Quality and development
Aalto University maintains and develops its quality system to ensure the continuous development and transparency of its operations. The system supports the strategic management of the university in accordance with principles outlined by the European Higher Education Area and the changing operating environment of higher education.
The university's quality system is a management tool for the realisation of the university’s quality policy. It defines the organisation, division of responsibilities, procedures and resources for quality management. The Aalto Handbook provides a detailed overview of quality management in the university.
Foundation of the quality system
At Aalto University, quality management is based on the model of continuous improvement and the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle. PDCA is a cycle of planning activities in line with agreed objectives, acting on the plans, measuring success based on key performance indicators and evaluating as well as adjusting activities based on feedback.
The quality system becomes visible in the five cornerstones of continuous development:
- Strategy – what are we doing?
- Processes – how do we accomplish our goals?
- Annual clock – when in the year do we act?
- Roles and responsibilities – who is in charge and who should help?
- Feedback system and evaluation – how do we know and confirm that we are moving in the right direction?
Quality system helps us succeed in our work and studies
The quality system of the university is a complex entity of policies, procedures and processes aimed at safeguarding and improving the quality of our activities. Essentially, the system is established to help us succeed in our work and studies, and thus forms a basis for a well-functioning community, allowing us to present our own viewpoints on how to reach common goals.
The system as such is not meant to be mastered by any individual member of staff or faculty, but in order to take part in continuous development, one needs to know the key processes and feedback cycles relevant to one's work.
The School of Engineering is evaluated according to the university's multi-year evaluation programme (see image). This programme consists of external and internal evaluations, and it plays a key role in ensuring that the evaluation of the university is in line with Section 87 of the Universities Act (finlex.fi) and that the quality management procedures are well-institutionalised. The Assessment and Feedback section of the Aalto Handbook describes the programme in greater detail.
Quality together – The university's quality audit is approaching
In 2022, we will jointly prepare a self-assessment report for the quality audit.
See also
Aalto Handbook
Here you will find information regarding Aalto University’s organisation, various operators, management processes, operational principles and the guiding rules and policies of our operations.
Quality management
The quality system of Aalto University is an entity of policies, procedures and processes aimed at safeguarding and improving the quality of the university activities, its education, its research and other activities.
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