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The Culture of Quality

ECA vision of education and overall performance quality is built on its concept of culture of quality. It refers to a self-critical organization structure that aims at continuous quality development and external stakeholders’ critical approach to the reached levels. In a culture of quality, rules and tools are linked to each ECA administrative body and works for continuous, layered educational and the applied research quality promotion.

How culture of quality is arranged?

The following picture shows general understanding of the concept. The picture structures the day-to-day organization of education. It is divided into three groups. Left, there are administrative elements (rules, functions and procedures). Right, there are “Shared Ownership” elements, trust and shared values. These two categories are linked by the middle group: leadership, mutuality and connection to each body and personalized participation. The culture of quality obviously follows when these categories have continuous focus on improvement of the educational quality.

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Strengthening the culture

All levels at ECA follow their own way and have a unique quality profile.

  • Fitness of each element in the overall structure. When all elements of the quality culture are aligned and well-interlinked, the Academy functions effectively.
  • Each level is responsible for its own quality shaping. This principle refers to learning and teaching, self-critical work of Study Department and study program directors, well-functioning “Shared Ownership” that combines information, feedback and necessary actions in open and constructive way aimed at common goal of the Academy.

ECA encourages efforts to improve educational quality by asking different body levels to reflect on their own culture of quality. The commitment, professionalism and cohesion between various educational actors become visible at the Senate meetings discussing the quality issues. The model is especially valuable for engaging in conversation about how to collaborate on educational and applied research quality. The tools and accompanying support invite study program directors and teachers to appreciate what goes well and continue to encourage the organization to grow into a mature, learning organization.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, we focus on leadership and mutual consultative body to overcome excessive workload.