Developing a culture of quality towards building a world-class university.

This article by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chi Hoa and MSc. Vu Minh Hien (Center for Quality Assurance) was presented at the scientific conference "Quality Culture in Universities" held on October 20, 2011.

1. The problem

The University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is one of 20 universities whose self-assessment results have been evaluated by the National Council for Educational Quality Accreditation. The Council voted with 92.86% of the votes to recognize the university as meeting educational quality standards. However, the practical impact of this result does not seem to have spread to all faculty, staff, and employees of the university. Therefore, it can be seen that, in addition to quality accreditation, the university needs other solutions to ensure that quality assurance and improvement become a permanent awareness and regular activity of all members of the university. Based on the results achieved in quality accreditation, this article will present the theoretical and practical basis to affirm the development of a quality culture as a solution to build the university towards becoming a world-class university.

2. From quality control...

2.1. The current state of quality at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2006On February 5, 2009, the National Council for Educational Quality Accreditation met to assess the results of self-assessment and external evaluation of 20 universities. The Council discussed and concluded on the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi [1]. The Council agreed with the external evaluation team with the following specific results: (diagram 1a)Table 1:Assessment results as of June 2006The Council unanimously agreed to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and recommendations for the School of the External Evaluation Team [2].2.2. Current quality status at the time of the mid-term evaluation in 2009Following recommendations from the external evaluation team, the school actively implemented improvements, raising its standards in 38 out of 53 criteria. The reviewers' assessment acknowledged the school's progress.

Type of criteria	School's self-assessment		Reviewer's assessment
Criteria not met	Do not have	0%	Do not have	0%
Criteria that cannot be evaluated	Do not have	0%	Do not have	0%
Criteria for achieving level 1	Do not have	0%	Do not have	0%
Criteria for achieving level 2	24 criteria	45.3%	32 criteria	60.4%
Criteria for achieving level 3	29 criteria	54.7%	21 criteria	39.6%

Table 2:Assessment results as of September 2009Thus, it can be seen that through these two accreditation periods, the school has made progress on its path of development.

3. ...to build and develop a culture of quality in order to become a world-class university.

3.1. The necessity of developing a culture of qualityPeople have different understandings of quality. One of those understandings is:Quality is excellenceIn this concept, high standards of excellence are highly valued. Quality must be the best, the most outstanding. The pursuit of excellence is clearly a significant characteristic of any internationally recognized university. To move in this direction, a quality assurance system inevitably plays a crucial role. Hanoi National University has developed its internal quality system for over a decade. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities is also part of this overall development. Today, the autonomy of universities is increasing. This is an advantage but also increases the pressure for accountability on universities and colleges. Recently, the evaluation of training programs of the two national universities according to AUN standards has also contributed significantly to creating pressure on units that have not yet been accredited under this system. The development of the higher education market has increased the expectations of "customers" (students, employers, and other stakeholders). Clearly, regionalization and globalization are significant factors putting pressure on Vietnamese universities, forcing them to strive to be on par with regional and international universities. Building world-class universities in Vietnam is not only a goal of the government and universities but also an objective requirement of development. To create a world-class university, an international vision and the ability to attract foreign students and faculty are necessary. While university rankings are based on various indicators and criteria, particularly scientific research, teaching quality remains a core element of a university. Attracting foreign students, graduate students, and researchers to study at Vietnamese universities is an objective requirement for a world-class university, but first and foremost, the training programs from undergraduate to doctoral levels must meet international standards. So, what measures are used to evaluate a program's international quality? Is it based on evaluation standards (measurements) that profoundly influence quality assessment? In fact, quality affects all aspects of a university; these aspects harmonize to create a world-class university. However, world-class universities in different regions have different development requirements. In other words, world-class universities must have the same requirements as other universities, but also possess unique characteristics – distinct features.its own unique characteristicsAchieving excellence means establishing a fundamental quality assurance mechanism. Excellence has been likened to an "iceberg," where the indicators used for ranking are only the visible part, and the quality system has hidden, unseen aspects. These are indicators that are not based on a quality assurance system.sustainableIt is easily broken. On the other hand, as Dr. Vu Phuong Anh commented,Another significant drawback, also pointed out by researchers, is that even if ranking results are truly reliable and valuable, they still don't show why a university has achieved a particular position. Rankings tell us the destination, but they don't map out the path to it. And perhaps we shouldn't demand this from rankings. To reach the destination, there are many paths, depending on the current position, capabilities, conditions, and circumstances of each university and each country. This path must be determined by the leaders of the universities themselves within the overall development direction of the country.”[3a] Therefore, to maintain or advance to an internationally recognized university, quality must be prioritized; otherwise, the university will face real challenges. The goal for a university is not only to create and operate a quality assurance system in line with international standards, but also to develop a system that closely integrates quality maintenance and improvement; and to create its own unique, systemic, and proprietary characteristics. To achieve this, all members of the university need to thoroughly understand and implement the quality assurance process. This is building a culture of quality within a university. Thanks to national and international standards, universities have a common framework within which to build a methodologically sound quality system. However, analysis of documents and practices shows that this first condition is not sufficient for quality improvement. Various studies have shown that some quality assurance processes have not impacted the actual quality of teaching, research, and other activities; at the very least, they have not lived up to expectations. The infrequent granting of quality certifications does not yield positive results in improving quality. To overcome this shortcoming and to enhance quality in universities, the concept ofquality cultureIt has been developed and spread. In higher education, the conceptquality cultureIt has been chosen by universities in Europe (EUA) to communicate a concept of quality as a shared value and collective accountability of all members of the university, including students and administrative staff. A culture of quality requires ensuring a consensus of members to develop a consensus within a university community through effective community building, as well as changing values, perspectives and behaviors within a university [3b]. The conceptquality cultureIt is also used to refer to the culture of an organization whose purpose is to enhance quality in a sustainable way; it is characterized by two distinct components; firstly, the cultural/psychological component of shared values, beliefs, expectations and commitment to quality; secondly, quality culture is a mechanistic/management component with defined processes, to enhance quality and to combine the efforts of each individual [4]. According to Lanarès' understanding [5], the conceptquality cultureThere are two meanings to quality culture. The first meaning is that "quality" is the organization's top priority and one of the values ​​of its organizational culture. Quality is a defined value. The second understanding is that quality culture is considered a cultural aspect within the organization's culture and is bound by other values. Thus, regardless of the approach, quality culture is always bound by other values ​​and is considered a cultural aspect within the organizational culture of a university. Generally speaking, there is no single universally accepted definition of quality culture. However, Brenan and Shah (2000) have a definition of culture that emphasizes three general aspects that have been agreed upon by researchers."Culture encompasses values, attitudes, and behaviors.""[6]. Since attitudes and behaviors are based on values, values ​​can be seen as the fundamental, central foundation of culture.3.2. How can we develop a culture of quality?The development of a culture of quality is a cultural shift towards greater convergence in thinking and acting on quality. It signifies a new approach to work but also a new understanding of these actions. Accordingly, the first step in developing this culture is...Identifying core valuesandcreate consensusRegarding core values. For example, one of the core values ​​of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has been identified by the National Quality Accreditation Council:The university has a long history and is a nationally recognized institution in the field of social sciences. It has produced many renowned authors, numerous significant scientific works, and even recipients of the Ho Chi Minh Prize. This is a major advantage that other universities find difficult to achieve.Based on the identification of core values, the next step iscommunicating core valuesThis applies to both the theoretical concepts and the practical implementation of the system for all members of the school..However, there is always a synchronicity between stated values ​​and underlying values ​​that actually influence the behavior and decisions of individuals or organizations. Therefore, a question arises: how do we demonstrate our own values ​​to others and to ourselves? On what basis do people, both inside and outside the organization, acknowledge these values ​​as their own? The role of leaders in developing a culture of quality to create voluntary cohesion and creative consensus among members of the institution is crucial. To illustrate this, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi, can be used as an example. The quality assessment/accreditation process over the past five years has been frequent and continuous. Institutional assessments are conducted (every five years, including mid-term assessments); faculties undergo self-assessment and external evaluation. Besides the effort to measure the quality of the training unit, the University also conducts lecturer evaluations through student feedback, etc. Through accreditation and evaluation, quality is improved and shortcomings are overcome. At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, measurement is planned systematically and closely linked to quality improvement. These achievements are primarily due to the leadership of the Board of Directors and the high consensus of the members of the university. The quality culture development system includes measurements at different levels as shown in diagram 2. The starting point is a set of accumulated and recognized values ​​(1), followed by principles and methods of quality assessment (2). These principles and methods are then transformed into tools for evaluation, and based on the evaluation results, shortcomings are improved by individuals and groups (3). Quality, through the implementation of evaluation and improvement, is strengthened and developed, creating new value.

One problem that arises isHow do we measure the development of a culture of quality?The study of quality culture can be considered from two levels: the surface level and the depth level. At the surface level, it is clearly observable and quantifiable; for example, the number of people involved in the quality development process, the number of programs and instructors evaluated, etc. At the depth level, the development of quality culture is related to changes in the behavior of individuals or organizations towards quality issues, corresponding to its surface level. Therefore, the process of developing quality culture has two purposes and requirements that we need to observe: (1) The number of people involved in the quality culture development work and the scope of consensus; (2) From consensus, individuals or organizations translate awareness into action (quality improvement); as demonstrated in diagram 3:

Because the change in quality culture takes place over a long period and is latent, it is necessary to find ways to “mark” the development of quality culture. So, how do we measure the development of quality culture? In short, there are currently three basic types of measurement used: (1) what people say about their values ​​and beliefs about the quality of the unit; (2) what people say about what they have done/are doing for the quality of the unit; (3) what results people achieve through their actions. To observe the development of quality culture in the School in general and in the units of the school, as well as in individuals in particular, the following can be done.On an individual level,To understand the perspectives and opinions of faculty members regarding quality, we can base our assessment on their responses to questions from external evaluators, as well as their answers to questionnaires distributed to each faculty member during school/faculty quality accreditation periods. Individual opinions and assessments of quality can also be gleaned through discussions at department/faculty/school meetings, faculty/faculty staff congresses, etc. Furthermore, it is necessary to determine the percentage of individuals who agree with the unit's approach to quality and values. Simultaneously, to determine the assurance and enhancement of a particular faculty member's quality, it is necessary to assess how that faculty member participates in the quality improvement process: whether they conduct self-assessments of their teaching process; and whether they actively participate in teaching evaluations. In particular, the question is whether lecturers have improved the content and methods of their teaching. For example, the majority of members of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities have participated in the quality assurance process. From the 2007-2008 academic year to the present, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has conducted evaluations of lecturers' lectures. Students answered questionnaires to assess the lecturers' teaching activities, pointing out positive aspects and limitations. Based on this, lecturers have actively improved their teaching activities. The majority of lecturers have continuously improved the content and methods of their teaching. As a result, each semester is evaluated better than the previous one, and each year is better than the previous one. At the same time, lecturers also actively participate in evaluations at the faculty and university levels, etc.At the collective level,need to determine The concept of quality and the quality standards applied by the unit, the unit's development statements or commitments and annual quality adjustments and improvements; annual innovation in quality; in addition, consideration should also be given to the actual adjustments (quality improvements) and research on the unit's course of action. The quality perspective of the department/school. Similarly, concepts and standards are often expressed through public statements about development strategies and quality assurance processes at all levels within the organization. To understand this...development and adaptation(Improvement) can be based on what regulations, policies, or innovation commitments the faculty/school has made to change itself to meet quality requirements, and whether the faculty/school has appointed a deputy in charge of quality work. Improvements in the school and faculty's action plan after evaluation require that quality assurance and enhancement processes be integrated into daily operations. Only then will the development of a quality culture yield positive results. For example, one of the shortcomings of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as pointed out by the external evaluation team in 2006, was:"The number of state-level scientific research projects is still small, and many projects are behind schedule in their completion."To overcome this problem, the School has implemented positive solutions. During the period 2006 - 2009, the School conducted 01 research project and 05 state-level research projects; 177 national-level projects; 120 school-level projects, of which 95% were completed on time; the completion results were 80% good, 15% fair, and 5% satisfactory. The average project funding per lecturer was 2,800,000 VND. The number and quality of projects have grown strongly [7]. Quality culture is also closely linked to communication activities. The School organized conferences to improve quality work. At these conferences, the Quality Assurance Center described the current situation, improvement goals, necessary tasks, and specific completion times.4. Conclusion To build a world-class university, any university must establish an internal quality system and develop a culture of quality so that all members understand the issues of the quality assurance process and actively participate in it in their practical activities. A culture of quality is a cultural aspect within the organization's overall culture. A central issue in establishing and developing a culture of quality is creating unique values, characteristics, and advantages, and spreading the concept of quality and its effects to influence the practices of groups and individuals. Developing a culture of quality is a long-term process requiring means to "adjust" the development of its "unique characteristics." The evaluation of these "unique characteristics" is based on what people say and do. Both of these aspects are crucial for the deep-rooted development of a culture of quality within a university.

References

[1] Ministry of Education and Training,Announcement regarding the results of the National Council for Educational Quality Accreditation meeting.No. 11/TB-BGDĐT, February 25, 2009. [2] The National Council for Educational Quality Accreditation assessed the self-assessment results of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and affirmed:- The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has a long history and is a nationally recognized institution in the field of social sciences. It has produced many renowned authors, numerous monumental scientific works, and even recipients of the Ho Chi Minh Prize. This is a significant advantage that other universities may find difficult to achieve. - The school has a forum on its website where staff and students can express their concerns, helping to ensure grassroots democracy. - The university offers a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs; the programs are published in books for students to access information about their studies at the university. - Every year, the school organizes a Career Fair, providing students with opportunities to interact with employers, learn about their requirements, and find jobs. Through this, the school gathers information to adjust its training programs to better suit the practical needs of society. - In its training activities, the School proactively develops plans for transitioning to the credit-based system, including preparing facilities, changing curricula, and promoting innovation in teaching methods, in order to create more convenience for learners. - The school has focused on innovating teaching methods. It has a financial policy to support and encourage lecturers to sign contracts for innovative teaching methods. - The university has placed great importance on scientific research and technological development among its faculty and students. The number of research projects and publications in recent years has been significant; the number of completed projects per faculty member is quite high (on average, 6 faculty members have 1 project, and 2 faculty members have 1 publication). - The university has a strong advantage in international relations, especially with China in collaborative training. All international relations activities comply with state regulations. Through international relations, funding has been received to build departments such as Thai Studies, Chinese Studies, and Japanese Studies. - We need to further increase resources and funding for international cooperation activities because this is a strength of the University; bold investment will certainly yield better results.... [3a]University rankings: What is the relationship with quality?http://www.baomoi.com/Xep-hang-dai-hoc-Moi-quan-he-nao-voi-chat-luong/59/6741156.epi[3b] EUA, (2006)Quality Culture in European Universities: A bottom-up approach,Brussels, EUA. [4] EUA, (2006) Quality Culture In European Universities: A bottom-up approach,Brussel, EUA.(p.10) [5] Lanarè, J. (2008)Developing a Quality Culture, in Froment, E; Kohler, J; Purser, L. and Wilson L (eds), EUA Bologna Handbook, article C.2.1-1, Berlin, Raabe Verlag [6] Brennan, j and Shah.T (2000)Quality assessment and institutional change: Experience from 14 countries,Higher Education, 40, 331-349 [7] University of Social Sciences and Humanities,Self-assessment report,H.10-2009