Defining Quality in Undergraduate Education
Directions for Future Research Informed by a Literature Review
Keywords:
quality, literature review, research
Abstract
Objectives: This research brief explores the literature addressing quality in undergraduate education to identify what previous research has said about quality and to offer future directions for research on quality in undergraduate education.
Method: We conducted a scoping review to provide a broad overview of existing research. Using targeted search terms in academic databases, we identified and reviewed relevant academic literature to develop emergent themes and implications for future research.
Results: The exploratory review of the literature revealed a range of thoughtful discussions and empirical studies attempting to define quality in undergraduate education. Many publications highlighted the importance of including different stakeholder perspectives and presented some of the varying perceptions of quality among different stakeholders.
Conclusions: While a number of researchers have explored and written about how to define quality in undergraduate education, there is not a general consensus regarding a definition of quality in undergraduate education. Past research offers a range of insights, models, and data to inform future research.
Implication for Theory and/or Practice: We provide four recommendations for future research to contribute to a high quality undergraduate educational experience. We suggest more comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature as a next step.
References
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Arum, R., Roksa, J., & Cook, A. (2016). Improving quality in American higher education: Learning outcomes and assessments for the 21st century. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Barandiaran-Galdós, M., Ayesta, M. B., Cardona-Rodríguez, A., Mijangos del Campo, J. J., & Olaskoaga-Larrauri, J. (2012). What do teachers think about quality in the Spanish university? Quality Assurance in Education, 20(2), 91–109. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684881211219352
Biggs, J. (2001). The reflective institution: Assuring and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. Higher Education, 41(3), 221–238. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004181331049
Cai, Y. (2013). Graduate employability: A conceptual framework for understanding employers' perceptions. Higher Education, 65(4), 457–469. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9556-x
Carnevale, A. P., & Smith, N. (2013). Workplace basics: The skills employees need and employers want. Human Resource Development International, 16(5), 491–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2013.821267
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Cheng, M. (2016). Quality in higher education: Developing a virtue of professional practice. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-666-8
Cheng, M. (2017). Reclaiming quality in higher education: A human factor approach. Quality in Higher Education, 23(2), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2017.1358954
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Crosby, P. B. (1980). Quality is free: The art of making quality certain. New York, NY: New American Library.
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Eggins, H. (Ed.). (2014). Drivers and barriers to achieving quality in higher education. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-494-9
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Gough, D., Oliver, S., & Thomas, J. (2017). An introduction to systematic reviews (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Green, D. (1994). What is quality in higher education? Concepts, policy and practice. In D. Green (Ed.), What is quality in higher education? (pp. 13–30). Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED415723.pdf
Hall, M. R. (2015). Quality in higher education: Perspectives from front-line faculty in the United States (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/73292
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Hazelkorn, E. (2007). The impact of league tables and ranking systems on higher education decision making. Higher Education Management and Policy, 19(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1787/hemp-v19-art12-en
Hazelkorn, E. (2015). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world-class excellence (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137446671
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Carnevale, A. P., & Smith, N. (2013). Workplace basics: The skills employees need and employers want. Human Resource Development International, 16(5), 491–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2013.821267
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
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Cheng, M. (2017). Reclaiming quality in higher education: A human factor approach. Quality in Higher Education, 23(2), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2017.1358954
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Crosby, P. B. (1980). Quality is free: The art of making quality certain. New York, NY: New American Library.
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Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: How can it be assessed? JAMA, 260(12), 1743–1748. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1988.03410120089033
Douglas, J., McClelland, R., & Davies, J. (2008). The development of a conceptual model of student satisfaction with their experience in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 16(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880810848396
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Eggins, H. (Ed.). (2014). Drivers and barriers to achieving quality in higher education. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-494-9
Fishman, R. (2015). Deciding to go to college: 2015 College Decisions Survey: Part 1. Retrieved from New America website: https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/3248-deciding-to-go-to-college/CollegeDecisions_PartI.148dcab30a0e414ea2a52f0d8fb04e7b.pdf
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Garvin, D. A. (1984). What does “product quality” really mean? Sloan Management Review, 1984(Fall), 25–43.
Garvin, D. A. (1987). Competing on the eight dimensions of quality. Harvard Business Review, 65(6), 101–109.
Garvin, D. A. (1988). Managing quality: The strategic and competitive edge. New York, NY: The Free Press.
Gough, D., Oliver, S., & Thomas, J. (2017). An introduction to systematic reviews (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Green, D. (1994). What is quality in higher education? Concepts, policy and practice. In D. Green (Ed.), What is quality in higher education? (pp. 13–30). Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED415723.pdf
Hall, M. R. (2015). Quality in higher education: Perspectives from front-line faculty in the United States (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/73292
Hart Research Associates. (2015). Falling short? College learning and career success. Retrieved from Association of American Colleges & Universities website: https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf
Harvey, L. (2006). Understanding quality. In E. Forment, J. Kohler, L. Purser, & L. Wilson (Eds.), EUA Bologna handbook: Making Bologna work (section B4.1-1). Retrieved from http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/Harvey%20papers/Harvey%202006%20Understanding%20quality.pdf
Harvey, L., & Green, D. (1993). Defining quality. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 18(1), 9–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293930180102
Hazelkorn, E. (2007). The impact of league tables and ranking systems on higher education decision making. Higher Education Management and Policy, 19(2), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1787/hemp-v19-art12-en
Hazelkorn, E. (2015). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world-class excellence (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137446671
Hershbein, B., & Hollenbeck, K. M. (Eds.). (2015). Student loans and the dynamics of debt. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute. https://doi.org/10.17848/9780880994873
Hill, Y., Lomas, L., & MacGregor, J. (2003). Students' perceptions of quality in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 11(1), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880310462047
Houston, D. (2008). Rethinking quality and improvement in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 16(1), 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880810848413
Humphreys, D., & Davenport, A. (2005). What really matters in college: How students view and value liberal education. Liberal Education, 91(3), 36–43.
Immerwahr, J. (2000). Great expectations: How the public and parents—White, African American and Hispanic—view higher education. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED444405.pdf
Inside Higher Ed & Gallup. (2013). The college decision-making process: A survey of parents of 5th- through 12th-grade students. Retrieved from https://www.iwu.edu/communications/identity/IHE-parent-survey.pdf
Jones, R. T. (2005). Liberal education for the 21st century: Business expectations. Liberal Education, 91(2), 32–37.
Juran, J. M., & Gryna, F. M. (1988). Juran's quality control handbook (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Kardanova, E., Loyalka, P., Chirikov, I., Liu, L., Li, G., Wang, H., … Johnson, N. (2016). Developing instruments to assess and compare the quality of engineering education: The case of China and Russia. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(5), 770–786. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1162278
Lagrosen, S., Seyyed-Hashemi, R., & Leitner, M. (2004). Examination of the dimensions of quality in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 12(2), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880410536431
Law, D. C. S. (2010). Quality assurance in post‐secondary education. Quality Assurance in Education, 18(1), 250–270. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684881011079125
Marginson, S., & van der Wende, M. (2007). To rank or to be ranked: The impact of global rankings in higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 306–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303544
Martin, R., Maytham, B., Case, J., & Fraser, D. (2005). Engineering graduates’ perceptions of how well they were prepared for work in industry. European Journal of Engineering Education, 30(2), 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043790500087571
McCormick, A. C., Kinzie, J., & Gonyea, R. M. (2013). Student engagement: Bridging research and practice to improve the quality of undergraduate education. In M. B. Paulsen (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 28, pp. 47–92). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5836-0_2
McNeil, J. C., & Ohland, M. W. (2015). Engineering faculty perspectives on the nature of quality teaching. Quality Approaches in Higher Education, 6(2), 20–30.
Morse, R., Brooks, E., & Mason, M. (2017, September 11). How U.S. News calculated the 2017 best college rankings. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2016). Quality in the undergraduate experience: What is it? How is it measured? Who decides? Summary of a workshop. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/23514
Owlia, M. S., & Aspinwall, E. M. (1996). A framework for the dimensions of quality in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 4(2), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684889610116012
Perna, L. W., Kvaal, J., & Ruiz, R. (2017). An updated look at student loan debt repayment and default. Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative, 46. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/pennwhartonppi/46
Pew Research Center. (2016). The state of American jobs: How the shifting economic landscape is reshaping work and society and affecting the way people think about the skills and training they need to get ahead. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/10/06/the-state-of-american-jobs/
Pirsig, R. M. (2005). Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. New York, NY: William Morrow.
Prinsley, R., & Baranyai, K. (2015). STEM skills in the workplace: What do employers want? Retrieved from http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/OPS09_02Mar2015_Web.pdf
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Published
2018-01-22
How to Cite
Bowers, A., Ranganathan, S., & Simmons, D. (2018). Defining Quality in Undergraduate Education. Higher Learning Research Communications, 8(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.18870/hlrc.v8i1.392
Issue
Section
Research Briefs
Copyright (c) 2018 Alison W. Bowers, Shyam Ranganathan, Denise R. Simmons
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