Jane Reichel: Working for quality in education – Rebus’ work in preparation for the upcoming institutional review

As stated in our strategies, the education provided at Stockholm University shall be broad, research-based and of high international quality for the development of individuals and society. How can we achieve this? In a collegial academic environment, responsibility for the quality of education rests with the research and teaching staff at the departments. Through collegial work, courses are created that are pedagogically well-designed and well-grounded in science in terms of content, with examinations that capture and reward good student performance. Alongside this, “systematic quality assurance” is carried out, in which departments, faculties, academic areas and the administration all work in a structured manner to ensure that education maintains good quality.

In 2027, the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) will conduct its second institutional review of Stockholm University within the framework of the National Quality Assurance System. UKÄ (in Swedish) states that the reviews focus on “whether the institutions’ quality assurance processes contribute to ensuring and developing the quality of education ... in a systematic and effective manner”, and aim to contribute to the institutions’ quality development. Our last institutional review was conducted in 2021, at which time SU’s quality system for education was approved, but only after certain revisions had been made. This time, the review focuses on the quality systems for both research and education, with Rebus concentrating on the latter.

SU’s quality system for education includes various quality assurance activities, such as quality assessment when programmes are established or discontinued, course evaluations, and quality dialogues. The most central activity is the programme reviews, where programmes are reviewed by colleagues from SU (primarily) based on established rules and templates. Before the next institutional review is conducted, all programmes at SU will have undergone a programme review and, where necessary, received recommendations and measures necessary to ensure good quality.

I think most of us agree that the programme reviews have been a good way to boost the quality of the programmes at SU. They have also helped to spread good examples and ideas between departments and across academic areas, and they have raised awareness of how programmes can be developed. But at the same time, they have also been cumbersome, time-consuming and resource-intensive. In preparation for the upcoming institutional review, Rebus is therefore working to develop a more streamlined model for programme reviews that will still provide the same high level of support to the departments and teachers in their work to create and develop high-quality programmes. The aim is for the system to be fit for purpose for SU and meet the requirements set by UKÄ. Ultimately, it is during field trips, in seminar rooms, in laboratories and during supervision that the quality of education should be evident. This is precisely what our systematic quality assurance work aims to help achieve, in order to meet the legitimate demands that students, society and the Government have for our programmes.

This text is written by Jane Reichel, Vice President. It appears in the section “Words from the University’s senior management team”, where the management take turns to write about topical issues. The section appears in News for staff.