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The quality of teaching staff: higher education institutions’ compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance—the case of Portugal

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Abstract

In recent years, initiatives for the improvement of teaching quality have been pursued both at European and national levels. Such is the case of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and of legislation passed by several European countries, including Portugal, in response to European policy developments driven by the Lisbon Strategy and the Bologna Process. This paper is concerned with the institutional level implementation of European and national policies which target the quality of teaching staff. It reports on the findings of a study conducted in order to analyse if Portuguese higher education institutions are taking measures to improve and assure the quality of teaching staff in compliance particularly with the ESG. Findings suggest that this compliance is only partial. Although mechanisms exist for the selection, recruitment and appraisal of academics, other instruments and measures meant to continuously improve teaching staff quality, such as institutional support for skills development, pedagogic training, material infrastructure and motivation strategies, such as awards and recognition, are still incipient.

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Acknowledgments

This paper reports on the data obtained under the research conducted for the Working Package 10 of the project IBAR on Quality and Teaching Staff. IBAR—‘Identifying barriers in promoting the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance at institutional level’—is a research project funded by the European Commission, reference 511491-LLP-1-2010-1-CZ-KA1-KA1SCR. http://www.ibar-llp.eu/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, CIPES, Rua 1° de Dezembro, n° 399, 4450-227, Matosinhos, Portugal

    Sónia Cardoso, Orlanda Tavares & Cristina Sin

  2. A3ES—Portuguese Agency for the Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, Praca de Alvalade, 6-5.° Frente, 1700-036, Lisboa, Portugal

    Sónia Cardoso & Orlanda Tavares

Authors
  1. Sónia Cardoso
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  2. Orlanda Tavares
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  3. Cristina Sin
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Correspondence to Sónia Cardoso.

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Cardoso, S., Tavares, O. & Sin, C. The quality of teaching staff: higher education institutions’ compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance—the case of Portugal. Educ Asse Eval Acc 27, 205–222 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-015-9211-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-015-9211-z

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