Dr' Zdenka Babic, vice dean for education

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Quality Systems Procedures and Activities for
the Promotion of University - Enterprise
Cooperation at University of Banja Luka
Dr. Zdenka Babic, vice dean for
education Faculty of electrical engineering
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Legal frame for QA

• formally joining the Bologna Process in Berlin
  2003,
• Law on higher education at the level of Republic
  of Srpska, originally adopted in August 2006, and
  afterward modified in April 2007,
• Framework law on higher education at the level of
  Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopted in August 2007.

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QA Projects at University of Banja Luka

• Realizing the significance of establishing and
  developing quality assurance, University of Banja
  Luka initiated and participated in a number of QA
  projects and activities
• TEMPUS project Strengthening Quality Assurance
  in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UM_JEP 19074-2004),
• WUS Austrias project Structural Development of
  Quality Assurance in Higher Education ,
• TEMPUS project Ensuring Quality of Studies by
  Accreditation (UM_JEP-19015-2004),
• TEMPUS project EU Oriented Self-evaluation
  Report Procedures for Bosnia and Herzegovina
  Universities (SM-SCM-C014B06-2006).

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Project Activities at University of Banja Luka

• At University of Banja Luka, Faculty of
  Electrical Engineering (FEE) was chosen for
  leading role in the project activities and pilot
  activities were done at this faculty
• rules and procedures for promotion university -
  enterprise cooperation are developed,
• three Advisory boards are formed at the level of
  study programs of certain divisions,
• working methodology for advisory boards and
  integration into the existing structure are
  defined.

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Project Activities at University of Banja Luka

• Mechanical faculty and Faculty for technology
  started similar activities.
• After this pilot activities, rules and
  procedures, composition of advisory boards and
  integration into the existing University
  structure, as well as working methodology of
  advisory boards will be defined at University
  level and the project results will be implemented
  at the others faculties University of Banja Luka.

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Advisory boards at FEE

• Advisory board for the development of curricula
  and syllabi at the Division of computing and
  informatics for the Study group for information
  technologies and Study group for computing
  engineering,
• Advisory board for the development of curricula
  and syllabi at the Division of electronics and
  telecommunications for the Study group for
  electronics and Study group for
  telecommunications,
• Advisory board for the development of curricula
  and syllabi at the Division of electro-energetic
  and industrial systems for the Study group for
  electro-energetic systems and Study group for
  industrial systems.

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Advisory boards at FEE Working methodology and
integration into the existing structure
The Advisory boards should make periodical
analyses of existing curricula and syllabi and
give proposals for their improvements, having in
mind contemporary trends in the fields covered by
study programs, needs of industry, results of
conducted questionnaires, as well as legal
regulations, facilities and human resources at
the Faculty.
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Advisory boards Working methodology and
integration into the existing structure
The Advisory boards are accountable for their
work to already existing Commission for education
which acts as the advisory body to the Facultys
Council for education and science. This Council,
with the consent of the other University members,
makes the decisions on curricula and syllabi. The
Presidents of the Advisory boards are professors
that are, at the same time, members of the
Commission for education, whereas the members of
Advisory boards, elected from professors and
teaching assistants, are members of the Council
as well.
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Questionnaires

• Three types of questionnaires are created at the
  Faculty of Electrical Engineering and adopted at
  Commission for education
• Questionnaire 1 Questionnaire for the
  first-cycle studies graduates (just graduated)
• Questionnaire 2 - Questionnaire for graduated
  engineers, former students of ETF Banja Luka
• Questionnaire 3 - Questionnaire for employers

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Advisory boards activities
First task that was given to Advisory boards by
Commission for education was analysis of the
existing study programs and suggestions for their
improvements. In accordance with last TEMPUS
meeting conclusions, two types of questionnaires
(for alumni and employers) were distributed to
the former students and employers. Up to this
point, 67 former students and 8 employers were
polled. Even though summary data are still
changing, representative overview of currently
available results will be presented here.
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 1. Present situation
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 2.1. Working contract
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 4. Relation between your qualification
and the current position
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 6. How long were you looking for
obtaining the first employment?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 7. Do you currently work at your
profession?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 8. How did you find your first job?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 10. Rate satisfaction with your current
job (very low 1- very high 5)?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 12. Would you choose the same studies
again if you could?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 13. Where would you study if you could
choose again?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 14. Was the faculty education suitable
for your job?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 17. Why did you choose Electrical
Engineering ? 17.2. Perspective career
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 18. Why did you choose to study at FEE
Banja Luka (1-5)? 18.2. Faculty hás good
relationship with students
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 20. Are you satisfied with the
possibilities of postgraduate courses at
FEE Banja Luka?(1-5)
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
Question 22. Would you like to help with the
improvement of the quality of studies at
FEE Banja Luka?
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Results from Questionnaire 2 for graduated
engineers former students of FEE Banja Luka
If yes, how?
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Question 2. Do you find the education obtained at
FEE Banja Luka suitable?
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Question 3. Mark the level of skills, attitudes
and knowledge that former students of FEE
Banja Luka demonstrated clearly (1-5)?
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Sub- question 3.1 Theoretical knowledge
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Sub-question 3.2 Knowledge of modern
methodologies
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Sub-question 3.3 Suitable professional practice
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Question 4. What are the main drawbacks
(disadvantages) of the engineering
studies at FEE Banja Luka?
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Question 5. If you employed a new engineer would
it be the one that graduated from
FEE Banja Luka? Question 6. Would you suggest
someone else to employ an engineer who
completed the studies at FEE Banja Luka?
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Question 7. Would you like to help the upgrade
of the quality of studies at FEE Banja
Luka? If yes, how?
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Results from Questionnaire 3 for employers
Question 9. Are you willing to broaden and/or
maintain durable collaboration with FEE Banja
Luka? If yes, how?
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Impact on curricula
Each Advisory board held several meetings. Along
with formal, there were several informal
meetings, particularly those with the members
from industry. After the analysis of the
existing study programs was done (taking into
account results of the questionnaires),
suggestions for improvement were delivered.
Harmonization of received propositions was done
in accordance with professors responsible for
individual study programs. Commission for
education and Council for education and research
accepted achievable suggestions and made changes
in syllabi. The main contribution of this
activities is increased number of laboratory
exercises in syllabi and few new courses. The
process is still in progress. The next step is
modernization of the existing study programs for
each module.
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Impact on curricula
Two comisions (Electronics and
telecommunications and Computing and
informatics), gave an initiative for new study
program of informational-communicational
technologies, that would be smart synthesis of
those two study divisions, appreciating the need
for such personnel.
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Conclusion
The pilot activities, carried out at the Faculty
of Electrical Engineering, clearly show
importance of involvement graduates and
stakeholders needs for the quality assurance.
The concrete achievement of the project, the
quality management procedure and establishment
the advisory boards as well as assessment of
client satisfaction through the questionnaires,
are initial activities of quality assurance
system. As the next step, dissemination of the
experience and the concrete achievements of the
project over all faculties at University of Banja
Luka are planned. Creation similar
questionnaires, adapted to particular faculties,
and their integration at University level will be
done.
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Thank youfor your attention!