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Mapping external quality assurance in Central and Eastern Europe – Where do we go next?. CEEN Workshop, Poznan, 28 May 2005 Stefanie Hofmann. Setting the aim. CEE-Network, Prague 23/24 October 2004
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Mapping external quality assurance in Central and Eastern Europe – Where do we go next? CEEN Workshop, Poznan, 28 May 2005 Stefanie Hofmann
Setting the aim • CEE-Network, Prague 23/24 October 2004 • ENQA, “Bergen Report” (including criteria of good practice for external QA agencies = ENQA membership criteria) • European Ministers, Bergen Communiqué, 21 May 2005 • The European Higher Education Area needs a European Quality Assurance approach… • ENQA standards as a benchmark for CEEN
Survey’s aims and objectives • Mapping activities in CEEN, • in order to prepare for mutual recognition, • setting European standards/ENQA membership criteria as a benchmark. • Identification of a CEEN-specific action plan, • Feedback to ENQA on feasibility and achievability of standards.
Survey Methodology • 2 questionnaires sent out to CEEN member agencies (2003; 2004) • Validation by CEEN member agencies (individually; CEEN Workshop in Prague 2004) • Next step: Publication
Achievements • 2005 Report: 15 CEEN member agencies read in context by the CEE Network itself (ownership!) • Detailed information on practices, principles, procedures • Agreed basis for the planning of targeted initiatives of the CEEN in order to support the accomplishment of the European standards for QA
Selected Findings (1) • In the CEE region, accreditation is the predominant QA approach • The great majority of CEEN agencies assesses the quality of study programmes and accredits these (5.2.4) • The evaluation and accreditation procedures show a high convergence in their content and sequence (5.2.21) • The accreditation decision will always be based on a preceding evaluation (5.2.6)
Selected Findings (2) • In their organisation, structure and decision-making, the CEEN member agencies show a range of possibilities for implementation (ownership, accreditation council’s composition, decision on accreditation, decision on criteria etc.)
Findings - Harmonisation • Obviously, a great number of similarities in organisation and procedures • At the same time, a significant number of differences BUT: • What is a substantial difference?
Burning issues – compliance with European Standards • What will be the adequate funding of my agency, esp. if resources are endangered? • We believe in independence, but what is it? • Quality assurance agencies are to assure their own quality in order to demonstrate accountability. What is a good practice?
To do (1) • Mapping activities in CEEN • a roadmap towards mutual recognition • setting European standards/ENQA membership criteria as a benchmark for CEEN • Identification of a CEEN-specific action plan (based on the agencies individual action plan) • Feedback to ENQA on feasibility and achievability of standards
To do (2) • What are the objectives? (1) European Standards (2) Mutual recognition • What are constraints? What are weaknesses? • What do we need to change in the work and/or organisation of our in order to achieve the objective ? • What will be our first step? (action plan and priorities)
Thank for your contributions! (1) Albanian Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (AAAHE); Council: Accreditation Council (AC) – Albania (2) Austrian Accreditation Council (AAC) – Austria (3) Austrian Fachhochschule Council (FHR) – Austria (4) Austrian Agency for Quality Assurance (AQA) – Austria (5) National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency at the Council of Ministers (NEAA at the CM); Council: Accreditation Council of NEAA (AC of NEAA) – Bulgaria (6) Accreditation Commission of the Czech Republic (ACCR) – Czech Republic (7) Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute (ACQUIN) – Germany (8) Hungarian Accreditation Committee (HAC) – Hungary (9) Higher Education Quality Evaluation Centre (HEQEC); Council: Higher Education Council (accreditation of higher education institutions); Accreditation Commission (accreditation of study programmes) – Latvia (10) Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (CQAHE); Council: Experts’ Council for Quality in Higher Education (regarding programmes) (10a); Council for Assessment of Research and Higher Education Institutions (regarding institutions) (10b) – Lithuania (11) Higher Education Quality Evaluation Agency of the Republic of Macedonia (HEQEA); Council: Board of Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions of the Republic of Macedonia – Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (12) University Accreditation Commission (UAC) – Poland (13) National Council for Academic Assessment and Accreditation (NCAAA) – Romania (14) National Accreditation Centre of the Russian Federation (NAC); Council: Accreditation Council of the Ministry of Education – Russian Federation (15) Accreditation Commission of the Slovak Republic (ACSR), Advisory Body of the Government of the Slovak Republic – Slovak Republic