Quality Assurance Reconsidered: A Case Study

Abstract

This article examines an external evaluation of the quality assurance system at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) conducted by The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NOKUT). The external audit report along with internal reports provided by the seven faculties of the university served as the major data sources for the study. The quality assurance system, which was approved by NOKUT, serves as an example of how the university falls short in producing data to systematically improve student learning. Systematic follow‐ups to verify the effects of the quality assurance system could have sparked discussions, not only about the structure of the quality system but also what quality learning means and how it can be promoted.

Keywords:

• Quality assurance
• audit
• accreditation
• self‐assessment
• external assessment