Quality assurance system at the University of Warsaw
against the
background of Polish rules
Part of the presentation was prepared by the Rector’s Plenipotentiary Office for
Quality of Education. All pictures in the presentation belong to Promotion Office at the UW
UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW

founded in 1816

The largest university in Poland

Number of employees:


Number of professors:


of which full professors:
Number of students:


of which academic staff:
of which full-time:
Doctoral students:
5 827
3 015
853
441
63 206
30 755
2 204
THE UW MISSION
•
unity of teaching and research
•
guarantee access to knowledge
•
acquisition of skill
•
•
formation of those elites who serve the
imperio rationis rather than the ratione
imperii.
synthesis of universal and local values.
HEIS IN POLAND
University-type
Non-university-type
Total
Public
97
33
130
Non-public
11
304
315
Total
108
337
445
35 HEIs supervised by: the Minister of Health, the Minister of
Culture and National Heritage, the Minister of National
Defence, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister of
Maritime Economy
1,953,800 students:
• 1,333,000 (68,2%) at public HEI
• 620,800 (31,8%) at non-public HEIs
•32,700 doctoral students
UNIVERSITY AUTONOMY AND
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
Autonomy in all areas of the activity of HEI:

freedom of teaching,

freedom of research,

freedom of artistic creativity,


freedom in self-government and self-regulation internal
governance
financial autonomy
Freedom of:

conditions of admission,

number of places available for students,

study plans and curricula,

verification of knowledge and skills of students;
MINISTRY SUPERVISORY ROLE
•
•
•
•
•
permission for the establishment of new HEIs and new
branches of existing HEIs
Power to close HEI and dismiss a Rector
Appoints members of the State Accreditation Committee
Procedure for the establishment of interdisciplinary and
degree programmes in macro-fields of study
Regulations for 118 study programmes:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
titles
educational profiles of graduates (learning outcomes),
curriculum contents –about 30%,
duration of degree programmes
practical placements,
minimum staffing requirements
requirements for each form of study
Requirements for degree programmes
Minister
sets rules and requirements for new
programmes and university senates decide on
programmes.
Number
of academic staff holding an academic title or
degree employed on a full-time basis included in a socalled „minimum staff resources”:

first cycle : 3 + 6

second cycle: 6 + 6
one academic staff member may be counted up to two fields of
study, but only in one field of a second-cycle programme or a
long-cycle programme;

Ratio
of those staff members to students in a given
field of study
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF UW
Rector
Vice-rector Vice-rector
Vice-rector
Vice-rector
Chancellor
Dean
Dean
Dean
Central
administration
Faculty
Faculty
Faculty
ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT WITHIN HEIS
•
Collective bodies:
–
Senate is the main governing body in public HEI
•
•
–
•
Faculty councils
Single-person authorities:
–
Rector,
•
–
–
•
•
representatives from the internal groups (academic staff,
non-academic staff, students, doctoral students)
Faculties, inter-faculty and university-wide organizational
units can be established or liquidated by the Senate
central administration organizational unit can be established
or liquidate by the rector
Deans,
Still primus inter pares decision-making model
Central and faculty administration
In private HEIs the governing bodies are
determined by the institution’s statutes
DUTIES OF A RECTOR TOWARDS THE
MINISTER
Forwarding
concerning:
resolutions
of
the
relevant
bodies
–
adoption of, or amendment to, the statutes;
–
establishment or abolition of a degree programme;
–
information on the staff resources;
–
establishment of an organisational unit in another location;
–
approval from the senate of the institution resulting in
financial commitments of the institution exceeding certain
value.
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
Three main sources:


State budget subsidies: teaching, research, students
support
student tuition fees

external sources

A public higher education institution may charge
fees for its educational services related to a.o:




the teaching of part-time students and part-time doctoral
students,
the repetition of specific courses as part of full-time
degree programmes and full-time doctoral programmes
as a result of unsatisfactory learning achievements,
the provision of programmes in a foreign language,
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
The senate of a public HEI:
– adopt
activity-and-finance plans;
– approve
– lays
financial reports;
down the rules for purchasing, selling and
encumbering securities.
POLAND’S QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS
State Accreditation Committee (2001) sets freely
accreditation standards and criteria


State accreditation of programmes:


Mandatory and cyclical (6 yrs)
Covers the whole higher education system (all public and
non-public HEI)

Free of charge

Involved students


Decisions (also negative) of the accreditations are
published
First round accreditation: 2001-2007 (2 th. cases since
2002)
Quality of education assurance at the
University of Warsaw
The quality of education
assurance
and
enhancement
system
is
built
with
the
observance of the autonomy
and specific character of the
units, on the basis of their
positive experience in the
quality of education assurance, in
the conviction that high quality is
strengthened
by
self
–
evaluation,
dialogue,
cooperation,
support
and
popularization of the best and
most effective solutions.
The University of Warsaw Senate
Resolution No.240 of 20 June
2007
QUALITY ASSURANCE BODIES

The University Team
Assurance (UTQEA)
for
Quality
of

The Faculty Team for Quality of Education Assurance
(FTQEA)

Teams for Quality of Education Assurance in other
organizational units of UW

Members of UTQAE (appointed by the Rector)

Rector’s Plenipotentiary for Quality of Education

9 academic teachers

1 representative of PhD students

2 representatives of students
Education
UTQEA ACTIONS

specifying the aims and strategy of the assurance and
enhancement of education quality

procedure of quality assurance

principles of assessing students (including PhD students)



principles of the assurance of academic didactic staff
quality
principles of reviewing and improving the quality of
didactic resources and measures of support for students
principles of collecting, analysing and publication of the
information regarding the quality of education
INTERNAL EVALUATION OF QUALITY
The UTQEA prepares the forms for reports on self
evaluation, gives the fixed term to do the self assessments and the benchmarks of evaluation of quality
The teaching units prepare the reports on self –
evaluation
The UTQEA prepares report on the education quality
The report of UTQEA is presented to the Rector
FACULTY TEAMS FOR QUALITY OF
EDUCATION ASSURANCE (FTQEA)

acts on the level of teaching units.

assurance and enhancement of quality of education

advises the Dean

recommends towards the course of action

FTQEA includes:

chairman,

representative of the academic teachers

representative of the PhD students

representative of the students
SELF – ASSESSMENTS IN THE TEACHING
UNITS
Report on self – evaluation:
1. The
results of student surveys on:
•
the organizational side of the classes
•
the clarity of requirements and objectivity of
assessment
•
the manner of conducting the classes
•
the attitude of academic teachers towards
students and their availability during duty hours
•
general evaluation of the classes
Self – assessments in the teaching units
Report on self – evaluation:
1. Strong and weak points of the teaching unit
2. Plans and schedule of actions on elimination
of undesired phenomena and the eradication
of shortcomings.
3. Plans
concerning
enhancement
quality
of
education
The report on self – evaluation is submitted to
the UTQEA and published on the Internet
THE OFFICE FOR QUALITY OF
EDUCATION
OFFICE FOR
QUALITYOF EDUCATION
Section of Plenipotentiary
for Quality of Education
Section for Evaluation of
Quality of Education
The main task is to support and coordinate
operation of the education assurance and
enhancement system.
THE SECTION OF PLENIPOTENTIARY
QUALITY OF EDUCATION
FOR
The main task is to support action of conceptual
and organisational character; coordination of
ventures aiming at the assurance and enhancement
of quality of studies
The Section assists the Plenipotentiary in collecting
and processing information concerning the
implementation of the system as well as
cooperation with the teaching units within the
implementation of the system.
The Section of Plenipotentiary for
Quality of Education
Cooperation:
Office of Student Affairs
Office for the Implementation
of Bologna Process
Recruitment Office
University of Warsaw Office
of Career Services
International Relations Office
Promotion Office
THE SECTION OF EVALUATION OF
QUALITY OF EDUCATION
Main tasks:
 Systematic


research:
Conditions of education
Opinions on
education
 Recommend
quality
and
conditions
of
actions for the improvement of the
quality of education.
The Section of Evaluation of Quality
of Education
Opinions on quality and conditions of education
The basic conclusions concerning the quality of
teaching basing on of the results of surveys among:

academic community

present students

research and teaching staff

administrative staff

prospective students ,

graduates,

employers,

media.
MISSION, PROGRAMME AND CURRICULUM




Graduate profile and intended skills
 Generic vs subject specific competences
 Faculties roles
 State requirements
Programmes and Curricula
 Faculties and Senate
 State requirements
Sylabi
Organisation of didactics
 Rector
 Deans
LEARNING PROCESS AND OUTCOMES
Assessment process
 Grading: 7 level scale
 Progress reports
 Diploma thesis and exam
 Methods of teaching and learning
 from teacher-centered to student-center
 Plagiarism, cheating…

Zero tolerance approach
 PLAGIAT software

ECTS

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System -
since 1998 (mandatory from 2006)

1 ECTS = student workload of 25 – 30 h
to acquire prescribed learning outcomes


First-cycle studies – 180 – 240 ECTS

Second- cycle studies – 90 – 120 ECTS

Long-cycle studies – 270 – 360 ECTS
ECTS credits – one of the attributes of each subject
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN QA
SYSTEMS & PROCESSES



formal student feedback at programme level
student representation on key institutional bodies
(university senates, faculty councils etc.)
students participattion in state accreditation at the
national level:





as experts;
by law the president of Polish Students’ Parliament is a
member of Presidium of State Accreditation Committee
student involvement in validation and monitoring
processes
analysis of data on student progression and achievement
tracking of student graduate careers – in some HEI’s
HUMAN RESOURCES ISSUES: UW CASE
Rector acts as employer
 Groups of academic teachers:
 „independent” - with academic title or degree of
doctor habilitated,
 „other”
 Employment by appointment for an unspecified period of
time - only for associate or full professor
 Rector on motion from Dean employs and fires an
academic teacher
 multiple jobholding

CONDITIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT AT UW
 Employment
– through public contest
 Professor
 For
the first time for 5 yrs, then tenure
 Significant
 Positive
Senate
achievements in research and teaching
opinion from 2 reviewers, faculty Council and UW
 Adjunct
 specified
period of time > 10 years + 2 years (conditionally)
 Assistant
 specified
period of time > 8 years + 2 years (conditionally)
STAFF APPRAISAL AT UW
•
At least every 4 years
•
Appraisal Committee for faculty and university,
•
Appeal Committee
•
Students’ opinion involved by questionnaires
•
•
•
Affects the amount of salary, promotion and
distinctions awarded
Two subsequent negative appraisals – termination of
the employment relationship
Sharing good practice in teaching and learning
CRITERIA OF APPRAISAL
 Number
 Quality
and quality of academic publications,
of teaching work;
 Preparation
of manuals and other teaching aids;
 Participation
in academic conferences;
 Participation
in proceedings for the grant of academic degrees
and titles;
 Academic
 Reviews
functions performed;
given of academic papers
 Membership
of editorial boards
 Popularizing
activities;
 Academic
awards and distinctions;
 Participation
in promotion of new, innovative didactic forms;
 Fund-raising
for research from external sources.
UW management - tools
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF STUDIES
ADMINISTRATION (USOS)
 Since 2002
 „ORACLE” Database - designed and programmed by the UW
 Comprises
 personal data
 matriculation details
 Curricula, fields of studies, specializations, subjects
 Recognition of studies with credits and grades
 Financial support (grants, dorms)
 Directory of certificates
 Payments
 On-line registration
IQAS: FACULTY LEVEL
(FACULTY OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES)
Quality of Education Management Resolution of the Council of the
Faculty of Economic Science of 13th Feb. 2002
The Faculty Council appoints the Committee for
current management of quality of education.
Committee for Didactics is formed by the study
directors and the vice-dean for students’ matters, who
conducts the Committee.
The Committee formulates the comprehensive
framework of learning objectives for every field of studies.
The Committee monitors over the realization of the
adopted learning objectives by managing the quality of
education system.
IQAS: Faculty Level
(Faculty of Economic Sciences)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
assessment of the study curriculum and its conformity to the graduate profile
and exit qualifications (every 5 years)
analysis of the syllabi (every second year),
analysis of the students’ questioners and formulating conclusions for teachers
and deans (every year),
evaluation of didactic performance of every teacher, lectures quality
(periodical reviews, promotions),
analysis of the quality of diploma thesis (evaluation by external reviewers
every three years),
assessment of the teaching infrastructure (library, IT, classes, study groups
sizes),
evaluation of ECTS and international, domestic and intra-university
education openness (every three years),
evaluation of education efficiency and drop-out rates (every three years),
comparison of curricula and quality of education at the Faculty of Economic
Science and other, domestic and foreign departments of economic universities
(every three years).