Exploring interdependencies between accreditation and university teachers’ quality work

Abstract

Purpose: The overall purpose of the thesis is to investigate how accreditation of education interrelates with quality of teaching and learning in higher education from a teacher perspective. The research question of the thesis is: How do experienced business schoolteachers relate to quality in higher education and what interdependence between accreditation, quality in teaching and student learning do experienced business schoolteachers apprehend? Theory: The study approaches teachers’ perception of quality and accreditation through the lens of teachers’ narratives and sensemaking. The analytical work attends to theories of learning and empirical studies of quality grounded in studies of evaluation and accreditation of higher education connected to the concept of constructive alignment. Method: The study is designed as an exploratory qualitative study, and the data collection methods consists of five in-depth semi-structured reflexive interviews with experienced university teachers. The interviews collected have been analysed using a thematic analysis of quality, accreditation, teaching and learning. Results: The result show that the perceived value of accreditation among the respondents varies. While the individual views of the respondents differ in terms of attitudes to accreditation most have an overall positive view to accreditation as such. The experienced teachers all have their own view on what is quality and whether that is supported or even hindered by systematic quality work, such as accreditation. Some positive effects on learning were indicated but the largest impact seems to be indirect effects that accreditation gives you through intended learning outcomes in syllabuses, strengthening of the schools’ brand that attracts faculty and or students, and better possibilities to partner with other accredited institutions. The study also shows that a quality culture could develop partly with the help of accreditation.