The areas of quality

The eight areas are used to ensure that we work with quality of education in a systematic and broad manner, and are the starting point for evaluations, surveys, analyses and assessments. 

The eight areas of quality are divided into goals and sub-goals.

The areas of quality are based on the university’s main objective regarding quality assurance work:

“We prepare our students for a changing society by employing a multitude of learning methods, based on research and artistic development work.”

1: Academic communities’ academic and pedagogical expertise 

• Goal: The academic communities must maintain high international standards in research and education.
  • Sub-goal 1: The university must have an academic community that is adapted to the educational provision.
  • Sub-goal 2: The academic communities must participate in national and international research and development work.
  • Sub-goal 3: The academic communities must master relevant teaching technology, have good knowledge about a breadth of different teaching and assessment methods, and be able to plan, implement and reflect on their own teaching based on this.

2: Start-up expertise and the start of studies 

• Goal: The students must have a positive experience when meeting the university for the first time so as to lay the foundation for mastering their studies.
  • Sub-goal 1: The university must recruit well-qualified students with the right start-up expertise and motivation. 
  • Sub-goal 2: Student guidance must be informative and lay the foundation for the correct choice of study.
  • Sub-goal 3: The start of studies must ensure that students are included in an academic and social community as best as possible.
  • Sub-goal 4: Academic activity must start quickly and motivate efforts.
  • Sub-goal 5: The university, together with the Student Welfare Organisation (SINN), prioritises the follow-up of students in their first year in order to lay a good foundation for mastering their studies.

3: Teaching and study work 

• Goal: Students must develop good strategies for acquiring new knowledge.
  • Sub-goal 1: Students must be active participants in a learning community that involves student-active learning methods where the students are invited to help shape the learning process. 
  • Sub-goal 2: Students must be invited into the academic communities and in the R&D activities that take place around the educational programmes. 
  • Sub-goal 3: The teaching must motivate the students to learn.
  • Sub-goal 4: The time students spend studying must be adapted to the distinctive character of the programme of study.
  • Sub-goal 5: Students must receive good feedback and follow-up as part of the learning process.
  • Sub-goal 6: The students must receive training in academic integrity and develop skills in searching for, assessing and referring to information and subject matter in their academic work in an ethical and reflected manner.
  • Sub-goal 7: The University Library must support the students in their learning work.
  • Sub-goal 8: The university must provide guidance to students regarding the correct choice programme.
  • Sub-goal 9: The university must provide good guidance to students and staff about its systems and programmes of study.

4: Students’ learning outcomes 

• Goal: The university must offer education that is effectively implemented and where the learning outcome descriptions correspond well with the teaching, supervision and assessment.
  • Sub-goal 1: The university must have good throughput of students on programmes of study in all three cycles.
  • Sub-goal 2: The learning outcome descriptions must be adequate and relevant, and govern the students’ total competence achieved by the end of a programme of study.
  • Sub-goal 3: The university’s assessment work must be of a high quality.
  • Sub-goal 4: The university must clearly inform about deadlines.
  • Sub-goal 5: The university must provide good information about the assessment schemes.
  • Sub-goal 6: The university must take the initiative at an early stage in relation to students who experience delays in their course of study.

5: Students’ learning environment 

• Goal: The university must have a good learning environment.
  • Sub-goal 1: The university’s physical environment must be designed to facilitate good and inclusive learning processes for everyone.
  • Sub-goal 2: The university’s infrastructure and teaching must be universally designed.
  • Sub-goal 3: The teaching must be organised according to plan, and form an appropriate framework for the students’ learning.
  • Sub-goal 4: The university must have a well-functioning system for feedback and student participation. 
  • Sub-goal 5: The university must have a good academic and social learning environment.
  • Sub-goal 6: The university must follow up on psychosocial conditions that are relevant to the learning environment.

6: The programmes’ interaction with society and working life 

• Goal: The programmes of study must be relevant to, and stimulate society and working life. 
  • Sub-goal 1: The programmes of study must prepare students for the needs of society and working life.
  • Sub-goal 2: The programmes of study will educate active, democratic participants.
  • Sub-goal 3: The university must offer flexible programmes that create opportunities for lifelong learning.
  • Sub-goal 4: The university must develop knowledge that is innovative within its subject areas, and preferably in collaboration with external actors. 

7: Internationalisation 

• Goal: The university’s educational programmes must have an international profile, and put knowledge, experience and values in an international context. 
  • Sub-goal 1: Intercultural competence and communication must be a distinctive part of the learning outcome descriptions.
  • Sub-goal 2: The programmes of study must have adapted windows of exchange with quality assured international partners. 
  • Sub-goal 3: Student guidance must provide an overview of international exchange opportunities. 
  • Sub-goal 4: The programmes of study must take part in active and academically rooted collaboration with good international partners.
  • Sub-goal 5: The programmes of study must be adapted to an international labour market.

8: Development and management of the programmes of study 

• Goal: The programmes of study must be managed effectively and ensure continuous improvement.
  • Sub-goal 1: The programme description must govern the implementation of the programmes of study. 
  • Sub-goal 2: The programmes of study must be evaluated regularly and in accordance with evaluation and improvement routines.
  • Sub-goal 3: Management of the programmes of study must be clearly placed.
  • Sub-goal 4: The university must have effective IT systems in connection with its programmes of study.