our thesis tensions are inevitable between qa and qe – in particular within international...

Our Thesis

• Tensions are inevitable between QA and QE – in particular within international partnerships

• Healthy relationships enable necessary systems to function effectively

• Without nurturing strong relationships, systems will eventually malfunction

• A QE led approach enables effective QA• QE is central to building effective transnational

partnerships

Reflection on our own experience of collaborating in transnational partnerships

• We needed to understand (theorise) the nature of organisational collaboration

• In order to promote educational development we needed to consider the wider relationship

• in order to understand their own role in the partnership, we felt all all involved participants needed to be aware of the big picture

• The process of collaboration exposed a need to improve collaboration within and across our own institution, with departments and staff and facilitative groupings (the centre)

• Necessity to embed capacity building and sustainable structures – difficulties in grafting these on to pre-existing structures - potential advantage where no structures pre-existed.

Making sense of Partnerships

• Family relationship? (Kanter: – courtship, engagement, housekeeping, bridging and old marrieds’ )

• Master/Apprentice?• Mentor/mentee?• Partnership of equals? • Neo-colonialism? • Market oriented?

Building Collaborative Advantage (Huxham, C and Vangen, S (2005) 'Managing to Collaborate: the theory and practice of collaborative advantage', Routledge.)

Distinguished 3 sorts of aims:

• Collaboration AimPublicly stated, agreed by both (all) sides

• Organisation AimFrequently not publicly stated; what the partner wants to get out of the partnership rather than a common aim

• Individual AimWhat the individuals involved in a variety of ways want to get out of the partnership

Collaborative AimsDifferent spheres of collaboration:

• CollaborationEg, develop a joint degree scheme to be offered in the home country of one of the partners, based on that of the other partner?

• Organisationfoothold in the market, revenue, enhanced status in another part of the world, degree awarding powers, entry into HE, social/regional status, innovations in TLA, enhancement of practice?

• Individual ?New, different experiences? possible career enhancement? Individual collaboration?

How these are managed will help to shape the success or otherwise of the partnership. (Collaborative Advantage V Collaborative Inertia)

Dependencies/critical factors for collaborative advantage

• Nurturing collaborative relationships (direct and personal)• Exploring values, personal, social, academic (not commercial)• Attention to the dynamics of collaboration• Trust• Empowerment• Value iterations• Longevity• Commitment and belief • Trust building activities• Choice and control

QA led - procedures

QA, necessary – BUT - if dominant, potential threat to the health of the relationship, if:

• mechanistic • Judgemental• Bureaucratic• Over-emphasis on quantitative measurability• Power inequality• Hard and fast results

Potential for ‘collaborative inertia’

Support and guidance

Teaching and learning approaches

Syllabus

Aims and Intended Learning outcomes

Independent learning/ study time

Assessment strategy

Learning resources

Quality assurance:

• Monitoring

• Compliance

• accountability

Quality assurance:

• Monitoring

• Compliance

• accountability

Periodic Quality ReviewPeriodic Quality Review

New Scheme/Module Approvals


Annual Teaching ReviewAnnual Teaching Review



Syllabus



Assessment strategy

Learning resources

Quality enhancement:

• Evaluation

• development

• innovation


• Evaluation

• development

• innovation

Professional developmentProfessional development

Own evaluation and reflection

Peer Review and Observation Scholarship

Curriculum design, evaluation and development:

• Alignment

• Progression

• Coherence


• Alignment

• Progression

• Coherence

Constructing and using feedback from students

QE led - processes

• Potential opportunity to build collegial relationships• Mutually supportive• More effective development – constructivist ethos• Flexibility and adaptable • Responsive to change and to context• Softer and slower

Potential for ‘collaborative advantage’


• Evaluation

• development

• innovation


• Evaluation

• development

• innovation

Quality assurance:

• Monitoring

• Compliance

• accountability

Quality assurance:

• Monitoring

• Compliance

• accountability

Professional developmentProfessional development

Own evaluation and reflection

Peer Review and Observation


Scholarship


• Alignment

• Progression

• Coherence


• Alignment

• Progression

• Coherence



Constructing and using feedback from students




Syllabus



Assessment strategy

Learning resources

Quality assurance:

• Monitoring

• Compliance

• accountability

Quality assurance:

• Monitoring

• Compliance

• accountability







Syllabus



Assessment strategy

Learning resources

Educational development

• Has a central role to play in leading the QE agenda, but also:

• In building collegial relationships• In making connections between different

agents in both partner institutions• In creating cohesion between QA and QE• QA - Quality Administration?, QE – Quality

Education?

Educational Development for collaborative advantage

• Work with colleagues to strengthen individual aims

• Work with the organisation to facilitate the melding of individual aims with organisational aims

• Work with both partners to incorporate successfully the individual and organisational aims into the Collaboration aims.

our thesis tensions are inevitable between qa and qe – in particular within international...

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