Students’ involvement in QA processes: Pierre Mendès France University experience SAMAGANOVA Asel Assistant Professor, UPMF –Grenoble II 23 septembre 2009 Tempus Project "Developing an Internal Quality Assurance System at Telavi State University, Georgia"

2 Students’ involvement in QA processes I.Bologna process: QA and students involvement II.Why is students involvement needed? III.Forms of students participation in QA processes IV.Problems related to students participation

3 I. Bologna process: QA and students involvement  Easily readable and comparable degrees  Three cycle system (Bachelor-Master- Doctorate structure)  European Credit Transfer System  Promotion of mobility of students and staff  Cooperation in quality assurance  European dimensions in higher education Bologna Declaration (1999): Main Objectives

4 I. Bologna process: QA and students involvement

5  1998: Sorbonne Declaration (France, Italy, Germany, UK)  Harmonisation of the architecture of the European Higher Education System  1999: Bologna Declaration (30 European countries)  Establishing the European Area of Higher Education by 2010  2001: Prague (+Croatia, Cyprus, Turkey)  promotion of life long learning,  involvement of students,  enhancing attractiveness and competitiveness of the European Higher Education Area to other parts of the world) Bologna Process I. Bologna process: QA and students involvement

6  “students are full members of the higher education community”  recognition of students as “competent, active and constructive partners” in the establishment and shaping of a European Higher Education Area. Prague Communiqué (May 2001) I. Bologna process: QA and students involvement student ‐ orientated education system

7 In this regard, four types of needs can be identified:  needs of policy makers, charged with implementing national, regional or local policy;  needs of institution heads and institution staff;  needs of employers  needs of students. Why do we need QA? II. Why is students involvement needed in QA?

8 STUDENTS PARTNERSCONSUMERS ??

9  Students are important part of the academic community  Students have a unique inside perspective in education  Expert capacity of student unions and other stakeholder organisations  Informed and motivated students are often the driving force behind changes.  Consensual decisions and activities are broadly accepted and supported  Education as a key element in the development of democratic societies - “Universities as Sites of Citizenship” II. Why is students involvement needed in QA?

10 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes Quality assurance externalinternal

11 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes UPMF – Human and Social sciences University Law, Economics, Management, Political sciences, Psychology, Sociology, Urbanism, Education sciences, Philosophy, History, Musicology…  students  foreign students 1339 : Foundation of the University 1970 : Transformation into Social Sciences University (Law on Universities Specialisation, 1968) 1991 : June, 17, 1991, Renaming into Pierre Mendès France University

12 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes UPMF – Human and Social sciences University Law, Economics, Management, Political sciences, Psychology, Sociology, Urbanism, Education sciences, Philosophy, History, Musicology…  students  foreign students 1339 : Foundation of the University 1970 : Transformation into Social Sciences University (Law on Universities Specialisation, 1968) 1991 : June, 17, 1991, Renaming into Pierre Mendès France University Pierre Mendes France, French politician (1907 – 1982)

13 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes

14 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes Internal Quality Assurance Processes providing feedback on the courses they have taken, contributing to the development of learning and teaching in their subject area, representing student views in any number of ways through a student union or other representative body, participating in university decision making processes

15 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes

16 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes Internal Quality Assurance Processes Decision-making process Board of Administration Scientific Board Board of Studies 57 members (12 students) 40 members (16 students) 40 membres (4 PhD students)

17 III. Forms of students participation in QA processes Internal Quality Assurance Processes Decision-making process Board of Administration Scientific Board Students Board

18 European Students' Union [ Since its creation in 1982, ESU massively expanded its membership and today acts on behalf of 45 National Unions of Students from 34 countries, representing over 10 million students in Europe. With involvement in the Bologna process, ESIB transformed from a "sleeping giant" to a major player and a "representative voice of students in Europe" in European higher education politics. II. Why is students involvement needed in QA?

19 European Students' Union [ ESU’s contribution to the Bologna process was twofold: to defend student interests into the process. to coordinate information campaigns, so- called Bologna student days, to provide students with information about the Bologna Declaration so that they could pressure institutions and national governments to take up the reforms. II. Why is students involvement needed in QA?

20 IV. Problems related to students participation Internal Quality Assurance Processes  Weak dissemination of information about the rights of the students, how they can influence the governance of higher education and the results of decisions and discussions relevant to them.  Sometimes students’ representatives and the students that they represent differ on opinion, but this is possibly because students’ representatives tend to have the long turn vision while the individual student is more immediate.  Quite often the involvement is seen only as a mere source of feedback, treating students as costumers of a service.

21 II.Different levels of Quality Assurance