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Quality assurance processes

Quality assurance at Arts takes place in three mutually supportive processes:

Ongoing quality assurance work

The ongoing, day-to-day quality assurance work carried out in the interaction between lecturers and students, as well as within academic and management forums.

Educational Quality Process

Holistic perspective

A holistic view of each programme in the form of an annual report on quality assurance activities and programme evaluations.

Consolidated cross-cutting processes.

Strategic focus

A cross-cutting process that links education-focused activities with the faculty/university level and supports the strategic focus.

At Arts, the quality assurance processes support and structure the day-to-day, ongoing quality assurance taking place in the academic environments. The high level of commitment from students and lecturers to the degree programmes ensures that problems encountered are continuously addressed and followed up on.

In connection with the annual status review, the quality processes help ensure that the academic environments take an overall look at the entire degree programme and determine actions to meet any challenges. The annual status review is based on existing management information to ensure a link with the ongoing quality assurance work and degree programme evaluations. The annual status review also follows up on development initiatives implemented since the last status review and/or degree programme evaluation.

The degree programme evaluations are conducted every five years and they support a subject-specific dialogue about development potentials with external experts and degree programme management. The students and the academic environment are the focal point in both quality assurance processes. Degree programme evaluations differ from annual status reviews, going into greater depth and involving more extensive data material to be discussed by a wider group of people, including external stakeholders.

As a follow-up on the annual status review meeting and the dialogue meeting of the degree programme evaluation, minutes are prepared as well as a degree programme action plan. The action plan forms the basis of the follow-up processes at degree programme level.

Based on the status review and evaluation meetings, a education report is prepared at faculty level and submitted to the faculty management team. The faculty management team discusses the status of the degree programme quality at the faculty, decides on an action plan for initiatives taken at faculty level and prepares a statement that is submitted to the degree programmes.

The education report forms the basis for the follow-up and subsequent discussions in the education committee, the senior management team and the board at AU.

This means that these quality assurance processes help ensure continuous improvements. The processes for annual status reviews and degree programme evaluation are described in more detail on the specific subpages.