Tempus project UM JEP 160152001 QUASYS University of Zagreb Prof. Helena Jasna Mencer, Ph. D. Coordi

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Tempus project UM JEP 16015-2001QUASYSUnivers
ity of ZagrebProf. Helena Jasna Mencer, Ph.
D.CoordinatorDevelopment of Quality Assurance
System in Higher EducationApproach towards
higher quality
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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

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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

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Current state

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

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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)

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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 didnt start
  operating (quality indicators have not been
  systematically gathered and correctly
  interpreted)
• Excellence and quality is not rewarded

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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

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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

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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 rightful and sufficient financing
• Encouragement of the competitiveness spirit

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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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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)

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Strategic steps

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

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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)

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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