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Instance Nationale dvaluation du systme dducation et de Formation
Colloque International : Lvaluation de la qualit et de lquit des systmes dducation et deformation : quels enjeux pour la recherche et laction ?
Les 20 et 21 Avril 2010Au Centre National de Formation et des Confrences
_____________________________________Hay Nahda - Rabat___________________________
Quality Assurance of education atQuality Assurance of education atQuality Assurance of education atQuality Assurance of education at POLITO: why, for whom, howPOLITO: why, for whom, howPOLITO: why, for whom, howPOLITO: why, for whom, how
Muzio M. Gola, vice-rector for Quality Accreditation and Evaluation, Politecnico di Torino_________
ABSTRACT
At first, the guiding ideas and principles are declared: how Quality Assurance was meant to serve the
interests of society concretely by protecting the interests of students, who invest in higher education
the most precious resource their time, and those of labour and profession market where knowledge
finds its application. Certain design features are included in order to make the operations of QA more
efficient, effective and sustainable. Then boundary conditions are examined, mainly those coming from
trends in Europe, in particular those set by ENQA in 2005, and those stemming from Italian traditions,
practices and ministerial regulations. The practical implementation of such Framework in a limited time
(less than two years) has required a strategy to not only develop the tool, but which is more
important to obtain the contribution of the many who were gradually involved. This includes both
professors i.e. those in charge of Programme design and in charge of their own course and staff, in
charge of providing all the necessary administrative supports, student services, monitoring data. The
resulting deliverable consists in a Quality Assurance Framework, a on-line tool which is
comprehensive i.e. integrates all requirements for Quality Assurance while keeping sustainable andmaking use of a modern communication approach. Finally, it is necessary to examine what to do next,
in order to progress from the QA Framework into an effectively working QA System which can give
access to the external certifications and accreditations._________
1111 ---- The ideas, the principles, the featuresThe ideas, the principles, the featuresThe ideas, the principles, the featuresThe ideas, the principles, the features
TheQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORKAMEWORKAMEWORKAMEWORKdeveloped at Politecnico di Torino (POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO) is a tool for Quality
Assurance of Programmes in Higher Education Institutions. It was developed around four core
principles 1) due consideration of external educational demands, 2) appropriate response to the
educational demands, 3) learning environment appropriate to the envisaged Learning Outcomes, 4)
proven capability of meeting the expected Learning Outcomes. The tool satisfies multiple
requirements, it marshals the essential information that provides the basis for regarding a Programme
as assessable for accreditation purposes, it makes the best use of ICT and requires a sustainable
workload on the part of faculty and staff.
TheQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORKAMEWORKAMEWORKAMEWORKdeveloped at Politecnico di Torino (POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO) is a tool
for internal Quality Assurance (according to the term employed in ENQA S&Gs [1],
or, tout court, Quality Assurance - QA) of Programmes in Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs). QA should always be installed well before any move towardsexternal accreditation or certification.
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The tool was conceived and designed aiming at a full compatibility with ENQA
S&Gs [1] requirements and, in general, the European trends toward QA for
enhancement of Programmes.
One of the reference best practice in Europe is certainly supplied by the Dutch
NVAO, whose new developments for the accreditation of Programmes (however, in
line with NVAO criteria already applied in the Accreditation Framework started in
2003 [2]) focus on six main questions:
1. What is the inteinteinteintention of the Programmention of the Programmention of the Programmention of the Programme?
2. With what curriculumcurriculumcurriculumcurriculum?
3. With what staff?
4. With what facilities?
5. How does the programme intend to guarantee quality?
6. Are the objectives being achieved?
The intention of the Programmeintention of the Programmeintention of the Programmeintention of the Programme and curriculumcurriculumcurriculumcurriculum are explored by NVAO along the
following lines, which I consider to be the core:
Level and orientation are in line with the current requirementscurrent requirementscurrent requirementscurrent requirements set by theset by theset by theset by the
occupational fieldoccupational fieldoccupational fieldoccupational field and the discipline from an international perspective in terms of
the programme content
The curriculum has demonstdemonstdemonstdemonstrable links with current developments in therable links with current developments in therable links with current developments in therable links with current developments in the
occupational field and the disciplineoccupational field and the disciplineoccupational field and the disciplineoccupational field and the discipline
The learning outcomes are adequately translated into the learning objectiveslearning outcomes are adequately translated into the learning objectiveslearning outcomes are adequately translated into the learning objectiveslearning outcomes are adequately translated into the learning objectives of
the curriculum. Students follow a course programme that is cohesive in terms of
content.
Interim and final examsexamsexamsexams, final projects and the way in which graduates function
in practice or in subsequent education demonstrate what level has been realiseddemonstrate what level has been realiseddemonstrate what level has been realiseddemonstrate what level has been realised.
Exams and assessments are valid, reliable and clear to the students
The POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK was therefore designed to satisfy four core principlescore principlescore principlescore principles:
due consideration of external educational demands: the Programme must be
clearly designed around functions to be covered by the degree holder in aworking context and around the related competencies (stressed by Tables A2,
A3, as discussed later)
appropriate response to the educational demands (in old language, educational
offer): the Programme must be clearly deployed with appropriate Learning
Outcomes, which are in agreement (content, amount, level) with the target
functions / competencies (stressed by Table B2, as discussed later)
learning environment appropriate to the envisaged Learning Outcomes: the
Programme must expose the students to an appropriate learning environment,
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with appropriate and state of the art equipment (& laboratories, rooms, but also
teachers, methods )
proven capability of meeting the expected Learning Outcomes: the Programme
appropriately certifies that Learning Outcomes have been reached by the
students, which implies that the exams must be documented to have a proven
public certifying value (a caveat: this requirement is met substantially in the
majority of cases, but meeting formally with adequate documentation is a
challenge that will require further work in the future).
The POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is built around the core principles while, at the same
time, possessing certain design featuresdesign featuresdesign featuresdesign features which comply with the concrete university
context, integrate multiple requirements, innovate the operations of QA through a
clever use of ICT :
be a design tool posing the right questions to be answered when a Programme is
designed
be a communication protocol, which should allow efficient exposure of the
Requirements around which the Programme is designed and of the means
through which it is delivered
be at the same time a checklist for programme evaluation, a guideline for the
implementation of internal QA, a tool for any internal review (audit)
include all monitoring data of a statistical nature which allow to keep under
control student intake, progression, exit and follow-up; most of them alreadyrequired at
link QA with the institutional strategies
integrate in QA the already existing modes of operation (from Faculty level to
student services) and help re-shape these modes, when necessary, according to
the requirements of QA
be structured in a modular manner, making it possible to be effectively used in a
web medium, therefore allowing access by the public at large (clear student and
family information) while providing hypertext links to supporting documents,making it a real instrument for transparency and control on the specialists side
use a format of the Tables that facilitates comparability between Programmes
and is effective in allowing an appropriate evaluation of the Programme by third
parties or in supplying stakeholders with specific information
be integrated with an annual REVIEW REPORTREVIEW REPORTREVIEW REPORTREVIEW REPORT; the regular collection of annual QQQQ....AAAA....
FRAMEWORKSFRAMEWORKSFRAMEWORKSFRAMEWORKS and related REVIEW REPORTSREVIEW REPORTSREVIEW REPORTSREVIEW REPORTS suppresses the need of the self evaluation
report i.e., allows Programme monitoring and maintenance on an ongoing basis
rather than as a periodic or as a on-demand reporting activity
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In short, marshal, the essential information that provides the basis for regarding a
Programme as assessable for accreditation purposes. But, at the same time, duly
consider that Quality Assurance, external evaluation and accreditation are time
consuming processes, and may easily generate fatigue and rejection. Therefore all
efforts were made to capture the critical information which is required by
stakeholders such as employers, the labour market, students, educational policy
makers, educational establishments but, at the same time, collect only those details
which are strictly essential to the core principles (sustainable workload for faculty
and staff).
2222 ---- The boundary conditionsThe boundary conditionsThe boundary conditionsThe boundary conditions
Design of thePOLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKhad to comply with boundary conditions set by requirements of the
Ministry of Education and by the National University Committee. It however turned out that such
regulations could be easily incorporated in the framework and organised logically: hence, they turned
out to be an opportunity rather than a constraint. The increasing presence of QA in the European scene
and the expected approval of the new Italian agency ANVUR finally suggested that implantation of a QA
system was opportune as a preliminary step toward prospective national and international
accreditations.
In Italy, the national university system has been reformed in 1999 to be compliant
with the Bologna process. A further reform was issued in 2004, and the last one is
currently on the way, setting new modifications of the academic regulations with
some impact on Programme organization. Each university has to re-organize its
academic offer according to the new rules defined by the shortly called Ministerial
Decree 270 [3].
The implementation of this Decree was accompanied through 2008 by a complex
set of measures aimed at reducing the number of Programmes on offer in the Italian
University system - effectively overgrown during the last decade and at forcing
individual universities to obey stricter requirements in four areas [4]:
a) the transparency requirementstransparency requirementstransparency requirementstransparency requirements i.e. rules for correct and complete
communication of features of Programmes to students and all interested
parties later specified [5]b) the requirements for quality assurancerequirements for quality assurancerequirements for quality assurancerequirements for quality assurance of educational processes
c) the requirements for faculty qualifications and for infrastructural facilitiesrequirements for faculty qualifications and for infrastructural facilitiesrequirements for faculty qualifications and for infrastructural facilitiesrequirements for faculty qualifications and for infrastructural facilities,
which must be available to the Programme, in relation to the scientific /
learning areas involved
d) the dimensional requirementsdimensional requirementsdimensional requirementsdimensional requirements, i.e. the maximum and minimum number of
students that each Programme can effectively sustain.
At the same time, the Ministry of University and Scientific Research (MIUR) issued a
new online form named RADRADRADRAD which each Programme should fill and submit, at
national level, to the approval of CUN (National University Committee; an elective
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regulatory body reporting to the Ministry) and, locally, to the University Evaluation
Board. CUN issued in 2007 Guidelines for the application and evaluation of the
ministerial requirements.
It was apparent that this RADRADRADRAD form, although not yet fully in line with the complete
set of Quality Assurance and ENQA requirements, was fairly well in that line by
incorporating several of the necessary features. All Programmes of Italian
Universities were to adapt to the new ministerial requirements at the latest by the
Academic Year 2010/11.
The design of the POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK took into account all this. However, they
were considered opportunities more than constraints. Requirements by MIUR and
Guidelines by CUN would give strength to a QA design that took into account all
factors while organising them in a rational and comprehensive scheme.
At Politecnico di Torino, this was considered an opportunity to reorganize curricula
following internal QAQAQAQA principles before starting work to fill the new forms. In fact it
was recognised that if Politecnico had in place a well organised and systematic
documentation of Programmes as dictated by QAQAQAQA requirements, this would
automatically allow fulfilment of new Ministerial rules while at the same time putting
Politecnico on the European scene.
The approval of the new Italian agency for the evaluation of the university system
(ANVUR - now established) was pending; there were also talks about gaining
partial accreditation from across-the-border agencies. Therefore the Rector and the
Senate considered that the establishment of a QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK could be a useful steptoward prospective national or international accreditations.
3333 ---- With the contribution of manyWith the contribution of manyWith the contribution of manyWith the contribution of many
Unlike previous sparse experiences in pilot evaluations or accreditations, in this case it was possible to
take QA to a system level, involving in a co-operative effort all Faculties and all interested offices,
each contributing according to its institutional role. In spite of the very short time available, it was
possible to successfully populate theQQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK forms for all 67 first and second cycle
Programmes. A winning factor was the idea to train all faculty involved in populating the forms by
providing through the concrete example of eight Programmes who started about a semester ahead,testing the system and evolving good practices. A second winning factor was the support timely
offered to all faculty involved by a technical support and advice group comprising faculty and staff
who had gained a better expertise during the pilot phase. A third winning factor was the choice of
providing one ICT on-line form both for theQQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK and for the ministerialRADRADRADRAD; this made clear
that the two operations were integrated, thus gaining the confidence and acceptance of faculty and
staff in the newly introducedQQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK. A fourth winning factor was the close co-operation of
faculty and staff. All this has proved crucial to the success of the operations. Facts show that now the
QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is considered matter of fact atPOLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO. Full completion is due by may 2010.
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The following schedule was adopted in preparation for the December 15 2009
deadline, when the 2010/11 RADRADRADRAD forms for all Programmes should be ready on the
Ministerial site:
March 2008: Senate decree towards Quality Assurance management of all
Programmes at POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO
June 2008: preparation of the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORFRAMEWORFRAMEWORFRAMEWORKKKK at the care of the Vice-Rector for
Quality Evaluation and Accreditation (this author)
September 2008: selection of the 7 representative test Programmes (nicknamed
hares) at the care of the five Deans, appointment of two reference faculty each
October 2008: start of periodic discussions and development meetings; gradual
implementation of the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK on a website purposely developed by
POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO staff,
At this stage the working group included, besides the appointed faculty, key actors
from the University administration and technical bodies, mainly IPSI (process and
information system integration) GESD (the student services management office) and
CPD (a peer faculty-student committee).
This allowed to coordinate all the necessary services around the common project
involving the whole institution; at the same time several problems were solved
concerning interfacing of data and information with the Ministerial forms. The final
outcome was a unique set of input windows where the appointed individuals were
to introduce the required piece of information; these were designed so that data and
descriptive texts would migrate (almost) automatically at the care of technical
services and edited in the necessary formats;
in this way, for instance, the rad forms were to become from the point of view of
faculty - an automatic by-product of the q.a. framework tables.
June 2009: end of the implementation of the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK tables for the 8 test
hare Programmes1, availability of format and contents on the POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO website
(now under password until full deployment); the 8 test Programmes are to be
used as exemplary case histories to illustrate a variety of possible
implementations of the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK
1 Aerospace Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Building Engineering, Business
Organization Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Industrial Design, Territorial Urban
Environmental and Landscape Planning
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July 2009: start of training all Programmes, meeting with Programme
representatives of the largest Faculty (1st Engineering Faculty)
September 2009 (start): programmed handover to all other POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO Programmes; a
permanent technical support and advice group is established as a service to all
Programmes
31 first cycle (bachelor) Programmes and 36 second cycle (master) Programmes
populate that part of the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK necessary to fill RADRADRADRAD ministerial on-line
forms by January 31st; the technical support and advice group revises
intermediate results and helps to fine-tune the RADRADRADRAD forms
full completion of the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is due by June 2010; at present the website
is restricted to password holders, after June 2010 it will be public
A so tight schedule was made possible by a number of factors:
1. the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEFRAMEFRAMEFRAMEWORKWORKWORKWORK comes from the gradual development of ideas first set in
Ministerial pilot document dating back to 2003/04 [6], later expanded and shared
by a working group of the CRUI (Standing Conference of Italian Rectors) in
2006/07 [7]
2. the expertise of the Vice-Rector for Quality ofPOLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO,,,,who is active in Italy and
abroad as expert in Quality Assurance of education and as evaluator, was readily
available; ideas pertaining to the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK presented in this paper were
tested first on seven bachelor engineering Programmes (3 in Italy, 1 in Austria,
Ireland, Romania, Turkey) in the frame of the 2005/07 Project TREE [8] and oneighteen in Europe and South America (3 in Chile Mexico and Brasil, 2 in
Argentina, 1 in Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Peru, Portugal, Spain) in the
frame of the 2007/09 ALFA-Mirror Project [9].
3. POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO has a long expertise in pilot projects on QAQAQAQA: participation to two CRUI
Standing Rectors Conference of Italy - national projects: Campus (1995-2000)
and CampusOne (2002-2004), and participation to Programme Accreditations by
the Regional Government (2004-2009); moreover the pilot document [6] had
already been tested in a small number but of otherwise significant universities
(Bologna, Ferrara, Roma la Sapienza, POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO) from 2005 on, totalling about 250
Programmes, providing useful experience.
4. all the necessary monitoring data were already available: for student input and
progression data at local and Ministry level, for the survey of student opinion at
local level, for the follow up of degree holder careers at local / national level
thanks to the fact that POLITO is a member of the ALMA LAUREA Consortium,
http://www.almalaurea.it/ (see the pilot application to some Universities of
Morocco, project GrInsa [10]); this was crucial, as it was sufficient to rearrange
existing tools and experience around the new task.
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4444 The structure of theThe structure of theThe structure of theThe structure of the POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRQUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORKAMEWORKAMEWORKAMEWORK
The general structure of the POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is illustrated, and some examples of Tables (each
corresponding to on-screen frame) are shown in detail.
In its final and present form, the POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ.
..
.AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is presented as a
communication prospectus which fairly describes an engineering or architectural
Programme to all those interested. However, it is easily applicable to any
Programme of any other Faculty. Fig. 1a and 1b show the front page on-line.
Further screen frames at present are available only in Italian, therefore this paper
will present tables not yet converted in screen format.
A design attribute for this QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is that the information must be easily
accessible, requiring no expert knowledge, and modular design. The information is
not presented in a sequential manner, rather information is contained in individual
blocks where stakeholders can obtain specific information; it is organised in Tables
each corresponding to a on-screen frame:
Area Table or on-screen frame Ref. ENQA [8] standards
Area A -Requirements andobjectives
A1 - Educational objectives of the ministerialClass (general objectives of this class ofProgrammes)
A2 - Consultation with the organizations ofentrepreneurial world, services,professions
A3 Target professional roles and
competencies (Programme specificeducational objectives)
1.2 Approval, monitoring &periodic review ofProgrammes andAwards
Area B Degree CourseProgramme
B1 - Entry qualifications
B2 - Expected learning outcomes
B3 Further details of educationalactivities
B4 - Academic calendar, classroomschedule and examination dates
1.2 Approval, monitoring &periodic review ofProgrammes andAwards
1.3 Assessment of students
Area C Human resources,Premises andEquipment
C1 - Teaching staff
C2 - Premises and equipment
C3 - Student services
C4 - Special initiatives
1.4 Quality assurance ofteaching staff
1.5 Learning resources &
student supportArea D Student CareerMonitoring
D1 - Student intake, progression and exitdata
D2 - Effectiveness of educational activitiesaccording to the students
D3 - Time to job and job satisfaction
1.6 Information systems
1.7 Public information
Area E -Organisation andManagement
E1 - Policy for Quality AssuranceE2 - Organizational structureE3 - Review
1.1 Policy & proceduresfor quality assurance
1.7 Public information
Structure of the POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO----QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK
Experience gained during implementation was essential to fine tuning the design tothe real needs of such a complex object as the university. Many important
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adjustments were incorporated in the QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK as a consequence of giving ear
to all contributions, coming faculty and technical staff. However, size limitation
compel this paper to dwell in detail just on Tables A2, A3, B2.
Experience proves that the most challenging part of the work for faculty regards
these Tables. This is where the internal academic practice (Learning Outcomes and
their assessment, Table B2) is matched with the final qualifications (roles /
competencies, Table A3) of the graduates as required by the professional field
(consulted as described in Table A2).
Table A2 shows the relationships between the university and the external
organizations interested into the results of the educational program. All types of
interaction must be described and properly documented: formal meetings with
official organizations, reports from internships, informal exchange of opinions, data
coming from common activities or projects. The information may include also
Studies and Reports from international or national bodies and professional
associations.
The screen format of Table A2 goes as in the example of Fig. 2.
Note that the last column documents on record shows hypertext links to all
documents proving the scope and extent of consultations.
Table A3 is meant to prove that Programme is clearly designed around external
Requirements (professional roles / functions) and related Competencies which are
in agreement with the needs of the employers and the labour market; moreover,
that such relations should be present already at the design phase, and not only (as
it often happens) at the moment of the Stage or of the final project.
The screen format of Table A3 goes as in the example of Fig. 3, truncated at two
roles (the standard is three to six roles):
Table B2 is meant to force the Programme to precisely define those Learning
Outcomes which on one side match the envisaged Roles / Competences, on the
other specify the type of knowledge and skills that will be fostered and assessed by
(appropriate) course-by-course examinations and final project.
The screen format of Table B2 goes as in the examples of Fig. 4a,b,c, truncated to
the one or two of the many Learning Areas/Subject Areas.
Learning Outcomes are described using the Dublin Descriptors, which divided in two
subsets, respectively:
hard skills (knowledge and understanding; applying knowledge and
understanding i.e. skills and know-how)
soft skills (making judgments; communications skills; learning skills).
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Hard skills Descriptors are used inside each Area of Learning, as in the Tables
shown, while soft skills Descriptors are considered transversal to the whole
Programme and described separately and once only for the whole Programme.
During the development work it was found that an introductory section was
absolutely fundamental as a guide to readers. Therefore, a Presentation Section
was introduced, in the form of a commented index with introductory information
which should be accessed before reading the detail Tables and attached
documentation. A truncated version of this Presentation is shown in Fig. 5.
5555 ---- What to do next, what to expectWhat to do next, what to expectWhat to do next, what to expectWhat to do next, what to expect
The implementation of aQQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK,,,, i.e., of documentation system in accord with the ideas, core
principles and design features discussed in section 1, does not mean by itself that QA will be
effectively working in the academic institution. Organisation and investments in human resources are
needed.The establishment of a Quality Assurance system is not the panacea to all evils. QA is not static, is a
mediation of potentially conflicting interests, it controls an unstable equilibrium and requires an
uncompromising ethos.
The implementation of aThe implementation of aThe implementation of aThe implementation of a QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK,,,,i.e., ofi.e., ofi.e., ofi.e., of documentation system in accorddocumentation system in accorddocumentation system in accorddocumentation system in accord
with the ideas, core principles and design features discussed in section 1, doeswith the ideas, core principles and design features discussed in section 1, doeswith the ideas, core principles and design features discussed in section 1, doeswith the ideas, core principles and design features discussed in section 1, does
not mean by itself that QA will be effectively working in the academic institution.not mean by itself that QA will be effectively working in the academic institution.not mean by itself that QA will be effectively working in the academic institution.not mean by itself that QA will be effectively working in the academic institution.
The QQQQ....AAAA.... FRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORKFRAMEWORK is just a tool which takes the form of a document composed of
on-screen frames containing text/data/graphics which, together with furtherdocuments retrievable by means of hypertext links, build up the evidence which is
necessary to help design and implement the Programme, give confidence that the
overall management is appropriate, support expert judgement in case of external
evaluations.
It is quite clear that such a documentation, and the effort spent behind, are a
powerful driver toward awareness of the advantages of QA. But in order to make the
tool work, an essential organisation is, anyway, necessary. It was already discussed
how the project was managed during the pilot phase which regarded the first
implementation of the framework. In regularly working conditions QA requires that
all those taking part (ranging from Faculty or School Deans, Heads of Departments,
lecturers, counsellors to secretaries, laboratory technicians, etc.)
have clear job descriptions, know their responsibilities, carry out their tasks
competently and on time
are properly trained or retrained
keep appropriate records
participate in the procedures for ensuring the all measures necessary for
achieving good quality are being carried out
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are aware of results and compare them with design expectations i.e. assess
Quality.
Universities, Deans and Heads of Departments should ensure that all these
procedures are taking place in their own place, and QA Manual should state the
institutional policy on all them.
All this requires some training of both staff and faculty. Moreover, QA is not for
free: it implies new functions, new professional figures that must support regular
operations of Programmes (data collection and elaboration, monitoring of
processes, programmed reviews,). A quality assurance manager to be
responsible for the organisation and the monitoring of a set of quality assurance
procedures.
The establishment of a QA system is not the panacea to all evils.The establishment of a QA system is not the panacea to all evils.The establishment of a QA system is not the panacea to all evils.The establishment of a QA system is not the panacea to all evils.
If the ethos is not correct, documents and procedures may reduce to pure
appearance, effective behaviours may not change.
It is pure illusion that a perfect organization system will guarantee to achieve the
rationality of the philosopher.
Quality has the purpose of making the requirements explicit and producing more
symmetry between the service provider and the user (stakeholder / student /
participant / customer ). Note that there are many customers or stakeholders
and there are many service providers with requirements that may be very differentor even conflicting.
To the personal vision of the author of this paper, the clarity introduced by QA
should help an HEI in being uncompromising and rigorous both in assessing student
competences before awarding a title and in evaluating its own performance. Only
weak institutions may have an interest in clumsy statements, vague promises,
doubtful assessments.
In conclusion, Quality procedures are there to help set a desirable model for the
educational system, to spot its weak points and to correct them. With a metaphor,QA in the real world is like riding a bicycle: you have to pedal all the time to keep in
equilibrium.
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ReferencesReferencesReferencesReferences
1. ENQA, Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European
Higher Education Area, Helsinki, 2005
2. NVAO, Accreditation Framework, The Netherlands ,14 February 2003,http://www.nvao.net/accreditation
3. MIUR - Italy, Decreto Ministeriale (ministerial decree) 22.10.2004 n.270
4. MIUR Italy, Decreto Ministeriale (ministerial decree) 31.10.2007 n. 544
5. MIUR Italy, Decreto Direttoriale (director decree) 10.06.2008 n. 61
6. MIUR-CNVSU, Modello informativo per laccreditamento dei Corsi di Studio,
Rapporto finale del gruppo di ricerca Valutazione della didattica e
accreditamento, RdR 1-04, febbraio 2004,
http://www.cnvsu.it/_library/downloadfile.asp?id=11141
english translation as Information Model for Degree Program
Accreditation at http://www.swas.polito.it/services/quafor/documentazione.asp
7. Fondazione CRUI, Requisiti per lAssicurazione della Qualit dei Corsi di
Studio universitari, Dec. 2006, in http://www.fondazionecrui.it/link/?ID=3708
8. TREE Teaching and Research in Engineering in Europe, SOCRATES ERASMUS
Thematic Network, Vol. Re-engineering engineering education in Europe,
Chapter 5, Special Interest Group A4 " Tools for Quality Assurance and
Assessment of EE ". (SIG Leader: Muzio M. Gola), Firenze University Press,
2007, in http://www.unifi.it/tree/
9. ALFA-Mirror Project , Development of a reference model for comparison and
recognition of engineering programmes (2007-2009)
http://columbus-
web.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=83&Itemid=139
http://www.fing.ucr.ac.cr/redmirror/index.shtml
10.GrInsA Tempus IV project Graduate's Insertion and Assessment as tools for
Moroccan Higher Education Governance and management (2010-2013)
http://www.grinsa.net/
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FiguresFiguresFiguresFigures
Fig. 1a On-screen appearance of the index page: case of Architecture Programme, English version.
Fig. 1b Detail of the index after expanding Area A
Buttons A1, A2, A3 open the corresponding
Table / frame
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Fig. 2 Table A2, sample from Electronic Engineering, POLITPOLITPOLITPOLITOOOO July 09
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(continues)
Fig. 3 Table A3, reduced sample from Electronic Engineering, POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO July 09
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LearningArea
Learning Outcomesfor Knowledge and Understanding
Level Modules
Semiconductor physics and technology Advanced
Analysis of circuits with MOS and BJT transistors Advanced
Technology and structure of semiconductor memories Intermediate
Difference between analog and digital circuit Advanced
Electronic devices and systems interface AdvancedOperational amplifiers and negative feedback Intermediate
basic HW/SW interconnection strategies Intermediate
Signal generators, oscillators Intermediate
Power supply systems and energy conversion Basic
use of the electronic instrumentation (both analog and digital) Intermediate
Design of measurement experiments Intermediate
Programmable measurement systems (IEEE-488 interface)and PC-based instrumentation
Basic
Non linear circuits Intermediate
Study of distributed parameter circuits Advanced
Maxwell equations: electromagnetic parameters of materials Basic
VHDL Language Intermediate
Commercial Standards for System Communication Buses Basic
ElectronicEngineering
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers, DSP Intermediate
Electronic Devices,
Electronic Circuits
Measurements
Applied Electronics
Digital ElectronicSystems
Radio-frequencytechniques
Internal organization of a computer Architecture (CPU,memory, Input/Output)
Advanced
C programming language Advanced
Classical computer algorithms Intermediate
ComputerEngineering
Abstract data types Intermediate
Computer Programming
Computer Architectureand algorithms
(continues)
LearningArea
Learning Outcomesfor applying Knowledge and Understanding
Level Modules
Basic elements for a correct approach to the experimentalactivities in an electronic laboratory
Intermediate
Design an electronic system Intermediate
Design of data acquisition systems Intermediate
Know how to use an oscilloscope and know how to usevoltmeters and signal generators
Advanced
Design an electronic system with operational amplifiers Intermediate
Use a software tool to develop printed boards Intermediate
Measurement of an antenna radiation pattern Intermediate
Measurement of scattering parameters of microstripcomponents by a network analyzer
Intermediate
Slotted line impedance measurement. Intermediate
Programmable systems and data acquisition boardsSoftware for managing instrumentation and DAQ boards
Intermediate
Design of electronic circuits with hardware descriptionlanguages
Intermediate
Design of in interconnections between electronic subsystems Intermediate
ElectronicEngineering
Design, simulation and FPGA implementation of simple digitalcircuits
Basic
Electronic Devices,
Electronic Circuits
Measurements
Applied Electronics
Digital ElectronicSystems
Radio-frequencytechniques
To be able to use a Personal Computer Advanced
Write a program in C language to solve scientific problems Advanced
Problem solving to real problem trough software programs Intermediate
ComputerEngineering
Develop a software program design Basic
Computer Programming
Computer Architectureand algorithms
(continues)
Fig. 4a Table B2, reduced sample from Electronic Engineering, POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO July 09; first (upper) and second
(lower) Dublin descriptor
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(continues)
Fig. 4b Table B2, reduced sample from Mech. Eng., Univ. Talca (Chile), June 09 [9]
(continues)
Fig. 4c Table B2, reduced sample from Mech. Eng., Univ. Campinas (Brasil), June 09 [9]
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Bachelor Programme ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING 2010/11 - Presentation
A1 - Educational objectives of the Ministerial Class
This Degree Course is in accordance with the Decree of the Classes of Degree Courses that, according to article 4 of theMinisterial Decree 22 October 2004, n. 270, defines Classes of Degree Courses and respective educational objectives.The Electronic engineering degree programme is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in applied physics andmathematics together with the knowledge and skills in information and communication technologies engineering, and inparticular in the electronic field, that will prepare graduates for professional practice in designing and maintaining typical
electronic systems.This course has just one program of study that gives students knowledge of the main features of components, devices andsystems. Moreover it gives students the tools that enable them to: # Identify and formulate engineering problems by using up-to-date methods, techniques and tools;# Apply analysis and project methodologies to concrete situations;# Understand business environments and their economic, managing and organizing aspects;# Work in a group and be able to communicate with both written and oral skills, even in an international context;# Constant self-update by individual study, thanks to the basic scientific knowledge and to the methodologies acquired.During the 1st year basic topics, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science are studied. During the 2ndyear computer science, telecommunication, electronics and automation fields are studied in depth. During the 3rd year morespecific topics are studied.
see A1 - Educational objectives of the ministerial Class
A2 - Consultation with the organizations of entrepreneurial world, services, professions
The stakeholders who provide professional outlets for programme graduates chiefly consist of the major Information andCommunication Technologies (ICT) industries.The universitys representatives who interact with these stakeholders or who apply input from these interactions to educationalprograms are detailed in Table A2: Interactions with external stakeholders together with the documentary evidence for theirpast and current work.
see A2 - Consultation with the organizations of entrepreneurial world, services, professions
A3 - Educational objectives, target roles and competencies
Course content ensures a solid mathematical and methodological grounding, combined with an understanding of the classicconcepts in the information and communication technology fields (electronics, telecommunications, control, computer science).In the more innovative curriculum tracks, courses also focus on advanced concepts in design and measurements of electronicsystems.
Electronic engineering graduates deal with all facets of electronic systems design and development (both analog and digitalsystems). A graduate in electronic engineering can be employed both in companies that produce objects and electronic systems
(i.e. computers and mobile phones), and in companies that use electronics in their products: for example automation ofsystems, terrestrial and satellite telecommunication, automotive sector, etc.
see A3 - Educational objectives, target roles and competencies
B1 - Entry qualifications
For admission to the Electronic Engineering degree programme, students must take an entrance examination, which is designedto assist student orientation and is identical for all undergraduate degree courses offered by the School of Engineering. Theentrance examination is divided into sections with questions covering prospective students basic qualifications for the programthey wish to enter.
see B1 - Entry qualifications
B2 - Expected learning outcomes
The educational programme has just one program of study that gives students knowledge of the main features of components,devices and systems. The educational programme thus includes subjects common to both curriculum tracks and subjects
specific to each. The first year consists chiefly of subjects in basic science (mathematics, physics and chemistry), computerscience and English.
During the 2nd year computer science, telecommunication, electronics and automation fields are studied in depth. During the3rd year more specific topics are studied. Apart from training some lectures oriented towards employment will also be arranged.
see B2 - Expected learning outcomes
continues with B3, B4, and with C, D, E sections ; refer to Tab. 1 in the text
Fig. 5 Presentation Section, reduced sample from Electronic Engineering, POLITOPOLITOPOLITOPOLITO July 09