Quality assurance system at the University of Warsaw against the background of Polish rules Part of the presentation was prepared by the Rector’s Plenipotentiary Office for Quality of Education. All pictures in the presentation belong to Promotion Office at the UW

U NIVERSITY OF W ARSAW founded in 1816 The largest university in Poland Number of employees : of which academic staff: Number of professors : 853 of which full professors: 441 Number of students : of which full-time: Doctoral students:2 204

T HE UW M ISSION unity of teaching and research guarantee access to knowledge acquisition of skill formation of those elites who serve the imperio rationis rather than the ratione imperii. synthesis of universal and local values.

HEI S IN P OLAND 1,953,800 students: 1,333,000 (68,2%) at public HEI 620,800 (31,8%) at non-public HEIs 32,700 doctoral students 35 HEIs supervised by: the Minister of Health, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister of Maritime Economy

U NIVERSITY A UTONOMY AND A CADEMIC F REEDOM Autonomy in all areas of the activity of HEI: freedom of teaching, freedom of research, freedom of artistic creativity, freedom in self-government and self-regulation internal governance financial autonomy Freedom of: c onditions of admission, number of places available for students, study plans and curricula, verification of knowledge and skills of students;

M INISTRY SUPERVISORY ROLE permission for the establishment of new HEIs and new branches of existing HEIs Power to close HEI and dismiss a Rector Appoints members of the State Accreditation Committee Procedure for the establishment of interdisciplinary and degree programmes in macro-fields of study Procedure for the establishment of interdisciplinary and degree programmes in macro-fields of study Regulations for 118 study programmes: – titles – educational profiles of graduates (learning outcomes), – curriculum contents –about 30%, – duration of degree programmes – practical placements, – minimum staffing requirements – requirements for each form of study

Minister sets rules and requirements for new programmes and university senates decide on programmes. Number of academic staff holding an academic title or degree employed on a full-time basis included in a so- called „minimum staff resources”: first cycle : second cycle: one academic staff member may be counted up to two fields of study, but only in one field of a second-cycle programme or a long-cycle programme; Ratio of those staff members to students in a given field of study Requirements for degree programmes

O RGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF UWRector Vice-rectorVice-rectorVice-rectorVice-rectorDean Faculty Dean Faculty Dean Faculty Chancellor Centraladministration

A CADEMIC M ANAGEMENT WITHIN HEI S Collective bodies: – Senate is the main governing body in public HEI representatives from the internal groups (academic staff, non-academic staff, students, doctoral students) Faculties, inter-faculty and university-wide organizational units can be established or liquidated by the Senate – Faculty councils Single-person authorities: – Rector, central administration organizational unit can be established or liquidate by the rector – Deans, – Still primus inter pares decision-making model Central and faculty administration In private HEIs the governing bodies are determined by the institution’s statutes

D UTIES OF A R ECTOR TOWARDS THE M INISTER Forwarding resolutions of the relevant bodies concerning: – adoption of, or amendment to, the statutes – adoption of, or amendment to, the statutes; – establishment or abolition of a degree programme; – information on the staff resources; – establishment of an organisational unit in another location; – approval from the senate of the institution resulting in financial commitments of the institution exceeding certain value – approval from the senate of the institution resulting in financial commitments of the institution exceeding certain value.

R ESOURCES M ANAGEMENT R ESPONSIBILITIES Three main sources: State budget subsidies: teaching, research, students support State budget subsidies: teaching, research, students support student tuition fees student tuition fees external sources external sources A public higher education institution may charge fees for its educational services related to a.o: the teaching of part-time students and part-time doctoral students, the repetition of specific courses as part of full-time degree programmes and full-time doctoral programmes as a result of unsatisfactory learning achievements, the provision of programmes in a foreign language,

R ESOURCES M ANAGEMENT R ESPONSIBILITIES The senate of a public HEI: – adopt activity-and-finance plans; – approve financial reports; – lays down the rules for purchasing, selling and encumbering securities.

P OLAND ’ S Q UALITY A SSURANCE S YSTEMS State Accreditation Committee (2001) sets freely accreditation standards and criteria State accreditation of programmes: Mandatory and cyclical (6 yrs) Covers the whole higher education system (all public and non-public HEI) Free of charge Involved students Decisions (also negative) of the accreditation s are published First round accreditation: (2 th. cases since 2002)

The quality of education assurance and enhancement system is built with the observance of the autonomy and specific character of the units, on the basis of their positive experience in the quality of education assurance, in the conviction that high quality is strengthened by self – evaluation, dialogue, cooperation, support and popularization of the best and most effective solutions. The University of Warsaw Senate Resolution No.240 of 20 June 2007 Quality of education assurance at the University of Warsaw

Q UALITY A SSURANCE B ODIES The University Team for Quality of Education Assurance (UTQEA) The Faculty Team for Quality of Education Assurance (FTQEA) Teams for Quality of Education Assurance in other organizational units of UW Members of UTQAE (appointed by the Rector) Rector’s Plenipotentiary for Quality of Education 9 academic teachers 1 representative of PhD students 2 representatives of students

UTQEA ACTIONS specifying the aims and strategy of the assurance and enhancement of education quality procedure of quality assurance principles of assessing students (including PhD students) principles of the assurance of academic didactic staff quality principles of reviewing and improving the quality of didactic resources and measures of support for students principles of collecting, analysing and publication of the information regarding the quality of education

I NTERNAL E VALUATION OF Q UALITY The UTQEA prepares the forms for reports on self evaluation, gives the fixed term to do the self - assessments and the benchmarks of evaluation of quality The teaching units prepare the reports on self – evaluation The UTQEA prepares report on the education quality The report of UTQEA is presented to the Rector

F ACULTY T EAMS FOR Q UALITY OF E DUCATION A SSURANCE (FTQEA) acts on the level of teaching units. assurance and enhancement of quality of education advises the Dean recommends towards the course of action FTQEA includes: chairman, representative of the academic teachers representative of the PhD students representative of the students

S ELF – ASSESSMENTS IN THE TEACHING UNITS 1. The results of student surveys on: the organizational side of the classes the clarity of requirements and objectivity of assessment the manner of conducting the classes the attitude of academic teachers towards students and their availability during duty hours general evaluation of the classes Report on self – evaluation:

1. Strong and weak points of the teaching unit 2. Plans and schedule of actions on elimination of undesired phenomena and the eradication of shortcomings. 3. Plans concerning quality of education enhancement The report on self – evaluation is submitted to the UTQEA and published on the Internet Self – assessments in the teaching units Report on self – evaluation:

T HE O FFICE FOR Q UALITY OF E DUCATION OFFICE FOR QUALITYOF EDUCATION Section of Plenipotentiary for Quality of Education Section for Evaluation of Quality of Education The main task is to support and coordinate operation of the education assurance and enhancement system.

T HE S ECTION OF P LENIPOTENTIARY FOR Q UALITY OF E DUCATION The main task is to support action of conceptual and organisational character; coordination of ventures aiming at the assurance and enhancement of quality of studies The Section assists the Plenipotentiary in collecting and processing information concerning the implementation of the system as well as cooperation with the teaching units within the implementation of the system.

Cooperation: Office for the Implementation of Bologna Process Office of Student Affairs Recruitment Office University of Warsaw Office of Career Services International Relations Office Promotion Office The Section of Plenipotentiary for Quality of Education

T HE S ECTION OF E VALUATION OF Q UALITY OF E DUCATION Main tasks: Systematic research: Conditions of education Opinions on quality and conditions of education Recommend actions for the improvement of the quality of education.

Opinions on quality and conditions of education The basic conclusions concerning the quality of teaching basing on of the results of surveys among: academic community present students research and teaching staff administrative staff prospective students, graduates, employers, media. The Section of Evaluation of Quality of Education

M ISSION, PROGRAMME AND CURRICULUM Graduate profile and intended skills Generic vs subject specific competences Faculties roles State requirements Programmes and Curricula Faculties and Senate State requirements Sylabi Organisation of didactics Rector Deans

L EARNING PROCESS AND OUTCOMES Assessment process Grading: 7 level scale Grading: 7 level scale Progress reports Progress reports Diploma thesis and exam Diploma thesis and exam Methods of teaching and learning from teacher-centered to student-center from teacher-centered to student-center Plagiarism, cheating… Zero tolerance approach PLAGIAT software

ECTS European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System - s ince 1998 (mandatory from 2006) 1 ECTS = student workload of 25 – 30 h to acquire prescribed learning outcomes First-cycle studies – 180 – 240 ECTS Second- cycle studies – 90 – 120 ECTS Long-cycle studies – 270 – 360 ECTS ECTS credits – one of the attributes of each subject

S TUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN QA SYSTEMS & PROCESSES  formal student feedback at programme level  student representation on key institutional bodies (university senates, faculty councils etc.)  students participattion in state accreditation at the national level:  as experts;  by law the president of Polish Students’ Parliament is a member of Presidium of State Accreditation Committee  student involvement in validation and monitoring processes  analysis of data on student progression and achievement  tracking of student graduate careers – in some HEI’s

H UMAN R ESOURCES I SSUES : UW CASE Rector acts as employer Groups of academic teachers: „ independent ” - with academic title or degree of doctor habilitated, „ other ” Employment by appointment for an unspecified period of time - only for associate or full professor Rector on motion from Dean employs and fires an academic teacher multiple jobholding

C ONDITIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT AT UW Employment – through public contest Professor For the first time for 5 yrs, then tenure Significant achievements in research and teaching Positive opinion from 2 reviewers, faculty Council and UW Senate Adjunct specified period of time > 10 years + 2 years (conditionally) Assistant specified period of time > 8 years + 2 years (conditionally)

S TAFF APPRAISAL AT UW At least every 4 years Appraisal Committee for faculty and university, Appeal Committee Students’ opinion involved by questionnaires Affects the amount of salary, promotion and distinctions awarded Two subsequent negative appraisals – termination of the employment relationship Sharing good practice in teaching and learning Sharing good practice in teaching and learning

C RITERIA OF APPRAISAL Number and quality of academic publications, Quality of teaching work; Preparation of manuals and other teaching aids; Participation in academic conferences; Participation in proceedings for the grant of academic degrees and titles; Academic functions performed; Reviews given of academic papers Membership of editorial boards Popularizing activities; Academic awards and distinctions; Participation in promotion of new, innovative didactic forms; Fund-raising for research from external sources.

UW management - tools U NIVERSITY S YSTEM OF S TUDIES A DMINISTRATION (USOS)  Since 2002  „ORACLE” Database - designed and programmed by the UW  Comprises  personal data  matriculation details  Curricula, fields of studies, specializations, subjects  Recognition of studies with credits and grades  Financial support (grants, dorms)  Directory of certificates  Payments  On-line registration

I QAS: F ACULTY L EVEL (F ACULTY OF E CONOMIC S CIENCES ) Quality of Education Management Resolution of the Council of the Faculty of Economic Science of 13th Feb The Faculty Council appoints the Committee for current management of quality of education. Committee for Didactics is formed by the study directors and the vice-dean for students’ matters, who conducts the Committee. The Committee formulates the comprehensive framework of learning objectives for every field of studies. The Committee monitors over the realization of the adopted learning objectives by managing the quality of education system.

1. assessment of the study curriculum and its conformity to the graduate profile and exit qualifications (every 5 years) 2. analysis of the syllabi (every second year), 3. analysis of the students’ questioners and formulating conclusions for teachers and deans (every year), 4. evaluation of didactic performance of every teacher, lectures quality (periodical reviews, promotions), 5. analysis of the quality of diploma thesis (evaluation by external reviewers every three years), 6. assessment of the teaching infrastructure (library, IT, classes, study groups sizes), 7. evaluation of ECTS and international, domestic and intra-university education openness (every three years), 8. evaluation of education efficiency and drop-out rates (every three years), 9. comparison of curricula and quality of education at the Faculty of Economic Science and other, domestic and foreign departments of economic universities (every three years). IQAS: Faculty Level (Faculty of Economic Sciences)