Training material

۱٫ Aims

Each CP system has at least one (and mostly more) of the following aims:

Ø  Transparency of educational provision and processes

Ø  Improvement of quality of educational provision and processes

Ø  Accountability to stakeholders (government, society)

Ø  Validation of qualifications and academic or professional standards

 

۲٫ Agency (agencies) coordinating the CP

Ø  Status of the agency

Ø  Mission statement

Ø  Independence of the agency

Ø  Internal QA of agency

۳٫ Type, level, range and cycle of CP

Ø  Names used for CP

Ø  Institutions

o   new and/or existing?

o   all or selection (e.g. universities of applied sciences or universities)?

o   focusing on education, research, services?

Ø  Programmes

o   new and/or existing?

o   all or selection (some subjects)?

o   ۱st, 2nd, 3rd cycle?

Ø  Cyclical/periodic CP (regular intervals)?

۴٫ CP methods and experts

Ø  Self-assessment

o   Does the self-assessment report contain descriptions, judgements, and recommendations?

o   Which kind of performance indicators or statistical information or other data are included?

o   Is there an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses?

Ø  External assessment

o   Does a site visit take place (in some systems there are no site visits for new programmes)?

o   What is the representation of the HEI at the site visit?

Ø  External experts

o   Is there a check on independence of experts?

o   Are there selection criteria for experts?

o   What is the composition of the panel: academics, professional field, student, QA , educational and international expertise?

۵٫ Standards and criteria

Ø  Descriptive/checklists or prescriptive/formal criteria?

Ø  Minimum standards/basic quality/ thresholds or “above threshold”?

Ø  Internal QA system

Ø  Public information

Ø  Learning outcomes

o   intended and achieved

o   alignment with qualifications frameworks and subject benchmarks

o   international reference points

Ø  Assessment of students

Ø  Teaching staff

Ø  Learning resources and student support

Ø  Specific criteria?

o   Entry requirements

o   Duration requirements (for whole programme or part of it)

o   Curriculum/courses requirements

o   Quantitative requirements (e.g. student/staff ratio, graduation rates, proportion of PhDs or professors, etc.)

۶٫ Reports

Ø  Written by whom?

Ø  Analysis/judgements substantiated?

Ø  Commendations and/or recommendations included?

Ø  Public?

Ø  Easy accessible for its intended readership?

۷٫ Decision-making

Ø  Criteria and rules for making decisions

Ø  Validity of decisions (e.g. accreditation periods)

Ø  Appeals procedures

۸٫ Consequences and follow-up

Ø  Directly or indirectly linked to funding?

Ø  Recognition of degrees?

Ø  Consequences for reputation/rankings?

Ø  Follow-up procedures?

Ø  System-wide analyses?

Ø  Intended (actions following internal and/or external assessment) and unintended (e.g. game-playing, resistance) consequences

۹٫ Costs and benefits of CP

Ø  Costs

o   Resources of agency

o   Costs of applications for reviews

o   Costs of internal QA of System

o   Opportunity costs (e.g. time spent on QA is time not spent on teaching)

Ø  Benefits

Ø  Improvement of education

Ø  Quality culture/continuous improvement (internal QA)

Ø  Compliance (to standards/criteria)

۱۰٫ Stakeholders perspectives

Ø  Expectations of stakeholders regarding CP (cf. 1. Aims)

Ø  Involvement of stakeholders (government, employers, alumni, society students, academics, System)

o   in internal QA of System

o   in external QA (reviews)

o   in follow-up to CP

Ø  Satisfaction of stakeholders with CP

 

Organize trainings

 

The publication, one of the outcomes of CP project, presents good practices regarding the training of experts that take part in external quality assurance procedures.

This publication presents an overview of current practices in the training of experts that take part in external quality assurance procedures as members of the assessment panel. Included are perceived good practices: those practices that agencies consider exemplary on how they training experts that take part in their external quality assurance procedures.

The practices included in the publication are the results of an extensive survey among quality assurance agencies. The results have been analyses and condensed by CP‘s Stakeholder Group, which consists of representatives of all CP members.

 

CP Handbook

 

Full title
Handbook for the Training of Panel Members for External Quality Assurance Procedures.

Abstract
The trust-building potential of external quality assurance procedures depends upon the quality and professionalism of the persons in the assessment panels. These peers, experts and students are required to be independent, competent and intercultural aware in order to ensure fair decision-making. This handbook provides all the necessary guidance for planning and managing a training event. It helps trainers through all the stages of training panel members: from deciding on the overall aim and content, over writing session aims and learning outcomes; to delivering the training and ensuring that the training is effective.

 

Article overview

 

All Member  should receive the Diploma Supplement. This is a document attached to a higher. It provides a standardized description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were successfully completed by the graduate.

The Diploma Supplement is intended to provide transparency and facilitate academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates) awarded in Europe.

The Diploma Supplement is produced by the higher education institutions themselves. They do this according to a template that has been developed by jointly, It is composed of the following eight sections:

  • information identifying the holder of the qualification,
  • information identifying the qualification,
  • information on the level of the qualification,
  • information on the contents and results gained,
  • information on the function of the qualification,
  • additional information,
  • certification of the Supplement,
  • information on the national higher education system.

 

 

1468

Course

125684

Certification

86

Pass Course

92

Satisfy Course