Franco Praussello- University of Genoa- Italy FASQUAD (22th -26th April 2009) – University of Ekaterinburg Quality Assurance within the Institutional Management

 UNESCO definition of Quality Assurance:  “An all-embracing term referring to an ongoing, continuous process of evaluating (assessing, monitoring, guaranteeing, maintaining, and improving) the quality of a higher education system, institutions, or programmes”.

 Vlãsceanu et al., 2004:  QA scope concerns not only accountability and improvement of University performance, but also  providing information and judgments (not ranking) through an agreed upon and consistent process and well-established criteria,  taking into account the presence of both internal and external quality assurance checking mechanisms

 Focus on a better definition of: ◦ Quality ◦ Institutional management

 Mission and Institutional Project  Strategic Planning  Governance and Leadership  Resources

 Pertinence and clearness of the project  Mechanisms for sharing, communicating and updating the project  Commitment by the University community  Timely changes in Mission

A. Planning ◦ Institutional and participating process ◦ Methodology: devising, implementing, following up and assessment ◦ Ability to adjust and flexibility ◦ Commitment by the Central Management B. Qualitative and quantitative goals ◦ Goals defined in a consensual way ◦ Setting up of success indexes ◦ Link with available resources

C. Commitment ◦ Visibility ◦ Time sheet ◦ Optimization, effectiveness ◦ Linked to priorities ◦ Mechanisms for resources use

A. Decision making procedures ◦ Linked to the planning ◦ Coherence between intentions and goals ◦ Using effectively information ◦ Ability to set up institutional studies within a given background B. Leadership ◦ Legitimacy, orientation and shared governance ability Organization climate / culture. C. Organization structure ◦ Flexibility and adaptation skills ◦ Ability to face strategic challenges

A. Economic and human resources B. Technological Infrastructures C. Physical Infrastructures ◦ Optimization, effectiveness, ◦ linked to priorities

 Thank you for your attention