Background and purposes of external reviews of QA agencies:

ENQA membership, national purposes

Tibor SzantoHungarian Accreditation Committee

ENQA Workshop - Paris, 10-11 July 2008

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

2

Overview

I. Historical backgroundII. Purposes of reviews

III. Questions

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

3

Who will guard the guardians?

Plato, Republic – on the ideal state guards will guard themselves it would be absurd that a guardian should need a guard (403e)

Juvenal, Satire VI – on men and womenguards cannot be trusted

I.

enforcing moral behaviour ~

morality of the enforcers

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

4

Relevance of the question for external QA:

• trust in agency activities• ensuring the quality of QA agencies

I.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

5

Some steps in external QA

• CHEA recognition of agencies, 1998

• INQAAHE conference, Chile 1999quality label Guidelines for Good Practice 2003 etc

• ENQA workshop, Sitges 2003

• ESG, Bergen 2005

• Agency evaluations

I.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

6

Evaluations of Agencies

UGC (HK): ‘99HAC (H): ‘99-00AR (D): ‘01

EUA (EU): 01-02

…and many more

I.

MSA (US): ‘90

HEQC (UK): ‘93

NCA (US): ‘96-98AAU (NZ): ’97, ‘01

EVC (DK): ‘98OCGS (Can): ‘99

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

7

Reasons and goals of evaluation

Evaluating past activities

Planning future activities

System level considerations

Second review (follow-up of previous eval.)

Meeting external expectations

II.

Cycle ended

Defined as QA element of agency: ESG

new!

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

8

ESG reference(second edition, 2007)

2.6.8 Accountability procedures(Standard for agencies)

Agencies should have in place procedures for their own accountability.

[G] ...

3. A mandatory cyclical external review of the agency’s activities at least once every five years.

II.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

9

Types of reviews -as to organisation

• National review („default”)independent, transparent, robust

N.B. „national” = organisation of review review team is international in most cases!

• ENQA co-ordinated review where a national review would not be appropriate

II.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

10

Related ENQA documents

• Guidelines for national reviews of ENQA member agencies

• Briefing pack for review panel members of ENQA co-ordinated reviews

both to be discussed during workshop

II.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

11

Types of agency reviews – as to general purpose

• Agency agenda

• National (system) agenda

• ENQA membership

• EQAR listing

Purpose shift: internal external?

III.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

12

Questions

• HEI evaluations:Accountability Improvement?

• Agency evaluations:Improvement Accountability?

• Standards: reference points norms?

• Can agencies be trusted?

III.

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

13

The use of agency evaluations or how many guardian levels we need?

HEIs

III.

Agencies

Agency reviewers

Reviewing the agency reviewers???

10 July, 2008 ENQA Workshop - Paris, T. Szanto

14

Who should guard the guardians?

?

III.

Thank you for your

attention!