Transcript UWI FACULTY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES
IN QUALITY ASSURANCE
Presentation prepared for Bologna
Process Seminar on
Quality Assurance in Transnational
Education
London, Dec. 1-2, 2008
By:
Antony Stella & Marlene Hamilton
INTRODUCTION
• International Guidelines under review:
• INQAAHE Guidelines for Good Practice (GGP)
• Standards & Guidelines for Quality Assurance in
the European Higher Education Area (ESG)
• UNESCO Code of Good Practice for the Provision of
Transnational Education
• UNESCO-OECD Guidelines for Quality Provision in
Cross-Border Higher Education
2
LOGISTICS
• UNESCO Code to provide parameters
• UNESCO-OECD Guidelines )
• INQAAHE GGP
) outlined
• European ESG
) contextually
• Differences across Guidelines highlighted
• Similarities considered
• Criticisms arising
3
CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE
IN THE PROVISION
OF TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION
• Covers a Preamble and two sections
(Terminology, Principles), in addition to an
Explanatory Memorandum.
• Is specific to Higher Education in the European
Region and is subsumed within the ESG and
UNESCO-OECD Guidelines
• Bears some relevance to other major Guidelines
4
Preamble (main issues)
• Acknowledges rapid development of
transnational education and the challenges
posed
• Notes the important role of the new
technologies
• Recognizes the role of national systems in
preserving the cultural, social, philosophical,
and religious diversity of the European Region
5
Preamble (main issues) Cont’d
• Emphasizes the importance of the academic
quality of programmes/degrees through this
process and the role of qualifications in
promoting mobility of both students and
programmes
• Recognizes the role of other Codes in providing
working frameworks
• Acknowledges the importance of underlying
ethical principles and values and in finding
commonly agreed solutions to any recognition
problems in the region as well as globally
6
Preamble (main issues)Cont’d
• Stresses the need to update
implementation mechanisms on a regular
basis
• Agrees to: (i) the provision of higher
education programmes by means of
transnational education, and (ii) offers
recommendations on procedures and
criteria for the assessment of foreign
qualifications.
7
Terminology
Offers a working definition for the commonly used
terms
• Agents Third Parties who act as intermediaries
between awarding and providing institutions for
establishing transnational education
• Agreement Document agreed formally by the
partners which contains all collaborative
arrangements
8
Terminology Cont’d
• Awarding Institution HE institution issuing
degrees and other qualifications
• Educational Service Programme, or part
thereof, leading after successful completion, to a
qualification
• Partners Awarding and providing institutions
involved
9
Terminology Cont’d
• Providing Institution: Institution involved in
delivery of programme
• Transnational Arrangements Collaborative
or non-collaborative
• Transnational Education All programmes in
which learners are situated in a country different
from that of the awarding institution.
10
Principles
Covers eleven (11) issues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Transnational Arrangements
Academic Quality and Standards
The Policy and Mission
Information
Staff Members
Culture and Customs
Agents
11
Principles Cont’d
Covers eleven (11) issues
• Awarding Institutions
• Admission/Teaching & Learning
•
•
Activities/Examination
Process/Assessment Requirements
Academic Work Load
Qualifications
12
UNESCO-OECD GUIDELINES
• Objectives:
• To propose tools and a synthesis of best practices to assist
Member States in assessing the quality and relevance of HE
provided across borders
• To protect students and other stakeholders in HE from lowquality HE provisions
• Stakeholders:
• Governments
• HE Institutions/providers (including academic staff)
• Student bodies
• Quality assurance and accreditation bodies
• Academic recognition bodies
• Professional bodies
13
Recommendations
Offered QA Agencies:
• Include cross-border education (all modes)
within the scope of quality assurance
• Strengthen network initiatives for QA agencies
• Ensure information dissemination regarding the
QA mechanism and its implications
• Ensure adherence to the Code of Good
Practice
14
Recommendations
Offered QA Agencies: Cont’d
• Establish mutual recognition agreements with
other agencies
• Strengthen cooperation with other stakeholders
in the national system
• Strengthen the international orientation of the
QA processes
• Above all, promote mutual trust, dialogue,
sharing of responsibilities and cooperation
among all six groups of stakeholders.
15
The UNESCO-OECD Guidelines may
appear to address only one aspect of
QA (the CBHE issues), but the
principles and values reflected
therein are valid for any form of
education, including national
(domestic) offerings.
16
EUROPEAN STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES (ESG)
Some key aspects:
Part 1: Internal quality assurance within
HEIs
1.1 Policy and procedures for quality
assurance
• Should commit explicitly to quality
• Have a strategy for continuous enhancement of
quality
• Policies should have a formal status
• Should be publicly available
• Preferably a role for students and other
stakeholders
17
1.2 Approval, monitoring and periodic
review
1.3 Assessment of students
• Should publish criteria, regulations and procedures
• Apply them consistently
1.4 Quality assurance of teaching staff
• qualified and competent
• available to those undertaking external review
18
1.5 Learning resources and student support
• adequate and appropriate
1.6 Information systems
• collect, analyse and use relevant information
• for the effective management
1.7
Public information:
• regularly publish up to date, impartial and objective
information
• both quantitative and qualitative
19
Part 2: External QA of higher education
2.1 Use of internal QA procedures
2.2 Development of external QA processes
• aims and objectives of QA should be predetermined
2.3 Criteria for decisions
• explicit published criteria that are applied consistently
2.4 Processes fit for purpose
• fitness to achieve the aims and objectives
20
2.5 Reporting
• Should be published and written in a style, which is clear and
readily accessible
2.6 Follow-up procedures
• predetermined follow-up procedure implemented consistently
2.7 Periodic reviews
• should be undertaken on a cyclical basis
2.8 System-wide analyses
• should produce from time to time summary reports
21
Part 3: External quality assurance agencies
3.1 Use of external QA procedures for
higher education
• should take into account the presence and effectiveness of
the existing external QA processes
3.2 Official status
• should be formally recognised by competent public
authorities
• should comply with requirements of the legislative
jurisdictions
22
3.3 Activities
• should undertake external QA activities on a regular basis.
3.4 Resources
• adequate, both human and financial
3.5 Mission statement
• clear and explicit goals and objectives contained in a publicly
available statement
3.6 Independence
• autonomous responsibility
• conclusions made in their reports cannot be influenced by
third parties
23
3.7 External QA criteria and processes used
by the agencies
• pre-defined and publicly available
• include self-assessment, external assessment by experts, and
site visits
• publication of a report, and a follow-up procedure.
3.8 Accountability procedures
• procedures for their own accountability.
24
INQAAHE GGP
Guidelines under four sections
– Section 1 relates to the agency’s governance and
accountability (Practices 1-4)
– Section 2 is about the agency’s relationship with HEIs
(Practices 5-7)
– Section 3 is about the agency’s review process
(Practices 8-10)
– Section 4 is about the agency’s external activities
(Practices 11-12)
25
1. Governance of the agency
• written mission statement or set of objectives
• external quality assurance as a major activity
• systematic approach to achieving the objectives
• a practical management plan that is linked to
resources
• appropriate ownership and governance structure
26
2. Resources
• adequate and accessible human and financial
resources
3. Quality Assurance of the agency
• a system of continuous quality assurance of its
own activities
• internal self-review of its own activities
• external reviews at regular intervals
27
4. Reporting Public Information
• informs and responds to the public
• full and clear disclosures of its relevant
documentation
• accountability by publicly reporting decisions
• discloses to the public external review of its own
performance
28
5. Relationship with HEIs
• recognises that quality is primarily the
responsibility of the HEIs
• respects the academic autonomy of HEIs
• consults stakeholders on its criteria and
standards
• aims to contribute to quality improvement as
well
29
6. Requirements for the Review
• documents that indicate clearly the expectations
7. Requirements for Reporting to the agency
• includes a self-evaluation, external peer review,
and a follow-up procedure.
30
8. The Evaluation Process
• clear documentation on standards used,
assessment methods and processes, decision
criteria, and other information necessary for
external review.
• specifications on the characteristics, selection
and training of reviewers.
• When practicable, the EQAA should include at
least one external reviewer from another
country or jurisdiction in the external panel.
31
9. Decisions
• decisions must be impartial, rigorous, thorough,
fair, and consistent.
• reported decisions are clear and precise.
10. Appeals
• appropriate methods and policies for appeals
• no conflict of interest.
32
11. Collaboration
• exchange of good practices, capacity building,
review of decisions, provision of transnational
education, joint projects, and staff exchanges.
12. Transnational/Cross-Border Higher
Education
• policies relating to both imported and exported
higher educationmay be the same as those for
domestic providers and domestic provision
consider relevant guidelines issued by
international agencies and other associations
• consult with appropriate local agencies in the
exporting or importing countries
33
MAJOR DIFFERRENCES BETWEEN
INQAAHE GGP AND ESG
(and with reference to UNESCO-OECD
Guidelines where appropriate)
34
1. Origin
2. Involvement of the Stakeholders
3. Endorsement
4. Scope
5. Authority
6. Attention to CBHE
7. Network Efforts
8. Accountability vs Improvement
9. Emphasis
35
36
1. Origin
• ESG is the response to the twin mandates given
to ENQA in the Berlin Communiqué of
September 2003 to develop an agreed set of
standards, procedures and guidelines on quality
assurance and to explore ways of ensuring an
adequate peer review system for quality
assurance and/or accreditation agencies or
bodies. Thus the mandate for ESG came from
the Ministers/governments whereas the GGP
was the work of quality assurance agencies from
over 65 countries.
37
2.
Involvement of the stakeholders
• ESG is the result of joint efforts by various
stakeholders. The ESG report notes that the
achievement of such a joint understanding is a
tribute to the spirit of co-operation and mutual
respect that has characterised the discussions
between all the players involved (EUA,
EURASHE, ESIB and ENQA). The Ministers also
asked ENQA to take due account of the
expertise of other quality assurance associations
and networks.
38
• ESG aims to cater to the interests of students as
well as employers. It recognises that the
interests of the higher education institutions and
student representative bodies are not always the
same, the former seeking a high level of
autonomy with a minimum of external regulation
or evaluation (and that at the level of the whole
institution), the latter wanting institutions to be
publicly accountable through frequent inspection
at the level of the programme or qualification.
Consultations with those stakeholders have
brought in certain perspectives which are not
very explicit in the other guidelines.
39
3.
Endorsement
• ESG was published with the endorsement of all
the organisations named in the Berlin
Communiqué. INQAAHE GGP was published with
the endorsement of its member agencies while
the UNESCO-OECD guidelines, although not
legally binding, anticipate implementation by its
Member States as appropriate to their national
context .
40
4.
Scope
• ESG provides standards for internal and external
quality assurance, and for external quality
assurance agencies. The standards are in three
parts covering internal quality assurance of
higher education institutions, external quality
assurance of higher education, and quality
assurance of external quality assurance
agencies. INQAAHE GGP is specifically addressed
to external quality assurance agencies.
41
4.
Scope Cont’d
• ESG aspires to promote an appropriate balance
between the creation and development of
internal quality cultures, and the role which
external quality assurance procedures may play.
INQAAHE GGP addresses this issue through the
guidelines to the external quality assurance
agencies.
42
5. Authority
• European quality assurance agencies will be
expected to submit themselves to a cyclical
review within five years. A European register of
quality assurance agencies is being developed
that will list QA agencies that demonstrate
adherence to ESG through these reviews. This
adds an element of conformity and authority. In
fact the ESG report states that the consistency
of quality assurance across the European Higher
Education Area (EHEA) will be improved by the
use of agreed standards and guidelines.
43
5. Authority Cont’d
• INQAAHE as a voluntary network of QA bodies
depends on the voluntary uptake of the GGP by
its members.
44
6. Attention to CBHE
• The UNESCO-OECD guideline has a focus
on QA of CBHE although the guidelines
are applicable to domestic provision as
well. To some extent it is built on the
contrast between the need to regulate the
internationalisation of higher education
and the fact that existing national quality
assurance capacity often focuses
exclusively on domestic delivery by
domestic institutions.
45
6. Attention to CBHE cont’d
• Therefore, it addresses a challenge for the
current quality assurance systems while the
other guidelines are about making the good
practices more prevalent.
46
6. Attention to CBHE cont’d
• INQAAHE GGP has a specific guideline on
transnational or cross-border education. The
OECD-UNESCO guidelines recommend that
external quality assurance agencies ensure that
their quality assurance arrangements include
foreign and for-profit institutions/providers as
well as distance education delivery and other
non-traditional modes of educational delivery.
47
6. Attention to CBHE cont’d
• ESG report indicates that it is considered too
early to include a reference to this in the
European standards for external quality
assurance. However, the European register has
a provision to include agencies from outside
Europe operating in Europe as well as European
agencies with cross-border operations.
48
7. Network Efforts
• Strengthening network efforts finds an explicit
mention in the INQAAHE GGP as well as the
UNESCO-OECD Guidelines. ESG does not
mention that explicitly. ENQA considers that the
OECD-UNESCO recommendation that agencies
should sustain and strengthen the existing
regional and international networks is included
through other aspects of the ESG. For example,
the ESG does mention that ‘institutions should
be able to demonstrate their quality at home
and internationally’.
49
8. Accountability vs improvement
• ESG states that ‘quality assurance for
accountability purposes is fully compatible with
quality assurance for enhancement purposes’
while INQAAHE GGP does not get into this
contentious argument and simply acknowledges
that both accountability and quality
enhancement need attention.
50
9. Emphasis
Goals specific only to INQAAHE GGP include:
• Creating a framework to guide the
creation of new QA agencies
• Promoting professional development
among QA agencies and their staff
51
9. Emphasis cont’d
• These are not explicit in the other
guidelines. INQAAHE being the
professional network of QA agencies has
given attention to these specific needs of
its members.
52