Bridging theory and practice of impact evaluation of quality management in higher education institutions: a SWOT analysis

ABSTRACT

The last two decades have witnessed an increasing intensity of quality management in higher education institutions and quality discourses which were followed by debates about and attempts of evaluating the efficacy of quality management in the sector. Accordingly, the article presents a SWOT analysis of impact evaluation of quality management in higher education institutions. The analysis is based on a contemporary SWOT conceptualisation and on reflections of impact evaluation, ranging from theoretical models through case studies to practical experience in a European research project. The analysis reveals that certain weaknesses can be overcome (e.g. budget and process time restrictions) while others cannot (e.g. systematic limitations of methodologies). Similarly, certain threats can be tackled (e.g. proper implementation of methodologies) while others at most can only approximately be solved (e.g. attribution problem). The article concludes that a SWOT analysis may be a tool for bridging the gap between methodological challenges and the implementation of impact measurement in systematic quality management.

KEYWORDS:

• Before-after comparison
• ex-post analysis
• higher education
• impact evaluation
• quality management
• SWOT analysis

Acknowledgements

Theodor Leiber and Bjørn Stensaker did part of the work on this article in the context of a project on impact evaluation of quality management in higher education institutions, which was co-funded by the European Commission (grant number 539481-LLP-1-2013-1-DE-ERASMUS-EIGF). Lee Harvey thanks the organisers of that project for inviting him to the International Final Conference ‘Impact Evaluation of Quality Management in Higher Education. A Contribution to Sustainable Quality Development of the Knowledge Society’ which was held on 16–17 June 2016, in Barcelona, Spain. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the European Commission cannot 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 authors.

Notes on contributors

Theodor Leiber is Scientific Advisor and higher education researcher with Evaluation Agency Baden-Wuerttemberg, Mannheim (Germany) and Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of Augsburg (Germany). He earned doctoral degrees in Theoretical Physics and Philosophy. His research focuses on evaluation, impact studies, performance measurement and governance, quality management and organisational development in higher education as well as philosophy of science and ethics.

Bjørn Stensaker is Professor at the Department of Education and at the Centre for Learning and Education at University of Oslo. He is also a Research Professor at the Nordic Institute for Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU). His professional expertise is in institutional theory, qualitative methods, evaluation theory and evaluation research, organisational theory and analysis. He is the President of The European Higher Education Society (EAIR).

Lee Colin Harvey is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Centre for Research and Evaluation at Sheffield Hallam University (UK). He has been involved in researching higher education policy since the late 1980s and is an acknowledged international expert, inter alia, on issues of quality, quality assurance and its impact, employability, and student feedback. Lee is the editor of the international journal Quality in Higher Education.

ORCID

Theodor Leiber http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7218-2603

Bjørn Stensaker http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2109-4902

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency [grant number 539481-LLP-1-2013-1-DE-ERASMUS-EIGF].