Measures of Dispersion and Variability: Range, QD, AD and SD
Making quality assurance more European – where are we and where do we want to go?
1. European Quality Assurance
Register for Higher Education
Making quality assurance more European
– where are we and
where do we want to go?
Peer-Learning Activity on Quality Assurance
1 October 2014, Budapest
Colin Tück
2. Outline
1. Where we are: EHEA infrastructure
European Standards and Guidelines (ESG)
European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR)
2. Where we are heading: current policy context
Quality assurance crossing borders
Revision of the ESG
3. Where do we want to go?
3. Where we are ...
Diversity in terms of objectives
Accountability
Enhancement
Public information
… in terms of balance between internal and external
Institutions self-responsible for their programmes and degrees
External approval of new programmes or changes
… in terms of level
Institutional accreditation, evaluation or audit
External accreditation or evaluation of individual programmes
Combinations or variations of the two
4. European Standards and
Guidelines for QA (ESG)
Adopted by Bologna ministers in 2005
Based on a proposal by E4 Group (main stakeholders: ENQA -
agencies, ESU - students, EUA & EURASHE - institutions)
Agreed reference point for internal and external quality
assurance (QA) in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
Twin purposes: accountability and enhancement
Standards for QA processes – education content tackled by
qualifications frameworks (national, EQF-LLL & QF-EHEA)
ESG are the “common denominator”
Set a common framework
Facilitate trust and recognition
Enable assurance and improvement of quality
5. European Quality Assurance
Register for Higher Education
(EQAR)
Register of quality assurance agencies that comply
substantially with European Standards and Guidelines
for Quality Assurance (ESG)
Established by E4 at Ministers' request
Jointly governed by stakeholders (E4, social
partners) and EHEA governments
External review of agencies by independent experts
Independent Register Committee
Composed of 11 quality assurance experts
Nominated by E4, but not representatives
Takes all decisions related to registration
6. EQAR Mission and Objectives
Transparency and Information
Information on bona fide agencies
Prevent „accreditation mills“ from gaining credibility
Trust and Recognition
Enhance trust in and recognition of QA results
Support recognition of qualifications/periods of study
Allow registered QA agencies to operate across the
entire EHEA, HE institution to choose agency
HEI
“coherent quality assurance framework for the
EHEA in which HEIs have the freedom to turn to
any EQAR-registered agency [...], and in which
qualifications are thus universally recognised“
HEI
8. Current Policy Context
Bucharest Communiqué (2012) – Ministers agreed to:
allow EQAR-registered agencies to perform their activities across the EHEA,
while complying with national requirements
recognise quality assurance decisions of EQAR-registered agencies on joint and
double degree programmes
automatic recognition of comparable academic degrees [...] as a long-term goal
revise the ESG […]
EU Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (2014):
allowing EQAR-registered agencies to evaluate institutions offering cross-border
and franchised provision
opening up opportunities for quality assurance agencies to offer cross-border
quality assurance through [EQAR] [...] to stimulate a European dimension in
quality assurance and to facilitate cross-border evaluation and simpler
procedures for joint programmes
support […] the ongoing revision of the ESG
9. Quality Assurance
Crossing Borders
EQAR project: Recognising
International Quality
Assurance Activity (RIQAA)
More than 10 countries allow
HEIs to work with a foreign
(EQAR-registered) agency for
obligatory
accreditation/audit/evaluation
Major development: before,
mainly voluntary, additional
reviews
ESG serve as common platform,
sometimes supplemented by
national rules Recognising EQAR-registered agencies
Own rules and process for recognising foreign agencies
10. Quality Assurance
Crossing Borders
Opportunities Challenges
Higher
education
institutions
International profile
QA fits their needs
Specialised agency
Identify a suitable agency
Review in foreign language
Explain own context
QA agencies
International experience
Enhance their methods
Familiarise with foreign system
Capacity
Basis on which to work
Governments
Institutional responsibility
International openness
Less control
Funding of external QA
11. ESG Revision
Process
E4 together with BusinessEurope, Education International, EQAR
Proposal agreed by BFUG, to be published soon
Adoption by Ministers in May 2015 (Yerevan)
Changes
Close link to national qualifications frameworks and QF-EHEA
Most significant changes to part 1 on internal QA
Increased clarity and consistency
Embrace diversity in external QA
Transition
All agencies (re-)registered based on revised ESG by 2020
12. Where do we want to go?
EHEA is converging more
ESG set out the “EHEA model” for quality assurance
Objectives to become more similar?
External QA processes to become more similar?
ESG and QF-EHEA are no longer meta frameworks
More and more used directly, in cross-border QA and also in European
Approach for QA of Joint Programmes
Recognised by those maintaining them?
Are they fit for that use?
Need for transparency, professionalism and integrity
Governments: transparent national rules for cross-border QA
QAAs: clear and transparent set of processes and criteria
Need for additional European rules or guidelines?