Leaders and academics can improve the quality of higher education teaching, and thereby the quality of their graduates, by reflecting on institution-wide practices. This book explores the interplay between actors within institutions, organisational structure, commitment of senior leadership, involvement of faculty and students, and evaluation instruments.
Based on an OECD review of 46 quality teaching initiatives in 20 countries, the report highlights the significant impact of the institutions' environment, trends in the quality of academia, teaching methods and learning conditions. The sample represents 29 higher education institutions, from technological and vocational institutions to business and economic schools, from small undergraduate institutions to multidisciplinary postgraduate universities.
The book illustrates the following factors with examples from around the world:
The aims of institutions when fostering quality teaching, their options and the guiding philosophy behind a quality approach;
Concrete ways to apply quality teaching initiatives, challenges to implementing them, and key actors in their dissemination;
Evaluation systems and the impacts of institutional support on teaching, research and quality culture;
How institution-wide approaches can be combined to enhance quality teaching in a sustainable way.
The book also analyses the effects of quality teaching on institutional leaders, faculty members, quality units and students.
Acknowledgements Executive Summary Chapter 1. Institutions and Quality Teaching Initiatives under Focus -Overview of the institutions -Distinctive features -Typology of the group of institutions -Involvement in quality teaching -Typology of the quality teaching initiatives -Type of institution and influence on quality teaching initiatives -Targeted audiences Chapter 2. The Origins of Engagement in Quality Teaching -The influence of national authorities -Increasing awareness of the importance of quality teaching -Increasing student demand for quality teaching -Why do institutions engage in quality teaching?
Chapter 3. Implementing Quality Teaching Support -How do institutions support quality teaching?
-Making teaching explicit: A conceptual framework -How can quality teaching be widely accepted?
-Organisational structures supporting quality teaching -Departments: The proper level for action -New functions and clear roles for staff -Quality teaching at institutional level and synergy of policies -Which institutions are better able to disseminate quality teaching initiatives?
-How to disseminate quality teaching at institutional level?
Chapter 4. Monitoring and Measuring Quality Teaching -The evaluation of quality teaching: Accepted in principle, challenged in reality -Lack of reliable evaluation instruments -The right structures with the right evaluation staff -The impacts of quality teaching on teaching effectiveness -The impacts of quality teaching on research -The impacts of quality teaching on institutional quality culture Chapter 5. Conclusions and Implications for Institutions -Implications for institutional actors of an engagement in quality teaching Bibliography Annex A. Methodology