Digitization of Higher Education: QA the Missing Link (to ensure trust)

Presentation from Melanie Gottlieb (deputy director American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers - AACRAO) and myself on the challenges to quality assurance in higher education due to the impacts of digitalisation. Event was CIQG 2019 Annual Meeting "Quality Assurance And Sustaining Trust In Higher Education", Washington, 30-31.1.2019.

(It was an interactive presentation and a blog will be written based on the audience responses.)

Transcript

1. Digitization of Higher Education: QA the Missing Link (to ensure trust) CIQG 2019 Annual Meeting. Quality Assurance And Sustaining Trust In Higher Education Washington, 30-31.1.2019 Photo: Antony Mayfield CC BY, Flickr 1 Dr. Dominic Orr Senior Researcher at FiBS Research Institute for Economics of Education & Social Affairs, Berlin d.orr@fibs.eu Peter van der Hijden Independent European Higher Education Expert, Brussels petervanderhijden@outlook.com
2. Melanie Gottlieb Deputy Director, AACRAO Higher Education Association Member Practitioners 100+ years old 12,000+ members 2900+ institutions
3. Navigate to sli.do Enter the meeting code CHEA
4. Audience Poll: What sector do you represent? • US-Based Quality Assurance • Non-US-Based Quality Assurance • Education Association • Educational Institution • Non-Institutional Provider • Other Navigate to sli.do meeting code CHEA
5. Audience Poll: How much of a challenge to QA is the emergence of digitalization? • Highly challenging • Challenging • Somewhat Challenging • Not Challenging Navigate to sli.do meeting code CHEA
6. Main arguments 1. Quality assurance and accreditation have become key features of good quality higher education. They provide transparency and build trust. 2. In this, quality assurance has a norming and a mapping function in higher education. This means it is also agenda-setting. Therefore, we must regularly review the inherent assumptions behind it. 3. Higher education is changing and will continue to change (more radically) in the coming decade as higher education reacts to the Digital Age and utilises digital technologies. 4. In Europe, we are beginning to react to these, but developments are just beginning. 6
7. What is quality assurance? QA as one of the governance instruments for ‘steering at a distance’, which recognise that higher education institutions are ‘hybrid institutions’ with multiple goals and multiple stakeholders. In a system of autonomous HEIs, quality assurance should: • Assure transparency of provision • Set some (minimum) norms, which must be fulfilled by higher education providers for the learning experience 7 Ref: Jongbloed, B. (2015). Universities as hybrid organizations: Trends, drivers, and challenges for the European university. International Review of Public Administration, 45(3), 207–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/00208825.2015.1006027
8. 8 • Quality assurance systems were seldom in 1999, when the Bologna Declaration was signed. • Today, there is a consensus that QA is necessary to ensure accountability and support enhancement. Improving the quality and relevance of higher education, and establishing trustworthy quality assurance systems have been high priorities for almost all countries, and developments have been fast moving. • 22 countries have established external quality assurance agencies since the Bologna Process was launched. • 28 systems have established a quality assurance process where the quality assurance agency or body is responsible for recommending or taking a decision that grants permission to the programme or institution to operate. Impressive developments in the Bologna Process over 20 yrs. European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2018). The European Higher Education Area in 2018: Bologna Process Implementation Report. Cham: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. https://doi.org/10.2797/63509
9. 9 Higher education system HEI (university, college) Study programme Learning units (modules) The hierarchy of quality assurance / accreditation Usual focus on institutional level Assumption of internal coherence of smaller units
10. Audience Poll: What is QA missing? Navigate to sli.do meeting code CHEA
11. January 31, 2019 Slide 11 • MOOC certificates are first sign of new forms of HE study First challenge – MOOCs not attached to full programmes
12. January 31, 2019 Slide 12 Level Quality Workload Profile Learning outcomes New concepts are being developed to cope Witthaus, G., Inamorato dos Santos, A., Childs, M., Tannhäuser, A.-C., Conole, G., Nkuyubwatsi, B., & Punie, Y. (2016). Validation of non-formal MOOC-based learning. An analysis of assessment and recognition practices in Europe (OpenCred). EUR 27660 EN. JRC Science for Policy Report. https://doi.org/10.2791/809371
13. Starting point: EAR-HEI manual “Practical guidelines for credential evaluators and admissions officers to provide fair and flexible recognition of foreign degrees and studies abroad” • Level: European Qualification Framework • Quality: QA procedures • Workload: European Credit Transfer Sys (ECTS) • Profile: Descriptors, e.g. Diploma Supplement (DS) • Learning outcomes: Nat. Qual. Framework / DS New concepts are being developed to cope de Bruin, L. (Ed.). (2016). The European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions: Practical guidelines for credential evaluators and admissions officers to provide fair and flexible recognition of foreign degrees and studies abroad (Vol. 2). Retrieved from http://eurorecognition.eu/Manual/EAR HEI.pdf
14. Audience Poll: What alternative learning projects are you (or the body you represent) involved in? Navigate to sli.do meeting code CHEA
15. January 31, 2019 Slide 15 How this can work – merging learning from two sources See https://kiron.ngo/
16. • Creating a QA-system based on the Bologna tools increased trust amongst university partners and their willingness to recognize open online courses • Translation of non-formal Kiron credits into formal ECTS was made possible by several HEIs, who partnered with Kiron Advantages of such a system: • Successfully completed MOOCs can prove knowledge and skills of prospective students and increase chances to get admitted to a programme or a scholarship • Recognition of prior digital learning can not only serve as a substitute for courses within a study programme but also support university admission on first- and second-cycle level January 31, 2019 Slide 16 What was behind this success for KIRON?
17. Recognition and certification of competencies and learning Learning content, learning support and didactics Access to and delivery of learning opportunities Higher education provision made up of 3 core processes Digitalisation as facilitator for 2 dimensions • flexibility (organizational openness) • inclusion (social openness of processes) flexibility openness Looking to the future of Higher education: digitalisation as facilitator… Orr, D., Weller, M., & Farrow, R. (2018). Models for online, open, flexible and technology enhanced higher education across the globe – a comparative analysis. International Council for Open and Distance Education. Retrieved from https://oofat.oerhub.net/OOFAT/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Models-report-April- 2018_final.pdf
18. Job market Demography Technology Knowledge and competency profiles [ ENVIRONMENT ] [ LEARNERS] The changing environment for today’s learners
19. Masevičiūtė, K., Šaukeckienė, V., & Ozolinčiūtė, E. (2018). Combining studies and paid jobs - Thematic review. UAB Araneum. Retrieved from http://www.eurostudent.eu/download_files/documents/TR_paid_jobs.pdf Challenge: working students • 51% of European students have paid work • 75% of European students over 30 years • Currently, this effects the amount of time they spend on studying, especially working >15 hrs/week • But widening participation is likely to increase the number of part-time students • These students bring work experience and competencies to their studies
20. Job market Demography Technology Knowledge and competency profiles [ ENVIRONMENT ] [ HIGHER EDUCATION] Recognition and certification of knowledge and competencies Learning content, support and didactics Access to and delivery of learning opportunities [ LEARNERS] Higher education for learners…
21. Audience Poll: What are the main challenges to QA today? Navigate to sli.do meeting code CHEA
22. Higher education Higher education High edu 2 … n Model 1 - Tamagotchi (Status quo plus) Model 2 - Jenga Model 3 - Lego set Model 4 - Transformers er Higher education / Vocational training n … … Higher education + + + + + + + + 4 learning pathways thru higher ed according to AHEAD https://ahead.tugraz.at/en/a-higher-education-digital-for-2030-ahead/
23. Summary of challenges • Digital solutions offer new forms of learning and new modes of learning delivery; however, they also present new challenges to existing quality assurance procedures. • QA agencies should work together and identify a set of quality criteria (rubrics) and quality indicators that would help higher education institutions, students and accreditors gauge the quality and relevance of online learning provisions and alternative learning credentials. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) present a challenge since they are often open entry and do not always monitor progress. 23
24. Audience Poll: What do you think should be considered in a QA rubric or indicator for alternative credentials? Navigate to sli.do meeting code CHEA
25. 25 Ref.: see also https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/de/blog/bologna-digital-2020-workshop-berlin Future work: Bologna Digital includes looking at QA • preparation and admission • skills for the digital age • recognition • quality assurance • virtual exchange and mobility • strategies for teaching and learning Europe needs new visions for contemporary higher education in the digital age. Digital transformation is not so much an additional challenge, but an effective means to address key challenges for higher education in the 21st century.
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