Lietuviškai Content
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Liudvika Leišytė, Don F. Westerheijden
Students as stakeholders in quality assurance in eight European countries More -
Lina Kaminskienė, Eglė Stasiūnaitienė
Validity of assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning achievements in higher education More -
Inga Juknytė-Petreikienė
Quality assessment of internationalised studies: theory and practice More -
Edith J. Cisneros-Cohernour
Challenges when using a standardized approach for assessing the quality of college teaching More -
Gintautė Žibėnienė
Review of study programme renewal in Lithuania: planning student's independent work More -
Jovita Starkutė, Gintarė Valinevičienė
Is student a university client or a member of the academic community? More
Abstracts
Liudvika Leišytė, Don F. Westerheijden
Technical University of Dortmund, University of Twente
Students as stakeholders in quality assurance in eight European countries
Abstract
How are stakeholders represented in higher education institutions’ decision-making bodies that influence the quality of education, and are their viewpoints taken into account? This paper addresses this question taking into account the empirical evidence from eight countries in Europe. Findings indicate that formal barriers are largely absent, that stakeholder influence has grown somewhat over recent years, but that actual influence of stakeholders can be further optimised in higher education institutions.
Key words
Stakeholder, Stakeholder salience.
Lina Kaminskienė, Eglė Stasiūnaitienė
Vytautas Magnus University
Validity of assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning achievements
in higher education
Abstract
The article identifies the validity of assessment of non-formal and informal learning achievements (NILA) as one of the key factors for encouraging further development of the process of assessing and recognising non-formal and informal learning achievements in higher education. The authors analyse why the recognition of non-formal and informal learning achievements is still being accepted rather sceptically in higher education and discuss whether these achievements can be recognised at all and what principles are followed in order to achieve valid and reliable assessment.
The article reviews several models for the assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning achievements that could possibly be used by universities and colleges. The authors discuss what assessment methods are used in different models. Models that emphasise assessment of non-formal and informal learning achievements are formative. Thus the key method of assessment is portfolio. The aim of these models is qualification recognition and accreditation. Irrespective of the type of the assessment and recognition model of non-formal and informal learning achievements used in a higher education institution, it is very important to assure the quality of this process and to note that credit award models dominate in contemporary higher education institutions. Once adapted to formal criteria of study programmes at higher education institutions, these models are the most appropriate tool for comparing and recognising non-formal and informal learning achievements.
Key words
Validity, Reliability, Assessment, Credit exchange/award model, Recognition of non-formal and informal learning, Validation of learning achievements.
Inga Juknytė-Petreikienė
Mykolas Romeris University
Quality assessment of internationalised studies: theory and practice
Abstract
The article reviews forms of higher education internationalisation at an institutional level. The relevance of theoretical background of internationalised study quality assessment is highlighted and definitions of internationalised studies quality are presented. Existing methods of assessment of higher education internationalisation are criticised for not involving the totality of elements of different internationalised studies at an institutional level. Taking into consideration parameters of higher education internationalisation and theory and practice of quality management in higher education, a recommendation is given to assess the quality of internationalised studies following the methodology that enables proper quality assessment of internationalisation at higher education institutions and its development.
Key words
Internationalisation of studies, Organisational structures of a higher education institution necessary for institutional internationalisation, Internationalised studies, Quality assessment of internationalised studies.
Edith J. Cisneros-Cohernour
Autonomous University of Yucatan
Challenges when using a standardized approach for assessing the quality
of college teaching
Abstract
This article develops around a qualitative research case study of an instructor teaching an introductory course about students with special needs. Data collection involved document analysis, observations and interviews with administrators, the faculty member, his peers, teaching assistants and students. The case is also a reflective piece on the evaluation of teaching quality. Benefits and obstacles to using a standardized approach for evaluating an instructor teaching a required course for teacher certification are discussed, and important implications in the evaluation of both educational technology and college teaching are identified.
Key words
Faculty evaluation, Student ratings of teaching, Standardized evaluation, Teaching, Educational technology, People diversity.
Gintautė Žibėnienė
Mykolas Romeris University
Review of study programme renewal in Lithuania: planning students' independent work
Abstract
The article introduces external quality assessment results of first cycle and second cycle study programmes renewed under the Human Resources Development Action Programme 2007–2013 priority direction 2 “Lifelong Learning” (hereinafter the “Programme”) through the aspect of planning students’ independent work. Problems faced when renewing study programmes are related to the methods of independent work, the variety of tasks, compatibility with learning outcomes at course unit level, its content, volume in credits and assessment of students’ independent work.
Key words
Study programme, Study programme renewal, Assessment of student independent work planning, Expert, Interim assessment report.
Jovita Starkutė, Gintarė Valinevičienė
Šiauliai University, Kaunas University of Technology
Is student a university client or a member of the academic community?
Abstract
In the last few decades universities became service providers. In this case an open question is raised: what is the student role then? This article aims to enlighten the discourse of the student role. At first glance, a student is supposed to be just a passive service consumer – a client. Yet recent service management literature proposes that clients (students) have a very important role in creating the value of university service products. So the educational literature discourse reveals that a student may be a client or a member of the academic community. This article aims to reveal the discourse of student roles in the nowadays university and to highlight main aspects of student role transformation. To achieve this aim, scientific literature analysis has been performed. The first part of the article focuses on the student-client conception, revealing the dual nature of this role. Meanwhile the second part of this article analyses the role of student as a member of the academic community, emphasising relations between student approach to learning and his (her) involvement in the community. In the third part of this paper, main aspects of student role transformation are revealed.
Key words
Service university; University service; Academic community; Student; Studies.