QUALITY ASSURANCE
The quality of management in TalTech is ensured by evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the management process. The most important tasks of the university are provided in the Tallinn University of Technology Act. The objectives of TalTech are stated in the academic strategic plan and the principles of quality management are set out in the quality concept.
The quality system consists of various external and internal requirements set out based on the goals and long-term targets laid down in the university’s Strategic Plan and is improved through regular self-assessments and external evaluations. The requirements for study programmes, the requirements for attestation of academic staff, the quality requirements for support services, etc. provide an important input (quality requirements and definitions) for the quality system. The key quality monitoring mechanisms include external evaluations, audits, feedback from various target groups, regular monitoring, etc. When implementing corrective actions, it is crucial to complete the general management cycle (PDCA) that solidifies the principles of quality culture.
Tallinn University of Technology Act Strategic plan 2021-2025 Quality Concept
External Evaluation
External evaluation of the quality of higher education takes place at the university through institutional accreditation and thematic evaluation. The level of the university's research and development activities (R&D) are assessed through regular evaluation and targeted evaluation.
INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION
All Estonian higher education institutions must undergo institutional accreditation at least once every seven years. TalTech underwent institutional accreditation in 2014 and 2021. On January 7, 2022, the Quality Assessment Council for Higher Education of the Estonian Quality Agency for Education (HAKA) adopted a decision to accredit Tallinn University of Technology for seven years (until 2029) and award an HAKA Quality Label for Tallinn University of Technology.
HAKA Quality Assessment Council recognized TalTech's ability to conduct and successfully implement a thorough and wide-ranging reform and streamlining of its organizational structure, programmes and research groupings, responding effectively to the recommendations of the previous institutional accreditation and to the changing external environment.
For information: Estonian Quality Agency for Education (HAKA) institutions previous name was Estonian Quality Agency for Higher and Vocational Education (EKKA)
INTERNATIONAL STUDY PROGRAMME EVALUATION
Tallinn University of Technology has internationally accredited study programmes:
- The Public Administration and Innovation programme (MA) is accredited by the Accreditation Commission of the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation (EAPAA) for seven years (2016). EAPAA is a subject-specific accreditation agency for bachelor and master programmes in public administration in Europe, where the quality of the programme under review is assessed against the specific requirements set in the field of public administration, and the evaluation is carried out by the European public administration top-level researchers.
- International Business Administration (BA), accredited by the accreditation committee of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMG Global) for 3 years (2020). EFMD is a globally recognized organization that conducts accreditation processes for higher education institutions in the field of economics and business. The quality of the programme is assessed against the requirements set in the field of business and management, and the evaluation is carried out by internationally recognized field researchers and practitioners.
- The study programmes of Estonian Centre for Engineering Pedagogy are internationally accredited until 2026. According to IGIP requirements the accredited international centre for engineering education should appertain to a technical university, a unique didactical environment for teaching engineering. Graduates can apply for the international engineering teacher qualification ING.PAED IGIP (there are 48 lecturers with ING.PAED IGIB qualification in TalTech in 2021).
R&D evaluation
R&D evaluation is an external evaluation, which is carried out either as a regular evaluation to assess the level of a specific field of a research and development institution or as a targeted evaluation to obtain information necessary for formulating research policy and organizing research and development activities.
REGULAR EVALUATION
The purpose of the regular evaluation is to assess the level of R&D activities in the respective field of research carried out in the research and development institution against internationally recognized criteria set for the field.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Research and Development Organization Act, in Estonia the evaluation is conducted once in every seven years.
Regular R&D evaluation was conducted at Tallinn University of Technology in 2017 to evaluate all fields of research (natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agricultural sciences and veterinary sciences, social sciences, humanities), and the R&D activities in all the above-mentioned fields earned positive evaluation.
The evaluation decision has been approved by the directive of the Minister of Education and Research of 22.08.2017 No. 213. The positive result of regular evaluation of research and development is valid for seven years.
TARGETED EVALUATION
The Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia has the right to organise, on its own initiative or on proposal of other ministries, targeted evaluations for preparing field development plans that guide research and development or other research policy decisions and measures, or for assessing and analysing the impact and implementation thereof.
The themes and participants of a targeted evaluation, the persons who carry out the targeted evaluation and the specific procedure for the targeted evaluation are approved by the minister responsible for the field and, in the event where the targeted evaluation concerns the area of administration of another ministry, in coordination with the corresponding ministry.
Targeted evaluations of R&D activities conducted at Tallinn University of Technology:
- Targeted Evaluation of Plant and Soil Science Research. Evaluation report is available here
- Targeted Evaluation of Educational Research. Evaluation report is available here
- Targeted Evaluation of Research in Civil Engineering. Evaluation report is available here
- Targeted Evaluation of Research in Energetics. Evaluation report is available here
- Targeted Evaluation of Research in ICT. Evaluation report is available here
- Targeted Evaluation of Research in Law. Evaluation report is available here
ESTONIAN MARITIME ACADEMY ISO STANDARD
The Estonian Maritime Academy started the process of implementing the quality management system and improving the management system in 1999. The requirement for all maritime education institutions to develop, implement and certify a quality management system was one of the most significant amendments made to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on July 7, 1995. The deadline for implementation of the requirements was February 1, 2002. The first quality management system certificate was issued to the Estonian Maritime Academy by the certification body Lloyd`s Register in 2001. The quality management system of the Estonian Maritime Academy has been developed and implemented according to the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality management system standard ISO 9001: 2015. The internal audit of the quality management system required by the standard, the management review, and the external audit are performed annually. The quality management system certificate is issued based on a (re)certification audit for three years, regular inspections are performed by the certification body in the second and third year. As of March 24, 2020, the quality management system of the Estonian Maritime Academy has been certified by the certification body Bureau Veritas.
Adherence to academic practices
The university’s Academic Ethics Committee is a statutory body that resolves academic ethics disputes, including authorship, plagiarism, targeted use of research funding and other matters. The Committee is also responsible for evaluating, if necessary, the compliance of research and development projects applied for by university members with the principles of research ethics. The Committee bases its activities on the Personal Data Protection Act and other relevant laws, the Estonian Best Practice in Research, the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, and other similar codes as well as the quality assurance memorandum of Estonian universities.
Budgets, reports and TalTech in numbers
You can read more about the Tallinn University of Technology's budgets, reports (annual reports and research and development activities) and other indicators from here: