E22PP: Compliance of the institution with ESG standards 1.1 and 1.3

In this task, you will investigate and analyse the extent to which your higher education institution (HEI) meets the ESG standards and guidelines 1.1 (Quality Assurance Policy) and 1.3 (Student-Centered Learning, Teaching and Assessment), which were previously covered in this section. You will also use the text of the analysis you conducted as a basis for discussion in the next activity, "Discussion of fundamental shortcomings at your institution".

ESG standards that you analyse:

ESG 1.1 - Quality Assurance Policies: Institutions should have clearly defined and publicly available policies for internal quality assurance that are consistent with their strategy and that promote a culture of quality.
ESG 1.3 - Learning, Teaching and Assessment: Institutions should ensure that learning programmes are delivered in a way that enables the achievement of learning objectives, includes effective teaching and assessment methods and actively involves students in the learning process.

Criteria for analysing ESG 1.1. (Quality Assurance Policy)

When analysing ESG 1.1. use these criteria, i.e. try to answer most of these questions:

Existence and availability

Does HEI have a formally adopted quality policy?
Are they publicly available (e.g., on websites, in strategic documents)?

Alignment with strategy

To what extent are quality policies linked to the HEI's strategic objectives?
Is there a clear link between the quality policy and the mission/institutional vision?

Quality culture

Do policies promote systematic quality care in all areas (teaching, research, administration)?
To what extent do employees and students participate in building and maintaining a quality culture?

Implementation and monitoring

Are there defined mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of the quality policy?
How are evaluation results and feedback used for improvements?

Criteria for analysis of ESG 1.3. (Student-centered learning, teaching and assessment)

When analysing ESG 1.3., use these criteria or try to provide answers to most of these questions:

Programme alignment with learning outcomes

Are learning outcomes clearly defined at the level of courses and study programmes?
To what extent does teaching enable the achievement of these outcomes?

Teaching methods

Are diverse and effective teaching methods used (lectures, workshops, practical work, e-learning)?
Is there adaptation to different learning styles and student needs?

Assessment methods

Are assessment methods aligned with learning outcomes?
Are there clear and transparent assessment criteria available to students?
Is there a check on the objectivity and fairness of assessment?

Role of students in the learning process

To what extent do students have an active role (participation in teaching, projects, research)?
Are there systems for collecting and using student feedback on teaching?

Continuous improvement

Are the results of evaluations (students, teachers, external stakeholders) used to improve the programme?
Is there a systematic monitoring of the quality of learning and assessment?

Activities:

Assess the extent to which your HEI meets ESG 1.1 and 1.3. according to the criteria listed above
Create a short analysis in which you will describe the existing practices and documents indicating compliance with these standards, any shortcomings or areas for improvement, your own assessment of the level of compliance, which you will use in the discussion activity that follows this activity.

There is no set limit or minimum length of the text, but the analysis should be clear, reasoned and based on the real situation of your institution. The activity is mandatory and graded. Be sure to take notes during the analysis, as the information contained here will be useful in later activities.