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Isabella, Sharine;Tying down Global to Local: A comparative study of the management of the quality improvement process in higher education institutions in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries
As not being accredited simply means not being globally competitive, achieving accreditation status is crucial for all universities. Moreover, as the world seems ever smaller, non-accreditation also implies that even at local level the contribution of the university to the sustainable development of its country will become of little significance.
Managing a quality improvement and accreditation process in a small university asks for particular managerial approaches. There are fewer resources available, while the university needs to comply with the same quality demands as set for large universities on a global level. To achieve this goal, in small scale universities the maximum of quality benefits must be obtained with the utmost utilization of the existing, limited resources. The research project is born from an urge to improve insight and understanding of the management of quality improvement processes in small-scale universities. Small scale universities should tie down the global quality standards to their local possibilities.
A comparative case model will be developed to compare the quality management approaches in several small-scale universities in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean, while they are aiming for accreditation. The objective is to identify the most important elements of successful managerial approaches in the process of obtaining accreditation, taking into account size, historical development, limited resources and other possible barriers in these universities.
Researcher involved: Sharine Isabella
