WiQu – Impact research on quality assurance of teaching and learning – procedural, structural and personnel causes of quality assurance departments' impact
The WiQu project team is working on three topics (pillars) dealing with the impacts and effects of quality assurance departments at universities and universities of applied sciences. Quality assurance departments are regarded as more or less institutionalized initiatives in higher education institutions explicitly charged with quality assurance and/or quality development in the area of teaching and learning. This includes functional equivalents as scientific departments, specialist teams, commissions, committees and administrative departments.
The project analyzes the question whether there are discrepancies between universities' talk about quality assurance and the implementation of quality assurance with a particular focus on the area of teaching and learning. In addition, indicators will be developed to detect intended and unintended effects of quality assurance.
The three pillars are (1) structures, (2) processes and (3) staff of quality assurance departments. The analysis of the first pillar refers to organizational structures of quality assurance departments and the question how they are embedded in governance and management systems of higher education institutions. The second pillar concerns the function and processes of quality assurance departments. The third pillar is about the departments' staff. While structures and processes will be explored by the University of Potsdam project team, personnel issues will be analyzed by researchers at Helmut Schmidt University of Hamburg.
Duration: September 1st, 2013 to August 31st, 2016
Project partners: University of Potsdam, Chair for Political Science, Administration and Organization (Head of project, Dr. Markus Seyfried); University of Potsdam, Zentrum für Qualitätsentwicklung in Studium und Lehre (Dr. Philipp Pohlenz); Helmut Schmidt University of Hamburg, Professur für Methoden der Empirischen Sozialforschung und Statistik (Head of project, Prof. Dr. Udo Kelle)