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About the Quality...

What is education quality

There are many different perspectives and opinions on what “education quality” means. And there should be! Our starting point is that

  • quality in education is created in interaction between students, academic community and society
  • what constitutes quality in a particular discipline, is continuously defined and redefined in local dialogues

Hence, NTNU does not have any detailed description of what we mean by education quality.

We have however decided some common principles, which you can find on this page.


Main page: Education quality at NTNU
Norsk versjon: Hva er utdanningskvalitet


Quality in study programmes - relevance and alignment

The basic prerequisites for high quality in education are that the study programmes

  • are grounded in solid academic communities with a high level of academic competence and teaching competence, as well as relevant experience from the working world
  • are relevant to the workplace of the future and contribute to creating a sustainable society
  • offer a positive learning environment
  • are internationally oriented and stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration

The study programme is the foundation of NTNU’s study offerings. Almost all students apply to and are admitted into a study programme, whether it is a bachelor, master, PhD or a continuing education programme. For the student’s perspective, “quality” pertains to the total learning outcome of the entire programme, and to how the various parts contribute to the whole.

Quality in courses – learning outcome, learning activities and assessment

All study programmes are combinations of independent courses. The basic prerequisites for high quality in education listed above, are equally relevant on course level. In addition, it is essential for course quality that

  • curriculum, learning activities and assessment activities are well aligned and help the students reach the described learning outcomes
  • the description of learning outcomes is relevant and updated
  • the course is well coordinated with the study programmes it is a part of, and contribute to the overall learning outcomes

Quality in study programme portfolio – mission, profile and strategy

NTNU’s courses and study programmes are part of a comprehensive portfolio of relevant education of high international quality. The portfolio is based on NTNU’s strategy and contributes towards NTNU’s social mission.

NTNU’s special mission is to be a broad-based university with a main profile in science and technology, with interdisciplinary strength and a focus on programmes of professional study. Artistic disciplines play a key role in NTNU’s identity, and NTNU has a special responsibility to be a prominent actor in the cities and regions where we have our primary activities. NTNU’s distinctive character should govern the development of the programme portfolio and be expressed in the learning outcome descriptions for the programmes and courses. Results from the quality assurance work must be included in the knowledge base in connection with assessment and strategic development of the institution’s total programme portfolio.

NTNU’s Policy for quality and development of the study programme portfolio describes five prioritized quality areas within education:

  1. strategic importance
  2. one university in three cities
  3. learning environment
  4. academic sustainability
  5. economic sustainability

Quality in learning environment

NTNU distinguishes between five components which together make up the students’ comprehensive learning environment:

  1. Physical learning environment deals with the design and use of buildings and physical surroundings, creating a good framework for learning and learning activities for all students.
  2. Psychosocial learning environment deals with interpersonal relationships in and around the learning processes. It promotes well-being and interaction between students and staff, and between students.
  3. Organizational learning environment deals with systems for feedback and participation. These ensure the students' influence and participation in organizational and change processes with significance for the students' overall learning environment.
  4. Digital learning environment deals with the use of technology as support for students' learning, including the use and design of digital learning resources and learning platforms.
  5. Pedagogical learning environment deals with the framework for the pedagogical activity that affects the students' learning. It pertains to design of goals, content, activities and assessments in general, but does not extend to quality assessment of the individual learning activity.