Managing Tracer Studies for Evidence-Based Quality Assurance: A Case Study of Graduate Quality Evaluation

Abstract

This study examines how tracer studies are managed and integrated into evidence-based quality assurance for graduate quality evaluation. A qualitative case study was conducted at a public university in Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 35 purposively selected university managers, faculty coordinators, alumni, employers, and students, supplemented by non-participant observations and institutional documents. The data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model and triangulated across sources and techniques. The findings show that effective tracer study governance comprises five interrelated components: planning, integrated data management, stakeholder collaboration, evidence-based decision-making, and continuous quality improvement. Institutional records further showed that tracer study and employer-survey evidence informed performance reporting, accreditation, curriculum review, graduate competency evaluation, and career services. However, its strategic value depended on database completeness, data validation, employer participation, cross-unit coordination, dissemination, and documented follow-up. The study proposes an Evidence-Based Tracer Study Management Framework that integrates POAC management functions with the PPEPP quality assurance cycle, positioning tracer studies as a continuous improvement mechanism rather than merely an administrative reporting requirement.

Keywords

• continuous improvement
• evidence-based quality assurance
• graduate quality
• higher education
• tracer study