The Relationship Between External Quality Assurance and the Work of Study Programme Leaders: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The quality of study programme delivery is currently framed by a number of contextual factors, including national and institutional requirements. However, few studies have been investigating the relationship between the quality work taking place at study program level and how this work is externally conditioned. In the current chapter, we study specifically the potential relationship between quality work at program level and systems established for external quality assurance (EQA). Through comparing two countries employing two very different EQA-systems, we investigate similarities and differences in the work and responsibilities of study programme leaders. The chapter finds that while tasks assigned to study programme leaders in Denmark and Norway is quite similar, the responsibilities associated with the tasks are perceived as very different. Danish study programme leaders report having more influence on a range of issues than their Norwegian counterparts. It is argued that EQA might have influenced on these different outcomes, and the relationship between EQA and the quality work conducted at study programme level is seen as important to explore further.