Identifying the Dimensions and Elements of Comprehensive Quality Management at Islamic Azad University: A Qualitative Study

comprehensive quality management is the art of managing the entire complex for accomplishing the best outcome. Thus, the present research was done to identify the dimensions and elements of comprehensive quality management at Islamic Azad University.

The present research was an applied research of qualitative type. The research population consisted of experts in comprehensive quality management and evaluation at Tehran City; according to the principle of theoretical saturation, the sample size was estimated 12 individuals, chosen through snowball and purposive sampling methods. The research instrument was a semi-in-depth interview whose validity was confirmed through triangulation method, and its reliability, via interrater consistency coefficient, was estimated above 0.71. The data were analyzed through coding method in MAXQDA-2018 Software.

The coding results suggested that comprehensive quality management at Islamic Azad University had three dimensions of internal, external, and academic quality development along with service assessment. The internal dimension included elements of leadership, curricula planning, the staff competence level, competent faculty members, assessment quality, quality of the physical atmosphere, educational equity, information technology quality, feedback on performance, the students’ competence level as well as the curriculum. The external dimension included cultural, social, economic, geographical – environmental elements. Finally, the dimension of academic quality and service assessment included elements of commercialization, skills, economic development, responsivity, value creation, as well as development of academic quality and service assessment.

considering the dimensions and elements identified for comprehensive quality management at Islamic Azad University, the ground could be provided for accomplishing comprehensive quality management as well as achieving useful and excellent outcomes.