The role of Agency for Science and Higher Education

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The role of Agency for Science and Higher
Education

• Prof.dr.sc. Jasmina Havranek

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Knowledge-based society

• innovative and competitive spirit
• scientific and technological development

Accountability of University
preparing the citizens competitiveness,
competence, quality education, ethics,
democracy, bridging national and cultural
differences
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Bologna process

• comparability
• compatible education system
• mobility of students and teachers
• emphasis on quality assurance
• Greater autonomy followed by more accountability.
• Establishment of national quality assurance
  systems and agencies for monitoring of quality
  assurance encouraged.

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• Agency for Science and Higher Education -
  operative since 8 March 2005
• Croatian institutional framework
• National Council for Higher Education
• National Council for Science
• Agency for Science and Higher Education
• Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
• National Foundation for Science, Higher Education
  and Technological Development
• Need for improvement of legislation in order to
  clarify competences of both the National Council
  for Higher Education and the Agency for Science
  and Higher Education.

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• Important part of the higher education reform
• introducing robust and reliable quality assurance
  (QA) mechanisms
• External and internal quality assurance
• study programs
• higher education institutions (HEIs)
• QA units at HEIs
• Principles transparency, dialogue, truth and
  association.

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Bologna process in Croatia

• started in 2005
• 870 study programs evaluated
• within very short time limit and with no integral
  QA system at the time
• Lessons learned
• adjustment of system needed
• proliferation of study programs
• overlaps and parallelisms among the new
  programmes
• no co-ordination on the Faculty and/or University
  level in many cases
• actual implementation of standards and criteria
  needed

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Perfecting the QA systemfoundations

• Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance
  in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)
  Bergen, May 2005 National Council for Higher
  Education, 17 May 2006
• organisational and operational independence of
  the body responsible for external QA on the
  national level i.e. Agency for Science and Higher
  Education
• Code of Ethics for the academic community,
  drafted by Committee for Ethics in Science and
  Higher Education

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Major types of national QA scheme

• from the point of view of responsibilities and
  ownership, derived from actual practice
• State owned system
• Mixed (semi-state) system
• Co-operative system
• Laissez-faire system
• The current Croatian QA system is very close to -
  or even perhaps identical with - the mixed
  (semi-state) system.
• It has been considered to move away from this
  model and try to shift to model of the
  co-operative system.
• Recommended by CARDS 2003 project Furtherance of
  the Agency for Science and Higher Education in
  its Quality Assurance Role and the Development
  of a Supporting Information System

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Mixed (semi-state) systembasic characteristics

• Principle QA belongs to everybody involved in
  HE, but it is better to keep it close to the
  state. Quality related decisions on HEIs and
  programmes are made on the administrative level.
• National QA organisation Semi-independent buffer
  body (or bodies), with Ministry participation
  and/or influence.
• Consequence Blurred boundaries of
  responsibility, problems in actual operation.
  Danger of the emergence of a compliance culture
  i.e., the existence of only formal solutions
  instead of substantial measures in quality
  improvement.
• Complying with ESG partial compliance

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Co-operative systembasic characteristics

• Principle QA belongs to all partners involved in
  HE, all having clearly defined roles and
  responsibilities. Quality related decisions on
  HEIs and programmes are made on the professional
  / buffer level.
• National QA organisation Independent (buffer)
  body established by transparent and balanced
  formal mechanisms (e.g. delegation) without
  Ministry / Government selection, participation
  and/or influence.
• Consequence Acceptance by HEIs and effective
  operation of the system is facilitated by
  partnership (involvement) and clear
  responsibilities.
• Complying with ESG full compliance

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Co-operative system - continuedWhat does
European practice show

• QA in Higher Education in the last decade or so,
  really became a profession
• a profession, having not only procedures, rules
  and standards but quite a substantial body of
  theoretical and practical knowledge, methods and
  skills
• not easy for otherwise excellent and highly
  esteemed disciplinary experts to become and work
  as quality assurance experts overnight
• for expert teams involved in various evaluations
  in external QA activities it is best to have both
  disciplinary experts (scientists, professors,
  representatives of the given profession) and QA
  experts (staff members of the relevant national
  agencies) in the same team working together

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Internal QA systems at higher education
institutions (HEIs)

• most Croatian HEIs still at the beginning of the
  process
• freedom to choose from among the various options
  available for internal QA systems (ISO standard,
  individual systems)
• time and support to HEIs needed in order to
  establish and operate effective internal QA
  systems and mechanisms
• support by the Agency, National Foundation for
  Science, CARDS 2003 project

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Internal QA systems at higher education
institutions (HEIs)- continued -

• "Minimum" requirements
• 1. Each institution (faculty) should be expected
  to have a well defined and clear strategy based
  on a SWOT analysis.
• 2. Based on the strategy, there should be a
  quality document (handbook) presenting the
• quality goals (What?),
• quality mechanisms, procedures (How?
  covering all major activities),
• roles and responsibilities in relation to
  QA (Who? involving students) of the given
  institution (faculty).
• The QA model described in the quality document
  should actually be implemented.
• 3. Organised and regular monitoring and feedback,
  both internal and external, built in the system.
• 4. Implementation of corrective and quality
  enhancement measures according to findings of
  monitoring and feedback.

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Role of Agency for Science and Higher Education

• external QA of HE including the design and
  implementation of methods, procedures, standards
  and criteria, and the actual conduct of
  evaluations (evaluation/accreditation/audit)
  resulting in final report and decision
  (accreditation or audit) on quality of provision,
  
• advice to HEIs in relation to quality issues,
• providing information on the quality of HE to all
  the partners and the public at large, including
  regular disciplinary or sector wide analyses,
• monitoring of international developments,
  international networking,
• providing expert assistance to committees working
  on sub-act documents and directives for
  evaluation of quality of HEIs
• preparing discussion papers, proposing policy
  developments.

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Conclusion

• Quality of higher education is the crucial issue
  because it is the very heart of academic
  activity.
• Verification and results shall eventually
  demonstrate the readiness of academic community
  to build a new society
• ? society of knowledge and successful economy

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• Agency for Science and Higher Education
• Savska cesta 41, Zagreb
• web www.azvo.hr
• tel [phone]
• e-mail ured_at_azvo.hr