Networking
ANQA
National Center for Professional Education Quality Assurance Foundation, ANQA
National Center for Professional Education Quality Assurance Foundation (Armenia) conducts external quality assurance processes in accordance with the norms set by the RA legislation and regulations, as well as with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG-ENQA). ANQA also developed Guidelines, Criteria and Standards for Quality Assurance taking into account the local needs and international good practice.
Currently, ANQA has an Associate Status at the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, granted on 12 June, 2009.
ANQA Mission
ANQA strives to promote public trust, social cohesion, equity, responsibility and competitiveness in Armenian society through systematic enhancement of tertiary level education provisions.
ANQA Objectives
ANQA aims at setting a quality assurance system, which
- is receptive to the needs of the national stakeholders;
- complies with international standards;
- ensures visibility at international level.
International Cooperation
Internationalization is one the most vital elements of ANQA’s activities. The scope of activities aimed at internationalization includes but is not limited to the following:
• participation in the international debate on quality assurance through attendance of EQAF and IQAAHE Forums, ENQA workshops as well as scientific articles;
• active involvement in EU TEMPUS project. In 2010 ANQA started two TEMPUS projects: DIUS and PICQA;
• following the international developments in quality assurance and integrating the best practices in its developments;
• active cooperation with international counterparts for experience exchange as well as expert exchange.
More information is available on the official website http://www.anqa.am/en/
ACQUIN
The Accreditation, Certification and Quality assurance Institute, ACQUIN
In May 2000, the Bavarian Rectors’ Conference passed a resolution to establish an accreditation agency that performs accreditation for all types of higher education institutions taking into account all types of programmes and disciplines.
The Accreditation, Certification and Quality assurance Institute ACQUIN was founded on January 26, 2001 and accredited by the German Accreditation Council on March 22, 2001. Nowadays ACQUIN is an association of over 100 higher education institutions from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and the United States of America. The German Accreditation Council reaccredited ACQUIN in 2006 until 30th of September 2011.
ACQUIN’s aim is to support the maintenance and enhancement of quality standards for teaching and learning in higher education and to contribute to the internationalisation of German higher education by performing accreditation for all types of higher education institutions and taking into account all types of programmes and disciplines.
A main objective is to provide guidance and information for students, employers and higher education institutions and to contribute to more transparency in the market of study programmes. Within the accreditation process, the institutional membership of the applicant does not have any decisive influence, neither on the content of the evaluation procedure nor on the accreditation decision-making process.
The main characteristics of ACQUIN are independence, objectivity and high quality. Academic freedom and academic autonomy are respected: higher education institutions may regulate their own quality and standards, but at the same time they must guarantee transparency of process and public accountability in discharging this self-regulation.
ACQUIN serves quality assurance in an open education market by evaluating study programmes on the basis of the degree programme profile and performance defined and proposed by the applicant higher education institution itself and by developing quality standards and evaluation criteria.
ACQUIN website: www.acquin.org
NAC
ABOUT US
The National Accreditation Center of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (further NAC) was created by the Government decree of the Republic of Kazakhstan №405 from April 29, 2005.
NAC activity is directed on contributing into people’s intellectual development and spiritual potential’s growth, higher education institutions’ modernization and the realization of the tasks, determined by the President of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev aimed at providing competitive capacity of Higher Education and recognition of Kazakhstani education in the world community.
MISSION STATEMENT
To create and develop The National Model of Quality Assurance in Education harmonized with international standards, to contribute significantly to the integration of the Education System of Kazakhstan into the world education community.
MAIN OBJECTIVES
• Fulfillment of quality assurance aspects of Bologna Declaration signed by Kazakhstan in March 2010.
• Implementation of institutional and specialized accreditation of educational institutions according to standards and criteria consistent to the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (ESG).
• Foreign educational credentials recognition.
• Training of external quality assurance experts in the sphere of education.
• Performing the National ranking of educational institutions.
TASKS
• To develop accreditation standards and assessment criteria compliant with Bologna process.
• To conduct institutional and specialized accreditation of educational institutions.
• To organize and perform training studies regarding the accreditation processes.
• To learn international experience and adopt the good practices in the Education System of Kazakhstan.
• To participate in international programs on quality assurance.
• To recognize and nostrificate credentials issued by foreign institutions of higher education.
MAIN PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
• The accreditation procedure is delivered on a voluntary basis.
• Educational institutions are responsible for education quality.
• External assessment is conducted only in objective, transparent and independent way (without influence of third parties, e.g. state authorities, HEIs/TVETs administration and public opinion).
• The information from HEIs/TVETs is confidential.
• All information about accredited HEIs/TVETs is delivered to wider community through mass media and Internet.
More on: http://naric-kazakhstan.kz/en/
ASHE
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/