1. European Approaches to and Italian Organization for
QAinAL Seminar
European Approaches to and
Italian Organization for
Quality Assurance
Prof. Alfredo Squarzoni
University of Genoa
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

2. Topics of the presentation
Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (QA) in the European Higher Education Area - ESG
QA of Institutions
QA of Study Programmes (SPs)
Organization for QA in Italian Universities
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

3. a) Standards and Guidelines for QA in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)
Quality of Higher Education
Coherently with the ISO 9000 definition of quality, for ‘quality of higher education’ it is intended
the grade (level) of achievement of the educational objectives established coherently with the needs and expectations of all those who are interested in the education provided, that is the ‘interested parties’ or stakeholders,…
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

4. … or, in other words, the level of accomplishment of the requirements for the quality of education established coherently with the needs and expectations of all the interested parties.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

5. Quality assurance of SPs
Always coherently with the ISO 9000 definition of quality assurance, for ‘study programme quality assurance’ it is intended the whole of the activities (processes) for the management of the educational service aimed at achieving the established educational objectives and then at ‘ensuring trust’ in meeting the requirements for the quality of education to all the interested parties.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

6. Consequently, the definition of a system for the QA of education requires the identification of the whole of the activities (processes) that it is necessary to manage for achieving the established educational objectives.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

7. (http://www.enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf ).
Today the definition of suitable academic strategies in order to promote SP quality can rely on the standards and guidelines for QA established in the document
Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)
( ).
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

8. It has found a generalised acceptance in the European context.
This document was prepared by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) in co-operation with the European Students’ Union (ESU), the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE) and the European University Association (EUA).
It was adopted by the Ministers of Higher Education of 45 countries in the meeting in Bergen (Norway) on May 2005 and revised in the meeting in Yerevan (Armenia) on May 2015.
It has found a generalised acceptance in the European context.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

9. The standards set out agreed and accepted practice for QA of HE in the EHEA and should, therefore, be taken account of and adhered to by those concerned, in all types of higher education provision.
Guidelines explain the importance of the standards and provide information to assist HEIs, agencies and governments in the implementation of the standards in their individual context.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

10. The standards and guidelines reflect the statement of the European Ministers of Education in the 2003 Berlin communiqué that “consistent with the principle of institutional autonomy, the primary responsibility for QA in higher education lies with each institution itself and this provides the basis for real accountability of the academic system within the national quality framework”.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

11. The ESG have the following purposes:
they set a common framework for quality assurance systems at European, national and institutional level;
they enable the improvement of quality of higher education in the EHEA;
they support mutual trust, thus facilitating recognition and mobility within and across national borders;
they provide information on quality assurance in the EHEA.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

12. The ESG are based on the following four principles
for quality assurance in the EHEA:
HEIs have primary responsibility for the quality of their provision and its assurance;
QA processes respond to the diversity of HE systems, institutions and programmes;
QA supports the development of a quality culture;
QA processes involve stakeholders and take into account the expectations of all stakeholders and society.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

13. It is important to note that the purpose of standards and guidelines is to provide a source of assistance and guidance to HEIs in developing their own quality assurance system, as well as to contribute to a common frame of reference, which can be used by institutions.
It is not the intention that these standards and guidelines should dictate practice or be interpreted as prescriptive or unchangeable.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

14. The standards are in three parts covering:
Part 1 - Internal QA in HEIs*,
Part 2 - External QA of higher education*,
Part 3 - QA agencies.
It should be kept in mind, however, that the three parts are intrinsically interlinked and together form the basis for a European QA framework.
___________________
* Internal QA: QA on the responsibility of the institution
* External QA: QA on the responsibility of the agencies for QA
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

15. In this presentation we are interested in
Part 1: Standards (and guidelines) for internal quality assurance within higher education institutions
of the ESG, articulated in 10 standards.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

16. 1.1 Policy for quality assurance
Standard
Institutions should have a policy for quality assurance that is made public and forms part of their strategic management.
Internal stakeholders should develop and implement this policy through appropriate structures and processes, while involving external stakeholders.
Stakeholders are understood to cover all actors within an institution, including students and staff, as well as external stakeholders such as employers and external partners of an institution.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

17. Processes associated to Standard 1
Definition of the policy and organization (processes and organizational structure) for the QA of education (at Institution and SP level)
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18. 1.2 Design and approval of programmes
Standard
Institutions should have processes for the design and approval of their programmes.
The programmes should be designed so that they meet the objectives set for them, including the intended learning outcomes.
The qualification resulting from a programme should be clearly specified and communicated, and refer to the correct level of the national qualifications framework for higher education and, consequently, to the Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA.
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19. Processes associated to Standard 2
Identification of the educational needs of the labour market and other stakeholders
Definition of the SP aims (educational objectives)
Definition of the learning outcomes
Design and planning of the educational process
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

20. 1.3 Student-centred learning, teaching and assessment
Standard
Institutions should ensure that the programmes are delivered in a way that encourages students to take an active role in creating the learning process, and that the assessment of students reflects this approach.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

21. student-centred learning
Note
Definition of
student-centred learning
according to the European Student Union (ESU 2010):
“A learning approach characterised by innovative methods of teaching which aim to promote learning in communication with teachers and students and which takes students seriously as active participants in their own learning, fostering transferable skills such as problem-solving, critical and reflective thinking”.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

22. Processes associated to Standard 3
Design and planning of the educational process
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23. 1.4 Student admission, progression, recognition and certification
Standard
Institutions should consistently apply pre-defined and published regulations covering all phases of the student “life cycle”, e.g. student admission, progression, recognition and certification.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

24. Processes associated to Standard 4
Definition of the admission, recognition, progression and attestation regulations.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

25. 1.5 Teaching staff Standard
Institutions should assure themselves of the competence of their teachers. They should apply fair and transparent processes for the recruitment and development of the staff.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

26. Processes associated to Standard 5
Identification and assignment of the teaching staff
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27. 1.6 Learning resources and student support
Standard
Institutions should have appropriate funding for learning and teaching activities and ensure that adequate and readily accessible learning resources and student support are provided.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

28. Processes associated to Standard 6
Identification and allocation of facilities (in particular: lecture and study rooms, laboratories, libraries) and support staff
Organisation and management of student support (orienteering, tutoring and assistance) services
Establishment of partnerships with national and international businesses, research institutions and other Higher Education Institutions for carrying out students’ external education and mobility
Identification of the needs and allocation of financial resources
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

29. 1.7 Information management
Standard
Institutions should ensure that they collect, analyse and use relevant information for the effective management of their programmes and other activities.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

30. Processes associated to Standard 7 Monitoring of the incoming students
Monitoring of the students’ learning
Monitoring of the students’ progression in their studies
Monitoring of the students’ opinion on the educational process
Monitoring of the graduates’ placement
Monitoring of the employed graduates’ and employers’ opinion on the graduates’ education
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

31. 1.8 Public information Standard
Institutions should publish information about their activities, including programmes, which is clear, accurate, objective, up-to date and readily accessible.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

32. Processes associated to Standard 8
Provision of public access to information on the study programme
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33. 1.9 On-going monitoring and periodic review of programmes
Standard
Institutions should monitor and periodically review their programmes to ensure that they achieve the objectives set for them and respond to the needs of students and society. These reviews should lead to continuous improvement of the programme. Any action planned or taken as a result should be communicated to all those concerned.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

34. Processes associated to Standard 9 Review
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35. Review process
The review process should start with an analysis process, finalised to the identification of the strong and weak points of the study programme, through at least the comparison of the study programme’s results with those obtained in the preceding years and the results obtained by other study programmes of the same typology, if any, and to the identification of the causes of the weak points (e.g.: causes of the dropouts, motivations of delays in graduation, etc.).
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

36. Then, in correspondence of the weaknesses, it should identify the improvement actions to be adopted and all the opportunities to correct deficiencies in the design and/or delivery of the curriculum, in order to improve the educational service offered by the programme and its results.
The evaluation process should also review the programme management system, in order to guarantee its constant suitability, adequacy and efficiency.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

37. 1.10 Cyclical external quality assurance
Standard
Institutions should undergo external quality assurance in line with the ESG on a cyclical basis.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

38. Processes associated to Standard 10 External assessment of SP’s QA
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39. b) Quality Assurance of Institutions
Boards of Higher Education Institutions have to define and implemented effective QA systems, based on their vision of the quality of the education provided, which enables it to guarantee the quality of the SPs offered.
‘Vision’ pertains to the Institution’s ambition regarding the quality of its education and its requirements regarding the quality of its SPs.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

40. In essence, institutional QA revolve around five coherent questions:
1. What is the vision of the institution with regards to the quality of the education it provides?
2. How does the institution intend to realise this vision?
3. How does the institution gauge the extent to which the vision is realised?
4. How does the institution work on improvement?
5. Who is responsible for what?
that can translated into five standards.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

41. Vision of the quality of the education provided
Standard 1: The Institution has a broadly supported vision of the quality of its education and the development of a quality culture.
Explanation: This vision pertains to the Institution’s ambition regarding the quality of its education and its requirements regarding the quality of its programmes.
For the purpose of developing a quality culture, the Board of the Institution encourages the SPs to monitor their quality and implement improvements wherever required. An active role by all those involved in the education provided is vitally important to this end.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

42. Policy
Standard 2: The Institution pursues an adequate policy in order to realise its vision of the quality of its education. This comprises at least: policies in the field of education, staff, facilities, accessibility and feasibility for students with a functional disability, embedding of research in the education provided, as well as the interrelation between education and the (international) professional field and discipline.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

43. Explanation: The policy fields to be assessed are not limited to those stated in the standard but depend on the institution’s vision of the quality of its education. Adequate policy presupposes concrete objectives ensuing from said vision and allocation of sufficient resources to implement said policy.
Anchoring research in the education provided is important because all Higher Education Institutions have to engage in research to some extent, even if they do not conduct research themselves and only wish to inform students of new scientific developments in the domain of the programme in which they are enrolled.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

44. Output
Standard 3: The institution has insight into the extent to which its vision of the quality of its education is realised. It gauges and evaluates the quality of its SPs on a regular basis, among students, staff, alumni and representatives of the professional field.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

45. Explanation: The institution has management information with regard to the implementation of policy and the output of its SPs. It also has an adequate system of internal evaluations and external assessments. The evaluation and gauging activities have been set up efficiently and provide the Board of the Institution with aggregated information.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

46. Improvement policy
Standard 4: The institution can demonstrate that it systematically improves the quality of its programmes wherever required.
Explanation: The institution pursues an active improvement policy based on its insight into the output achieved. This contributes to the quality culture within the institution.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

47. Organization and decision-making structure
Standard 5: The Institution has an effective organization and decision-making structure with regard to the quality of its SPs, which clearly defines the tasks, authorities and responsibilities and which encompasses the participation of students and staff.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

48. Explanation: The organization and decision-making structure enables the Institution to realise its vision (standard 1), its policy (standard 2), the output (standard 3) and its improvement policy (standard 4) in a coherent fashion.
The commitment of staff and students is demonstrated by the manner in which they are consulted and the consideration of their recommendations in the SPs.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

49. c) Quality Assurance of
Study Programmes
In Europe it is a shared opinion that a SP can be said ‘of quality’ when it complies with the national standards and requirements and:
it establishes educational objectives consistent with the mission of the institution the SP belongs to and the educational needs of the stakeholders (students and labour market of reference in the first place), and learning outcomes consistent with the educational objectives;
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50. it designs and implements an educational process adequate to achieve the learning outcomes, which embeds a student-centred learning approach, ensures a correct assessment of students’ learning, keeps under control its development and establishes appropriate regulations for students’ admission, recognition, progression and attestation;
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

51. it monitors the results of the educational process;
teaching staff, facilities, student support services, partnerships with businesses, research institutions and other HEIs, and financial resources are adequate to achieve the learning outcomes and are kept under control;
it monitors the results of the educational process;
it adopts an adequate and effective management system able to assure the SP quality and its continual improvement, and guarantees public access to the information on the SP.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

52. These principles must inspire design, development and control of SPs.
Correspondingly, five standards for the QA of SPs can be identified:
Standard A - Needs and Objectives
Standard B - Educational Process
Standard C - Resources
Standard D - Monitoring and Results
Standard E - Management System
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

53. Standard A - Needs and Objectives
The SP should identify the educational needs of the labour market of reference and other stakeholders, establish educational objectives coherent with the mission of the Institution the SP belongs to and the identified educational needs, and learning outcomes coherent with the established educational objectives.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

54. Fundamental processes
Standard
Fundamental processes A
Needs and Objectives
A1 - Identification of the educational needs of the labour market and other stakeholders
A2 - Definition of the educational objectives
A3 - Definition of the learning outcomes
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

55. Standard B - Educational process
The SP should assure students educational activities consistent with the national standards, if any, and able to achieve the established learning outcomes through contents, methods, workload and times adequately designed and planned, promote a student-centred teaching and learning approach, assure a correct assessment of students’ learning through suitable assessment methods and criteria. The SP should also define appropriate rules covering student admission, recognition, progression and attestation and keep under control the development of the educational process.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

56. B1 - Design and planning of the educational process
B2 - Admission, recognition, progression and attestation
B3 - Realization of the educational process
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57. Standard C - Resources
The SP should have at disposal teaching staff, facilities, student support services, partnerships and financial resources adequate for the achievement of the learning outcomes and able to make easier the students’ progression in their studies.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

58. C1 - Identification and assignment of the teaching staff
Resources
C1 - Identification and assignment of the teaching staff
C2 - Identification and allocation of facilities (in particular: lecture and study rooms, laboratories, libraries) and support staff
C3 - Organisation and management of student support (orienteering, tutoring and assistance) services
C4 - Establishment of partnerships with national and international businesses, research institutions and other Higher Education Institutions for carrying out students’ external education and mobility
C5 - Identification of the needs and allocation of financial resources
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

59. Standard D - Monitoring and Results
The SP should monitor the results of the educational process, at least with respect to incoming students, students’ learning, students’ progression in their studies and graduates’ placement, the students’ opinion on the educational process and the employed graduates’ and employers’ opinion on the graduates’ education, in order to check the adequacy and effectiveness of the educational service provided.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

60. Monitoring and Results
D1 - Monitoring of the incoming students
D2 - Monitoring of the students’ learning
D3 - Monitoring of the students’ progression in their studies
D4 - Monitoring of the students’ opinion on the educational process
D5 - Monitoring of the graduates’ placement
D6 - Monitoring of the employed graduates’ and employers’ opinion on the graduates’ education
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

61. Standard E - Management system
The Institution the SP belongs to should have a public quality assurance policy and an effective organization for the quality assurance of SPs. The policy should be put into practice through the definition and adoption of an appropriate and effective management system, able to assure the quality of the SP and the continual improvement of the effectiveness of the processes for the SP management and of the associated results.
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62. E2 - Definition of the management system of the study programme
E1 - Definition of the policy and organization for quality assurance of study programmes
E2 - Definition of the management system of the study programme
E3 - Review
E4 - Provision of public access to information on the study programme
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

63. For each identified process, the ‘quality requirements’, i. e
For each identified process, the ‘quality requirements’, i.e. the needs or expectations for quality, have to be established according to the ESG, together with the expected activities for their accomplishment and the documentation (information and data) required in order to provide evidence of the quality of the educational service offered, and therefore to assure its quality.
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64. d) Organization for Quality Assurance in Italian Universities
Organization for QA at Institution level is the same in all Italian Universities and is established by law.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

65. At institutional level, the parties involved in the QA system are:
Governing Bodies and General Management
QC - Quality Committee (PQ - «Presidio della Qualità»)
TSJC - Teacher-Student Joint Committee (CPDS - «Commissione Paritetica Docenti-Studenti»)
EB - Evaluation Board (NdV - «Nucleo di Valutazione»)
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

66. Governing Bodies and General Management
The Bodies involved are:
Rector
Administrative Board (CdA - «Consiglio di Amministrazione»)
Academic Council (SA - «Senato Accademico»)
General Director
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

67. Teachers-Students Joint Committee Evaluation Board
Their main role is to define the policy for the quality and the organizational structure (positions of responsibility) for the QA to be practically implemented by the
Quality Committee
and assessed by the
Teachers-Students Joint Committee
Evaluation Board
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

68. Quality Committee Main tasks of the QC are:
to support the implementation of quality policy defined by the Governance;
to support the structures involved in the QA processes;
to verify the carrying out of the planned processes;
to monitor the results of the processes and consequently to assess the achievement of objectives.
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69. The QC is in a coordination position among the academic bodies, including the Evaluation Board, and the units in charge of education and research.
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70. Teachers-Students Joint Committee
The TSJC is composed by an equal number of members of the teaching staff and students and it has the following tasks:
monitoring of the educational offer and of the teaching quality, as well as of the services for students;
suggestions on the indicators for the evaluation of the results of the educational offer;
formulating advices on the activation and suspension of SPs.
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017

71. Evaluation Board
Main tasks of the Evaluation Board are the evaluation and formulation of guidelines / recommendations regarding:
education and research activities,
administrative management,
actions for supporting the right to education.
The EB can also carry out comparative costs-
performance analyses and surveys on:
proper use of public resources,
impartiality and efficiency of administrative action,
productivity of teaching and research.
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72. The End
Eu&It Approaches to QA Tirana, 18 December 2017