ROMANIAN AGENCY OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION – ARACIS Consolidating and Developing the Human Capital for Sustainable knowledge-based Societies in South-East Europe QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATON ASIGURAREA CALITATII CHALLENGES AND ANSWERS Univ. lect.dr. Mihai Floroiu ARACIS Bucharest, 06 th of March 2009

General context for the PHARE projects in the higher education The working programme of the European Commission: “Education and Vocational Training 2010” : a competitive and dynamic European economy, based on knowledge. Direct consequence Direct consequence: the quality assurance concept is placed in the core of the long term community political agenda

Key moments - I 1999 – The Bologna Statement European Space for Higher Education1999 – The Bologna Statement : commitment of the European ministers of education to define by 2010 European Space for Higher Education – encouraging the European cooperation in the context of assuring the quality of the education by means of applying unitary criteria 2005 –Bergen Conference: presentation of the European Standards and Recommendations for Quality Assurance in the European Space for Higher Education - ESG2005 –Bergen Conference: presentation of the European Standards and Recommendations for Quality Assurance in the European Space for Higher Education - ESG

Key moments – II 2005/2006 – Legislation on quality assurance for the education in Romania– establishment of ARACIS and ARACIP (GEO 75/2005, approved by Law 87/2006)2005/2006 – Legislation on quality assurance for the education in Romania– establishment of ARACIS and ARACIP (GEO 75/2005, approved by Law 87/2006) 2006 – the first fundamental documents at the European level regarding the European Qualifications Framework2006 – the first fundamental documents at the European level regarding the European Qualifications Framework

Challenges - I Developing a European competitive culture of quality and based on management capacity to efficiently design and apply the policies on the academia quality and on improving methodologies, instruments, standards and techniques of the external assessment of quality, as per the European requirements in force; Developing and implementing viable quality assurance instruments in education;

Challenges - II Increasing coherence between the level of education and the vocational training, as elements of quality assurance as well as correlation with European instruments in this respect; Ensuring the Romanian education competitiveness at the European level; Developing qualified human resources, capable of coping to the challenges in a changing, global and globalizing

STUDENTS System of college admission –Career guidance –Real information on universities (programmes L-M-D, material basis, no. of places, admission conditions, fees, scientific accomplishments, living conditions, access to information and documentation, a.o) How many enter, how many finish? Student-partner, NOT A client Offers from abroad Competition for PRESTIGE, RESOUCES, STUDENTS!

STUDENTS (2) Education circuit Work system: TEACHER-STUDENT –Direct guidance –Teaching-learning system –Knowledge assessment system Constant assessment (throughout the univ. year) Adapting to real situations (studens- employees, Ist year students have different training levels) Road to excellence training

STUDENTS (3) FEES, SCHOLARSHIPS CLASSIC AND MODERN WHAT DO THE EMPLOYERS WANT? WHAT DOES THE SOCIAL-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT REQUIRE? –Forecast –well controlled no. of places

UNIVERSITY Autonomy – responsibility Statistics –Total –Real –Basis for local, area, regional, national, international decisions Financing system Attracting foreing students (learning conditions, living conditions, opening to the world, globalization) How many finish high school? How many enter into college? QUALITY ASSESSMENT WHIM, REQUIREMENT, PERMANENT TASK, CYCLIC ASSESSMENT, FINANCING

Objectives of Higher Education components in PHARE TVET 2004, 2005 and 2006 projects Projects focused on three objectives: adapting the educational offer to the real needs on the labor market European dimension of quality assurance national qualifications framework according to the European evolutions Each of there projects had as priority one area of interest, ensuring a logical sequence of objectives and results, depending on the real needs, by creating 8 university consortia, representing 57 universities

PHARE TVET 2004 corellation between the quality assurance framework in TVET and the quality assurance system in higher education; developing methodologies and instruments adapted for applying the national quality assurance framework for higher education based on the ENQA standards concerning the evolutions in the higher education sector, piloted in the 8 consortia

PHARE TVET continuation –vocational training activities: 50 internal assessment experts + 50 internal assessment experts in the 8 university centers; 80 representatives of DPPD trained in the participatory management. –Study visits in States of the European Union for 2 specialists of ARACIS

PHARE TVET 2005 Elaborating a conceptual document on the analysis of principles and mechanism of quality assurance in the Romanian higher education; Reviewing the quality assurance guides elaborated in the CALISRO project or in other projects, in consult with the Universities; Training session of 24 university teaching staff in the field of internal quality assessment; External monitoring visits of the manner in which the concept of quality assurance was implemented in the universities from the 8 consortia created; Training 80 university teaching staff and students in Participatory management and student-oriented learning; Organizing a study visit for 12 representatives of the institutions competent in operating in the field of quality assurance and qualifications.

PHARE TVET 2006 vocational training activities in the field of external university quality of 40 university teaching staff; Elaborating two conceptual documents based on transferable credits and the updated concept of quality assurance.

PHARE TVET Balance VOCATIONAL TRAINING: –144 QUALITY ASSESSORS; –160 UNIVERSITY TEACHING STAFF AND STUDENTS – PARTICIPATORY; –40 UNIVERSITY TEACHING STAFF IN STUDY VISITS IN UNIVERSITY CENTERS IN THE EUROPEAN SPACE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

PHARE TVET Balance – cont. CONCEPTUAL DOCUMENTS ON QUALITY ASSURANCE; BEST PRACTICES GUIDES; INTER-UNIVERSITY NETWORK OF COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF QUALITY ASSURANCE – THE HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT

Imperatives of university year  Responsibility of the education and scientific research has a new dimension directly related to  QUALITY AND ASSESSMENT  COMPETENCES AND PERFORMANCE  EXCELLENCE  It is the age of ASSESSMENT  KNOWLEDGE  STUDY PROGRAMMES  INSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM  EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN EDUCATION

ARACIS THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION Univ.Lect.Dr. Mihai Floroiu