Relevant areas and indicators of quality in higher education institutions: Evaluating the system of higher education in economics  Cover Image

Relevant areas and indicators of quality in higher education institutions: Evaluating the system of higher education in economics
Relevant areas and indicators of quality in higher education institutions: Evaluating the system of higher education in economics

Author(s): Ljerka Cerović, Andrea Arbula Blecich, Ana Štambuk
Subject(s): Economy
Published by: Ekonomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Splitu
Keywords: bootstrap; budget allocation method; quality evaluation; costs-benefit aspects of a quality assurance system; higher economic education; Republic of Croatia

Summary/Abstract: The main goal of this research is to define the relevant areas of activities for teachers and other stakeholders involved in assuring quality in higher education of the Republic of Croatia and to establish the relevance of their inclusion into the research model. Individual areas of activity have been confirmed based on the opinions expressed by experts from relevant institutions in the Republic of Croatia. The authors used the budget allocation method to aggregate expert opinion, assign weights to variables and define the aggregate index. Bootstrap testing of the hypothesis of arithmetic mean justified the inclusion of relevant areas of HEI quality into the model: teaching (X1), scientific research (X2), professional engagement (X3), participation in faculty and university bodies (X4) and support service activities (X5). Expert opinions have generated the following weights for individual quality areas: w1= 0.42; w2=0.27; w3=0.14; w4=0.08; w5=0.09. Given the specific characteristics of different institutions within a university community, this paper focuses on institutions of higher economic education of the Republic of Croatia. Nevertheless, it is expected that, with appropriate changes in certain default attributes, the model could be widely applied in higher education institutions of other orientations.

  • Issue Year: 19/2014
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 89-115
  • Page Count: 27
  • Language: English