About the Agency for Science and Higher Education

The Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) was modelled after the best European practices in quality assurance in science and higher education. Becoming a full member of ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) and being listed in EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education) in 2011, the Agency proved its reliability as a quality assurance agency working in the European Higher Education Area.
Mission
ASHE mission is to continuously support quality improvement of science and higher education, by applying European and international best practices.
Purpose
In order to achieve its mission, ASHE cooperates closely with higher education institutions, scientific organisations and other stakeholders in higher education and science, on:
• quality improvement of higher education and science, as well as opportunities to acquire specific educational levels
• dissemination of reliable information on the quality of academic standards to students, higher education institutions’ management and the public
• comparing the achieved standards and quality levels with the quality and standards of similar institutions in the country and EU
• active trend following
• developing the quality culture in higher education and science.
Values
ASHE fosters the following values in its work:
• reliability - ASHE employees perform their tasks independently, objectively, fairly and honestly, and make evidence-based judgements and decisions
• professionalism - ASHE strives to reach high professional standards in its work
• accountability - ASHE is accountable for its work to the society as a whole
• flexibility - ASHE adapts easily to the needs of stakeholders and trends in higher education and science in order to respond to all the challenges which support the diversification of higher education institutions and scientific organisations
• cooperation -ASHE encourages mutual cooperation of all employees in common problem solving and responding to challenges arising from the introduction of new activities
• openness - demonstrated through the transparency of ASHE work and building the trust of users of ASHE services. ASHE publishes the results of its work online and in print (brochures, reports, analyses).
Activities
According to the Act on Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education the Agency performs a part of the procedure of initial accreditation, procedures of reaccreditation, thematic evaluation and audit, collects and processes data on Croatian higher education, science and related systems, which serve as a basis for analyses necessary to establish standards and criteria of evaluations carried out by ASHE, as well as a basis for informed and evidence-based strategic decision-making of bodies in the system of higher education and science.
ASHE also provides information and unifies data on the conditions of enrolment to higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia.
One of the ASHE tasks is to administer and support the activities of the National Council for Higher Education, National Council for Science, Council for Financing Scientific Activity and Higher Education, Ethics Committee in Science and Higher Education, Area Councils, Scientific Field Committees, Humanities and Arts Committees and expert panels.

More on: http://www.azvo.hr/