This work is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution/NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0

International Public License - CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-

sa/4.0/legalcode.es

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

https://doi.org/10.37954/se.v6i3.182

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

eISSN: 2661-6661

revistasinergia@soyuo.mx

Page 37 - 47

Received: October 13, 2020

Approved: February 11, 2021

Influence of information systems for

measuring quality standards in higher

education

Influencia de los sistemas de información para medición de

estándares de calidad en educación superior

Alex David Villao Villacrés

María Teresa Albán Defilippi

Daniela Stephanie Castro Villacrés

Renato Javier Manzano Araujo

Abstract

The evolution of the quality of higher education motivated the present

research, whose objective was to determine the influence of computer

systems for measuring quality standards, applying descriptive, qualitative-

quantitative methodology and interviews with teachers, whose results

showed limited communication of quality standards because there are no

specialized databases for their maintenance, making decision-making

difficult. In conclusion, organized databases should be incorporated to

maintain permanent control of the evolution of quality standards for

continuous improvement.

Keywords: Systems, Information, Standards, Quality, Education, Higher

Education.

* Master's degree in education, Universidad de

Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador,

alex.villaov@ug.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-

7648-5356

* Bachelor's degree in education, Universidad de

Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador,

marialban2016@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-

0003-3915-2530

* Engineer, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil,

Guayaquil, Ecuador, daniela.kstrov@gmail.com,

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-4036

* Engineer, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil,

Ecuador, renman.net@gmail.com,

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1048-4451

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

Resumen

La evolución de la calidad educativa superior motivó la presente

investigación, cuyo objetivo fue determinar la influencia de sistemas

informáticos para medición de estándares de calidad, aplicando

metodología descriptiva, cuali-cuantitativa y entrevista a docentes, cuyos

resultados evidenciaron limitada comunicación de estándares de calidad

porque no existen bases de datos especializadas para su mantenimiento,

dificultando la toma de decisiones. En conclusión, deben incorporarse

bases de datos organizadas para mantener control permanente de evolución

de estándares de calidad, para la mejora continua.

Palabras clave: Sistemas, Información, Estándares, Calidad, Educación,

Superior.

Introduction

Quality is a general term that is not only referred to education, but

has implications in different areas, being currently considered as a

scientific discipline, for example, (Lago de Vergara et al., 2014)

conceive this branch of knowledge as "the satisfaction of the

standards stipulated for resources, processes, based on the

comparison of the results obtained", in the same way, (Lago de

Vergara et al., 2014, p. 34) established that "quality results from the

comparison between expectations and perception, whose measure is

satisfaction".

From this point of view, Inquilla et al., (2017), Barros-Bastidas &

Gebera, (2020) conceive the quality of higher education as the

meeting of the requirements of comprehensiveness, coherence and

effectiveness that should lead to the solution of society's problems

and the satisfaction of citizens' demands

One of the most relevant points of quality assessment is associated

with the agreements that emanated from the Bologna Treaty, whose

declaration was signed by some European countries and had an

impact not only in Europe, but also in Latin America, because it

proposed the measurement of the quality of higher education as part

of the self-assessment and accreditation of academic units. (Félix &

Briones, 2018, p. 32).

In this regard, this treaty signed in Bologna, Italy, at the end of the

twentieth century, established an analogical method that promoted

the comparison of the quality assurance system with the standards

required in relation to human talent, resources, learning and

institutional management, and also took into account the perception

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

of student satisfaction with the service received. Scharager &

Aravena, (2010).

The information systems, consisting of hardware and software,

contribute to maintaining the standards that demonstrate the quality

of higher education and constitute a solid basis for decision making,

because they objectively reflect the evolution of universities through

statistical figures that reflect the movement of evaluation indicators,

which in turn facilitate quality assurance, stakeholder satisfaction

and accreditation of university academic units. Guadalupe, (2013).

Information systems are described as "the set of organized data that

facilitate the processing and management of information, which

contribute to form a baseline for the evaluation of objectives and for

managerial decision-making". Indeed, UNESCO in the foreword of

its planning guide states that the new challenge of education systems

is precisely the incorporation of information and communication

technologies (ICT) in all managerial, administrative and operational

activities arising from the service offered by educational institutions

at all levels and not only for the benefit of the teaching-learning

process. (UNESCO-IEU, 2010).

Based on these criteria, the theoretical importance of information

systems for the maintenance of organized and coordinated databases

of higher education quality standards in each institution is

established, in order to maintain a line of action that contributes to

sound decision making, which promotes continuous improvement of

stakeholder satisfaction.

For this reason, the objective was to determine the influence of

information systems for measuring quality standards in higher

education, based on a mixed qualitative and quantitative study,

which used information from secondary sources inherent to quality

standards and expert criteria on how information systems affect the

maintenance of the databases of the standards for the accreditation

of university academic units.

Materials and methods

The present research used a mixed approach, because: qualitative

research was applied by interviewing three professors who are

pursuing doctoral or PHD training outside the country, to know their

criteria about the incidence of information systems in the

measurement of quality standards in higher education; but the

quantitative method was also used through the graphic illustration of

the indicators of the database of the standards in question,

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

information that was provided by the Faculty of Jurisprudence,

Social and Political Sciences of the University of Guayaquil.

Descriptive research was applied because the data of the academic

unit mentioned in the previous paragraph were approached, without

the need for deliberate manipulation of the variables or of the

information collected on the standards of quality in higher education.

Documentary research was used because information was collected

about the main standards of quality in higher education in the

academic unit where this article was delimited, but field study was

also used to apply the interview to three professors who are pursuing

doctoral or PHD training outside the country, in order to deepen their

knowledge about the problem under analysis. The qualitative

technique of the interview was applied by means of the structured

guide to three professors, with the purpose of knowing in greater

depth the impact that information systems have on the maintenance

and evaluation of the quality standards of higher education, to which

were added the statistical graphs of some of these standards of the

academic unit where the study was delimited.

Prior to the application of the research techniques detailed in the

previous paragraphs inherent to the methodology, the model of the

quality of higher education today was discussed, which according to

the (CEAACES, 2017), is based on a systemic and generic approach

based on standards that facilitate the evaluation of academic units

and contribute to the accreditation of university academic units.

The model for evaluating the quality of higher education is based on

the pillars of relevance established in Article 107 of the Organic Law

of Higher Education, in the curriculum, the academy, the

institutional environment and the students, the latter being the

fundamental mission of the work carried out by universities at the

national level and having a direct association with society in general,

since all elements of the community are immersed among the

stakeholders.

In the author's opinion, higher education is based on the axiological

axis of ethical and moral values, which support the constructivist

andragogic model of the teaching-learning process and which are

adequately complemented by ICT (hardware and information

systems) that contribute emphatically to teaching and student

activities, among which are scientific research, business internships,

links with society, bidirectional learning and evaluation of

professionals, graduates and apprentices, as established by the

principle of belonging in Art. 107 of the LOES and Art. 350 of the

Constitution of the Republic.

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

Figure 1. Model of quality evaluation of higher education under

standards supported by information systems.

Results

The first step was to interview three professors who are pursuing

doctoral or PHD training outside the country, for which

authorization was requested from the respective academic unit of the

University of Guayaquil to begin the research process, the results

obtained during the field research are presented below.

Constitution of the

Republic of Ecuador

Ethical and moral values

Organic Law on Higher

Education (LOES) and its

implementing regulations

Scientific research and societal

outreach, standards,

accreditation

Bidirectional teaching-learning

process

Andrological - constructivist model

ICT: Information systems

Standards

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

Table 1. Teacher interviews.

Questions

Diana Espinosa

Mgs.

Carmen Rugel

Mgs.

Rita Solórzano Soto,

Esq.

Have the

quality

standards

been

adequately

disseminated

in the

academic

units of the

University of

Guayaquil?

I know some

quality standards

because I work in

the systems area

of this academic

unit, but that does

not mean that they

are widespread

because the

degree of

communication of

these standards is

low and therefore,

their lack of

knowledge must

be high in the

community of

teachers and

students.

I am not aware

of all the quality

standards in this

academic unit, I

only know some

of them because

I needed this

information on

some occasions

and I had to get it

from the

Systems area,

but it was not

complete.

Quality standards are

not widespread in this

academic unit,

although I was able to

get some standards

because I needed them

when I started as

Student Welfare

Manager, but they are

too few for what I

believe should exist in

a well-coordinated

database.

Is there a

database for

periodic

verification of

quality

standards in

this academic

unit?

There is no

database for the

periodic

verification of

quality standards

in this academic

unit, but there are

indicators in an

Excel register.

There is no

database

specialized in

quality

standards

information in

this academic

unit.

Of course it doesn't

exist, because if it did,

it would have been

provided to me as part

of my order when I

started as a Student

Welfare Manager.

How do

information

systems

contribute to

the evaluation

of the quality

of higher

education?

Information

systems make it

possible to

maintain a reliable

and well-

organized data

base, which is

very useful for

decision making.

Information

systems

maintain

organized data,

which serve to

demonstrate the

trend toward or

away from

optimal quality.

Through information

systems, it is possible

to demonstrate the

quality trend of higher

education in each

academic unit, which

contributes to

accreditation and

quality assurance.

Questions

Diana Espinosa

Mgs.

Carmen Rugel

Mgs.

Rita Solórzano Soto,

Esq.

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

What is the

influence of

information

systems on the

measurement

of quality

standards in

higher

education?

The maintenance

of accurate

databases on the

quality standards

of higher

education,

through

information

systems,

influences

decision making

for its continuous

improvement.

The influence of

information

systems is that it

accurately

demonstrates

how quality

standards

evolved over

time and

whether

objectives were

met.

Undoubtedly,

information systems

facilitate the precise

knowledge of the

evolution of quality in

academic units, in

order to promote

corrective and

preventive actions that

have a positive impact

on continuous

improvement.

What is the

feasibility of

implementing

a specialized

information

system for

measuring

quality

standards?

Currently,

universities have

sufficient budget

allocations to

implement an

information

system or

specialized

database for the

measurement of

quality standards,

which would be

very useful for

continuous

improvement.

He considered

that it is feasible

to maintain an

adequate

information

system, not only

for the

measurement of

quality

standards in

higher

education, but

also for its

archiving,

because it is very

important to

have these

standards in

order to achieve

accreditation

and to show the

increase in

satisfaction of

the educational

community and

stakeholders.

Feasibility exists for

the implementation of

a specialized

information system for

the measurement of

quality standards in

this academic unit,

since the attainment of

accreditation depends

on quality assurance

and standards have this

effect, therefore it

should be considered

as a proposal to be

applied and approved

by the respective

authorities.

Based on the information provided by the teachers interviewed, who

were satisfied with the implementation of an information system for

the measurement and maintenance of quality standards in higher

education in the Faculty of Jurisprudence, Social and Political

Sciences of the University of Guayaquil, some indicators of great

relevance and impact on the quality system of the academic unit in

question were collected.

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

The Faculty of Jurisprudence, Social and Political Sciences of the

University of Guayaquil, maintains equity in the classification of

teachers hired with appointment (tenure) or those who eventually

work under an employment contract, generally for six-month or

annual periods, in some cases, with renewal for two years, a finding

that without being negative can promote decision-making by the

university authorities, to request the corresponding budget

allocations that allow them to maintain a greater number of tenured

professors.

Due to the efforts of the authorities of the Faculty of Jurisprudence,

Social and Political Sciences of the University of Guayaquil, at

present, four-fifths of the professors work full time, while only one-

fifth work part time, representing a good symptom as stipulated in

Art. 12 of the Regulations of the Career and Rank of the Professor

and Researcher of the Higher Education System, which refers to this

specific case of the working time of university professors.

Currently, almost all the professors of the Faculty of Jurisprudence,

Social and Political Sciences of the University of Guayaquil have a

Master's degree, a positive evolution compared to the statistics of

2013, when only a third of the university faculty held a postgraduate

degree, including some who only had diplomas and specialties,

which has been the result of the demand of government authorities

to promote the strengthening of the quality of the higher education

system.

More than five-sixths of the teaching staff of the Faculty of

Jurisprudence, Social and Political Sciences of the University of

Guayaquil have a Master's degree in their specialty, only one-sixth

have general Master's degrees without a focus on the specialized area

of teaching, in compliance with Articles 19 and 20 of the Regulations

for the Career and Rank of Professors and Researchers of the Higher

Education System, which establish the requirements for academic

staff of university establishments.

While teachers with doctoral degrees only reach 9% to date in the

Faculty of Jurisprudence, Social and Political Sciences of the

University of Guayaquil, however, due to the fact that 14% of

university professors are pursuing a PHD, it is estimated that before

2020, a quarter of the teaching population of the academic unit in

question will hold a doctoral degree, despite this, three quarters of

teachers will not hold doctoral degrees until 2020, in violation of Art.

150 literal a) of the Organic Law of Higher Education (LOES).

(National Assembly, 2010).

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

It is necessary to highlight the current student/teacher ratio at the

Faculty of Jurisprudence, Social and Political Sciences of the

University of Guayaquil.

Table 2. Indicator of students per teacher.

Description

Jurisprudence

Sociology

Total

Students

4.100

800

4.900

Teachers

Students per teacher

indicator

In the Faculty of Jurisprudence, Social and Political Sciences of the

University of Guayaquil, each teacher attends an average of 30

students, in the Faculty of Jurisprudence there are 29 students per

teacher and in Sociology an average of 38 students per teacher,

although the first academic unit has more students, however, there is

a more adequate ratio of students per teacher.

Discussion

The most relevant findings determined in the present research

indicated, in the first place, the limited communication and

dissemination of the quality standards of higher education by the

academic unit where the study was carried out, due to the lack of a

specialized database for their maintenance, which hinders decision

making for continuous improvement.

The academic staff of the academic unit under study agreed with

UNESCO's manifestoes, which in the foreword to its planning guide,

referred to the incorporation of information systems as one of the

mainstays for achieving and maintaining accreditation, as well as for

permanently increasing the degree of satisfaction of the interested

parties. This means that the teaching staff of the academic unit under

study, agreed with the manifestos of UNESCO, which in the

prologue of its planning guide, referred to the incorporation of

information systems as one of the appropriate strategies to meet the

challenge arising from the new paradigm in which the quality of

higher education is based.

By making a brief example of the database, whose implementation

was proposed to the academic unit under analysis, it was possible to

establish according to actual data collected at the present time, that

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

although it is true that teachers meet the requirements of the

postgraduate degree of Master specialized in the teaching area and

full-time work, however, they fail to comply with the requirement of

holding a doctoral degree, opposing Art. 150 literal a) of the Organic

Law of Higher Education (LOES), which may be associated to the

fact that almost half of the faculty does not have an appointment and

therefore cannot receive the scholarship to study a PHD abroad.

As can be seen, the analysis of the quality standards of higher

education based on the example database allows the authorities of

the corresponding academic unit to make decisions regarding the

request for allocations to increase the number of teachers with

appointments, so that in turn a greater number of teachers can receive

scholarships for doctoral studies, so that this has an impact on their

academic degree and can meet the requirements of Art. 150 of the

LOES and the regulations of the Regulations of the Career and Rank

of the Professor and Researcher of the Higher Education System.

References

Barros-Bastidas, C., & Gebera, O. T. (2020). Training in research

and its incidence in the scientific production of teachers in

education of a public university of Ecuador. Publicaciones de

La Facultad de Educacion y Humanidades Del Campus de

Melilla, 50(2), 167–185.

https://doi.org/10.30827/publicaciones.v50i2.13952

Félix, V., & Briones, V. (2018). Calidad en la Educación Superior .

Caso. Atenas, 1(41).

https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=478055151011

Guadalupe, C. (2013). Situación educativa de América Latina y el

Caribe. In Ediciones del Imbunche (Ed.), Oficina Regional de

Educación para América Latina y el Caribe

(OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) (1st ed.).

http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIEL

D/Santiago/images/SITIED-espanol.pdf

Inquilla Mamani, J., Calsina Ponce, W., & Velazco Reyes, B.

(2017). La calidad educativa y administrativa vista desde

dentro: Caso universidad nacional del altiplano – puno –perú

2017. COMUNI@CCIÓN: Revista de Investigación En

Comunicación y Desarrollo, 8(1), 5–15.

https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=449852109001

Lago de Vergara, D., Gamoba Suárez, A. A., & Montes Miranda, A.

J. (2014). Calidad de la educación superior. Saber, Ciencia y

Sinergias educativas

July - September Vol. 6 - 3 - 2021

http://sinergiaseducativas.mx/index.php/revista/

Libertad, 9(1), 157–170. https://doi.org/10.18041/2382-

3240/saber.2014v9n1.2006

Scharager, J., & Aravena, M. T. (2010). Impacto de las políticas de

aseguramiento de la calidad en programas de educación

superior: un estudio exploratorio. Calidad En La Educación,

32, 16. https://doi.org/10.31619/caledu.n32.150

UNESCO-IEU. (2010). Medición de las tecnologías de la

información y la comunicación (TIC) en educación - manual

del usuario. http://www.uis.unesco.org