Part D updates

Book | Quality Work in Higher Education: Organisational and Pedagogical Dimensions

The edited volume that summarises some of the key findings from the project was recently published with Springer.

About the book: This book focuses on quality work in higher education, and examines the relationship between the organizational and pedagogical dimensions of quality work in higher education. Bringing together different disciplinary traditions, including educational science, sociology, and organisational studies, it addresses the following principal research question: How is quality work carried out in higher education? The book addresses a wide variety of academic, administrative and leadership practices that are involved in quality work in higher education institutions. The chapters in this book examine core issues crucial in the design and content of study programs, such as modes of teaching, learning and curricula design, as well as institutional practices regarding assessment and quality enhancement. The introductory and concluding chapter present an overarching focus on quality work as a lens to analyse intentional activities within higher education institutions directed at how study programmes and courses are designed, governed, and operated.

The book contains following chapters:

  • Researching ‘Quality Work’ in Higher Education by Mari Elken and Bjørn Stensaker
  • Quality Systems in Higher Education Institutions: Enabling and Constraining Quality Work by Mari Elken, Nicoline Frølich, Peter Maassen and Bjørn Stensaker
  • The Relationship Between External Quality Assurance and the Work of Study Programme Leaders: A Comparative Study by Per Olaf Aamodt, Ebbe Krogh Graversen, Elisabeth Hovdhaugen, Evanthia Kalpazidou Schmidt, Peter Maassen, and Bjørn Stensaker
  • Technology as Quality Work? Educational Leaders and Teachers’ Use of Digital Technology by Trine Fossland and Cathrine E. Tømte
  • Layers of Consistency in Study Programme Planning and Realization by Tine S. Prøitz, Anne Line Wittek, and Thomas de Lange
  • Exploring Student Participation Challenges in Student-Centred Learning Environments by Monika Nerland
  • Making Group Learning Work. Processes and Pedagogical Designs in Higher Education by Crina Damşa and Anne Line Wittek
  • Plenary Teaching: Examining Opportunities for Student Involvement and Knowledge Exploration in Large Classroom-Settings by Thomas de Lange, Anne Line Wittek, and Trine Fossland
  • What Counts as Quality Feedback? Disciplinary Differences in Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Feedback by Rachelle Esterhazy, Trine Fossland, and Odd-Rune Stalheim
  • Quality Work: Reflections and Refinements by Mari Elken and Bjørn Stensaker

The book is edited by Mari Elken, Peter Maassen, Monika Nerland, Tine S. Prøitz and Agnete Vabø.

There will also be an event associated with the publication later this autumn.

Edited volume coming in summer 2020

Researchers on the project have for the last two years been working on an edited volume. The book has now a release date, and is scheduled to be out by 6th of June. About the book:

This book focuses on quality work in higher education, and examines the relationship between the organizational and pedagogical dimensions of quality work in higher education. Bringing together different disciplinary traditions, including educational science, sociology, and organisational studies, it addresses the following principal research question: How is quality work carried out in higher education?

The book addresses a wide variety of academic, administrative and leadership practices that are involved in quality work in higher education institutions. The chapters in this book examine core issues crucial in the design and content of study programs, such as modes of teaching, learning and curricula design, as well as institutional practices regarding assessment and quality enhancement. The introductory and concluding chapter present an overarching focus on quality work as a lens to analyse intentional activities within higher education institutions directed at how study programmes and courses are designed, governed, and operated.

The book consists of 10 chapters by researchers in this project, covering a wide set of themes and empirical settings.

Special issue about student-centered learning environments

  • Dr. Crina Damsa, UiO
  • Dr. Thomas de Lange, UiO

A new special issue has been published from the project at the UNIPED journal, with emphasis on student-centered learning environments.

The special issue was coordinated by guest editors by Crina Damsa and Thomas de Lange.

The articles include both English and Norwegian language articles, and all are available open access.

The special issue includes the following contributions:

  • “Studentsentrerte perspektiver og tiltak i høyere utdanning. Et forskningsbasert innspill til kvalitetsarbeid i praksis” by Crina Damsaand Thomas de Lange
  • “Student-centred learning environments in higher education. From conceptualization to design” by Crina Damsa and Thomas de Lange
  • “Skal vi la pasienten døy? Sjukepleiarstudentar sine erfaringar med å handtere utfordringar i simulering” by Odd Rune Stalheim and Yngve Nordkvelle
  • “Deltaker eller tilskuer? En casestudie om vilkår for deltakelse og samarbeidslæring i et nettbasert masterprogram i økonomi og ledelse (MBA)” by Trine Fossland and Cathrine Tømte
  • “Evolution of a portfolio-based design in ecology: a three-year design cycle” by Rachelle Esterhazy and Øyvind Fiksen
  • “How do self-regulation and self-efficacy beliefs associate with law students’ experiences of teaching and learning?” by Heidi Hyytinen, Anne Haarala-Muhonen and Milla Räisänen
  • “Studieprogramledelse – et spørsmål om organisering?” by Bjørn Stensaker, Mari Elken and Peter Maassen
  • “The role of research-based evidence in cultivating quality of teaching and learning in higher education” by Sari Lindblom-Ylänne
  • “Kvalitetsarbeid i studieprogrammene: fagene som kontekst for studentaktivisering og kunnskapsintegrasjon” by Monika Nerland

You can find all the articles here

New report about educational leadership in Denmark

The Danish team from CFA has conducted a survey among study programme leaders in Denmark. The survey mirrors the Norwegian survey that was conducted earlier in 2016. In particular, focus is on how study programme leaders engage in quality work.

Associate Professor Ebbe Krogh Graversen, CFA (Picture: CFA) from the Danish team comments:

Associate Professor Ebbe Krogh Graversen, CFA (Picture: CFA)Although the Nordic Higher Education system seems similar by many, it was surprising to find so many patterns of similarities between the Danish survey results and the comparable Norwegian survey. Furthermore, the detected differences seem to be explainable by differences in recent priorities, developments and reforms within Higher Education.

The Danish and Norwegian teams are currently working in further exploring the similarities and differences between the two surveys and some possible explanations for such patterns.

You can download the Danish survey here (pdf, in Danish).

View also the earlier published Norwegian survey results here (pdf, in Norwegian).

More detailed comparative analysis will be conducted in the coming months.