INTERNAL EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM – A POST-IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION

Compliant with the EU education quality assurance standards, schools of higher education are obliged to develop and to implement the quality policy and all the procedures which constitute the internal education quality improvement system.

In Poland, in 2012 the UTP University of Science and Technology in the city of Bydgoszcz, with the quality policy in mind, implemented the Internal Education Quality Assurance System the operation of which is regulated by respective resolutions of the Senate and Rector's orders as well as the resolutions of faculty councils and documentation on various aspects of education and student affairs. The system implemented is to facilitate e.g. regular monitoring, evaluation and improvement of education process execution in all the majors.
The research problem concerns the evaluation of the Internal Education Quality Assurance System implemented. At the University, evaluation is interpreted as a constant instrument of enhancing the education quality and a good management standard. For that reason, three years after the implementation the system was evaluated in terms of its effectiveness and adequacy.

As part of the first research stage, a thorough analysis of the valid Senate Resolution and Rector's orders, considering the organizational Internal Education Quality Assurance System structure, was performed. Then an individual survey questionnaire was developed to consider the issues provided for in legal regulations, which were then evaluated. Individual in-depth interviews were made with deputy deans for teaching and student affairs of all the faculties as well as with a library quality specialist, a student – representative of the University Student Government Council and Chancellor for University Informatization.

The research has shown that the Internal Education Quality Assurance System has partially enhanced the education quality in the field of educational classes, teacher auditing, course syllabus, diploma papers, diploma-awarding process and professional training. It was found that faculties had launched a number of additional actions for education quality improvement.

There was identified a high variation in the tasks fulfillment level, including record keeping. Taking measures to address education quality and system operation effects evaluation results announcement method organization as well as organizational structure changes is indispensable. Besides, a high labor intensity of all the work as part of the existing Internal Education Quality Assurance System was identified. It is necessary to identify the Senate's Resolution in force on Internal Education Quality Assurance System improvement, e.g. by indicating the responsibility for the resolution execution, namely the IT Department. With no IT support, it is impossible to perform evaluation studies and to develop University education quality assurance reports and promotional campaigns. Due to the practical experience of the operating Internal Education Quality Assurance System structure and a partial lack of possibilities of fulfilling the tasks and meeting deadlines, a change in e.g. the existing organizational structure of the Internal Education Quality Assurance System is required. Finally, a low effectiveness of the existing procedures and research tools system in the education process has been demonstrated.