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WP.1 - Deliverable 1.1Standards for Quality Assurance
of Study Programmes
National Standards for Quality Assurance
of Study Programmes in Italy
Alfredo Squarzonion behalf of CRUI
Conference of the Rectors of Italian Universities
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Work in progress
In Italy it doesn’t yet exist a national system of study programme (SP) quality assurance (QA), quality assessment and accreditation , but its definition and implementation is in a very advanced state.
This doesn’t mean that we have not acquired a significative and precious experience in the field, mainly thanks to the activity of CRUI and, in particular, of CRUI Fondation, its operative arm.As a matter of fact, CRUI is certainly the organisation which has been most engaged in the promotion of the quality of the SPs offered by our Universities.
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The present CRUI approaches to SP quality assessment and QA are the results of by now seventeen years’ activity (the first model for the quality assessment of SPs was developed in 1995), with the assessment of more or less one thousands SPs in all kinds of disciplines, with the aim to promote their improvement by pointing out strong and weak points.
Interest of CRUI in SPs’ QA is more recent and was stimulated by the ENQA document Standard and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area.
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Items of the presentation
a)By-rules concerning the tasks of the Agenzia Nazionale per la Valutazione dell’Università e della Ricerca (ANVUR), of very recent institution
b)How ANVUR is oriented in the definition of the national system for QA of SPs
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By-rules concerning ANVUR tasks
Decree of the Republic President 1 February 2010, n. 76 - By-rules concerning structure and functioning of ANVUR
Art. 2 - Aims and Goals2. The Agency ... is in charge of... the external assessment of the quality of University activities...3. The Agency develops the functions of national agency for the quality assurance...
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Art. 3 - Activities, criteria and methods
1.The Agency is engaged in the following activities:
a)it assesses the quality of the processes, results and products of the activities of … education …, assessment of their efficiency and effectiveness included, also with reference to the assessment of the students’ learning;
b)it defines criteria and methodologies for the assessment of … University SPs, on the basis of objective and certifiable parameters and with the contribute of self-assessment procedures, finalised to their periodic accreditation by the Minister.
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Legislative Decree 27 January 2012 , n. 19 -
Development of University efficiency and … forecast
of a system of periodic accreditation of Universities ...
Art. 2 – Object
1. … the present decree disciplines:• the introduction of a system of initial and
periodic accreditation of institutions and SPs;
• the introduction of a system of assessment and assurance of the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of education …;
• the empowering of the system of self-assessment of the quality and effectiveness of the educational activities … of the Universities.
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Art. 4 – National system of University assessment,
QA and accreditation
1. The national system of University assessment, QA and accreditation works in coherence with the standards and guidelines for the QA in the European Higher Education Area and is articuled in :
a) a system of self-assessment implemented in each
University; b) a system of external assessment of the Universities; c) a system of accreditation of the educational
structures and of the SPs.
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2. The comparison between the results of the self-assessment and of the external assessment is assured in all the assessment processes.
Art. 5 – Accreditation system
1. The object of the system of initial and periodic accreditation are:
a) the educational structures;
b) the study programmes.
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2. For “initial accreditation” it is intended the authorisation to the University by the Ministry to implement educational structures and SPs.
Initial accreditations requires the compliance of educational structurers and SPs to the ex-ante indicators defined by ANVUR, whose aim is to measure and assess the didactic, structural, organisational, of quality of academic staff and research requirements, and to check the economic-financial sustainability of the activities.
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3. For “periodic accreditation” it is intended the test of the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the developed activities.
The periodic accreditation occurs every five years for the educational structures and every three years for the SPs and is based on the test of the persistence of the requirements for the initial accreditation and of further indicators defined ex-ante by ANVUR, and on the results of the external assessment of SPs quality.
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Art. 6 – Definition of the indicatorsfor the accreditation
1.ANVUR, within 120 days from the release of the present decree (i.e.by the end of this May), defines the indicators for the initial and periodic accreditation of educational structures and SPs.
The indicators are adopted by the Ministry within 30 days from their proposal.
2. Indicators are established in coherence with the ESG.
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Art. 10 - Definition of the indicator(for the quality assessmement)
• ANVUR, within 120 days from the release of the present decree, defines the criteria and the indicators for the periodic assessment of the efficiency, economic-financial sustainability of the activities and of the results of the single Universities in the context of education and for the QA of Universities.
The indicators are adopted by the Ministry within 30 days from their proposal.
• Indicators are established in coherence with the ESG.
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Art. 15 – Incentive for the obtained results
1. The Ministry devotes yearly a share of the fund for the ordinary financing of the Universities to be distributed to Universities in relation of the obtained results in education …
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ANVUR Deadlines
April the 30th: presentation of the document with the proposal of the system of QA , quality assessment and accreditation
May the 30th: presentation of the document with the proposal of indicators for quality assessment and accreditation
After May the 30th: observations and suggestions
By July the 15th: publication of the final document
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How ANVUR is oriented in the definition of QA system of SPs
The promotion of the definition of QA systems in Italian Universities is the first objective of the ANVUR activity.
As a matter of fact, it is ANVUR opinion that the definition and the continual improvement of a QA system in each University is the base of every system of SP assessment and accreditation.
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According to ANVUR opinion the QA of SPs isresponsibility of the structures in charge of
the SPs.
It requires:
1. the definition of the objectives to be reached;
2. the adoption of all the actions necessary to
accomplish the established objectives;
1.the presence of credible and systematic ways to test their real accomplishment.
However, it is ANVUR’s intention to respect the
Universities’autonomy and responsibility
in the definition of their own QA system.
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Essential instruments of the SPs QA will be:
• the Annual Form for the QA of SPs
• The Re-examination Report
• The presence of a ‘Quality Presidium’, at University level or at level of the structure in charge of the SP.
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The Annual Form should gather all the information on the characteristics of the SP for its QA, to be used in all the communication activities with all the interested parties and for all the activities of re-examination, self-assessment and external assessement.
The SP Annual Form should be organised as follows:
Area A – Educational Requirements and ObjectivesA1. Consultation of the organisations representative of the production, services and professional world;A2. SP educational objectives;A3. SP learning outcomes
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Area B – Educational processB1. Admission requirementsB2. Description of the educational processB3. Planning of the educational activities
Area C – ResourcesC1. Academic staffC2. FacilitiesC3. Student support services
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Area D – Monitoring (Results)D1. Entrance students, Students’studies progression, D2. Effectiveness of the educational process perceived by the studentsD3. Graduates’ placement and adequacy and effectiveness of the educational process perceived by graduates and employers
Area E – Management SystemE1. Organisational structureE2. Policy for the QAE3. Re-examination and improvement
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The Re-examination Report should gather the results of the re-examination activity, to be carried out annually in order to identify all the opportunities of improvement of the SP results and assume the consequent improvement actions.
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The Quality Presidium, at University level or at level of the structure in charge of the SP, should have the responsibility to promote the adoption and implementation of the QA system at University and SPs level, to watch the good development of the educational activities and the development of all the activities necessary to this end.
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Thanks for your attention
