The Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) was modelled after the best European practices in quality assurance in science and higher education. Becoming a full member of ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) and being listed in EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education) in 2011, the Agency proved its reliability as a quality assurance agency working in the European Higher Education Area.
ASHE independently performs tasks within its competences and purview as established by the Act on Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education (Official Gazette no. 45/09), Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (Official Gazette no. 123/03, 105/04, 174/04, 2/07 i 46/07) and the Act on Recognition of Foreign Higher Education Qualifications (Official Gazette no. 158/03, 198/03, 138/06 and 045/2011).
Mission
ASHE mission is to continuously support quality improvement of science and higher education, by applying European and international best practices.
Vision
The quality of Croatian higher education and science is recognized and acknowledged in the international context.
Through continued improvement of quality culture and participation in the development of science and higher education, ASHE contributes to achieving global competitiveness of Croatian higher education and science.
Purpose
In order to achieve its mission, ASHE cooperates closely with higher education institutions, scientific organisations and other stakeholders in higher education and science, on:
• quality improvement of higher education and science, as well as opportunities to acquire specific educational levels
• dissemination of reliable information on the quality of academic standards to students, higher education institutions’ management and the public
• comparing the achieved standards and quality levels with the quality and standards of similar institutions in the country and EU
• active trend following
• developing the quality culture in higher education and science.
Values
ASHE fosters the following values in its work:
reliability - ASHE employees perform their tasks independently, objectively, fairly and honestly, and make evidence-based judgements and decisions
professionalism - ASHE strives to reach high professional standards in its work
accountability - ASHE is accountable for its work to the society as a whole
flexibility - ASHE adapts easily to the needs of stakeholders and trends in higher education and science in order to respond to all the challenges which support the diversification of higher education institutions and scientific organisations
cooperation -ASHE encourages mutual cooperation of all employees in common problem solving and responding to challenges arising from the introduction of new activities
openness - demonstrated through the transparency of ASHE work and building the trust of users of ASHE services. ASHE publishes the results of its work online and in print (brochures, reports, analyses).
Organization
ASHE currently has 64 employees. The ASHE bodies are the Management Board, the Director and the Accreditation Council. The Agency Director is prof. dr. sc. Jasmina Havranek, and the Management Board President is prof. dr. sc. Mile Dželalija. The Accreditation Council is the ASHE expert body which adopts the documentation for external evaluation procedures and issues the final opinion on the quality of higher education institutions and scientific organisations.
Activities
According to the Act on Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education the Agency performs a part of the procedure of initial accreditation, procedures of reaccreditation, thematic evaluation and audit, collects and processes data on Croatian higher education, science and related systems, which serve as a basis for analyses necessary to establish standards and criteria of evaluations carried out by ASHE, as well as a basis for informed and evidence-based strategic decision-making of bodies in the system of higher education and science.
ASHE also provides information and unifies data on the conditions of enrolment to higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia.
One of the ASHE tasks is to administer and support the activities of the National Council for Higher Education, National Council for Science, Council for Financing Scientific Activity and Higher Education, Ethics Committee in Science and Higher Education, Area Councils, Scientific Field Committees, Humanities and Arts Committees and expert panels.
International activities
ASHE is working on its inclusion in the international quality assurance system in science and higher education and is its recognized and active member.
ASHE is actively involved in the activities of European and global networks fostering mobility and recognition of foreign higher education qualifications (ENIC and NARIC network) and is a member of ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education), CEENQA (Network of Central and Eastern European Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) and OECD IMHE (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Programme for Institutional management in Higher Education), as well as listed in EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education).
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