Strategic dimensions of quality culture in higher education institution
ENIn the last few decades the ideology of quality has become one of the most important and ambitious directions of activity for institutions of higher education. Volatile external environment and fast paced internal academic life of higher education poses big challenges for the development of the concept of quality and quality culture in an institution of higher education. The concept of quality is dynamic and multidimensional in all the sectors of activities which are included within the scope of the topic of quality (production, services, etc.); in the sphere of higher education, its complexity is supplemented by specific aspects of the development of higher education, i.e. academic freedom and autonomy, value systems, and the problem field of education paradigm change. The actualisations of quality are presupposed by the changes which occur in the external environment of an institution of higher education, i.e. implementation of a market model, globalisation and internationalisation, the change of the needs of external social shareholders and the labour market. A large amount of changes is determined by the general principles of the development of the European higher education space, international agreements and directives. Lithuania has an active quality evaluation system for institutions of higher education; this system encompasses the institutional evaluation of institutions of higher education and evaluation of study programmes. According to the concept of quality culture development, external evaluation stimulates internal self-evaluation of the quality of activities in an institution of higher education. Excluding the external environmental change that presupposes the actualisation of the idea of quality, institutions of higher education undergo related changes in the internal environment which are determined by the changing student profile, changes in didactics, development of academic values and traditions.The formation of the concept of quality within the context of internal and external conditions and changes is a complex process for every institution of higher education. The concept of quality in an institution of higher education is not a self-driven or predetermined phenomenon; in order to form it and develop quality culture, the strategic approach is needed. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize quality culture as a strategic dimension in higher education institution. This paper integrates material from recent quality culture and quality management studies and provides a conceptual framework for the understanding of quality culture. A literature review is based on the quality management literature as a guiding framework. The theoretical areas of quality concept and strategic dimensions of quality are proposed. Key words: quality, quality culture, higher education. [From the publication]
