Agreed concept of quality arrangements of Academy

Introduction

For the quality culture development at European Christian Academy (ECA), LOGOS is quality assessment and monitoring method for guaranteeing the quality of accredited study programs in European Christian Academy being University of applied sciences. In this document, the agreed concept of quality arrangements of Academy is formulated. These concept arrangements include several concrete actions, in line with the Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), regarding the three pillars: educational quality, educational policy and quality culture, drawn up during the 2023-2027-time frame. We have planned certain actions and presented them to teachers and students, and Senate, and they are framed in a text box within the text. These agreed concept arrangements offer a academic freedom in ECA’s strategic concept of "Shared Ownership", which applies also to quality assurance.

In this document, in addition to the concrete agreed concept arrangements, we also explain in which way the Academy level is organized to take “shared ownership”.

Objectives and general principles

The ECA conduct for qualitative education includes a twofold objective:

• visualizing and enforcing the way in which the Academy continuously and qualitatively applies itself to the educational quality, quality culture and the educational policy;
• determining how ECA as a university of applied sciences we stand for transparent and traceable decisions about mentioned three pillars.

Whole institution has discussed 4 related questions:

1. Is ECA’s educational policy connected to its educational vision and European Standards and Guidelines (ESG)?
2. Does ECA ensure that its educational policy is connected to ECA’s objectives?
3. Is the quality of each accredited program guarantees international competitiveness within the Academy’s work?
4. Does quality culture is accepted by all bodies of institution?

The signed agreed concept arrangements at the Academy level are founded on the following principles:

• The 2023-2027 LOGOS agreed concept arrangements are maximally developing existing strategy of "shared ownership", interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, internationalization, student-centered approach into everyday’s operation.
• Does organization’s capacity in the situation of risk society is taken in notice. What are the priority actions and what coordination activities are needed.
• Does working method is explored so that "Shared Ownership" and flexibility at the study program level are balanced as it is desirable?
• Does systematic approach for monitoring for qualitative education and teaching stimulates growth and external networking?
• Does critical reflection for Academy’s different reviews can be distilled adequately?

LOGOS at the Academy level

At the Academy level, two perspectives collide. First, the Academy level has its own way of organizing and pursuing a policy. Second, the Academy level acts as an umbrella for the quality assurance of all ECA’s (accredited) programs.

Responsible bodies and their dynamics in the quality assurance at the Academy level

Different bodies are responsible for quality work at the Academy:

• The Study Department: is responsible for the conceptual drawing up of study work, its implementation and management together with other bodies of Academy.
• The Study Program Council and Academic Quality Unit has the final responsibility as management body. They together with Senate decide on the complete conduct for ensuring the educational quality at ECA, including the vision on quality assurance. They work for regular updates and follow-up activities as well as its assessment and adjustment. Within the Board of Governors (Valde), the Rector is the portfolio holder and contact person for the conduct of the three pillars.
• The Senate and Academic Quality Unit of ECA are responsible for the approval the Study Program Council and Study Direction Council plans in the context of mentioned three pillars.
• Other internal Senate bodies and external stakeholders can have the right of initiatives regarding quality culture.

LOGOS agreed concept arrangements at Academy level

The integral quality assurance method for quality of education comprises three pillars: educational quality, quality culture and educational policy. It is based on continuous quality development and periodic assessment (metaphor for it – film and photo). The periodic assessment takes place at the end of every study year, based on the normative documents of Ministry of education and science of Latvia. More wide assessment is done once every four years. Such planning and monitoring achieves continuous quality development. ECA is planning quality monitoring actions through all quality assessment cycles (once a year, and once four years), and takes into notice the work of Study department, leadership, teachers, students, staff members).

When we are discussing our quality, each pillar is taken in consideration. Next we look for our specific actions elaborated for each case, as well a responsible person is appointed.

LOGOS agreed concept arrangements at the Academy level: pillar of educational quality

Quality functioning in dynamics

The Vision on education assumes an appreciative approach, in which all educational actors contribute daily to the quality of education. From involvement and motivation, the educational quality is assessed, strengthened, and monitored by those directly involved the study process. This is continuous work on educational quality under the concept of “shared ownership”.

Periodic achievements monitoring

Based on the Vision on education, the achieved quality of study programs is continuously assessed and reinforced by those directly involved at the study program level, in dialogue with internal and external stakeholders.

In accordance with the agreed concept agreements, each study program makes a statement once a year, and every four years about its achieved educational quality via a reflection on the educational quality for its own level: the teachers’ self-assessment is taken into notice, as well students’ assessment reports.

Specific action 1: quality assurance of each student at the end of each semester

Who? The Study program Council approves these reports. This leads students into “Landmark Route”, and then approved by Study Department. Results are registered in students’ files. If student has not passed “Landmark Route”, a students is being exmatriculated and deleted from VIIS system (State Education Information System).

Specific action 2: summarization of study program Self-Evaluation Reports

Based on the Self-Reflection Reports on educational quality from each accredited study program, the Academy puts out a statement on the educational quality achieved. Each study program chooses when to deliver the reflection during the four-year LOGOS time window.

Who? The Study program director conducts Self-Evaluation Report of study program for each study year, but meta-analysis is done by Study program Council on the available study program self-evaluation reports. Based on this data, the Senate holds a substantive discussion. Based on the insights from the discussion, new actions are initiated where necessary. The decision of this summary is approved by the Academic Quality Unit.

Periodic: System monitoring on the educational quality

After every study year, a special Senate meeting is held where education quality snapshots on the work during study year is done. On these snapshots, the guaranteed lines of quality in the future are stated for operation and effectiveness. For example: we try to find an answer to the question – what kind of risk pints on the quality issues are “taken by radar”? What to do for better quality? For instance: many of our students at the “Bible Art” study program are working. But lessons for painting, drawing and iconography need a daily light. But students work during day time. In this case, Academy took certain steps together Representatives of employers and Church leadership Round Table, how to help our students to find a job and go on for qualitative studies for the same time in our economically weak state.

Specific action 1: Sharing view with employers and Church leadership Round table to develop students’ education in the system of quality assurance

We also took several steps with external stakeholders to help our students from different Christian congregations to provide assistance to students with excellent study performance. It makes collective additional value and makes different learning opportunities visible and valued. Students can see how the quality assurance is shaped in study programs and organized together with academy’s leadership.

Who? The ideas are proposed by Senate bodies. The Study program Council organizes reviews to the donators who strengthens and encourage student education.

Specific activity 2: Check of quality assurance processes (system monitoring)

In the past quality assurance cycles, actions on quality monitoring were taken and made visible at the study program level. Following aspects were monitored: visibility of both internal and external stakeholders, involvement of different Senate bodies for quality assurance. In the period 2023-2027, a system will be elaborated further. The systematic approach guarantees quality processes and connection to external accountability.

Who? The Study Department is responsible for monitoring, providing information to the Study program Council based on the check. The Study program Council takes this information and reaches a conclusion on the processes used in educational quality and submits it to the Senate for approval. Sometimes the Senate takes imitative and delegates fulfillment of it to Study program Council and Study Department.

Specific action 3: External stakeholders at quality assurance

Regular representatives of employers are connected with study program development. At the end of each traineeship, the conference of fieldwork defense on applied approach of their research and studies is organized. Representatives of employers are present and discussion on quality assurance is going on. Sometimes, the Church leadership Round Table is organized. In 2004, the Memorandum with Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church leadership was signed for the students to be employed. At the same time, the students from Master study program are more connected to Doctor Honoris Causa representative experts. For instance, PhD professors, experts from Klaipeda University (Lithuania) are supervising graduates of Master study program of Caritative Social Work; the same, Bible Art study program is connected to art historians and scientists from Riga Bourse Museum (Foreign Art Museum) and Latvian National Museum of Art, and following their perspectives in research, and the same time, improving educational quality at the Academy.

Who? Organizational structure of ECA is organized in a way that external parties organically are involved for consultation to the Study Department and Study program Councils. It helps study program directors to develop study program open for discussions and innovation statements for qualitative studies.

LOGOS agreed concept arrangements at the Academy level: pillar of quality culture

Quality culture is not a new pillar, but it develops step by step already for 30 years. Development proposals are periodic because ECA’s work is based on inter-universities discussion about quality culture based on regular wish to fulfil ESG about the conduct of quality culture through consultations with different stakeholders with a goal that a quality culture is background of everyday’s work.

Continuous quality functioning

For continuous quality functioning, the LOGOS arrangements were made. It helps elaborate deeper awareness of quality, helps to translate quality culture for different educational bodies and actors.

Systemic work for educational quality achieved

Quality culture at ECA focuses on its own level. We want to develop quality culture in every level of the Academy to be present.

Specific activity 1: Assessment of the quality culture at the Academy level

Once in every four-year time period, the Academy level puts out a statement about the quality culture as it is presented in the different bodies committees at the Academy level. The special questionnaire is developed for all Senate bodies, including Academic Quality Unit. The results are then discussed and they lead to concrete actions and decisions. After such reflections, everyone sees improvement in quality as desirable.

System monitoring on the statements of quality culture

Once per four-year period, ECA puts out a statement on the effectiveness of quality culture, from the monitoring perspective. For this reason, we do not collect additional data, nor preparing SWOT, content analyses (this is done by study programs). We consider that external view is necessary because we understand quality culture only through understanding the context of society it works for.

Specific action 1: Monitoring processes regarding quality culture

We take in notice two actions:

• A monitoring tool is developed – operation of LOGOS platform. This platform allows external consultants to boost our processes where necessary. Already now, some of our consortial HEIs helped to develop LOGOS with ideas needed.
• The four-year quality assurance cycle is sufficient to evaluate the minimal compliance to ESG standards.

LOGOS agreed concept arrangements at the Academy level: pillar of educational policy

Continuous quality functioning

ECA goes for integration, integrated methodology of EU Social Agenda and Judeo-Orthodox Christian anthropological revelation in study programs. This is reflected in ECAS’s Development Strategy 2023-2027. This policymaking clarifies where each policy responsibility is situated, ensures the alignment of strategic policy and action plans, as well as the design of the decision-making flow. In addition to ESG guidelines, it forms

During the 2023-2027 LOGOS time window, the first objective is to get a better overview of the entirety of educational policymaking and develop a framework that permits a deliberate choice of actions.

Statement on the realized educational policy

At least once per four-year quality assurance cycle, the Academy level puts out a statement on the realized educational policy.

Specific action 1: Statement on the realized educational policy at its own level

• An integrated overview of educational policy actions is drawn up and adjusted on a yearly basis. The plan shows priorities and how priorities acts for quality assurance; does the feedback expected from the programs and Academy goes in harmony with expectations. This approach of “shared responsibility” and open external communication gives transparency and draws up the next steps for educational policy.
• The Senate regularly informs Board of Governors (Valde) about priorities in policy for the next period. The reflections of such questions are important:
• 1. which objectives were realized?
  2. how objectives comply with needs and challenges of society?
  3. what are the next points of emphasis for quality development and future policy?

Who? The Academic Quality Unit draws up an integrated overview of educational policy actions, which is adjusted on a yearly basis. This plan is shared transparently to Study program Council, Study Department, study program directors Board of Governors (Valde) and the Senate itself. External stakeholders are invited on Rector’s advice.

Specific action 2: Providing an external perspective on the realized educational policy

At least once during the four-year period, an external perspective is brought in. For this consult, ECA International Support Council together with Senate’s body Research, Strategy and International Practice are brought in. External experts of EZA (European Center for Workers’ Questions), LBAS (Latvian Free Trade Union Association), cultural attaché of Israel Embassy in Latvia, representatives from international consortium of HEIs, where ECA is a member, gives clear expertise concerning policy making for education on Academy level. The insights are integrated into the statement of realized educational policy.

Who? The Senate Academic Quality Unit together with Rector appoints a panel of independent experts to bring in a critical perspective about the policymaking regarding education and determines the topics for consultations. The Senate and Board of Governors takes the insight into account for the statement on the educational policy at the Academy level.

System monitoring on educational policy statements

Once every four years, the statement is concluded on effectiveness of implementation actions on education policy This monitoring is connected with administrative processes as well as with the different policy tools.

Specific action 1: Check of processes regarding policymaking for education (system monitoring)

The Academy level monitors the progress of the reflections regarding educational policy during the four-year quality assurance cycle. This monitoring goes step by step and allows smart and inclusive boosting of processes where necessary. The ‘minimal compliance’ is verified in four-year quality assurance cycle.

Who? The Study Department explores the possibilities for a monitoring tool.

Specific action 2: External perspective regarding education policy

Once every four years, an external perspective is engaged to assess the effectiveness of policymaking.

Who? The Academic Quality Unit appoints a panel of independent experts to bring in a critical perspective about the policymaking regarding education and determines the topics of consultation. The consultations of the external experts regarding the conduct of educational policy takes place at the same moment when consultations are realized in our educational policy. The Senate and Board of Governors (Valde) takes the insight into account for the statement on the educational policy at the Academy level.

Summary

This overview table visualizes ECA’s commitment for quality assurance at the Academy in the 2023-2027 LOGOS period