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Since 2020/21, the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has offered funding for small groups of institutions to work together on projects to enhance the quality of their students’ learning experiences and develop outputs that benefit the sector as a whole.
Advancing knowledge and practice around priority topics – including generative artificial intelligence, assessment and flexible delivery, education for sustainable development, innovative quality processes, student engagement, and enterprise and employability – the Collaborative Enhancement Project (CEP) programme has funded over 60 distinctive projects to date involving over 125 UK and international partners. Creating valuable opportunities for topic experts from different disciplines and institutions to collaborate and develop new tools and communities of practice, the programme has been a welcome catalyst for change and emboldened a spirit of community and cooperation in the English sector.
This paper focuses on the design and management of the CEP programme and how it enables thought leaders and expert practitioners to meaningfully address increasingly complex challenges at local, national and global levels. Specifically, it considers the role of quality assurance agencies in pioneering research and practice in partnership with higher education (HE) institutions, and enhancing engagement with the academic third mission. Developed jointly with Liverpool John Moores University, which led a collaboration focused on enhancing the impact of work-based learners on global issues, the paper considers the experience of completing a CEP and how this particular project has empowered educators and students to enhance the societal impact of academic learning.
This paper was presented at EQAF and reflects the views of the named authors only.
ISSN: 1375-3797
Universities have always interacted with their surrounding communities and responded to societal change, a role often referred to as the "third mission of the university." ...
The measure of quality related not to the teaching processes themselves, but to their effects is the employability of graduates. ...
The importance of GenAI in higher education can’t be ignored. It influences learning processes vastly. Students and faculty use its rapidly growing features for demanding tasks. ...
Several EU Member States are implementing policies to develop the role of universities of applied sciences (UAS) in the training of early-stage researchers. ...
The representatives of the industry (employers) have been involved in the institutional reviews (Authorization) of the Higher Education Institutions in Georgia in the role of evaluators since 2017. ...
Quality assurance in language education is a key issue that resonates with broader challenges inherent in higher education. ...
Cooperation is crucial to anchor and enhance quality within any university. South East Technological University was founded in 2022; two years into its existence, considerable work has been undertaken ...
Norwegian initial teacher education was reformed in 2017 to a master’s education. ...
This paper adds to the recommendations of the European University Association (EUA) Learning and Teaching Paper #22 “Challenges and enablers in designing transnational joint education provision”. ...
Quality assurance (QA) for practice-based research at Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) differs from traditional research universities in several ways. ...
This paper summarizes the outcomes of several student-led intervention studies co-authored by psychology students. ...
Research is a cornerstone of innovation, knowledge advancement, and societal progress. However, the high costs associated with conducting research often make it an exclusive endeavor, accessible to on ...
This paper examines the evolution of regulations for Quality Assurance (QA) in the Romanian Higher Education system checking whether they foster a conducive environment for Higher Education Institutio ...
Since the establishment of Armenia's external quality assurance system in 2011, institutional accreditation has been instrumental in advancing reforms across higher education institutions (HEIs). ...
Cooperation and quality assurance are connected across service-learning. There is no service-learning without them. ...
Quality assurance of transnational education is a topic that has recently gained prominence and has been placed on the agenda of the 2024 ministerial communiqué of the Bologna follow-up group. ...
This paper presents a case study on the enhancement-oriented approach adopted by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) for national evaluations of educational quality in stud ...
External quality assurance (EQA) of higher education has widely grown during the last decades. Nevertheless, there is little evidence on the impacts of the outputs produced by EQA. ...
QQI, as a comparatively large agency with a diverse and expanding range of functions, uses the Programme Management Office as a tool for change management, evaluation and quality assurance to implemen ...
This paper explores the pivotal role of existing Quality Assurance (QA) systems and processes in enhancing cooperation within European University Alliances, specifically drawing on the case of the EUT ...
Quality assurance agencies play a crucial role in regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the higher education system. ...
As higher education sectors worldwide adapt to generative AI, our understanding of what ‘high quality’ provision in an AI-enabled world is evolving. ...
The paper describes the work of the UK Quality Assurance Agency’s (QAA) International Quality Reviews (IQR) in universities within West Africa. This work was carried out in support of the World Bank ...
Arising from a recently expanded legislative remit, QQI is currently developing a new quality mark that will be awarded to higher education providers (both public and independent/private), and provide ...
Transnational education (TNE, also cross-border higher education) is huge business globally, and is growing. ...
There are currently 44 European Universities alliances, which are all setting up their internal QA systems. ...
This paper will reflect on internationalisation in the context of Ireland’s International Education Mark from the perspective of Trinity College Dublin. ...
"There is no doubt that education plays a fundamental role in the development of nations”. (ASG-QA, p.9). ...
A literature review shows that Indonesia is focusing on the internationalization of higher education with a concentration on academic aspects such as curricula, teaching methods and academic exchange. ...
The YUFE Alliance unites universities from ten European countries with diverse academic traditions and practices. These institutions share common values aligned with the European Higher Education Area ...
Although internationalisation has been on the agenda in the Finnish higher education sector for years, there are a number of recent national efforts in the form of policies, initiatives and funding to ...
QQI is establishing a new statutory scheme to provide voluntary, regulated access to the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) to a new type of awarding body, named Listed Awarding Bodies (LABs). ...
The international dimension of quality assurance in Europe has been a key element of the European Higher Education Area for more than two decades now. ...
The quality assurance of doctoral education could be considered a hot potato of the Polish higher education system. Following the last reform in 2005, external quality assurance for doctoral studies w ...
Internationalization has enormous potential to enrich learning and to create vibrant and productive academic communities. However, across the EU but in the UK in particular, the discourse has emphasis ...
At European level, several developments such as the Bologna process, the creation of ENQA and EQAR and the promotion of the ESG have impacted quality assurance (QA) and contributed to the rise of new ...
In the era of globalization, ‘new’ policy issues appear in the process of Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institutions such as public confidence, the way of sharing academic values(instituti ...
Not many people ask the question of what exactly in higher education is valuable, and for whom. In this article the author uses a sharp question to research what higher education brings, and to whom. ...
Scotland’s Enhancement Themes Student-Led Project (SLP), a national initiative comprised of student representatives from across the country, selected the topic of ‘Promoting Equity of the Student ...
Having a good Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS) is considered essential in order to respond to the current challenges of universities. ...
Since 2003, the Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF) has focussed on enhancement, collaboration and partnership in managing quality. 20 years on, a new tertiary approach to quality will bring ...
In this paper we explore how equity and inclusion in Higher Education (HE) can be promoted from a quality assurance agency. ...
The presentation will focus on the result obtained by sharing values in the international space by discussing the case of Georgia. ...
Dual study programs are hybrid form of higher education, which offer the participant the opportunity to complete a degree program at a higher education institution whilst simultaneously receiving a ce ...
Quality assurance systems in Higher Education see the evaluation process as a fundamental phase of their development, as it is fundamental to the definition and verification of the achievement of thei ...
Since about 2001 parttime modes of study programs of universities showed decreasing influx of adult students who combine a professional career with (further) higher education. ...
Enhancing effectiveness of quality assurance for the future of HEIs cannot happen without the inclusion of the multiple perspectives of the most important player in the process – the students. ...
This research deals with analyzing trends in quality enhancement, pronged challenges and internal breakthrough for holistic quality enhancement in Ethiopian Public Universities. ...
This purpose of this paper is threefold: First, it describes the international milieu of policymaking relevant to joint programmes and its development in recent years. It focuses predominantly on the ...
This paper illustrates how HEIs, experts and a quality assurance agency address the key challenges of building trust among stakeholders and, while being engaged in an experimental “learning by doing ...
This papers presents a quality assurance approach for joint programmes which has been developed by the Una Europa alliance. The Una Europa partners developed a lean joint internal quality assuran ...
The relationship between quality assurance and impact has increasingly gaining attention during the last two decades. The focus, however, is usually put on the impact of quality assurance. In this pap ...
In 2017, the Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) began the construction of a new database of relationships with its external partners, both local and international. The database provides the university w ...
This paper describes the experiences by four Dutch universities of applied sciences in the context of a pilot project organised by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This developmen ...
The paper will present an overview of the mandatory use of performance indicators in programme accreditation in Germany. The use of performance indicators in Germany is not new but recent developments ...
This contribution presents an assessment of the de jure independence of Quality Assurance Agencies (QAAs) operating at the national level in the field of higher education and which are public in natur ...
In an everchanging world of student representation, Croatian students have noticed a need for change in the development, organisation and evaluation of the quality of their students` representatives a ...
The ‘European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes’ is a framework to evaluate joint programmes uniformly. It has been in existence since May 2015. Recently, the ‘European Approach ...
On 1 January 2019, Ireland’s first Technological University (TU Dublin) was established when Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) and Institute of Techn ...
Presumably we want each expert in external quality assurance procedure to be a great one. And here the hard part arises – what is a great expert? This paper provides research to the question: what c ...
Work-Based Learning is gradually becoming an integrated key component in many HE programmes covering a significant number of ECTS credits. It is therefore remarkable that until now not much time and e ...
The social dimension of Higher Education has never been before so much emphasized. This is because it is expected that universities will lead the resolution of the challenges that face our societies. ...
Sustainable Development(SD) is a major subject for society but also for Engineering education. Many citizens think that the consequences concerning climate change or reduction of biodiversity are the ...
Institutional quality initiatives have been the main guidelines in developing internal Quality Assurance (QA) processes at South East European University (SEEU). The University promotes quality in ord ...
The growing importance for entrepreneurial, student-centred, engaged universities that empower graduates with knowledge, 21st century competencies and skills but also with personal attributes which wi ...
Higher education has an impact through social engagement. This paper examines, through a mixed methods approach, the relationship between internal and external quality assurance (QA) and community eng ...
In recent years, Turkish higher education system has witnessed to a radical change by the establishment of Higher Education Quality Council of Turkey (THEQC), which has both financial and administrati ...
The goal of this session is to examine whether there is an opportunity to develop innovative policy tools both at the university and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) level for assessing exter ...
Along with the traditional missions of a university – teaching & learning, and research – a latecomer is now well established in higher education: interaction with society, often designated as ...
In recent times e-learning in different forms has been integrated in a high percentage in the study offerings of HEIs in Europe. The quality assurance of this type of provision has become a concern bo ...
Since 2009, Portuguese higher education institutions have been developing their own internal quality assurance systems and policies as a result of the reforms of higher education quality assurance in ...
At a time in which different forms of online education provision are growing in popularity, it is important to bring the assessment of these provisions to the same level. ...
Since the establishment of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA (ESG) in 2005, student involvement in quality processes has been viewed as integral and become more widely ado ...
The external quality audit in Austria encompasses a broad range of HEIs’ activities – alongside the basic duties, they include societal objectives which are supposed to be integrated into the inte ...
Even the most pioneering approaches to the student voice in quality can run the risk of over-dependence on a narrow perspective – one that is disproportionally full-time, on-campus and undergraduate ...
The credential-space is currently seeing significant innovation, driven by twin priorities, namely the unbundling of learning of micro-learning, and the drive to digitise credentials as prioritised by ...
After having established an integrated QA system for teaching & learning, the University of Würzburg now focuses on quality assurance for its science support services of the central administr ...
It is generally accepted in Europe that students should be involved in the external Quality Assurance (QA) of higher educations institutions. Requirements for involving students are stated in the ESG, ...
The European Quality Assurance Register in Higher Education (EQAR) has developed DEQAR with the aim to contribute to the transparency of quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area. DEQAR ...
A collaborative partnership of higher education institutions, students’ representatives and national agencies has developed and implemented a national survey for postgraduate research students. ...
This paper focuses on quality assurance and recognition process of e-learning courses in Estonian higher education institutions. How this process has so far taken place, what are the bottlenecks and h ...
Many of the student feedback surveys at provider and sector level give a comprehensive insight into the student experience, but they offer only a snapshot at set points in time, often at the end of a ...
The paper discusses the opportunities to use sectoral qualifications frameworks in the development of study programmes in higher education. Sectoral qualifications frameworks are extensions of Nationa ...
The paper describes and analyses a coordinated approach of students’ representation at Study Programme Committees (SPC) of Vilnius University (VU). This approach was developed by Vilnius University ...
The growing importance of university engagement in the context of 21st century challenges in higher education has led to an increasing demand for university engagement, which calls for evaluation and ...
Quality assurance in Flemish professional higher education has traditionally focused mainly on teaching and learning processes. Given the threefold mission of universities of applied sciences, however ...
Caused by a ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court, the German accreditation system underwent considerable changes in 2018, which assigned new roles to the German Accreditation Council (GAC), agen ...
The importance of student involvement, student engagement and the student voice to quality assurance and the enhancement of learning and teaching is widely recognised. ...
Academic integrity as a concept is not new in higher education, but the manifestation of academic misconduct is increasingly complex, posing a challenge to the maintenance of quality and standards, an ...
The Royal Conservatoire has been testing and implementing a new quality culture with the aim of linking internal and external quality assurance cycles, as well as connecting educational quality and ar ...
This work aims to discuss the expansion of the University Degree Accreditation System for the Regional Recognition of the Academic Quality of University Degrees in the MERCOSUR and Associate States (t ...
In this paper, the author gives a personal and somewhat critical view on language usage in Dutch higher education. In recent months, the increasing number of English-taught programmes in the Netherlan ...
Quality and quality assurance (QA) is everyone’s responsibility. In a higher education institution (HEI) this includes all teaching, research and support staff. Students also play a key role mainly ...
Abstract The papers describes a project which was established as an agreement of Armenian higher education (HE) stakeholders, some European universities and organization supporting students’ partic ...
Abstract The continuous process of improving ARACIS activity has two major objectives: increasing the efficacy of the process of internal and external evaluation and the development of new standards ...
Abstract The ever-changing landscape of higher education and the rapid technology advancement are leading to new ways of teaching and assessing. Accordingly, quality assurance (QA) must adapt to thes ...
Abstract 183 employees of 10 higher education departments described their own attitude and role with respect to quality and diversity. The results reveal rather low levels of involvement. Comparison ...
Abstract This paper outlines the key data and metrics that are being used to assure and assess quality and standards in United Kingdom (UK) higher education. It is a brief overview of data drive ...
Abstract We developed an analytic framework to strategically plan IQA communication, in order to increase the overall impact of IQA-output. Our paper considers traps and obstacles in communication. D ...
Abstract Student Engagement in module and programme evaluation has become a pressing issue in the quality assurance and enhancement of the higher education teaching and learning environment. ...
Abstract Employers can give a valuable insight into the employability competencies and desired improvements in the higher education quality assurance system. The main aim of the paper is to find ...
Abstract Establishing causality between internal quality review (iQR) and impact is important not only for enhancing responsible behaviour but also for demonstrating that quality assurance (QA) has v ...
Abstract While most of the European countries conduct accreditations, quality audits are the Finnish way to follow the Berlin conference’s demand of implementing an external quality assurance instr ...
Abstract The implementation of the Bologna reform in the Croatian context has led to a number of issues with reforming and delivering doctoral education, including a lack of research qualifications o ...
Abstract Quality assurance and enhancement is central to all higher education activities. The educational authorities in the Republic of Macedonia (RM) have tried for about a decade, to assure the qu ...
Abstract This paper session will cover how the University of Edinburgh has made improvements to data available to support quality assurance and enhancement processes using a project to develop a syst ...
Abstract Student Centred Learning (SCL) has been given a new and distinct role in the European understanding of education quality. Agencies and HEIs are in the process of discussing how the new ESG 1 ...
Abstract The paper discusses the necessity for flexibility in QA systems through a case study of a recent merger between four HEIs in Norway. It draws on experience from engineering education and sho ...
Abstract In 2017, the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) started to pilot a new External Quality Assurance (EQA) model. The guiding principles include: a coherent model in line with ESG and a ...
Abstract The massification of higher education in Poland means that labour market outcomes of graduates are an important perspective for future students, higher education institutions as well as the ...
Abstract This paper describes the outcomes of a review of practice and related policy and procedures for annual programme monitoring. The review of practice highlighted that there was an artificial s ...
Abstract In the summer of 2016 NOKUT conducted a survey of academic teachers’ perceptions of quality in ‘their own’ educational programmes. From this survey, the theme of teacher coll ...
Abstract After the amendment of the Flemish Codex of Higher Education concerning quality assurance and accreditation in June 2015, the Flemish higher education institutions had the opportunity t ...
Abstract This paper aims at describing why and how a QA agency decided to trigger a process of in-depth reflection and consultation on its external quality assurance (EQA) practices in order to ...
Abstract Fair recognition of qualifications, periods of study, and prior learning has been one of the main objectives of the Bologna Process since its creation. The Lisbon Recognition Convention esta ...
Abstract To this date, research on the interplay between organisational structure/managerial and organisational value/psychological elements impacting educational quality enhancement is scarce. As a ...
Abstract The paper presents an overview of the upcoming ISO 21001 standard, which will be published in early 2018 as a Management System Standard for Educational Organizations. It shows how ISO 21001 ...
Abstract The Quality Assurance System for Course Units at Instituto Superior Técnico monitors the course units taught at the institution, by involving the entire academic community in the teaching a ...
The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), European Students’ Union (ESU), European University Association (EUA), European Association of Institutions ...
Abstract When implementing a new QA system in 2014, NVAO conceived the Appreciative Approach as the underpinning philosophy of its new QA methodology. Previous QA methodologies were primarily complia ...
Abstract Many higher education institutions are revising, and in some cases reforming, their undergraduate curricula with an objective of providing a higher quality education experience to students. ...
Abstract Over the last decades higher education in Sweden has been subject to a number of different national QA systems. Now and then, they have been met with criticism. In 2012, the Swedish Associat ...
Abstract At the University of Graz (Uni Graz) one of the key quality management procedures in terms of research is peer-evaluation. After the first two cycles of evaluation, with different perception ...
Abstract In 2015, a teaching portfolio pilot project was conducted at the University of Graz. This paper aims at sharing insights and lessons learned from that project and also points at encountered ...
Abstract Core academic principles and purposes of higher education can be expressed in such terms as students’ personal development or academic identity. These are important in the Bologna pro ...
Abstract There is an increase in number of overlapping student satisfaction surveys in the higher education sector. Here we present results from a national and an institutional survey. The nati ...
Abstract The extensive establishment and development of external quality assurance agencies all over the world has created a new profession so-called the external quality assurance profession. ...
Abstract Internal quality assurance systems are expected to improve the institutions’ core mission of teaching and learning. Resorting to data gathered through an online survey, distributed in 2014 ...
Abstract In recent years the tone of voice in higher education policy in the Netherlands has changed from advocating tight control and accountability to giving more room to the ‘soft’ side of qua ...
Abstract In addition to exploring the quality culture paradox in the higher education (HE) area the paper is identifying practical ways for in-depth quality culture evolvement and change, drawing bot ...
Abstract Student satisfaction is important not only for improving learning outcomes but also for improving retention, progression and completion rates. Raising student satisfaction is strongly correl ...
Abstract This paper addresses a challenge that is often referred to in quality assurance processes: the involvement in these processes of teaching staff. The authors suggest that this challenge ...
Abstract Six quality assurance agencies have recently decided to be part of an active yet informal network (réseau FrAQ-Sup) with the goal of sharing professional experience and supporting the devel ...
Abstract What should be taken into account when developing University Quality Assurance policies to ensure maximum engagement leading to successful implementation? How could the resistance for develo ...
Abstract The paper presents Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) experience of introducing and embedding an innovative whole-University student engagement initiative into a small, traditional, Uni ...
Abstract Countries across Europe shared similarities in quality assurance in the higher education area even before the ESG. This paper explores these similarities in different contexts from a student ...
Abstract From a conceptual point of view, quality assurance tends to be oriented towards the presence or the past rather than the future (ex post approach). This paper strongly advocates the need to ...
Abstract One of the main concepts of the ESG is that they are European. Nevertheless, even if they provide a framework for quality assurance in the entire EHEA, the ESG also apply to quality assuranc ...
Abstract Learning from the animal kingdom we stipulate that the mission for higher education institutions (HEI) that want to persist beyond the 21st century is simply: “how not to be a dinosaur, a ...
Abstract In July 2015 Malta inaugurated its National QA Framework for Further and Higher Education to foster a comprehensive quality culture in the sector. This is the first QA framework within the E ...
Abstract The paper analyses the main outcomes of programme accreditation in Portugal further to the operations of the Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education, which were initiated ...
Abstract Student participation in the internal Quality processes is one of the fundamental values underpinning the Quality system at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). This participation does not sto ...
Abstract The United Kingdom's quality assurance framework for higher education has been characterised by relative policy stability over the last 20 years. But far reaching and significant reforms to ...
Abstract Input factors have always been an important element in the evaluation of education. Another approach is to highlight outcomes, and yet a third to listen to the students’ assessment of ...
Abstract Teaching competence is often discussed in relation to rewards of present day achievements, rather than in terms of strategic long-term quality. A call for a shift towards a long-term quality ...
Abstract Obtaining accredited status is of great importance for programmes offered in universities, regardless of their scale, location on this globe and developmental status. However, there are few ...
Abstract This paper considers how centrally-available and comprehensive quantitative data can be used as an indication of risk in a risk-based system of quality assurance, as currently implemented in ...
Abstract One of the most successful actions of the Bologna Process is said to be QA. Yet, studies made clear that in quite some HEIs and Bologna countries internal QA was developed only after or beca ...
Abstract The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) is the organization responsible for quality assessment in Finland. The UH passed an international audit performed in 2014–2015. The mo ...
Abstract In 2013 QQI commissioned the ‘Review of Reviews’ to take stock of Irish legacy review models and make proposals for the features of a new QQI model. QQI has now published (June, 2015) a ...
Abstract Graduates must be able to use their degree on the labour market that awaits them when they have completed a higher education study programme. Danish politicians have increasingly focused on ...
Abstract Given the ten years since the introduction of the ESG and the five years since the formal launch of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) quality assurance of higher education has gained ...
Abstract Quality Assurance (QA) at one university has evolved significantly over the past 15 years in keeping with emerging European standards, reported best practices and structured feedback from ke ...
Abstract Expert evaluation of study programmes has been a common feature of quality assurance systems in Europe and worldwide. In general, expert committees are formed of disciplinary or professional ...
Abstract After 10 years of intensive developments in European quality assurance and in the year of the adoption of the revised European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) this paper will ask whether exce ...
Abstract We present findings on practical experiences with national and cross-border external quality assurance procedures made by six universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland working with th ...
Abstract Evidence, both quantitative and qualitative, is at the core of every assessment process. New technology has given us an unprecedented opportunity to tackle both structured and unstructured d ...
Abstract This paper looks at the way two European universities of applied sciences (UAS) deal with the “shift from teaching to learning”. It focuses on Berner Fachhochschule (BFH) and H ...
Abstract Taking into consideration the paucity of information in the area of external quality assurance activity of quality assurance agencies (QAAs) the present paper provides a first atte ...
Abstract The main objective of this paper is to address the changing role of university quality assurance structures in particular regard to teaching and learning and the associated developments ...
Abstract The increasing emphasis on the outcomes of learning, as captured in the conference title has many implications for both internal and external quality assurance. One of the external evaluatio ...
Abstract The paper focuses on the role played by the administrative staff in the internal quality assurance systems managed by the universities in Poland. Conducted analysis concerned the p ...
Abstract Considering some of the Bologna principles, this paper aims to show the main changes and consequences of the performance assessment system of IST teaching body (QUC, Course Unit Qu ...
Abstract The quality of learning has evolved into the core of the quality system of higher education institutions over the last decade. Different external evaluation processes are implemented to ...
Abstract The paper discusses the current status of one of the traditional methods of external quality assurance in European higher education, the institutional quality audit. Taking its point of ...
Abstract This paper addresses the question of how the system of quality assurance in UK higher education has responded to the shift from teaching to learning by promoting a culture of ...
Abstract Higher education is undergoing deep transformations driven by increasing demand, high youth unemployment, rising costs and new uses of technology. These have triggered an unprecede ...
Abstract A unique collaborative partnership of higher education institutions, students’ representatives and national agencies has implemented the first national survey of student engageme ...
Abstract Are universities responsible for the employability of graduates? In Finland it has been more or less self-evident that people with a university degree are not struck by unemploymen ...
Abstract In recent years there has been a paradigm shift in education from teaching to learning. A key question is whether the same shift in focus is reflected in the core purpose of quali ...
Abstract The paper reports on a comparative study, conducted in 2013-14, of four higher education systems (the Netherlands, Flanders, North Rhine-Westphalia and Ireland), which aimed to find out ...
Foreword and Acknowledgements by Norma Ryan Analysing the implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance at institutional level: Outcomes of the IBAR project ...
Abstract A key issue in effective internal quality assurance (IQA) is active involvement of different stakeholders. The role of student representatives is formalized in most institutes for higher edu ...
Abstract This paper shares the results of the first external assessment of all Flemish post-graduate teacher education programmes, focussing on how cooperation contributes to improved quality. T ...
Abstract A vast majority of Higher Education Institutes have formalised their quality management practices in order to be able to systematically generate information for accountability and improvemen ...
Abstract Quality assurance is a necessary benchmark in order to identify high quality offers on the further education market. Quality assurance could be described as an important factor to reach pote ...
Abstract In 2011 a new era of external quality assurance in Austria began. The process of further development of the quality assurance (QA) system showed the necessity of a deeper debate within the A ...
Abstract In December 2009, after an official demand coming from four universities of the French community of Belgium (FCB), AEQES1 (a generalist evaluation agency) and CTI2 (an engineering accreditat ...
Abstract The purpose of this article is to analyse the composition of teaching staff in Portuguese higher education institutions and assess the existing gap between reality and desirability, in the c ...
Abstract The implementation of quality assurance and quality development procedures constitutes one of the major challenges in the management of higher education institutions (HEIs). In this context ...
Abstract A number of various definitions have been given concerning quality in higher education, each one representing a different view, a reality which is reflected in the content of external evalua ...
Abstract Academics are at the heart of higher education, being key actors for assuring and promoting their institutions and systems’ quality. This paper explores academics’ views on quality ...
Abstract What is the role of student experts in evaluation panels? Are they token representatives of the masses of customers or are they professionalized partners in quality management? This study sh ...
Abstract The IBAR project studied barriers higher education institutions experienced to implementing the ESG part 1. Our paper reports on the major findings of this project. ...
Abstract The national QA system in Sweden does not any longer include assessment of the institutions’ internal QA procedures. The Experts Group on Quality at the Swedish Association for Higher Educ ...
Abstract This paper reports results from an audit of the achievements made towards introduction of a regional quality assurance (QA) system in higher education in East Africa involving the Inter-Univ ...
Abstract Student participation in quality assurance (QA) processes, and more particularly as evaluators in external QA, has been acknowledged in the European Standards and Guidelines since 2005. This ...
Quality is a measure applying to transactions among bodies. The level of quality is high if all involved bodies’ needs have been met.Consider a simple transaction along a simple supply chain – the ...
Foreword and Acknowledgements by Norma Ryan I. Making a difference: perspectives and lessons learnt ...
Foreword In this paper, you will find a summary by the Estonian Higher Education Quality Agency (Eesti Kõrghariduse Kvaliteediagentuur; EKKA) of an atypical quality assessment in Estonian higher edu ...
In this paper we elaborate the idea of ‘dialectical reasoning’ as a way of reconciling managerial paradoxes. Two ‘mental exercises’ have been developed to encourage such dialectical reasoning ...
Abstract The idea for the study of these issues arose as a result of the current state of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has not yet begun the process of accreditation of higher ed ...
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to report on a qualitative investigation to identify and explore: - the value added by quality reviews in service and support units in the UJ;- improvements to ...
Abstract The main aim of this paper is to provide examples of how quality assurance and enhancement activities have provided a clear means of integrating QA into an Irish third level institution, Dub ...
Abstract This paper presents a cooperation model between a Russian organisation aiming at fostering quality culture in higher education, the National Center of Public Accreditation (NCPA) and a Europ ...
Abstract This paper argues that the aims of UK quality assurance (QA) within institutions should be concerned not only with the requirements to provide a profile of programmes, institutions and their ...
Abstract The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (the Agency), established in 1995, has the national responsibility for quality assurance of higher education through quality evaluation of fi ...
Abstract The main purpose of the paper is to present the concept for assessment of the doctoral programmes implemented by PKA as an important supplement of the institutional evaluation. The paper pre ...
Abstract The presentation is a case study of how Lund University have used the mapping of existing student and graduate tracking initiatives within its faculties and central administration to introdu ...
Abstract One of the main principles of the quality assurance procedures is to encompass the interests of all stakeholders. Among the stakeholders there is one group it is students whom very often man ...
Abstract The process of adaptation to the challenges in the European Higher Education Area, lead to the development of an Integrated Quality System at IST (SIQuIST), consolidating the quality culture ...
Abstract Although e-learning has become mainstream provision in European higher education it has not yet become integral part of the QA systems.Surveys like the E-learning Quality (ELQ) report (2008: ...
Foreword and Acknowledgements by Fiona Crozier I. Setting the stage ...
Foreword and Acknowledgements by Henrik Toft Jensen Part 1. 2010 is here: How far have we come and where are we going? ...
Foreword and Acknowledgements by Henrik Toft Jensen 1. Introduction ...
Foreword and Acknowledgements by Henrik Toft Jensen 1. Introduction to the Forum by Klaus Dieter Wolff ...
The 2019 European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF) is taking place this week at Technical University Berlin in Germany. More than 500 participants are attending the event, which runs from 21-23 November ...
Wladimir Mufty reflects on his organisation’s work to explore a higher education and research social media platform based on public values, and offers some mastodo’s and mastodon’ts. Social med ...
Can, and should, quality assurance play a greater role in ensuring that common academic values are respected? EUA’s Maria Kelo examines recent debates on the scope of QA in higher education. Qualit ...
As places of teaching and learning, how can universities tangibly create a culture of togetherness and well-being? Here, Jochen Schellinger explains Bern University of Applied Sciences’ efforts to d ...
The European University Association’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) has outstanding experience in conducting institutional evaluations. Here, our quality assurance experts Elena Cirlan an ...
Micro-credentials are expected to widen participation in higher education by supporting inclusion and facilitating access to education. They are also expected to close the skills gaps in the labour ma ...
As learning pathways are increasingly international, the recognition of qualifications and credits obtained abroad is a key issue for countries and higher education institutions. Sebastian Bruque from ...
External quality assurance across the European Higher Education Area is highly diverse. EQAR’s Melinda Szabo maps the situation through the rich datasets of the Database of External Quality Assuranc ...
Learning outcomes are increasingly used in qualifications frameworks and quality assurance processes. As such, they aim to secure and foster public trust among education providers. Yet, against the ba ...
Micro-credentials are growing exponentially in popularity, attracting the interest of various stakeholders due to their flexibility and ability to meet the demands of a rapidly changing labour market. ...
The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) have led to major developments, however there are now proposals for revisions. EUA expert Tia Loukkola lo ...
What would be the most effective way forward for universities to promote social dimension in their respective contexts? EUA expert Tia Loukkola discusses the role that quality assurance can play and i ...
Cross-border quality assurance has been slow in the making over the past two decades. However, as EUA’s Tia Loukkola explains, a new political context in Europe and the launch of new networks and co ...
This year, EUA’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) marks 25 years since its foundation. Tatjana Volkova, Chair of IEP Steering Committee, and EUA expert Anna Gover reflect on the benefits tha ...
Will quality assurance as we know it remain relevant amid the changing higher education landscape? What changes are needed? EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives an overview of the diverse questions to be addres ...
Numerous cases of positive change in higher education systems can be attributed to EUA’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP). As IEP celebrates its 25th anniversary, Andrée Sursock looks back ...
How can universities frame their internal quality assurance and shake up the image of the bureaucratic burden? EUA’s Tia Loukkola gives us three approaches and tells us why the most effective proces ...
External quality assurance reports are publicly available, demonstrating transparency and building trust and confidence in the quality of higher education. As EQAR’s Colin Tück explains, a new data ...
Reports produced by quality assurance agencies can be used in many ways, including in policy-making. As EUA’s Tia Loukkola explains, there is much room for bettering the accessibility and use of inf ...
A recent EUA study stresses that contributing to innovation in society is a central mission of today’s higher education institutions. EUA’s Tia Loukkola examines the role of quality assurance in t ...
New approaches to quality assurance in different regions of the world are contributing to a global dimension in the field. EUA’s Tia Loukkola takes note of frameworks in Africa, Asia and Europe, exa ...
By Tia Loukkola, Director of Institutional Development and senior quality assurance expert at the European University Association. In Europe, quality assurance has made major strides since the beginn ...
EUA works to ensure that the views of the university sector are taken into account in European and national-level policy discussions on internal and external quality assurance. It also supports its me ...
