Outline

1. Transnational Quality Assurance Process - Findings from the Tempus-TLQAA project -C. MokbelTempus-HERE LebanonImplementing Quality Assurance within Higher Education Institutions in the Tempus Partner Countries 12-13 June, 2014 – University of Zagreb, Croatia

2. Outline • The Tempus-TLQAA project • Transnational Quality Assurance within the Lebanese Higher Education • Major Findings

3. Process of Establishing LQAA The Lebanese Higher Education Context legislative process 2011 Draft Law 2010 LAES Amideast Project + Tempus -HERE Needs and Different Tempus Projects 2011 - - - - - - - - - 2013 • TLQAA • Towards the Lebanese • Quality Assurance Agency • Prepare components of the evaluation agency • Proof of concept

4. TLQAA: Consortium Ministry of Education And Higher Education

5. TLQAA: Technical Workpackages WP4: Pilot Evaluation Evaluation Pilote WP3: Selection and Training of Experts Sélection et formation des experts WP2: Standards and Procedures Références et Procédures WP1: Lebanese Quality Assurance Model Modèle pour le système libanais d’assurance qualité

6. TLQAA: What has been achieved? • A consensus about the model • The corner stone • Call for a firm respect of independence and the margin of an agency to make the change and improvement • All components built and tested • Standards • Procedures • Trained experts • Five experts are currently participating in evaluations with AERES • Pilot evaluation • Self assessment by 10 Lebanese universities • External evaluation of 5 institutions • A book to summarize the experience and disseminate the major findings

7. Transnational QA within the Lebanese HE • Quality is universal projected onto different local contexts • Transnational quality assurance • Quality assurance is a process • Transnational dimension crosses with different parts of this process in various ways • International/regional: standards, agencies, experts, programmes, …

8. Transnational QA within the Lebanese HE • Transnational QA has been a strong dimension in TLQAA • Several Lebanese HEIs are already accredited by International agencies • Draft law calls for 2 international experts in the board of trustees of the agency • The TLQAA Model: • Standards to be in conformance with international standards • International experts to be present in the committees • Lebanese experts to be part in evaluation committees at the international level

9. Transnational QA within the Lebanese HE QA Model Authorities Agency Local vs. International HEI Standards Procedures Local Needs vs. Conformance to International Practices? Evaluators (experts, reviewers) Local vs. International?

10. Transnational QA: The Evaluation Agency • Some questions from the feedback in the TLQAA book: • For an institution that has been awarded accreditation by an external body, would it still be necessary to be accredited by the national body? • Could the self-study report prepared for the external body serve as a self-study report for the national body with the necessary adaptations? • Would an overlap in the self-study cycles for the national and external quality assurance bodies be considered? • What mechanisms and procedures need to be established: • to streamline processes and procedures in an attempt to minimize discrepancies between input and output requested by the national and external quality assurance bodies? • to deal with incompatible recommendations provided by the national and external quality assurance bodies? • Would effective collaborations between the national and external quality assurance bodies be established to cover all phases of the self-study process including peer review?

11. Transnational QA: The Evaluation Agency • Additional questions: • How to choose the external agencies that may accredit a national institution? • EQAR is an inspiring solution • How an external agency would fit in the national system? • How an external agency would adapt to the national system? • May 8, 2014: Recent Law for the organization of the Lebanese Private HE • Law N. 285 • A decree proposed by the Minister based on the opinion of the national agency and issued by the Council of Ministers shall organize the accreditation procedures of the universities already accredited by external agencies

12. Transnational QA: Standards vs Evaluators • Standards and Procedures make the QA process transparent • Standards and Procedures and Transnational QA • Ideally, common standards to all • However, the local contexts may differ largely • Possible solution: • Make the evaluators (reviewers) who are the backbone of the evaluation process take into consideration the local constraints

13. Transnational QA: Standards vs Evaluators • Balance transparency and the ability of the evaluators to consider the local context Evaluators to consider local context Transparency

14. Transnational QA: Standards vs Evaluators • Possible solution: Consider different levels of standards: national, regional and international • ESG is an inspiring model

15. Transnational QA: Standards vs Evaluators • Another balance is needed between national, regional and international standards and how they respond to the different expectations • Crucial issue for the graduates to compete on international job market Regional, International Standards National Standards

16. Transnational QA: International Experts • International Experts • In evaluation agency board • Better consideration of international standards • More transparency • As evaluators • External view • More transparency • In both directions • The universal message of quality • Training of a pool of experts

17. Major Findings • A national system is crucial and need to be open and transparent to transnational evaluation • EQAR is an inspiring tool • Multilevel standards • National, Regional and International • ESG is an inspiring model • International Experts • In the governance of the system • In the evaluations • In both directions

18. Q.A. Officers Standards Evaluation Committees

19. Q.A. Officers Standards Evaluation Committees

20. Thank You Special thanks to Tempus We will be delighted if you visit http://www.tlqaa.org