The European Framework for Quality Assurance in Higher Education
1. European Quality Assurance
Register for Higher Education
The European Framework for
Quality Assurance in Higher Education
Quality Seminar at South East European University
Tetovo/a, 3 June 2016
Colin Tück
2. EHEA framework for
quality assurance
European Standards and
Guidelines (ESG)
Modernised and improved 2015
version
Common ground for QA in
Europe
European Quality Assurance
Register (EQAR)
Agencies that comply
substantially with the ESG – at
home and abroad
Processes for substantive
changes and complaints
42 registered QAAs
Governmental members
without registered agency
3. Standards and Guidelines for
QA in the EHEA (ESG)
Common standards for internal and external QA
Developed jointly by the main stakeholders
Agreed by ministers in 2005, revised in 2015
Purposes:
Set a common framework for quality assurance
systems at European, national and institutional level;
Enable the assurance and improvement of quality;
Support mutual trust, thus facilitating recognition and
mobility within and across national borders;
Provide information on quality assurance in the EHEA.
4. European Quality Assurance Register
for Higher Education (EQAR)
Established by E4 at Ministers'
request, jointly governed by
stakeholders and governments
Non-profit and independent, acting in
the public interest
Mission: enhancing trust and
confidence in EHEA
Main role: to manage a register of
QAAs that comply substantially with
the ESG
Stakeholder
organisations
Governments
Observers
Register Committee
Independent QA experts,
nominated by stakeholders
approves
5. EQAR in practice
Registration based on external review of agency
Annual updates on reviews and countries
Substantive change reports
Third-party complaints
Periodic renewal every 5 years
6. ESG – principles for QA
Higher education institutions have primary
responsibility for quality
Responds to the diversity of systems, institutions,
programmes and students
Support the development of a quality culture;
Take into account the needs and expectations of
students, all other stakeholders and society
Transparency and publication of results
Independence of external QA agencies
7. ESG – internal QA
Institutional policy for QA – see ESG 1.1
Managing quality of study programmes
Design and approval – see ESG 1.2
Objectives and learning outcomes in line with qualifications
framework (NQF & QF-EHEA)
Student-centred teaching, learning, assessment – 1.3
Admission, progression, recognition – 1.4
Ongoing monitoring – 1.9
Staff, resources, student support – 1.5 & 1.6
Information management & public information – 1.7 & 1.8
8. ESG – external QA
Carried out by groups of external experts
Required: academic(s), student(s) – see ESG 2.4
Guidelines: international expert(s), employers/practitioners
Four-stage model – see ESG 2.3:
Self-evaluation or self-assessment
External assessment, including site visit
Public report and (if accreditation/audit) decision
Follow-up procedure
At institutional or programme level, or both
Periodic review – see ESG 2.7
9. ESG – role of stakeholders
“HE aims to fulfil multiple purposes [...] Therefore, stakeholders, who may
prioritise different purposes, can view quality in higher education differently
and quality assurance needs to take into account these different perspectives.”
Internal QA
Role in defining and implementing QA policy (1.1)
Needs of students and society (1.9)
External QA
Agency governance (3.1)
Peer-review involving different perspectives (2.4)
Independence of QA agencies (3.3)
From institutions, governments, organisations, …
Consultation of stakeholder organisations, but decisions by
experts, from different backgrounds, acting in individual capacity
10. Current EHEA Priorities
Enhancing the quality and relevance of learning
and teaching
Fostering the employability of graduates
Making our systems more inclusive
Implementing agreed structural reforms
(Yerevan Ministerial Communiqué 2015)
11. New in QA after Yerevan
1. ESG 2015 adopted
2. Cross-border external quality assurance
“enable our higher education institutions to use a suitable
EQAR registered agency for their external quality assurance
process [...]”
3. European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes
4. Automatic recognition
“By 2020 we are determined to achieve an EHEA […] where
automatic recognition of qualifications has become a reality so
that students and graduates can move easily throughout it”
12. 1. ESG 2015 – what's
new?
Scope clarified: ESG applicable also to non-
traditional HE, new modes of delivery, etc.
Better integrated in overall EHEA framework
Underline institutional responsibility for quality
Stronger focus on whole student experience
Take account of changed context
Many standards clarified, more explicit
➔ Reflecting EHEA's progress over last 10 years
14. 2. Cross-border QA
Opportunities Challenges
Higher
Education
Institutions
●
International visibility
●
Valuable feedback
●
Increased commitment
●
Different approaches
●
Suit their own mission
●
Identify suitable agency
●
Workload and costs
●
Unknown expectations
●
Language
Quality
Assurance
Agencies
●
International profile
●
Experience relevant for
work at home
●
Diversification
●
Unfamiliar context
●
Adapting standards
●
Language
15. 2. But: national legal
frameworks lag behind
Despite the robust
European framework in
place …
Cross-border
accreditation/ evaluation
not fully recognised
In addition/parallel to
obligatory national
external QA
Duplication of efforts for
institutions Recognising EQAR-registered agencies as part of the national
requirements for external QA
Recognising foreign agencies with own/specific framework
Discussions ongoing
Countries not recognising external QA by foreign agency
16. 3. European Approach for
QA of Joint Programmes
Before After
Multiple, fragmented reviews Single review
Combining various national rules
and criteria
Agreed Standards, based on ESG &
QF-EHEA
Complex procedures, ad hoc
design
Agreed Procedure
Adopted by ministers in Yerevan to lift obstacles to the
QA of joint programmes
17. 4. Automatic recognition
Part of the ministers' vision for the EHEA 2020
Important topic for quality assurance:
Need for QA and qualifications framework to work
hand-in-hand to make AR work
See also ESG standard 1.2
Need to analyse recognition practices in QA
See ESG standard 1.4
Brings new expectations for Bologna tools
18. A vision for QA, Trust and
Automatic Recognition
QA NQF
A
QF-
EHEA
NQF
B
ESG & EQAR self-certification
Qualification
in country A
Level in
country B
map & recognise
19. Thank you for your attention!
Contact:
colin.tueck@eqar.eu
+32 2 234 39 11
@ColinTueck / @EQAR_he