Quality is not a coincidence
General notes on quality assurance
The quality concepts of different providers are based partly on very different notions of what constitutes quality in continuing education. Quality can be perceived entirely from the client’s viewpoint; alternatively, the notion of quality can be directed at meeting specific formal requirements. Conducting evaluations would be one such requirement; another would be that courses and programmes can be taught only by staff already contracted by the University. In another case the notion of quality is oriented more strongly on the provider’s notion. Quality concepts can have varying scopes, too. In some cases all aspects of a given provider are taken into account in terms of Total Quality Management (TQM), whereas in others the notion of quality refers only to course delivery.
The Basel Advanced Study Centre is a distinguished centre of excellence. We provide high-quality further training at university level. Our courses and programmes are designed to meet the needs of our core target groups. Overall, these are professional individuals and in-service graduates seeking to further their education alongside employment. Our courses and programmes therefore meet the requirements of vocational studies and are practice-oriented.
Our aim is to provide participants with the opportunity to acquire as much knowledge as possible in a commensurate amount of time. We offer attractive terms and conditions, such as excellent value for money and very pleasant facilities. We aspire to be a recognised market leader in the continuing education market.
We strive to achieve this objective by cooperating with other centres of excellence, including other universities at home or abroad, or distinguished enterprises in business and industry. Our partners are young, exemplary enterprises with great innovation potential, outstanding motivation, and total reliability.
International recognition: Our courses and programmes are designed to meet international standards to ensure the highest possible accreditation and guarantee the best possible value of our degrees and diplomas on the market. We pay particular attention to ensuring that our degrees and diplomas are fully compatible with existing and future norms of the European Union.
Orientation on the current state of research: Our courses and programmes are taught by staff actively engaged in research to guarantee state-of-the-art course contents.
Quality of courses and teaching: We value good teaching. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that all teaching staff have proven teaching experience and are highly motivated to make your learning experience as pleasant and pleasurable as possible. Ensuring good learning comprises a number of factors, whose significance can change during a learning process. Systematic learning, for instance, such as on a course or programme, is an adventure subject to ups and downs: at times we feel in control, at others overtaxed; at times we find course contents relevant, at others less so; on some days we will energized by a working group, on others we might feel hampered by its dynamics... At the Basel Advanced Study Centre, we make every effort to design courses such that you will experience learning from the best side throughout. We place premium value on stringent course assessment to meet this ambitious objective - nothwithstanding the difficulties involved in assessing teaching and learning.
We value privacy and do all we can to respect yours. Normally, course participants have different views about how strongly they wish to engage in courses on a personal level. We neither coax nor coerce our participants to disclose personal information. Our course descriptions are designed to draw your attention to whether course contents or course design call for particular teaching formats or if self-disclosure will form part of coursework.
Quality of services
The Centre for Continuing Education assists all units of the University of Basel in their provision of further training by providing services and know-how. This enables us to make optimal use of resources and to ensure that all courses on offer meet the University’s and international standards.
We guarantee tailor-made, cost-effective, and efficient provision.
