Quality Without Borders: Sustaining Joint Degrees Through Collaborative Assurance

Drawing upon international standards such as the European Standards and Guidelines, INQAHEE, and UNESCO’s guidelines on cross-border higher education, this work develops a five-pillar model encompassing mutual recognition, collaborative curriculum design, shared assessment tools, a cross-border steering committee, and joint accreditation visits. These pillars are reinforced by three innovation enablers: digital QA platforms, hybrid evaluation methods, and student voice integration. The resulting framework is not a prescriptive checklist but a flexible, adaptive blueprint capable of bridging regulatory and cultural divides. It positions QA as a catalyst for innovation and trust rather than a bureaucratic constraint. The paper concludes with targeted recommendations for policymakers and institutions, calling for formalized cross-border QA agreements, investment in digital QA infrastructures, and mechanisms for student-centered engagement. Ultimately, it argues that sustained international cooperation in higher education depends on reconceptualizing QA as a shared, co-created responsibility grounded in transparency, equity, and continuous improvement.

This paper was presented at EQAF and reflects the views of the named authors only.

ISSN: 1375-3797

Quality Without Borders: Sustaining Joint Degrees Through Collaborative Assurance

Rima J. Isaifan, Reem S. Al-Mansoori, Mazen Hasna

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