Involvement of students in eminence assurance

The Quest for Quality for Students project, managed by the European Students' Union has analyzed the views of students on the quality of higher education and identified areas in which students can become more involved in the process of quality assurance and enhancement.

The research team has worked hard on this project for three years and presented the final outcomes of 31 October 2013. The findings are published in four research publications and one manual that anyone can download for free on the project website.

Quality is a multi-dimensional concept

The debate about the quality of higher education has often been at the forefront of government related this concept to economic indicators, such as the employability of graduates and efficiency.

This understanding of the notion of quality of higher education in the policy-making arena caused the student unions, universities and teachers' unions.

Students have a multi-dimensional understanding of the quality of higher education, it became clear looking project. Most students see higher education as a way to improve their personal growth that prepares them for active participation in society, and not only as employment-related.

The participation of students in quality assurance

It was interesting to see that the students were not aware of the many activities quality assurance and enhancement, especially at European level.

Although the majority of students eligible to participate in such a business, but a number of them see the outcome that results in changes that are relevant to them. This means that the outcomes of quality assurance activities can be transparent and open to all participants.

These activities should not be limited to the processes of teaching and learning because of the quality of higher education is also influenced by other factors.

Student Expert Pool on Quality Assurance is designed to support student engagement in Europe. More than 60 students have registered as members of the pool at the end of 2013, half of them are women.

These students are trained specifically to take part in various activities of quality assurance and support fellow students to become student reviewers. Pool was created in 2009 and has proved to be an excellent forum for students to share their experiences and ideas on the subject.

One of the key objectives of the quest of the project was to provide students and representatives of the student with the knowledge of how they can affect the quality assurance of higher education.

We hope that at least 1,000 students benefit from training materials developed as part of the search and the student pool Experts on Quality Assurance in the next two years.