Quality Assurance in Higher Education -Albania- Yerevan, 4-5 June 2007 Dhurata BOZO Director Accreditation Agency for Higher Education

Presentation Outlines Higher Education Institutions and ProgrammesHigher Education Institutions and Programmes QA and Accreditation InstitutionsQA and Accreditation Institutions Accreditation Agency: statisticsAccreditation Agency: statistics Relations with HEI and StudentsRelations with HEI and Students PerspectivePerspective Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

A - Higher Education System in Albania Public HEIs 13Public HEIs 13 3 main HEIs in Tirana3 main HEIs in Tirana 3 academies3 academies 1 military HEI1 military HEI 5 regional HEIs (+1)5 regional HEIs (+1) 200 programmes200 programmes Private (?) HEIs15 (+??)Private (?) HEIs15 (+??) 13 domestic13 domestic 2 cross-border&joint2 cross-border&joint >70 HE programmes>70 HE programmes

A - Higher Education Programmes

B - Accreditation System in Albania Accreditation Agency for HE (AAHE)Accreditation Agency for HE (AAHE) Evaluation (periodic, analitical, comparative)Evaluation (periodic, analitical, comparative) Procedure, criteria, requirements, peersProcedure, criteria, requirements, peers Evaluation resultsEvaluation results PublicationPublication Accreditation Council (AC)Accreditation Council (AC) Recomendations to GovernmentRecomendations to Government Decision on procedures, criteria, standardsDecision on procedures, criteria, standards AppealAppeal Council for Higher Education and Science (CHES)Council for Higher Education and Science (CHES) Recomendations to GovernmentRecomendations to Government Decision on procedures, criteria, standardsDecision on procedures, criteria, standards AppealAppeal Ministry & GovernmentMinistry & Government Formal decision (yes, no, conditional)Formal decision (yes, no, conditional)

B - Evaluation in HE - Procedure ApplicationApplication Approval of request and timeframeApproval of request and timeframe Self-evaluation (se): se team and se folderSelf-evaluation (se): se team and se folder External evaluation (ee):ee peers, ee reportExternal evaluation (ee):ee peers, ee report Training of se and ee teamsTraining of se and ee teams Foreign expertsForeign experts Evaluation resultEvaluation result DecisionDecision Publication of results (reports) and decisionsPublication of results (reports) and decisions

B- Evaluation in HE Evaluation Types Institutional: initial, periodicInstitutional: initial, periodic Programme: initial, periodic,Programme: initial, periodic, Mix or intermediateMix or intermediate Analitical: general policy reasons, leads also to… Analitical: general policy reasons, leads also to…  Comparative: ranking or customer protection and/or information purposesComparative: ranking or customer protection and/or information purposes

B-Evaluation in HE Institutional, Programme Evaluation or both? Past: programme evaluation at department levelPast: programme evaluation at department level Present: shift to intermediate (or mix) evaluationPresent: shift to intermediate (or mix) evaluation Initial: programme levelInitial: programme level Periodic: institutional less focusing at programme levelPeriodic: institutional less focusing at programme level Near Future: mainly institutional but focus on Internal Quality Assurance in HEIsNear Future: mainly institutional but focus on Internal Quality Assurance in HEIs Future: Quality AuditFuture: Quality Audit

C – Accreditation Agency Evaluation: process, procedure, peer team, follow up, appealEvaluation: process, procedure, peer team, follow up, appeal Reporting: periodical, analitical, comparativeReporting: periodical, analitical, comparative PublicationPublication System-wide analysis; comparative ev.System-wide analysis; comparative ev. Collaboration with HEIs for Internal Quality AssuranceCollaboration with HEIs for Internal Quality Assurance

C – AAHE Statistics: evaluations since 2001 (1)

C – AAHE Statistics: HEI evaluated programmes (2)

C – AAHE Statistics: HEI evaluated departments (3)

C – AAHE Statistics: evaluations (4)

C – AAHE Statistics: experts involvement (5)

C – AAHE Statistics: budget data (6)

C – AAHE Statistics: 2 ndary fundings (7)

D – AAHE Students Involvement Factors ; not active actorsFactors ; not active actors Interviewed ; not interviewersInterviewed ; not interviewers Occasional; not the ruleOccasional; not the rule ENQA – SG : New Higher Education LawENQA – SG : New Higher Education Law Students rights inside HEIStudents rights inside HEI Internal Quality Assurance: factors and actorsInternal Quality Assurance: factors and actors External Quality Assurance: members of peer review teams, interviewers and feed back-ersExternal Quality Assurance: members of peer review teams, interviewers and feed back-ers Consumers and peers of other HE servicesConsumers and peers of other HE services

D – AAHE Relations with HEIs Trust, transparence, collaboration and cooperationTrust, transparence, collaboration and cooperation Internal Quality Assurance SystemInternal Quality Assurance System HEI feed back: external evaluation processHEI feed back: external evaluation process  Quality Culture (HEI)  Quality Culture (HEI)  Quality Audit (AAHE)  Quality Audit (AAHE)

AAHE Networking INQAAHE : full member 2002INQAAHE : full member 2002 CEE Network : full member 2003CEE Network : full member 2003 EAIE - individual membership – 2004EAIE - individual membership – 2004 ENQA -intending to apply- selfevaluation process (below)ENQA -intending to apply- selfevaluation process (below) ECA - cooperation agreement (CEE – Network) ECA - cooperation agreement (CEE – Network)

E- Perspective National Level:National Level: New Higher Education Act – QA ridesignNew Higher Education Act – QA ridesign More foreign experts and expertise involvementMore foreign experts and expertise involvement HEIs and Student feed back - institutionalisationHEIs and Student feed back - institutionalisation QA for QA SystemQA for QA System A more close collaboration with HEIs for Internal QA in HEIsA more close collaboration with HEIs for Internal QA in HEIs International Level:International Level: ENQA: SG – How AAHE knows its work?ENQA: SG – How AAHE knows its work? Selfevaluation – ESG (ENQA), GGP (INQAAHE), GQPCE (UNESCO)Selfevaluation – ESG (ENQA), GGP (INQAAHE), GQPCE (UNESCO) Selfcheck analysis (see below)Selfcheck analysis (see below) Self-evaluation reportSelf-evaluation report External evaluation from ENQA (Register??)External evaluation from ENQA (Register??)

Selfcheck Analysis (1) B. Standards for EQA in HE already fully imple- mented missing elements kind of measures planned & deadline Standard 1 Use of internal quality assurance procedures: External quality assurance procedures should take into account the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance processes described in Part A above. Standard 2 Development of external quality assurance processes: The aims and objectives of quality assurance processes should be determined before the processes themselves are developed, by all those responsible (including higher education institutions) and should be published with a description of the procedures to be used. Yes No x Yes x No Agency looks at this aspect during the external evaluation but HEIs do not have a permanent internal Quality Assurance system, only fragmentary elements This has been already done and reviewd in the light of the ENQA ESG Establishment of Internal Quality Systems in HEIs is provided and the regulations and standards are going to be discussed in collaboration of the agency with HEIs in order to harmonize both internal and external quality processes; the process has already started Planned to review in content some of the procedures for establishment of new Bachelor and Master Programmes in Bologna view

Selfcheck Analysis (2) B. Standards for EQA in HE implemented? missing elements kind of measures planned Standard 4 Processes fit for purpose: All external quality assurance processes should be designed specifically to ensure their fitness to achieve the aims and objectives set for them.. …….. Standard 8 System-wide analyses: Quality assurance agencies should produce from time to time summary reports describing and analysing the general findings of their reviews, evaluations, assessments etc. Yes No x Yes x No We accept and try to implement but the difficulty lays in the experts, cause not all of them are able to this evaluation approach Yearly system wide analyses arre carried out by AAHE after the parallel evaluations and also for some predefined indicators in all HEIs such as staff indicators, student indicators, structure and organisational matters related to financial effectivity National experts need to be trained by international experts with experience in the field Overall reports for HEIs where the first round of evaluations is over (three until now)

Selfcheck Analysis (3) C. S tandards for external quality assurance agencies implemented? missing elements kind of measures planned Standard 2 Official status: Agencies should be Agencies should be formally recognised by formally recognised by competent public competent public authorities in the authorities in the European Higher European Higher Education Area as Education Area as agencies with agencies with responsibilities for responsibilities for external quality external quality assurance and should assurance and should have an established legal have an established legal basis. They should basis. They should comply with any comply with any requirements of the requirements of the legislative jurisdiction legislative jurisdiction within which they operate within which they operate Yes X No

Selfcheck Analysis (4) C. S tandards for external quality assurance agencies implemented? missing elements kind of measures planned Standard 6 Independence: Agencies should be independent to the extent both that they have autonomous responsibility for their operations and that the conclusions and the conclusions and recommendations made in their reports cannot be influenced by third parties such as HEI, ministries or other stakeholders. Yes X No In operational, finnancial and practical terms More clarification from ENQA

F – Lessons Learned Publicity and follow-up is equally/more impacting as/than accreditation decisionPublicity and follow-up is equally/more impacting as/than accreditation decision More respect for HEI’ authonomy: more realiable, collaborative and objective is the evaluation outcomeMore respect for HEI’ authonomy: more realiable, collaborative and objective is the evaluation outcome Less burocracy: more efficiency and effectivity for EQALess burocracy: more efficiency and effectivity for EQA More flexibility: more acceptance and reliability for EQAMore flexibility: more acceptance and reliability for EQA More institutional: more acceptance and impacting on HEIsMore institutional: more acceptance and impacting on HEIs Foreign expertise and peers: crucial for small countriesForeign expertise and peers: crucial for small countries Shift gradually to an output approach-students at the focusShift gradually to an output approach-students at the focus Student feed-back is not simply an added value: it is as valuable as peers findings and more impacting on HEIsStudent feed-back is not simply an added value: it is as valuable as peers findings and more impacting on HEIs

International Guidelines: ESG for QA in EHEA

International Guidelines: UNESCO Guidelines for Quality Priovision in Cross- border Education

Accreditation Agency for Higher Education Address: Rr. “L. Dukagjini”, Nr.5, Tirana, Albania Tel. & Fax: / Web site: Thank you