Academics\' perceptions of `quality in higher education\' and quality strategies

Abstract

The presently reported part of the study gathered data on the academics\'
perceptions on quality in higher education (QHE) and investigated the general
quality promotion (QP), quality assurance (QA), quality control (QC) and quality
management (QM) strategies in the institutional level of a historically developing
university (HDU), its Faculty of Science, four of its departments and by individual
academics. The article discusses various perceptions of QHE as well as the concern
for quality nationally and internationally and distils out some general QP, QA, QC
and QM strategies. This research was a case study. The sample consisted of 28
academics from the Faculty of Science. Data were gathered mainly through
interviews.
The overall conclusions were: university-, Faculty- and department-wide QA
systems and self-assessments did not exist; no formal QA or QC mechanisms and
related strategies were in place at the institution, its Faculty of Science and, the four
investigated departments; the academics rarely practised formal QA, QP, QC and
QM procedures; only 50 per cent academics had some conception of QHE as
described in the literature. The quality of higher education (HE) implementation by
academics who themselves did not have acceptable perceptions of QHE (on which
HE is founded) as described in the literature may not do good to their employer and
students in particular. The reported research focused only on one Faculty of an HDU
and the findings cannot be generalized to other faculties within the same institution
or to other institutions in South Africa or elsewhere. Undertaking similar research in
other institutions and collating institutional, regional and national data can direct
staff development activities at the respective levels.

South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 20 (5) 2006: pp. 639-654