Academic Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Exploring Staff Perceptions and Tensions to Cultivate Equitable Systems

• In Event: Transforming Educational Systems: Approaches From Different Stakeholders

Abstract

Higher education institutions are powerhouses of knowledge and innovation where staff are hailed as one of their greatest assets. Engaging the commitment and innovation of staff is a stated aim of higher education management. However, tensions frequently emerge between the perceptions of staff role groups and the goals of the education endeavour that can hinder rather than enhance. This research explored perceptions and tensions between “tribes and territories” in a higher education institution. The research provided multiple insights into perceptions of and orientations towards academic quality assurance in higher education through a study of one institution in Ireland. The research raises the question of the importance of context, values and attitudes as drivers of quality in higher education.

Author

• Terry Twomey, Technological University of the Shannon