assessing the extent to which the
mandates and accepted standards organization and individual institutions
that demonstrate a student-centered deliver products, programs, practices,
environment through active teaching and services that demonstrate a
and learning processes and the commitment to student success and a
achievement of specified outcomes. return on investment in accordance
with specified expectations.

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 What are the LHEG quality assurance activities?

1. Quality Assurance Service Reviews

2. Quality Assurance Program Reviews
3. Product Recommendations Reports
4. Course/Module Reviews
5. Consultative Services

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 What is a process to build a framework for quality
assurance?
• Fundamental Elements of Quality
• Institutional Profile Analysis

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 What are good quality assurance resources?
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) section on International
Quality Review. Available at: http://www.chea.org/.
• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).
Available at: http://www.enqa.eu/.
• ENQA, European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education
(2005). Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in European Higher
Education Area, Helsinki: The Association. Available at:
http://www.enqa.eu/files/ENQA%20Bergen%20Report.pdf.
• INQAAHE (2005) Guidelines of Good Practice. Available at:
http://www.inqaahe.org.
• Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Available at:
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/.
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 Future Quality Assurance Webinars
• Trends in Quality Assurance for Higher Education
<April 28 at 11:00 AM (EST)>

• Issues and Challenges in International Quality Assurance

<May 26 at 11:00 AM (EST)>

• An Introduction to Programmatic and Institutional Accreditation

Standards
<June 30 at 11:00 AM (EST)>

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 Thank You

Should you have any additional questions, please feel free

to contact me.
[email protected]
(443) 627-7987

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 References
BS EN ISO9000 (2000). Quality Management Systems: Fundamentals and Vocabulary. London: British Standard Institution.
Colling, C. & Harvey, L. (1995). Quality control assurance and assessment in the link to continuous improvement, Quality
Assurance in Education, 3(4), 30-34.
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). (2001). Accreditation and student learning outcomes: A proposed point of
departure. Washington, D.C.
Frazer, M. (2001). Quality assurance in higher education, in Craft, A. (Ed). Quality Assurance in Higher Education, London: Falmer
Press, 9-25.
Harman, G. (1988). The management of quality assurance: A Review of International Practice, Higher Education Quarterly, 52(4),
345-364.
Harvey, L. & Green, D., (1993). Defining ‘quality’. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 18(1), 9-34.
Lagrosen, S., Seyed-Hashemi, R., & Leitner, M. (2004). Examination of the dimension of quality in higher education, Quality
Assurance in Education, 12(2), 61-69.
Mishra, S. (2006). Quality assurance in higher education: An introduction. National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)
and Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
Opre, A. & Opre, D. (2006). Quality assurance in higher education: professional development. Cognition, Brain, Behavior, 10, 421-
438.
Pritchett, R. (2010). New Work Habits for a Radically Changing World, 5th Edition. Pritchett, LP.
Reeves, C.A. & Bedner, D.A. (1994). Defining quality: Alternatives and implications, Academy of Management Review, 19(3) 419-
445.
Sallis, E. (1996). Total Quality Management in Education, 2nd Ed. London; Kogan Page.

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