Students’ views on dialogue: improving student engagement in the quality assurance process

The university-student partnership during the quality assurance process has gained considerable attention in policy documents as well as in the research into higher education. An effective dialogue is critical for engaging students in continuous improvement of higher education. Therefore, this qualitative study explored how student engagement in the quality assurance process can be improved by an effective university-student dialogue. Based on interviews carried out with 27 students, the study concluded that students were eager to take part in the quality assurance process. However, the students’ understanding of what the university expects from them, their roles and responsibilities, should be made clear in order to effectively involve students in the quality assurance process. Students are seeking interaction: they would like to be engaged in the dialogue, collaboratively solve the issues concerning their studies, provide feedback and receive up-to-date information about the universities’ development plans.