Lahti University of Applied Sciences is required to undergo a re-audit – Engagement of all organizational levels to the quality system needs to be strengthened

Higher education Susanne Kuosmanen

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre has conducted the audit of Lahti university of Applied Sciences (LAMK) in Spring 2016. Based on the international audit team’s recommendation and the audit report, the Higher Education Evaluation Committee has decided to require the institution to undergo a re-audit. The re-audit will be conducted in two to three years from the decision.

The object of the audit was the quality system that LAMK has developed based on its own needs and goals.

The key strengths of the quality system are the enthusiasm and commitment of personnel to immediate improvements; strong common quality culture which is based on open and accessible information; close, cooperative and open relationship between students and teachers. The learning atmosphere is relaxed and positive.

Among other things, the following recommendations were made for LAMK: The roles and responsibilities in some parts of the quality system are too complex and need clarifying. The system produces a large amount of information but UAS is not able to systematically use all of it. The quality management does not cover the activities in on the degree programme level which has enabled some lingering problems related to the students’ study progress rates.

LAMK chose student entrepreneurship as the optional audit target. The teachers, students and the external stakeholders such as local employers have found meaningful ways to cooperate in student entrepreneurship. However, utilizing the various kinds of feedback and indicator information on student entrepreneurship needs to be more systematic.

The re-audit will concentrate on the quality system’s link with strategic management emphasizing the involvement of all organisational levels and units and also the quality system as a whole.

LAMK was audited last time in 2006. The audits of the quality systems of Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences in 2005. The audit report is available on Finnish Education Evaluation Centre’s website https://karvi.fi/

 

For more details, please contact:

Vice chair of FINEEC Higher Education Evaluation Committee Anneli Pirttilä, tel. +358407664807, anneli.pirttila (at) saimia.fi

Chair of the audit team, Professor Erno Tornikoski, tel. +33670987454, erno.tornikoski (at) grenoble-em.com

Project manager Johanna Kolhinen, tel. +358 29 533 5534, johanna.kolhinen(at)karvi.fi

Report orders: Administrative assistant Arja Bilund, tel. +358 29 533 5503, arja.bilund(at)karvi.fi

 

Report:

Audit of Lahti University of Applied Sciences 2016

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