Training Seminar on Implementation of Effective Quality Assurance Systems in Romanian Higher Education Institutions April 1-3, 2009 Sinaia Criteria for Effective Quality Assurance Systems Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

What makes the elements of a quality management framework into a system? ► Quality systems are control ‘loops’, which depend on feedback; ► Feedback requires a purpose, specifying what needs to be controlled or improved; ► Feedback requires data; ► Data requires selection for relevance, validity, reliability; ► Quality standards to be specified- to compare measured data against these and to enable errors to be monitored and corrected; ► Implementation of corrective actions. Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

Illustration of a quality control ‘loop ’ Purpose: To control the quality of academic degree programmes: Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

Parameters for Designing the Quality System: ► ESG for Higher Education Institutions; ► Decisions about size and speed ► Sub-systems: designing smaller control ‘loops’ (e.g., ‘collection and analysis of data, informing the decision making process) ► Auditing the quality control process Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

Feedback Data ► Control ‘loops’ depend on feedbacks ► Arrangements for data collection  Output data;  Process data;  Input data ► Levels of data aggregation (programme, institution) ► Quality of data Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

QA Systems in HEIs: criteria for effectiveness ► Values-  Commitment from the most senior managers to the pursuit of continuous improvement in education;  Staff accept that their accountability is a necessary consequence of their professional responsibility ► Purposes and strategy-  The purposes of the QA system are defined, explicit and disseminated to all staff and students  Quality improvement is included in the purposes ► Criteria are defined to judge the acceptability and effectiveness of QA arrangements in its component parts Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

QA Systems in HEIs: criteria for effectiveness (2) ► Functions and structure –  Documented means of achieving a regular and acurate institutional view of the QA, operating in the faculties, departments, programmes and other units are included as a component of the QA system;  Clearly set down terms of reference and composition for any quality committees or units involved in the QA system and its sub-systems Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

QA Systems in HEIs: criteria for effectiveness (3) ► Organization, management and resources  The roles and responsibilities of all those involved in quality management processes should be agreed institutionally, documented, widely disseminated, understood and accepted by those involved  The resources available for quality management, including time and information, should be made clear and distributed at the various levels  There is regular training provided for managers and all staff in relation to QA Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

QA Systems in HEIs: criteria for effectiveness (4) ► Data management-  The criteria should be stated for the selection of data for quality;  Must include means for sampling student views and statistics on the assessment results and progression of students (ESG, Part I); ► Communication-  Arrangements are in place for sharing examples of good practice  All quality management structures, responsibilities, resources, processes and criteria should be brought together into an authoritative and regularly updated Quality Manual Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

QA Systems in HEIs: criteria for effectiveness (5) ► Effectiveness and Periodic Review of QA Processes of the HEI-  There should be an established periodic review process for all QA arrangements;  These reviews of the QA arrangements should gather internal and external data and compare performance of the systems and sub-systems against their purposes and criteria for effectiveness Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU

Thank you for your attention! Material produced under Phare 2006 PHARE TVET RO2006/ EUROPEAN UNION Project financed under Phare MoERI–NCVETD/PIU