Quality Areas

Academic community refers to the group of scientific staff who directly and regularly contribute to the development, organization, and implementation of a study program.

Academic communities ensure high-quality education through research- and knowledge-based teaching and other learning activities. Contact with other national and international academic and research communities is maintained and made visible, and at the same time, academic communities contribute to academic development through research and development work. To ensure strong academic communities, continuous work is done on the knowledge base, where students are actively included in the academic community and in research.

This quality area is about the quality of the development and design of curricula and course descriptions, and about how the connection between learning outcome descriptions, learning activities, and teaching and assessment methods is used to create good learning pathways for students. It also addresses how educational leadership is implemented and developed within the institution, ensuring that learning outcome descriptions interact with national and international society and working life, while meeting the requirements of the NQF and other relevant regulations for the programs, and that this work is anchored in the academic communities.

Good program design is ensured by learning outcome descriptions being relevant to society and working life, study programs being regularly evaluated, well-organized, and accommodating how prior education can be integrated. All degree programs must include a mobility window.

This quality area includes quality assurance of recruitment (marketing, information and guidance), desired starting competence (prior knowledge and prerequisites), admission and reception of new students, integration into the study environment through a good study start, and facilitating students to establish good learning methods and habits.

Learning activities and educational expertise refer to the students' learning path created in interaction between students, academic staff, support services, working life, professional and trade organizations, and society in general. High quality in teaching and learning activities ensures good learning paths for students.

Key terms include pedagogical quality and variety of learning activities, societal relevance, practice as a learning arena, development of good learning strategies, pedagogical development culture, sharing culture, integration of international students - and an established evaluation culture.

This quality area encompasses all factors that affect students' learning environment and opportunities to socialize into a local and international academic community, which are important for well-being, physical and mental health, and learning in the study situation. Internationalization, student welfare, student involvement, organizational conditions, library, access to equipment, rooms and facilities, universal design, ICT access, and study administrative functions are examples of this.

All quality areas are important for the learning environment. For example, program design and management, as well as educational expertise and research and development work on teaching and learning, generate important knowledge about how we create the best possible learning environment. Initial competence and the reception of students are also important for the psychosocial environment and for preventing dropout.

Result quality is about students achieving the learning outcomes set out in the curriculum, throughput, exam results, and how relevant the competence is for the profession they are entering.

Important factors also include quality assurance of grading, as well as the non-quantitative quality aspects such as students' perceived learning outcomes and maturation and formation processes.

This quality area includes the academic communities' collaboration with the professional field, alumni networks, and collaboration with working life both regionally and nationally.

VID's study programs and students' learning outcomes are relevant to society and working life, and are further developed in dialogue with relevant actors from there. VID's education programs strive to provide students with good opportunities for practical placements in their educational paths. The university college ensures suitable forums with working life to enhance the quality, relevance, and flexibility of the studies.

Governance quality encompasses the university college's ability to quality assure and develop its operations, for example through decision-making processes, information flow, evaluation systems, and improvement and deviation systems. The university college's quality work is anchored in strategic and operational plans.

Quality and annual reports are used to analyze various quality indicators, assess set targets, and achieved results. In accordance with the study supervision regulations, the university college's board and management promote a quality culture among staff and students.