Stakeholder engagement has become a norm in higher education governance in Europe, particularly in the area of quality assurance. Diverse expectations and experiences of various stakeholder groups are expected to contribute to a more effective and comprehensive quality assurance system. This paper examines empirically the assumption that stakeholders differ in their expectations. Twelve focus group interviews with main stakeholders (university rectors, employers, academic staff, government officials, students) in Estonia demonstrate that the groups indeed have somewhat different perspectives on quality assurance, according to a predictable pattern. We link the results to a theoretical discussion on stakeholder engagement, concluding that the diversity in expectations may enrich the system but it may also force the quality agency to clarify the limits of a public quality assurance system. Furthermore, an engagement process itself may help align the diverse expectations.

This article presents the results of research conducted over the period 2010-2012 in Estonia with the aim of identifying the expectations for the quality of higher education by principal parties in higher education, the state, the market and academia, as well as describing the differences and similarities in their expectations. The findings show that the interpretations and expectations of different parties in higher education differ noticeably. It became evident that the market has the most balanced view valuing almost equally input, process and output characteristics, although the greatest emphasis is placed on inputs. The state and academia also emphasise processes and inputs but somewhat less outputs. Students focus on process and input characteristics only. The article details the approaches to 'a good university' by different stakeholders and discusses possibilities of considering the different expectations when further developing the external quality evaluation system.

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of how the employees of higher education institutions perceive the impact of external evaluations. The study was conducted using the concurrent mixed method and involved 361 employees from Estonian universities and professional higher education institutions. The results indicated that evaluation is mostly deemed necessary at the levels of the organisation and the system; from the personal viewpoint of an employee, positive effects of external evaluations are perceived to a lesser degree. The negative influences mentioned were increased bureaucracy, extra work and stress. Top managers of institutions most often saw the positive influences from external evaluations since they help to implement reorganisations and development activities within an organisation. Managers perceived the positive effects of external evaluations on their everyday work as well, more than other employees did. Researchers felt the positive effects of external evaluations least. Nearly a quarter of all employees of higher education institutions do not perceive the effects of external evaluations on their everyday work at all. Employees of professional higher education institutions perceive the positive effects of external evaluations to a greater extent than employees of universities do, indicating that external evaluation has contributed to the development of their organisations. The differences in opinions of the employees of higher education institutions regarding perceived positive and negative impacts of external evaluations-whether on individual, organisation or system points of view-indicate that employees do not identify closely enough with the organisation and its strategic goals.

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Artikli aluseks on 2014. aastal Eesti Kõrghariduse Kvaliteediagentuuris tehtud institutsionaalse akrediteerimise hindamisaruannete kvalitatiivne analüüs, millega selgitati välja Eesti kõrgkoolide peamised tugevad ja nõrgad küljed. Artikli eesmärk on teavitada haridusüldsust rahvusvaheliste ekspertide hinnangutest ja soovitustest Eesti kõrgkoolidele ning pakkuda kõrgkoolide juhtkondadele tuge tõenduspõhiste muudatuste tegemisel. Uuringu valimi moodustasid kümme kõrgkooli, mis olid 2014. aasta juuniks positiivselt akrediteeritud. Analüüsi tulemused osutasid, et kõrgkoolid on edukad personali- ja ressursijuhtimises, nende taristu on väga heal tasemel ning üldjuhul on kõrgkoolide lõpetajad konkurentsivõimelised nii Eestis kui ka rahvusvaheliselt. Uuringust ilmnes ka selge vajadus kõrgkoolide tegevust fookustada, arendada piiratud ressursi tingimustes neid valdkondi, milles ollakse tugevad, ning loobuda valdkondadest, kus puudub kriitiline hulk üliõpilasi ja/või heal tasemel õppejõude. Vaja on muuta kõrgkoolis õppimise ja õpetamise paradigmat, liikudes traditsioonilise õppejõu- ja ainekeskse õpetamise juurest iga õppija individuaalset ja sotsiaalset arengut toetava koostöise õppimise ja õpetamise suunas. Eesti kõrghariduse kestlikkuse seisukohast on samuti oluline lisada rahvusvaheline mõõde kõikidesse kõrgkooli põhiprotsessidesse, sh nendes kõrgkoolides, mis on orienteeritud ainult siseturule. Summary