Language and Quality Assurance: A Case Study Highlighting the Effects of Power, Resistance, and Countertactics in Academic Program Reviews

Bowker, Lynne

doi:10.7202/1051018ar

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Faculty play an instrumental role in quality assurance, and they may have negative views of quality assurance when it is primarily associated with bureaucracy, workplace control, power imbalances, rigid standards and the notion of quality assurance as a superficial ritual centered on mere “checkbox-ticking” (Hoecht, 2006; Cartwright, 2007; Kleijnen et al , 2011; Cardoso et al , 2013; Bowker, 2016; Safadi and Vlachopoulos, 2021). In comparison, faculty hold more positive perceptions when they see quality assurance as a driver for improvement (Kleijnen et al , 2011) and when it emphasizes self-reflection, knowledge enhancement and improved of teaching and learning (Cardoso et al , 2013).…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Managing quality assurance at community colleges in Ontario, Canada: experiences and perspectives of front-line quality managers

Jarrell,

Kirby

2024

QAE

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Purpose This paper aims to examine the roles of quality managers at community colleges, their experiences balancing accountability and improvement and their insights into the future of quality assurance. Design/methodology/approach This phenomenological, qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with eight community college quality managers to investigate their roles, experiences and perspectives. A reflexive thematic approach was used to analyze the interview data. Findings Four themes were identified from participant responses: quality managers frame and enable program quality, quality managers drive program change, quality managers cultivate a culture of quality and quality managers seek system change. The findings illustrate the roles played by quality managers as they work to improve college education at program, institution and system-wide levels. Research limitations/implications The decision of participants to accept the recruitment invitation might reflect particular attitudes, perspectives or experiences. Practical implications Quality assurance has emerged as a key mechanism for ensuring postsecondary programs are current, relevant and meeting the evolving needs of students and employers. This study advances the understanding of how quality assurance processes play out at the operational level and explores the experiences of quality managers as they navigate various quality tensions. Originality/value Quality managers play key roles in leading, evaluating and influencing quality assurance processes in postsecondary education yet they are underrepresented in the literature. The findings of this study shed new light on the aspirational and influential roles they play in advancing quality assurance.

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Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Managing quality assurance at community colleges in Ontario, Canada: experiences and perspectives of front-line quality managers

Jarrell,

Kirby

2024

QAE

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“…Fannin and Sarah (2017) speak positively of the Wells and Wells (2011) model, noting it has ‘numerous measures, both quantitative and qualitative providing multiple perspectives to decision makers’. Some have noted that despite internal policies and procedures and external legislative requirements, many do not meet the organisational needs of the institutions, or they ostracise faculty members in the process (Anderson, 2006; Bowker, 2016; Cardoso et al, 2013, 2016; McGowan, 2019). Furthermore, while the considerations in most academic program reviews are important, they typically only include internal, academic program-centred analytics without reference to a comparison, either internally or external, or the wider environment in which the associated academic disciplines operate.…”

Section: Tool Number One: Academic Program Reviewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance through the lens of evaluation: How to stretch evaluative thinking with strategic decision-making tools

Harris

Alderman

2022

Evaluation Journal of Australasia

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Australian higher education continues to be plagued with decreases in funding and increases in regulation. This is leading to a reality within many universities where quality alone is not enough to consider academic programs viable and sustainable. Today, universities compete fiercely for students, as increasing or retaining market share is required to remain financially sound. Universities usually make these difficult decisions through an analysis of internal student data as a metric of performance. Factors such as declining student enrolments, high attrition rates, low progression rates and poor student feedback would typically strike university executives as alarming; however, this is often not the full picture. This process can often become political and not grounded in evidence-based informed decision-making, as strategic decision-making to reduce academic programs may have direct impact on academic employment. Moreover, these analyses often lack independent evaluation and consideration of the broader environment. This can lead to tensions between faculty and university administration, which may lead to political outcomes guided by passionate academic debate rather than strategic evidence-based decision-making. This theoretical article outlines how an internal evaluation team can contribute to this exercise to stretch evaluative thinking by applying a range of strategic decision-making tools to evaluate academic program performance.

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“…Learning is a social process; however, some authors (Bowker, 2016; Turner, 2016) suggest that program reviews may not be meeting institutional needs because of processes that are perceived to be authoritarian and non-collegial. In a study of sociology faculty across North American higher education institutions, Scheuer Senter et al (2020) identified that approximately one-third of program review self-study reports are written by a single individual.…”

Section: Learning Community Model For Academic Program Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…What follows is a discussion regarding the six nested layers that form the PRLC, including the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved at each layer and an explanation of the relationship between layers of the model. Program review team Learning is a social process; however, some authors (Bowker, 2016;Turner, 2016) suggest that program reviews may not be meeting institutional needs because of processes that are perceived to be authoritarian and non-collegial. In a study of sociology faculty across North American higher education institutions, Scheuer Senter et al (2020) identified that approximately one-third of program review self-study reports are written by a single individual.…”

Section: Academic Program Review Learning Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forming an academic program review learning community: description of a conceptual model

Hoare

Hondzel²,

Wagner³

2022

QAE

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Purpose Higher education institutions are required to evaluate program quality through cyclical program review processes. Despite often being considered the “gold standard” of academic review, there persists dissatisfaction with the lack of integration of program review findings into other planning processes, such as budgeting, assessment and strategic planning. As a result, the notion of program review action plans “collecting dust on the shelf” is so ubiquitous that the concept is normalized as an expected outcome. The purpose of this paper is to describe a conceptual model whereby teams of faculty members receive education and training from quality assurance practitioners and educational developers, access to institutional resources, opportunities for cross-departmental collaborations and collective advocacy to increase the capacity of faculty members to implement improvement goals resulting from program reviews. Design/methodology/approach The authors theorize that a professional learning community is a meaningful approach to program review and present a conceptual model – the Academic Program Review Learning Community (PRLC) – as an antidote to hierarchical, fragmented, compliance-oriented processes. The authors suggest that the PRLC offers a reliable institutional framework for learning through formalized structures and nested support services, including peer learning and external coaching, which can enhance the catalytic capacity of reviews. Findings The authors argue that postsecondary institutions should create formal structures for incorporating learning communities because, without a reliable infrastructure for collective learning, decision-making may be fragmented oridiosyncratic because of shifting demands, priorities or disconnected faculty. Originality/value A learning community model for program review fits well with a new way to think about program review because faculty are most engaged when they feel ownership over the process. Furthermore, few models exist for conducting program review; as a result, chairs and academics often struggle to conduct reviews without a coherent framework to draw upon.

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Language and Quality Assurance: A Case Study Highlighting the Effects of Power, Resistance, and Countertactics in Academic Program Reviews

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

Managing quality assurance at community colleges in Ontario, Canada: experiences and perspectives of front-line quality managers

Managing quality assurance at community colleges in Ontario, Canada: experiences and perspectives of front-line quality managers

Performance through the lens of evaluation: How to stretch evaluative thinking with strategic decision-making tools

Forming an academic program review learning community: description of a conceptual model

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