Abstract:

The integration of Quality with Higher Education is a multidimensional issue. Higher Education Administration, Programs, Courses, Procedures and Evaluation are providing an integral context for the diffusion of quality metrics. Our research intents to provide a holistic discussion on Key Performance Indicators related to Quality. For this purpose, ongoing research performs in-depth analysis of the following methodological aspects. The discussion of the state of the art in literature resulted in the construction of two research tools. The first one is related to a structured agenda for a Qualitative Interview of Higher Education Administrators. The second is related to a Quantitative Research Model based on Structural Equation Modeling which measures the relationship of various quality factors. In this research paper, we provide an overview of the Qualitative Research related to a PhD study in University of Alcala. We provide a mapping of quality perceptions correlated with theories discussed, and we construct a theoretical model for the acknowledgement of Scholars in regard to this perception. The research design includes interviews conducted with Higher Education Administrators and Professors, all involved in the creation of new academic programs and courses. The main contribution of this research work is an analytic discussion of perceptions of Higher Education Administrators and Professor about Quality which significantly amends current literature with noteworthy dimensions. As an outcome, we update the initial research model with the addition of two additional critical research insights and variables. We intent to use the outcomes of this research work as an input for our quantitative study. More specifically, a list of Key Performance Indicators will be highlighted and will provide the step for further investigation.

Keywords:

Quality, higher education, perceptions of academics, quality metrics, key performance indicators, research model.