Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area

Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area – state of play NCEQE Conference “New Approaches in Educational Quality Assessment”, Tbilisi, April 13 th, 2017 Dr Achim Hopbach Managing Director, AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at / 1

Quality Assurance in the EHEA: Milestones 2003 (Berlin): HEI have the primary responsibility for quality and quality assurance; self commitment to set up national QA systems 2005 (Bergen): “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (ESG) 2008: European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) Since 2009: QA part of the Bologna stock-taking 2015 (Yerewan): Revised ESG AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at / 2

The Basis: Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

ESG: Purposes § They set a common framework for quality assurance systems for learning and teaching at European, national and institutional level; § They enable the assurance and improvement of quality of higher education in the European higher education area; § They support mutual trust, thus facilitating recognition and mobility within and across national borders; § They provide information on quality assurance in the EHEA. AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

ESG: Scope “The focus of the ESG is on quality assurance processes related to teaching and learning in higher education, including the learning environment and relevant links to research. The ESG apply to all higher education offered in the EHEA regardless of the mode of study or place of delivery. While some of the standards refer to programmes of study that lead to a formal qualification, the ESG are also applicable to higher education provision in its broadest sense and to transnational, cross-border provision. ” AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

ESG: Principles The ESG are based on the following four principles for quality assurance in the EHEA: § Higher education institutions have primary responsibility for the quality of their provision and its assurance. § Quality assurance responds to the diversity of higher education systems, institutions, programmes and students. § Quality assurance supports the development of a quality culture. § Quality assurance takes into account the needs and expectations of students, all other stakeholders and society. AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

ESG: Structure and Rationale 3 parts: Internal QA, external QA, QA of QA-Agencies § Internal QA as basis § External QA addresses the effectiveness of internal QA § QA-Agencies apply ESG part 2 AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

Quality Assurance: State of play AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

§ Adaption of internal QA to ESG in various ways. § By and large national external quality assurance regimes and the agencies are in compliance with ESG. § The most common external quality assurance procedures are accreditation and evaluation of programmes, followed at a significant distance by evaluation and accreditation of institutions and by audits. (There might be a trend towards institutional approaches. ) AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

Since ESG revision 2015 more emphasis on: § Closer link between internal QA and external QA § Student centred learning § Role of experts (students and international experts) § Publication of Reports AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

Variety and continuous change are key features of external QA in the EHEA § Most agencies apply more than one approach § Agencies frequently change their approach(es) Ø The emergence of a unified European quality assurance system is unlikely. National agendas matter! AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at /

Dr. Achim Hopbach achim. hopbach@aq. ac. at www. aq. ac. at AQ Austria / www. aq. ac. at / Seite 12