CBS Program Quality Policy

CBS Program Quality Policy

CBS Program Quality Policy CBS Program Quality Policy is based on politically adopted European conventions (the Bologna Accord) and on national legislation for university education in Denmark. Within these frameworks, CBS quality policy aims to support our entrepreneurial culture with focus on relevance and excellence.

The policy has two main sections: Part 1 outlines our policy for program quality in general terms Part 2 describes how we implement the quality policy in practice, based on information, dialogue and feedback. The quality policy is supplemented by a comprehensive Quality Handbook which presents individual elements of the policy in greater detail. CBS quality work is organized in two different ways: The principles of the quality policy and the Quality Handbook are implemented in the continuous program management. The responsibility for this lies with the program directors and the dean of education The ongoing quality management is supplemented by program evaluations, where all aspects of a program s quality are reviewed by internal and external reviewers, holding arm s length to the program management. The responsibility for these evaluations lies with CBS unit for Evaluation and Accreditation (EVA). The two different approaches assure that programs are under critical assessment and constant development. 1

Part 1 CBS Program Quality Policy Four Columns of Quality A cornerstone of our Program Quality Policy is to create conditions for quality assurance, fact-based dialogue, evaluation, and continuous development in a way that complies with both the European Standards and Guidelines and the national legislative framework. The policy is divided into four Columns of Quality: Quality Assurance Knowledge Sharing Evaluation Learning Within each column a number of formal activities have been established, detailing what to do, how to do it, who should do it, how often, and how results must be used. The activities are going to ensure the same high level of quality across all study programs while maintaining decentralized responsibility and ownership of the quality policy. The Quality Assurance Column Aims to ensure the same high quality of our comprehensive portfolio of study programs. This is done by addressing a variety of fields, such as the academic and didactic content of programs, admission of students, administrative and student support, and performance control. The goal of quality assurance is to develop and maintain a quality culture where efforts are directed at social, preventive, and transparent support activities. It is CBS ambition to use resources on quality enhancement rather than control and sanctions. 2

The Knowledge Sharing Column Aims to support and develop dialogue and knowledge sharing, cooperation and partnership among all participants involved in programs. Network meetings and seminars provide venues for academic and administrative staff, students and management. The dean of education visits research departments in order to develop relationships between programs and research. Such relations are the condition for ownership and continuous program development. Knowledge sharing focuses on several activities, such as business intelligence, benchmarking, international accreditation, and ranking. The Evaluation Column Is about feedback from students, teachers, alumni, and external examiners. While knowledge sharing focuses on partnership in everyday life at CBS, evaluation contributes by insisting on fact-based decisions about goals and resources. The emphasis on dialogue implies that paper and web-based evaluations are supplemented by interviews and oral evaluations. The Learning Column Outlines the principles for design and implementation of training and teaching activities. The learning philosophy is part of CBS cultural DNA, which has been developed in close collaboration between the management, program directors, heads of departments, and teaching and administrative staff. 3

The four Columns of Quality correspond with the seven European Standards and Guidelines for internal quality assurance in the following way: 1. Policies and Procedures for Quality Assurance CBS quality assurance column responds to the standard that the institution must have an ongoing strategy for quality assurance, but the knowledge sharing column, the evaluation column, and the learning column also contain procedures for quality assurance. 2. Approval, Monitoring and Periodic Review of Programs and Awards CBS evaluation column ensures that programs gather feedback from students, alumni, examiners and employers. Stakeholder evaluation is supplemented by national and international accreditations and benchmarking. National accreditations are conducted by ACE Denmark The Accreditation Agency, while CBS holds international accreditations by the European EQUIS, the American AACSB and the British AMBA. 3. Assessment of Students An important activity of the quality assurance column is assessment of all students according to the Danish Grading Scale based on learning goals outlined in the Program Regulations. 4. Quality Assurance of Teaching Staff CBS student evaluations imply that any teacher who has taught more than twice on the same course will be evaluated individually. Training of full- and part-time lecturers is a part of the learning column. CBS Academic Development offers formal development programs in pedagogy, didactics and teaching management, but also courses in specific teaching methods, learning, pedagogy and ICT based teaching. 5. Learning Resources and Student Support Training and development of lecturers, examiners and administrative staff are all elements of CBS learning column. These activities indirectly support student learning. As a part of the quality assurance column induction programs and mentoring schemes are offered to support students both socially and academically. 4

6. Information Systems Our dialogue structure, business intelligence, benchmarking, accreditation, and ranking are all elements of CBS knowledge sharing column. Relevant information is collected, analyzed, shared, and applied in order to manage and control the programs effectively. 7. Public Information As part of the evaluation column, and according to Danish legislation on transparency, all programs publish the results of annual student evaluations on the CBS website. The connection between CBS four Columns of Quality and the European Standards can be illustrated as follows: Quality Knowledge Evaluation Learning Assurance Sharing Policies and procedures for X X X X quality assurance Approval, monitoring and periodic review of X X X programs and awards Assessment of students X Quality assurance of teaching staff X X Learning resources and student support X X Information systems X Public information X 5

Part 2 Implementation of CBS Quality Policy The implementation of the Program Quality Policy consists of three elements: A. Unfolding each of the four Columns of Quality in terms of a number of formal activities that measure and support quality in a specific area B. Defining clear roles and responsibilities for each participant in the learning process, including establishing networks of interaction and dialogue between different actors C. Providing information on program performance from various internal and external sources. A. Activities in The Four Columns of Quality Each activity is described in detail in CBS Quality Handbook according to a standard paradigm. The paradigm includes a short argument on how the activity contributes to quality, a precision of the formal responsibility for each activity, a description of how performance measurement is carried out, a time schedule for the activity, and guidelines for integrating results of the activity in the continuous quality work. Overview of activities in each of the four Columns of Quality: Quality Knowledge Evaluation Learning Assurance Sharing Program Business Student Faculty regulations intelligence feedback development Student Benchmarking Alumni Staff admission feedback development Student Accreditation Examiner Student support assessment feedback (plagiarism, appeals) QA of Ranking Employer Extracurricular administration feedback activities 6

B. Program Quality Organization and Network for Dialogue In order to integrate all the activities of quality performance, CBS has developed well established structures, roles, and responsibilities of the various participants involved in the quality of the programs. In addition, processes of dialogue for mutual understanding, benchmarking, learning, and development have been established. This section presents the lines of program responsibility and the networks for dialogue. The stakeholders of the programs are the dean of education, program directors, study boards, course coordinators, program administrators, teachers, students, examiners, censors and employers. Each of these stakeholders is part of a well-defined structure, and takes on different roles: The Dean of Education The dean of education has the overall responsibility for the program portfolio, both in terms of quality and economy. It is his / her responsibility that all courses meet the institutional framework and policies adopted by the management (CBS strategy, development contract, quality policy). 7

Study Boards and Program Directors For each program, CBS has appointed a study board with overall responsibility for the professional and pedagogical organization of the program in alignment with institutional strategies and policies. The program is headed by a program director with the responsibility for the implementation of the decisions made by the study board. The program director reports to the dean of education. Program Regulations and Course Descriptions Program regulations form the primary and unifying legal document for the program, including the learning goals, exam requirements, structure, and the professional and pedagogical organization of the program. These regulations are accompanied by course descriptions and descriptions of curriculum, developed in collaboration with the course coordinators from the research departments. The program regulations together with the course descriptions constitute the primary planning tools of the study board. 8

The teachers translate the intentions of the curriculum and course descriptions into study activities in the form of lectures, exams, etc. The study board is responsible for the quality of the program in close dialogue with the course coordinator. As part of this process the board gets continuous feedback from students, employers, graduates, and external examiners. Based on this feedback, and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) of the program, the study board assesses the need for pedagogical, didactic, or structural measures and adjustments. Course Coordinators Study boards can appoint course coordinators among the academic staff in collaboration with the research departments. The coordinator formulates learning objectives, content, literature, pedagogy, exam form, and unfolds these elements in a course description. This description must be approved by the study board. The course coordinator ensures that the intentions of the course description are converted into teaching and he / she also coordinates and instructs other teachers. This includes ensuring that teaching is research-based. 9

Teaching and Examination Teachers and students are jointly responsible for implementing the planned activities of the subject / course. It is the teacher s task to help students achieve the learning objectives. It is the students task to meet the learning goals. The teacher s professional and pedagogical responsibilities include organizing the individual activities in the course description, committed presence in class, and to gather information on student learning outcomes during the course. The students responsibilities include active participation in educational activities, including preparation and committed presence. Annual Report by Program Directors Program directors make an annual report stating the past achievements and the expectations for the coming year. The report serves as a basis for the continued dialogue between the dean of education and the program directors. The annual report relates to the achievement of objectives in institutional strategies and policies relevant to the program and identifies challenges and suggests possible problems. Wherever relevant, the program director comments on KPIs, or specific quality issues. 10

Study Programs / Meeting with The Dean The program director s annual report is submitted to the Study Board who has the opportunity to comment on it. Any comments will be forwarded to the dean of education. The annual reports provide the basis for an annual evaluation meeting between the program director and the dean. Any major developments that would change the overall profile will be included in the curriculum and / or course descriptions. Communication and Dialogue CBS quality work is based not only on well-defined structures and roles of each actor, but at least equally important on establishing processes that ensure dialogue, mutual understanding, mutual learning, documentation and ongoing development of teaching quality across programs and among individual actors. Dialogue is needed to create a common understanding, to share best practice, and to make a qualified assessment of the impact of teaching and the achievement of the stated learning objectives. This dialogue has been formalized in a series of forums at different levels of the organization. These processes, which are of crucial importance in CBS quality, are: Forums primarily for dialogue on strategic program management, institutional strategies and policies: - Board meetings 5-6 times per year - Senior Management meetings Weekly - Academic Council meetings 4 times per year. Forums primarily for continuous program quality development under the auspices of the dean of education: - Program directors seminars Once per semester - Program administrators meetings Once per semester - Study management seminars (program directors and program administrators) Once per year. 11

C. Information on Program Performance and Quality As part of the Program Quality Policy CBS uses various sources of information which are collected in order to get an overview of the development of the programs. These include key figures on program performance, student evaluation, dialogue with alumni and employers, teachers, examiners, and with program administration. Internal Sources of Information about Program Quality Every year in October / November the study boards and the program directors receive a data package with time series of applicants, admission, grades, failure rates, completion, dropout, unemployment rates and number of international students. Student Evaluation Students are providers of knowledge about program quality, both through participation in the study board and via systematic student evaluation of all elements of education. Student evaluation is conducted at two levels: Level 1 - a coherent academic year - is to assess the coherence and progression. The study board receives evaluation at this level Level 2 - subjects and teachers - is to assess the quality of each individual study element. Heads of departments, course coordinators, individual teachers, and study boards receive evaluation reports at this level. 12

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Dialogue with Industry Dialogue with industry is done partly through the dean of education s advisory board, partly through the departments and programs advisory boards. The dean s advisory board is a framework for dialogue on broad questions about the program portfolio. The advisory board meets 3-4 times per year and discusses general issues concerning the educational situation and possibilities. In addition, specific questions about individual programs come up when there is cause for it. Advisory boards at department level discuss subject specific themes in relation to the department s academic disciplines, including interactions between research and education. Advisory boards at program level discuss subjects in relation to the quality assurance of the program and development of new courses etc. Most programs have an advisory board, and all programs are expected to have established an advisory board at the end of 2012. 14

Dialogue with Graduates and Alumni CBS will hold a series of academic events for graduates - including an annual Alumni Event. An Alumni Forum has also been established as an electronic network with access via the CBS website. Dialogue with Lecturers Lecturers are providers of knowledge about quality, both through participation in the study boards and through reporting to the boards. Part-time lecturers provide knowledge of professional relevance, while academic lecturers provide feedback of academic relevance. Through the lecturers personal networks in business a substantial amount of informal feedback on the quality of our programs is collected. This knowledge is used in the ongoing development of the programs. Dialogue with Censors / External Examiners External examiners ensure that examination takes place in accordance with the program regulations, but they are also important suppliers of knowledge about the quality of programs, partly through external examiner reports, partly through ongoing dialogue with CBS academic environments. 15

The Program Administration The program administration is provider of knowledge about quality through participation in the study board meetings and program management meetings. The administration carries out a substantial part of the ongoing contact between students and programs and collects information in this regard. External Sources of Information about CBS Program Quality 1992 - Programs have been subject to state review by the Danish Evaluation Center (EVA). 2000 - International accreditation by EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) 2001-2006 CBS has participated in annual benchmarks by ESMU (European Center for Strategic Management of Universities) 2007 - International accreditation by AMBA (Association of MBAs) 2008 - Programs are accredited by ACE Denmark 2011 - International accreditation by AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) - the leading U.S. accreditation body for business schools, established in 1916. Programs are ranked by Financial Times, The Economist, Aspen Institute, QS, and Eduniversal. 16

copenhagen business school solbjerg plads 3 2000 frederiksberg denmark www.cbs.dk Office of External Affairs, Communications, April 2012