Quality

Summary
Description of the Fontys ICT quality vision.

Fontys RACI ICT
To learn more about how this page fits within RACI, see the RACI domain Governance.

This page describes how Fontys ICT sees quality. First of all, Fontys' quality policy as an institution is briefly summarised before the Fontys ICT policy is explained in more detail.

Our principles of quality are:

• The people of Fontys ICT and its environment are the main source of success;
• Students and staff are in charge of their own jobs and development;
• As a high trust learning organisation, we know that making mistakes comes with the territory;
• Management supports and practices servant leadership;
• What must be done centrally is done centrally; what can be done decentrally is done decentrally.

In Quality according to Fontys (2024) Fontys' quality criteria and quality objectives of Fontys are described in context. The vision and mission are expressed as follows:

“At Fontys, we see quality as dynamic, taking shape every day in the practice of our study programmes and research. Delivering quality also means renewing and innovating. Our study programmes and our organisation are in constant motion to fulfil the Fontys mission: Together with and for the (regional) work field, providing high-quality higher professional education and carrying out innovative applied research. In this way, we contribute to the development of a vital, inclusive and sustainable society. Our quality assurance is aimed at improving and justifying the quality of education on the basis of mutual trust and coordination. Quality assurance is facilitative and primarily serves the educational quality we want to achieve. In a large organisation like Fontys, this requires a balance between joint agreements on the one hand and room to translate these agreements to the various parts of our organisation on the other”.

This Fontys-wide quality policy resonates strongly within Fontys ICT. The principles of the quality portfolio have also been adopted; transparency is expressed, for example, in this policy wiki. Moreover, as an expression of our culture of quality, we attach great value to dialogue. We are careful with 'hard' data, from the awareness that in a complex organisation these should always be placed in perspective. Through dialogues, a nuanced interpretation is pursued.

For more information on the Fontys Quality Policy, see the page Quality according to Fontys.

Quality and the associated culture of quality are self-evident items. We strive to “spark” rather than “tick”.

Fontys ICT quality policy is based on trust. Giving trust and giving space to self-direction, talent development and ownership strengthen quality. Our quality system, which takes the form of the IMWR (Inspire Mobilize Appreciate Reflect) cycle combined with the PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) cycle, is consistent with this premise. This manifests itself in education through a focus on the operational level, the semesters, where the Project Leader Programme Implementation (PLOU) together with a team of lecturers and work field partners bear a major responsibility for quality. They take direction and feel ownership for the semester. They operate within global frameworks that ensure consistency between semesters. These frameworks are facilitated and monitored in terms of design by Programme Managers (CE's), in terms of implementation by Operations Managers (UM's) and in terms of staff by People Managers (PM's). The professors inspire education, facilitate and strengthen research quality and connect with (regional) partners. A team of educational specialists is available for advice and support and the assessment expertise of the assessment committee. The managing director is an important actor on a strategic level by connecting the outside world, the Fontys Executive Board (CvB) and the internal organisation of Fontys ICT.

'Continuous improvement' is done systematically through the PDCA cycle in all parts of the organisation. In addition, besides the PDCA cycle, we embrace the people-centered approach IMWR (Inspire, Mobilize, Value, Reflect) of the INK¹⁾. We distinguish cycles at the operational level (i.e. the semester), tactical (i.e. per programme, class location or cluster) and strategic (i.e. at the institution level).

This means at the semester level (operational):

• The Programme Manager (CE) and PLOU discuss current developments (Inspire);
• The PLOU prepares the semester, including study materials (Plan);
• The necessary lecturers, materials, facilities, work field partners are allocated (Mobilize);
• The semester takes place (Do);
• Halfway through, the semester is evaluated by students via a survey, followed by an oral evaluation with students to interpret the results. An educational specialist, UM or CE may be present at this oral evaluation (Appreciate);
• The PLOU collects and analyses the survey data and reports. The PLOU evaluates with the lecturers and work field partner(s) (Check);
• The PLOU, in coordination with CE and UM, reflects on the quality data collected during the semester (Reflect);
• The PLOU formulates and implements improvement proposals so that the objectives will be better met. These are also mentioned in the programme guide for the next cohort (Act).

For the quality cycle at tactical level, quality data are discussed twice a year by the quality platform. Via a power BI dashboard, there is insight into efficiency and student satisfaction at the level of , for example, a programme or teaching location. There are also qualitative data: every UM staff member, together with an educational specialist or quality assurance officer, conducts evaluation interviews with students in a number of units of study. Any improvement actions taken by the quality platform are shared transparently and widely.

At strategic level, the Fontys-wide Macon-Marap cycle with the Executive Board plays an important role. This invites the preparation of a plan, evaluation and adjustment at institute level.

In addition to internal quality cycles, there is an external quality cycle focused on accountability for our quality, in the form of programme accreditations. Although these take place every 6 years, we strive to ensure that the Associate degree, Bachelor's degree and Master's degree programmes continuously meet the NVAO requirements set by the government²⁾, based on the internationally established Dublin descriptors for existing bachelor study programmes; The interim internal audits that Fontys Audit conducts with us are helpful to get an indication of how the study programme is doing halfway through an accreditation term.

The WHW defines the responsibilities, duties and rights of the examination board, JDPC (GOC) and IPC (IMR). Together they monitor from an independent position the quality assurance of the assessment and final level (Examination Board) the study programmes (JDPC) and the institute (IPC). They give solicited or unsolicited advice and, depending on their specific role, are involved in innovations in, for example, the curriculum or assessment policy.

In order to be able to measure quality topics, Fontys ICT uses a number of measurement and evaluation instruments. Table 1 shows which measuring instruments and evaluations we use and with which frequency.

Table 1
Used measuring instruments and evaluations with frequency.