Methodology

The aim of the SMART-QUAL project is not the creation of an exhaustive and extensive compilation of all possible Quality Indicators already in use or able for use, but of a SMART set that could be defined as follows:

a)     Short: focused on the efficiency and effectiveness of IQAS and avoiding oversizing.

b)     Meaningful: useful for the stakeholders’ needs, mainly from IQAS from HEIs, Quality Agencies, and the Higher Education community.

c)     Appropriate: meeting the common and shared quality standards, which, in an European context, are specified in the ESG, supported by ENQA and other relevant stakeholders.

d)     Reunified: harmonized set and compilated good practices already in use.

e)     Transversal: suitable for different countries, contexts, and types of HEIs.

According to this aim, the QIS construction methodology has been divided into four main phases, as shown in the figure below.