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The long road—how evolving institutional governance mechanisms are changing the face of quality in Portuguese higher education

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Abstract

While a lot has been written regarding the changing management and governance arrangements in higher education, less is known about how this progression relates to quality in higher education. The purpose of this article is to describe the context of governance in Portuguese higher education institutions and how institutional governance arrangements impact on quality and quality assurance mechanisms of higher education. The study is based on four institutional cases studies, comprising two universities and two polytechnic institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers, middle managers, academics and students from Arts and Engineering, and documentary analysis was undertaken. The main findings show that national and institutional features of governance and management may influence the implementation of quality policy and procedures, and indeed quality improvement. The different institutional actors seem to be aware of the dynamic nature of the equilibrium between positive and negative impacts and recognise the need for checks and balances in the governance and management structures of higher education institutions, especially between collegial and managerial facets.

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Acknowledgements

This research work was supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme, Education and Culture DG, European Commission (grant number CZ-KA1-2010-4663-511491). We would like to thank research assistants Cristina Sin, Maria J. Manatos and Isabel Machado for their help with the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISEG—School of Economics and Management, UTL—Technical University of Lisbon, Rua Miguel Lupi nº 20, 1249-078, Lisboa, Portugal

    Cláudia S. Sarrico

  2. A3ES—Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, Praça de Alvalade 6-5.º Frente, 1700-036, Lisboa, Portugal

    Amélia Veiga & Alberto Amaral

  3. CIPES—Centre for Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Rua 1º de Dezembro, nº 399, 4450-227, Matosinhos, Portugal

    Cláudia S. Sarrico, Amélia Veiga & Alberto Amaral

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  1. Cláudia S. Sarrico
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  2. Amélia Veiga
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  3. Alberto Amaral
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Correspondence to Cláudia S. Sarrico.

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Sarrico, C.S., Veiga, A. & Amaral, A. The long road—how evolving institutional governance mechanisms are changing the face of quality in Portuguese higher education. Educ Asse Eval Acc 25, 375–391 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-013-9174-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-013-9174-x

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