Quality assurance S&T offers support to S&T study programmes and teachers for closing the PDCA-cycles (plan-do-check-act) on respectively programme and study unit (module or course) levels. In general we distinguish four PDCA-cycli that are interlinked: on institutional level, on faculty level, on programme level and on study unit level. The institution level cycle serves as input for the faculty level cycle and vice versa, the faculty level cycle serves as input for the programme level and vice-versa, and the programme level cycle serves as input for the study unit level cycle and vice versa. Connecting links are frameworks and guidelines. Bottom-up information flows serve as input for control (Source: CELT). The phases of the PDCA-cycle do not necessarily run consecutively, they often overlap.
At the Institutional Level, the University of Twente's (UT) vision on quality assurance is anchored in its strategy "Shaping 2030" and the mission statement for 2024. The university promotes a quality culture through formal structures such as programme committees and learning communities, which include student representatives from the programme. This ensures that quality assurance (QA) is a shared responsibility, fostering innovation and professional growth at all levels.
Stakeholders include the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board, the University Council, the Quality Assurance team, the university committees for education and surveys, among other things. Students are involved through the student members of the University Council.
At the Faculty Level, quality assurance is the responsibility of the Vice Dean of Education within the Faculty Board, who oversees the maintenance of standards through the evaluation and examination reports (such as the EER), the professional development of the staff and the independence of the Examination Boards.
The faculty employs a Quality Assurance Coordinator who supports quality assurance activities at the program and course level, provides advice on compliance with accreditation standards, and supervises periodic evaluations.
Student involvement is ensured through Student Assessors who participate in faculty board meetings and through elected students in the Faculty Council, so that students' views directly influence decision-making.
At the Study Programme Level, the Programme Director (OLD) bears overall responsibility for the quality of a programme, including minor programmes and components in the field of lifelong learning (LLL). The OLD ensures that the study programmes meet the educational standards that are in line with the accreditation requirements, and advises the Faculty Board on developments within the programme.
The Programme Committee (OLC), consisting of staff and students, acts as an active body that assesses the quality of the programme, studies accreditation reports and discusses educational data.
The voice of the students is also represented by the study association, who participate in evaluations, organize feedback activities and maintain contact with the program management.
The feedback from alumni and the professional field, collected through alumni involvement in practical committees, forms the basis for continuous improvement, integrating the relevance for practice into the programme.
At the Study Unit Level, the OLD oversees the content and assessment, ensuring that they align with the learning outcomes of the program.
Students contribute through surveys, focus groups and panel meetings, providing insight into the effectiveness of teaching and learning experiences.
Teachers ensure ongoing dialogue with students and respond quickly to feedback to promote transparency and trust. Teachers also participate in the panel meetings..
PLAN
DO
CHECK
ACT
Quality
Cycle
Cycle
PLAN - Supporting documents
- Business Information
- Vision on Learning and Teaching
- Quality Assurance Policy
- Shaping 2030
- Why-How-What UT
DO - Supporting documents
- Annual Budget
- Annual Plan
- Policies and Regulations
- Alignment with service departments
- Development Dialogues
CHECK - Supporting documents
- Shaping Dialogues between EB and Faculties
- Faculty Development Plans
- Programme Accreditations Reports
- Spring Memorandum ("Kaderbrief")
- Monitoring instruments (such as NAE, NSE)
ACT - Supporting documents
- Draft Annual Budget
- Draft Annual Plan
- Updating Quality Assurance Policy
PLAN - Supporting documents
- Results ITK
- Faculty Annual Plan
- Report 'Vlootschouw' between Rector Magnificus and Vice-dean Education
- Annual Report Examination Board
DO - Supporting documents
- Faculty Development Plan
- Possible implications for Educational Support
- Establishment of Education and Examination Regulations
- Rules & Regulations of the Examination Boards
CHECK - Supporting documents
- Programme Development Plans
- Annual Report Examination Boards
- Programme Accreditation Reports
- NSE, NAE & ISB results
ACT - Supporting documents
- Draft Faculty Development Plan
PLAN - Supporting documents
- Faculty Annual Plan
- Report Development Dialogues
- Business Information
- Results NSE, NAE, ISB, etc
- Annual Report Examination Boards
The following relevant components for setting up a programme can be derived from the curriculum spider web (Van den Akker 2003):
- Learning content and learning objectives: knowledge and skills to be acquired at the end of a course (final qualifications)
- Learning activities: the development of learning pathways
- Roles of teachers: quality of education, supervisor, expert, examiner.
- Resources and materials: Need and availability of lecture halls, labs, software, hardware, online resources, textbooks, etc.
- Group types: individual learning, in pairs, in project groups, all together in a lecture hall.
- Timetable: planning of learning activities and tests (scheduling).
- Assessment: different types of assessment to assess the level of proficiency of the required learning objectives, assessment policy.
Akker, J. van den (2003). Curriculum perspectives: an introduction. In J. van den Akker, W. Kuiper & U. Hameyer (eds.), Curriculum Landscapes and Trends, (pp. 1-10). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
DO - Supporting documents
- Programme Accreditation
- Programme Development Plan
- Curriculum overview
- Programme-specific part to the EER
- Assessment Plan
- Assessment Policy
This phase involves designing and planning a curriculum based on established objectives and visions, ensuring that all learning components of the curriculum are aligned.
CHECK - Supporting documents
- Study Unit Information
- NSE & NAE results
- Business Information
- Accreditation Reports and Recommendations
Are our students really learning what we want them to learn? Activities that belong to this phase are:
- Collect objective statistical data: intake, dropout and pass rates, average study duration, number of contact hours with teachers, percentage of teachers with UTQ qualifications, student-teacher ratio.
- Collect opinions from stakeholders: feedback from programme committees, graduation studies among students, National Student Survey (NSE), National Alumni Survey (NSA), recommendations from accreditation committees.
- Overseeing the structure and consistency of the curriculum and assessment.
- Supervision of the quality of the assessment by the Examination Board.
ACT - Supporting documents
- Draft Programme Development Plan
Should we adapt the path that students have to take to achieve our objectives to our vision, or should we adjust our objectives and vision ourselves? Activities that belong to this phase are:
- Analyze statistics, surveys on results and evaluations, and make recommendations.
- Draw up an annual programme development plan (PDP).
- Adjust the programme-specific part of the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) for the coming academic year.
PLAN - Supporting documents
- Curriculum Overview
- Programme-specific part to the EER
- Assessment Plan
- Assessment Policy
The design and planning of a unit of study (module or course) make up a PDCA cycle in itself.
The following relevant components for the planning of modules and courses can be derived from the curriculum spider web (Van den Akker, 2003):
- Learning objectives (For what purpose do they learn?): the minimum level at which the knowledge and skills must be mastered.
- Learning content (What do they learn?): knowledge and skills that must be mastered by the end of a study unit.
- Learning activities (How do they learn?): how do they acquire the required skills and knowledge?
- Teacher roles (What is the role of the teacher in their learning?): facilitator, expert, assessor, etc.
- Resources and materials (What do they learn with?): software, hardware, online resources, textbooks, etc.
- Group forms (Who do they learn with?): individual learning, in pairs, in project groups, all together in a lecture hall.
- Learning environment (Where do they learn?): At the university or outside it?
- Time (When do they learn?): planning of learning activities and assessments (scheduling)
- Assessment (How is learning assessed?): activities to assess the level of proficiency of the required learning objectives – taking an exam, writing a paper.
DO - Supporting documents
- Study Unit Design
- Assessment Plan
- Scheduling
- Osiris course information
- Canvas page
During the implementation phase, the design of the study unit is put into practice. The planned learning activities are fitted into a schedule, students receive guidance, lectures are given, exams are taken, results are registered, and so on.
CHECK - Supporting documents
- Study Unit Evaluation
- Panel meetings (panel discussions)
- Student Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ)
- Business Information: pass rate, grade frequency
Are our students really learning what we want them to learn? Activities that belong to this phase are:
- Collect and analyze statistics: test analyses, pass rates, number analyses.
- Collecting and analysing the opinions of stakeholders: feedback from the Programme Committee, input from the programme management, meetings of the module teams, feedback from the examination board, student and/or lecturer panel discussions.
ACT - Supporting documents
- Study Unit Improvement Plan
- Programme Committee
- Close Feedback Loop with Students
Prepare an evaluation report, evaluate the results and the feedback collected, draw up an improvement plan for the next edition and communicate with the stakeholders.