Information about Qvalio

Qvalio is a web-based tool for the evaluation and validation of higher education courses. It aims to improve the quality of higher education courses by ensuring that they are designed in a holistic way, considering different aspects and perspectives. It’s also designed to increase the transparency of quality work and criteria. The tool can be used within a single university or between different universities collaborating. It can be used for both new and existing courses. In order to use Qvalio, it is beneficial to have a good understanding of the course being validated.

Qvalio consists of 102 items in 14 different categories. The items are divided among four different roles: administrator, teacher, student and stakeholder. These roles complement each other and provide a more objective view of the course being validated. Tool can also be used without choosing a specific role, answering to all items.

Qvalio has been developed as part of the study “Development of a validation tool for course planning and evaluation at university level” in the Department of Nursing Science in the University of Turku. The team behind Qvalio is: Sanna Salanterä, Reetta Mustonen, Maiju Kuusniemi and Tero Vesanen.

The Qvalio items are formulated with reference to several documents and recommendations in the European Union, Finland, and the United Kingdom. The references used are listed below:

• Council of European Union. 2022. The European approach to microcredentials. https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/micro-credentials. 10.2.2023
• De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom. 2022. A Guide to Validation, edition number 10, https://www.dmu.ac.uk/documents/about-dmu-documents/quality-management-and-policy/academic-quality/programme-approval-management/programme-approval-validation-revalidation/guide-to-validation.pdf. 10.2.2023
• Esteetöntä opiskelua korkeakoulutuksessa (ESOK) -verkosto. 2021. Accessibility criteria. https://esok.fi/hankkeet/oho-hanke/julkaisut/accessibility-criteria. 10.2.2023.
• European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture. 2017. ECTS users’ guide 2015, Publications Office, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/87192. 10.2.2023
• European University Association (EUA). 2021. Information provision on recognition of qualifications. A practical guide for Higher Education Institutions. http://www.cimea.it/files/fileusers/52_Brochure_information_provision_A4.pdf. 10.2.2023
• Higher education course approval & modification procedures, BIMM University. https://www.bimm.ac.uk/governance-and-quality/policies-procedures-and-key-documents/. 10.2.2023
• Huhtanen A. 2019. Verkko-oppimisen muotoilukirja. https://fitech.io/fi/verkko-oppimisen-muotoilukirja-apuvaline-verkkokurssien-kehittamiseen-julkaistu/. 10.2.2023
• Korkeakoulujen auditointikäsikirja 2019-2024, KARVI. https://karvi.fi/publication/korkeakoulujen-auditointikasikirja-2019-2024/. 10.2.2023
• Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). 2015. Brussels, Belgium. https://www.eqar.eu/assets/uploads/2018/04/ESG_2015.pdf. 10.2.2023
• The European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions. https://www.enic-naric.net/page-EAR-HEI-manual. 10.2.2023
• Validation events: Guidance for Departments and Panel members, Appendix A, University of Essex. https://www.essex.ac.uk/staff/academic-standards-and-quality/course-design-validation. 10.2.2023
• Varonen, M & Hohenthal T. 2020. eAMK Verkkototeutusten laatukriteerit. https://aoe.fi/#/materiaali/120. 10.2.2023

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