NAAC/APQN Global Summit on Quality Higher Education, 16/9/2016, Bengaluru

1. European Quality Assurance
Register for Higher Education
Values and Ethical Practices
in External QA Across Borders
Global Summit on Quality Higher Education
Bengaluru, 16 September 2016
Colin Tück

2. European framework for
quality assurance
 Standards and Guidelines for
Quality Assurance in the European
Higher Education Area (ESG)
 Initially 2005, revised 2015
 Common framework
 Enable quality assurance and
improvement
 Support mutual trust, facilitate
recognition and mobility
 Provide information
 European Quality Assurance
Register (EQAR)
 Agencies that comply substantially
with the ESG
 43 registered QAAs
 Governmental members
without registered agency

3. ESG
 Developed by stakeholders,
adopted by governments
 3 parts: addressing internal QA,
external QA and QAAs
 2015 revision:
 Changed context: new types of
provision, CBEQA
 Scope: student experience,
link to recognition and
qualifications frameworks
(QF-EHEA)
 Technical: clarity,
redundancies, consistency
 Reflects EHEA progress over
last 10 years
 Principles:
 HEIs' primary responsibility
 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 QA results
 Independence of external QA
agencies

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
 Processes for registration and
monitoring of registered agencies
Stakeholder
organisations
Governments
Observers
Register Committee
Independent QA experts,
nominated by stakeholders
approves

5. The topic of today
 Many facets of internationalisation in higher
education
 Quality assurance crossing borders is just one
 Scenarios:
1.HEI turns to QA agency from different country for
evaluation, audit, accreditation (cross-border EQA)
2.QA of transnational education (TNE)
3.QA of joint programmes and joint degrees
 1st
scenario, CBEQA, in focus of this presentation

6. CBEQA by registered
agencies
9
4
1
1
2
4
3
6
1
2
1
1
6 1 1 1
1
4
63
36 26
15 16 8
2 6 3 17 3 7 2
26
1
5 110 81 11
119 6 136 67
71 112 97 702 271 55 278 739 1097
Total Home Inst CBEQA Prog CBEQA

7. Opportunities and
Challenges
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

8. Issues arising
 Cross-border EQA puts values and ethical
practices on the agenda
 Issues arising include:
 QAA enter a competition situation
 Different values, traditions and understandings
 Risks of lowering standards for business reasons
 Less attention of national stakeholders and regulators
 Voluntary accreditation regarded as less critical
 Borders between quality assurance and consultancy
 ...

9. ESG 2015
 Standard 3.6: Internal quality assurance and professional conduct
Agencies should have in place processes for internal quality assurance
related to defining, assuring and enhancing the quality and integrity of their
activities.
 Guidelines:
Agencies need to be accountable to their stakeholders. Therefore, high
professional standards and integrity in the agency’s work are indispensable.
The review and improvement of their activities are on-going so as to ensure
that their services to institutions and society are optimal.
Agencies apply an internal quality assurance policy which is available on its
website. This policy
 ensures that all persons involved in its activities are competent and act
professionally and ethically;
...

10. ESG 2015
…
 includes internal and external feedback mechanisms that lead to a
continuous improvement within the agency;
 guards against intolerance of any kind or discrimination;
 outlines the appropriate communication with the relevant authorities of
those jurisdictions where they operate;
 ensures that any activities carried out and material produced by
subcontractors are in line with the ESG, if some or all of the elements in
its quality assurance activities are subcontracted to other parties;
 allows the agency to establish the status and recognition of the
institutions with which it conducts external quality assurance.
 EQAR Use and Interpretation of the ESG:
 Using the ESG and EQAR “labels” only in connection with EQA
procedures that are in compliance with the ESG

11. EQAR Complaints Policy
 Who may complain? Any individual or organisation with substantiated
concerns about the work of a registered agency
 What type of concerns?
 Related to ESG compliance or integrity of the review process
 Not: national or international legislation, review individual procedures
 How? Web form, anonymous submission possible
 What consequences can it have?
 Unsubstantiated
 Formal warning to the agency
 New external review of the agency against the ESG
 Immediate exclusion
 In practice, not often used
 More informal comments than official complaints

12. Further monitoring
Registration based on external review of agency
Annual updates on reviews and countries
Substantive change reports
Third-party complaints
Periodic renewal every 5 years

13. E4/EQAR Guiding Steps
 Initiative of E4 Group (institutions, QA agencies, students) and
EQAR, following up RIQAA project
 Starting point: ESG as common ground in CBEQA
 Collection of key issues to consider by QAAs and HEIs, e.g.
 Rationale for and implications of CBQA
 Choosing a suitable QA agency
 Constraints arising from the legal framework
 Adaptations of the agency's usual practices
 Site visit and preparation of peer reviewers
 Recognition of results and follow-up
 Complaints and appeals
 To be presented at European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF)
in November 2016, finalised later this year

14. Thank you for your attention!
Contact:
colin.tueck@eqar.eu
+32 2 234 39 11
@ColinTueck @EQAR_he