The Agency for Science and Higher Education conducts the procedure of external evaluation of joint programmes in accordance with the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes, Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and the national legislative framework.
The Agency conducts external evaluation of joint programmes as an initial accreditation procedure for delivering a new joint programme or as a procedure for re-accreditation of the part of the activities of the evaluated consortium that relates to the existing joint programme in question.
The consortium in which the Croatian higher education institution participates as a partner may select another quality assurance agency registered in EQAR to conduct the external evaluation of the joint programme.
In that case, that agency is obliged to submit the final report on the conducted evaluation and the decision (if it exists) to the Agency for Science and Higher Education for further procedure.
Early in 2021, the Agency received the first request for the implementation of external evaluation of a joint programme according to the European approach, and this process is ongoing.
Moreover, the French agency HCERES informed the Agency that it was conducting the accreditation of a joint study programme in the implementation of which a Croatian university also participates, and asked the Agency to propose prospective expert panel members.
Procedure of external evaluation of joint studies
European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes
Instructions for drafting expert panel final report according to the European approach
Procedure of external evaluation of joint studies according to European approach
Standards for external evaluation od joint studies according to European approach
Evaluation outcomes:
- Graduate study programme in Computer Science – Internet of Things and Artifical Intelligence
Visoko učilište Algebra – Zagreb, Hrvatska
Ecole pour l’informatique et les nouvelles technologies (EPITECH) – Pariz, Francuska
External evaluation of study programmes abroad
In accordance with the Agency’s Strategy 2021 – 2025, Strategic goal 01 Maintain and improve the relevance of external quality assurance in line with social trends and Subgoal 1.2 Development of new external evaluation procedures according to needs and national and international strategic guidelines, ASHE supports the development of new models of quality assurance adjusted to various national, international and sectoral contexts.
In light of the strengthening of cross-border cooperation of both higher education institutions and accreditation agencies in the higher education sector, and in response to the growing interest in the performance of accreditation of study programmes abroad, the Agency conducts cross-border evaluations of study programmes according to the programme evaluation model which it developed for this purpose in accordance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015).
Contact: cross-border-accreditation@azvo.hr
Cross-border Quality Standards
Outcomes:
Interregional Academy of Personnel Management, Ukraine
External evaluation of Agencies for Quality Assurance in Higher Education aimed at renewing their EQAR membership
The Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE), upon request of interested agencies for quality assurance in higher education, carries out an external evaluation procedure aimed at registering or renewing their status in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).
In order to renew their status in EQAR, all European agencies are obliged to undergo this procedure once every five years with the purpose of proving that their work is in compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area).
External evaluation of the ASIIN e.V agency
Upon request of the German accreditation agency ASIIN e.V. (The Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics) and with EQAR’s consent, during 2021 ASHE will carry out the external evaluation of the aforementioned agency aimed at renewing its status in EQAR.
ASIIN is part of the EQAR register since 2008.
In the context of the external evaluation, ASHE is responsible for the organisation, coordination and the implementation of the evaluation in accordance with the procedure established by EQAR.
The procedure includes the following steps:
– proposition and appointment of a four-member expert panel;
– signing of an agreement between the evaluated agency (ASIIN), the agency that carries out the evaluation (ASHE) and EQAR;
– drafting of a self-evaluation report by ASIIN;
– visit of the expert panel to the evaluated agency that can also be carried out in an online form (in accordance with the epidemiological situation);
– drafting of a final report by the expert panel;
– analysis of the final report and issuance of a final decision by EQAR.
The procedure is carried out in compliance with the following documents: