A general theory of learning and teaching and a related comprehensive set of performance indicators for higher education institutions

ABSTRACT

In contemporary knowledge societies, performance indicators are an indispensable element of sustainable quality management and enhancement through monitoring and evaluating quality performance of higher education institutions. It is argued that learning and teaching quality in higher education should be approached in a holistic way, namely across the four subdomains of learning and teaching environment, teaching processes, learning processes and learning outcomes and their assessment. performance indicators related to these areas must align with a synoptic understanding of learning and teaching comprising behavioural, information processing, cognitive, social (constructivism) and humanistic theories of learning. Selected issues from a comprehensive set of about 280 performance indicators for learning and teaching are presented and contextualised. The indicators set resulted and emerged from critical reflection of research literature and explorative surveys of various informed and engaged stakeholders, from 14 public European universities, and a general theory of learning and teaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher education institutions
• theories of learning and teaching
• performance indicators in learning and teaching
• quality management

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank two anonymous referees and the journal’s editors for valuable and constructive criticism and suggestions. The author’s thanks also go to the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) for financial support of a research study granted in the context of the INQAAHE Call for Research Proposals 2015–2016. Since parts of this article also relate to an Erasmus+ project, the author thanks the European Commission. However, neither INQAAHE support nor the European Commission support for producing this publication does constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the author, and neither INQAAHE nor the European Commission can be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) through a research study granted in the context of the INQAAHE Call for Research Proposals 2015–2016 (INQAAHE Research Project QUELIT) and by the Erasmus+ project SQELT [grant no. 2017-1-DE01-KA203-003527] of the European Commission.