European Quality AssuranceRegister for Higher Education

Making quality assurance more European– where are we and

where do we want to go?

Peer-Learning Activity on Quality Assurance1 October 2014, Budapest

Colin Tück

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?

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

European Standards andGuidelines 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

European Quality AssuranceRegister for Higher Education(EQAR)

Register of quality assurance agencies that complysubstantially 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

EQAR Mission and Objectives

Transparency and Information Information on bona fide agencies Prevent „accreditation mills“ from gaining credibilityTrust 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 theEHEA in which HEIs have the freedom to turn toany EQAR-registered agency [...], and in whichqualifications are thus universally recognised“

HEI

Agencies and Governments

32 quality assuranceagencies registered

32 GovernmentalMembers

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 inquality assurance and to facilitate cross-border evaluation and simplerprocedures for joint programmes

support […] the ongoing revision of the ESG

Quality AssuranceCrossing Borders

EQAR project: RecognisingInternational QualityAssurance Activity (RIQAA) More than 10 countries allow

HEIs to work with a foreign(EQAR-registered) agency forobligatoryaccreditation/audit/evaluation

Major development: before,mainly voluntary, additionalreviews

ESG serve as common platform,sometimes supplemented bynational rules Recognising EQAR-registered agencies

Own rules and process for recognising foreign agencies

Quality AssuranceCrossing Borders

Opportunities Challenges

Highereducationinstitutions

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

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

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?