There is no single clear-cut idea of what quality is or should be in the Danish higher education system. The concept of quality is diverse and much debated. As are the attempts to measure the effect of initiatives aimed at improving degree programme quality. PIQUED (Pathways to Improve Quality in Higher Education) will provide new research-based knowledge about the quality development work, its effects and how to measure these.

The project examines how degree programme quality is conceptualised and how it is approached through degree programme quality initiatives. Based on international research, existing quality indicators and an in-depth empirical collection of data from the stakeholders of universities, university colleges and academy profession degree programmes, the project aims to identify the factors that contribute to increasing degree programme quality. 

The overall aim of the PIQUED project is to establish inclusive, context-sensitive evidence about pathways for improving the quality of Danish higher education degree programmes.

In order to reach this objective, PIQUED research activities are structured into three work packages that feed into each other. 

WP1 deals with mapping quality conceptualisation and quality work 

WP2 deals with examining the effects of quality developing initiatives through three separate casestudies 

WP3 deals with indicators of quality development in higher education