Three University Colleges must address deficiencies in their systematic quality work following NOKUT’s supervision

All three university colleges must address deficiencies in their systematic quality work following NOKUT’s supervision before their quality work can be approved. Two have some deficiencies, while one has significant deficiencies and must undergo a completely new review in 2025.

Published on

NOKUT has conducted supervision of the systematic quality work at Skrivekunstakademiet, the Norwegian Institute for Children's Books, and the Lillehammer Institute of Music Production and Industries (LIMPI). Skrivekunstakademiet and LIMPI each offer a one-year study program, while the Norwegian Institute for Children's Books offers a master's degree, a bachelor's degree, and a 30-credit further education program. For LIMPI, this was the first NOKUT supervision since their study program was accredited in 2016.

"It is the educational institutions themselves that are responsible for the quality of the study programs they offer. NOKUT's role is to conduct external quality assurance through supervision, where NOKUT checks that the institutions manage this responsibility in a satisfactory manner. At the same time, institutions should receive advice on further developing their quality work," says NOKUT Director Kristin Vinje.

The supervision shows that the quality work at Skrivekunstakademiet and the Norwegian Institute for Children's Books has some deficiencies. Both university colleges must document by January 7, 2025, that they have addressed the deficiencies. LIMPI's quality work has significant deficiencies, and the university college must address these deficiencies by May 7, 2025.

"All three institutions receive positive feedback from the expert committee, but there are also several things they need to work on to get their quality work approved," says Vinje.

Skrivekunstakademiet

In its recommendation, the expert committee writes that it is left with an impression of engaged and interested students and staff who want to contribute to good education. The committee also sees that the institution has worked purposefully to improve the quality system. The deficiencies in the quality work are that the college must document routines and practices for periodic evaluations and systematic control of the study program, and that the quality work must have a clearer anchoring in a strategy.

  • Abstract

    Norway’s national agency for quality assurance in Education (NOKUT) was established in 2003 with the mandate to review both quality practices and the quality assurance work at the country’s higher education institutions. NOKUT abides by the European Standards and Guidelines 2015 (ESG) which are operationalized in three pieces of national legislation: the central Act to universities and university colleges, the ministerial Quality Assurance Regulations and NOKUT’s Academic Supervision Regulations.

    The reviews are periodical in nature and each institution gets called upon every six to eight years. NOKUT appoints expert committees for these reviews who, in the first phase, examine targeted documentation from each institution, consisting of strategy, framework and implementation of internal quality assurance systems and systematic quality work. The second phase is a site visit where the committee interviews key stakeholders such as the leadership group, relevant faculty members, administrative staff, and students. If the expert committee concludes that the institution falls short of the ESG criteria as operationalized in the laws and acts, i.e., non-compliant, NOKUT might limit the institutions’ accreditation rights.

    Skrivekunstakademiet (SKA) was established in 1985 as a private foundation created by the author Rolf Sagen and Hordaland, now Vestland, county and is located in Bergen. SKA offers a single one-year, non-degree programme in creative writing (60 ECTS) and has 12 students and approximately 3 full-time equivalent staff. Most members of the teaching staff at SKA are themselves authors.

    NOKUT has reviewed SKA for the third time in 2023/2024. In the last review, NOKUT has found that SKA’s quality work is partially compliant with the national regulations. To achieve full compliance, SKA must within 7 January 2025, document: 1) that the institution has conducted minimum one periodic review of its programme as well as documenting that it has routines and measures in place for such reviews, 2) that its strategy is effectively linked to the quality system as such a connection is now missing, and 3) that it systematically monitors the quality of its education.

The Norwegian Institute for Children's Books

The expert committee sees that the Norwegian Institute for Children's Books takes quality work seriously, and that a clear quality culture permeates the entire institution. Although the committee gives much praise to the college, the experts also state that two of the requirements for systematic quality work are not met, namely the requirements to conduct periodic evaluations and systematic control of the study programs.

  • Abstract

    Norway's national agency for quality assurance in Education (NOKUT) was established in 2003 with the mandate to review both quality practices and the quality assurance work at the country's higher education institutions. NOKUT abides by the European Standards and Guidelines 2015 (ESG) which are operationalized in three pieces of national legislation: the central Act to universities and university colleges, the ministerial Quality Assurance Regulations and NOKUT's Academic Supervision Regulations.

    The reviews are periodical in nature and each institution gets called upon every six to eight years. NOKUT appoints expert committees for these reviews who, in the first phase, examine targeted documentation from each institution, consisting of strategy, framework and implementation of internal quality assurance systems and systematic quality work. The second phase is a site visit where the committee interviews key stakeholders such as the leadership group, relevant faculty members, administrative staff and students. If the expert committee concludes that the institution falls short of the ESG criteria as operationalized in the laws and acts, i.e., non-compliant, NOKUT might limit the institutions' accreditation rights.

    The Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books (NBI) was established in 1979 as a foundation and is located in Oslo. NBI offers one accredited master’s programme in creative writing for children, and two accredited nondegree programmes. The first of these is an online continuing course on contemporary literature for children and young adults (30 ECTS), and the second is bachelor’s level course in writing and dissemination (60 ECTS). NBI had 57 places across the three courses in 2023, and 14.1 full time equivalent staff.

    NBI's internal quality assurance system was reviewed by NOKUT for the second time in 2024. The expert committee has concluded that NBI’s quality assurance system and systematic quality are partially compliant with the national legislation. To achieve full compliance NBI must, within 7 January 2025, firstly initiate and complete periodic evaluations of the degree and non-degree courses it offers; and secondly document that it has satisfactory routines for the systematic control of its course portfolio.

LIMPI

The expert committee sees that LIMPI has put a lot of effort into developing the quality system in recent years. When the committee concludes that the quality system has significant deficiencies, it is justified by the experts finding that more systematic work related to quality development is necessary. LIMPI offers education at university college level and must meet the requirements set for higher education institutions, the expert committee states.

  • Abstract

    Norway’s national agency for quality assurance in Education (NOKUT) was established in 2003 with the mandate to review both the quality practices and the quality assurance work at the country’s higher education institutions. NOKUT abides by the European Standards and Guidelines 2015 (ESG) which are operationalized in three pieces of national legislation: the central Act relating to universities and university colleges, the ministerial Quality Assurance Regulations and NOKUT’s own Academic Supervision Regulations.

    The reviews are periodical in nature and each institution gets called upon every six to eight years. NOKUT appoints expert committees for these reviews who, in the first phase, examine targeted documentation from each institution, consisting of strategy, framework and implementation of internal quality assurance systems and systematic quality work. The second phase is a site visit where the committee interviews key stakeholders such as the leadership group, relevant faculty members, administrative staff and students. If the expert committee concludes that the institution falls short of the ESG criteria as operationalized in the laws and acts, i.e., non-compliant, NOKUT might limit the institutions’ accreditation rights.

    Lillehammer Institute of Music Production and Industries (LIMPI) was established in 2015 and is a private institution located in Lillehammer. LIMPI offers an English-language post-bachelor's programme, Advanced one-year Program in Professional Music Production and International Music Industries (60 ECTS), focused on popular music production and performance. LIMPI had 48 students enrolled in 2022 and the equivalent of 3.5 full-time equivalent academic staff.

    NOKUT reviewed LIMPI for the first time in 2023. The expert committee has concluded that LIMPI’s quality work is not compliant with the national regulations. To achieve full compliance, LIMPI must address the following points: 1) document that the institution has conducted minimum one periodic review of its programme, 2) document that LIMPIs strategy provides coherent direction and objectives for its quality work, and ensure that the strategy is effectively linked to the relevant quality indicators, 3) cultivate a quality culture that fosters active engagement of both staff and students in the quality work and ensures transparency in communicating the outcomes of these efforts, 4) document the systematic review practices and procedures employed by LIMPI to ensure that the programme aligns with the stipulated accreditation requirements, 5) document a systematic and balanced use of both internal and external sources in the quality work, and 6) demonstrate that the information collected by LIMPI is systematically utilized to improve quality of its programme.

    LIMPI must undergo a new external periodic review by NOKUT and provide new documentation addressing all formal requirements within 7 May 2025.

Legally Required Supervision

Norwegian universities and university colleges are required to have a satisfactory system for quality assurance of education. The systematic quality work should ensure that the institutions secure and further develop the quality of the education they offer.

Supervision of the institutions' systematic quality work is a legally required task for NOKUT, and all universities and university colleges must undergo such supervision every six to eight years. NOKUT's work with external quality assurance is anchored in the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the Higher Education Area (ESG 2015).

The goals of the periodic supervision are:

  • To check that the institutions' systematic quality work meets the current legal and regulatory requirements
  • To encourage institutions to further develop the quality of their education through systematic quality work
  • To provide advice, so that institutions receive input for further development of their systematic quality work

Share with others