Evaluation includes following procedures:

1. Tempus project UM JEP 16015-2001“QUASYS”University of ZagrebProf. Helena Jasna Mencer, Ph. D.Coordinator“Development of Quality Assurance System in Higher Education”Approach towards higher quality

2. Evaluation includes following procedures: • Accreditation of higher education institution • Preparing, accepting and developing curricula • (External and internal) evaluation of institution - organisational structure, teaching process, scientific research, management • Criteria for promotion, election and re-election • Evaluation of professors and students

3. What are special indicators of quality in higher education? • Level of existing quality assurance system which ensures quality • Working results • European and world trends in higher education (to raise the culture level which contributes to the quality) • Integration into the University and the University itself into European Higher Education Area

4. Current state • Legislation Law 1993 Amendments 1995 2000 New law 2003 • University Statute • Rules, regulations and provisions

5. Important criticisms and objections to the current state • Insufficiently defined procedures of accreditation and evaluation of institution • Resistance of the academic community towards change • Enrolment policy does not receive due attention • Lack of student and teacher mobility (the way towards integrated University is long-lasting and difficult)

6. Important criticisms and objections to the current state • Slow curricula change, insufficient reviewing culture • Teaching and professional activity is not adequately evaluated in relation to scientific activity • Constant quality monitoring didn’t start operating (quality indicators have not been systematically gathered and correctly interpreted) • Excellence and quality is not rewarded

7. Developmental goals • Development and implementation of an all-encompassing and effective quality assurance system (from national, university and faculty level, to students, teachers and scientists) • High standards and criteria

8. Development of quality assurance system focuses on: • Adequate organisation and management • Adequate financing • Sustainable personnel policy • Enrolment policy (market and society needs) • Teaching process (increasing mobility – Bologna process, curricula development, new learning and teaching methods) • Relations with surroundings

9. Expected outcomes • Change of rules, recommendations, criteria and even the Law on Higher Education • Definition of institutional quality indicators and criteria for programme, teachers’, students’ and scientific and research activity • More rightfuland sufficient financing • Encouragement of the competitiveness spirit

10. Expected outcomes • Increasing involvement of the University into domestic and international multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects • Achieved qualifications and knowledge of students and teachers which is suitable to the demands of the market and society

11. Monitoring of expected indicators of progress, taking into account self-evaluation and annual reports • Higher graduation and lower drop out • Number of students abandoning their studies • Students’ and teachers’ mobility • Projects with European universities (especially joint studies) • Projects with the market • Employability • Co-operation with alumni • Co-operation with the market

12. Conditions, obstacles and risks • Resistance to the change  how to lose resistance - providing improved information by explaining the need for change and benefits that changes bring - political support (Ministry of Higher Education, National Council for Higher Education, Parliament) - University support (rector, Senate)

13. Strategic steps • Self-evaluation of quality indicators, students’ evaluation of the teachers, ways of evaluating students etc. are fundamental for development of corrective procedures, as well as rewarding procedures • Redefining the roles and tasks in the quality assurance system at the national, university and faculty level (subsidiarity in management)

14. Strategic steps • Distributing competencies, activities and responsibilities to the corresponding levels (University, faculty) • Setting up a sustainable enrolment policy • Redefining criteria for further promotion of university teachers • Redefining competencies of the electing institutions - commissions, faculty councils(leadership)

15. Strategic steps • Redefining the role of science classification • Development of internal institutional model of evaluation • Development of scientific criticism and reviewing culture

16. Measures • Engagement of the academic community (decrease of resistance to changes) • Changes in Law and its underlying acts • Changing the enrolment policy (financing of students, discussions on higher education as a public vs. private good)

17. Measures • Redefining of evaluation protocol • Recognition and awarding of excellence, abandoning “levelling” • After implemented evaluations, continuous comparison and optimisation of all the university activities in teaching and learning processes should be based on quality indicators