Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education: brief overview Aurelija Valeikienė, Deputy Director

10/13/ to encourage quality of activities of HEI to contribute to creation of favorable conditions for free movement of persons assessment & recognition of foreign qualifications organization of qualification exams provision of info and consultations assessment and accreditation of HEI (institutional review) assessment and accreditation of HE study programs assessment of establishing HEI

10/13/  Mission of the Centre is to contribute to improvement to quality of higher education and increase awareness of it by the way of assessing studies and qualifications received abroad.  Vision of the Centre – being an influential organization in dissemination, implementation and creation of ideas with regard to quality in higher education.  Values, as guiding principles of the organization, are: partnership, professionalism, transparency, and quality.

SKVC coverage Higher education institutions of all types: –Universities –Colleges of higher education All HEI irrespective of legal form (public & private) On the state level – mandatory program evaluations and institutional reviews, accreditation decisions issued

10/13/ achievements from 1995 around qualifications received abroad evaluated consulting and information provision regarding evaluation and recognition of qualifications in Lithuania and abroad for natural and legal persons (more than 2100 formal info letters issued) more than 200 consultations to researchers and/or their host institutions in Lithuania regarding issues of taxes, social insurance, accommodation, employment etc.

10/13/ achievements from 1995 around 2700 study program evaluations done institutional review of 34 higher education institutions: – 29 colleges of higher education – 5 universities review of 23 applications to open a new HEI or a branch, to receive a permission to organize studies or engage in related activities

achievements from 1995 study program evaluations in most cases done with international teams (90% of programs reviewed in 2011) All institutional review teams – mixed ones, involving both foreign and local experts (in particular – students and employer representatives) Involvement in 30 projects both on national and European levels - partnerships and coordination of activities in Phare, EC Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, 6FP, 7FP, European Social Fund programs

Focus of activities Encouraging quality culture on institutional level Maintaining minimum standards via study program accreditation Consultations to HEI Policy input on the state level

10/13/ INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) – full member from 1997; ENIC/NARIC (European Network of National Information Centres / Network of National Academic Recognition Information Centres) – full member from 1999 CEENQA (The Network of Central and Eastern European Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) – from 2000; ENQA (associate member from 2000, after the transformation of ENQA from network to association - candidate member since 2008); EURAXESS (European Network of Researcher Mobility Centres, prior to 2008 named ERA-MORE network) – full member (activities passed on Lithuanian Science Counsil). international relations

10/13/ external review of SKVC Preparation and self-analysis July February 2011 Update to SER in January 2012 Review Group visit on March 14-15, 2012 Review Report expected in June 2012

10/13/ internal quality management Consolidation of internal quality assurance system ( ), based on ISO 9000, ISO 9004, European Standards and Guidelines for QA in HE (ESG): –Analysis of processes (both core and supporting processes), strengths and weaknesses –Internal trainings (13 sessions, each 8 hours long) –internal audit performed, as the outcome of it - descriptions of some processes adjusted

Next steps External review report submitted to ENQA Board in June 2012 Application for EQAR listing submitted in September 2012

THANK YOU!