The Agency for Science and Higher Education and the Accreditation Council's committee have created an enhanced re-accreditation model for the new higher education institutions re-accreditation cycle starting in 2017.
The new model has been aligned with the amended ESG and includes the modified standards for the quality assessment of universities and their constituent units as well as polytechnics and colleges.
The following documents have been drafted and adopted:
- Standards for the evaluation of quality of universities and university constituents in the procedure of re-accreditation of higher education institutions;
- Standards for the evaluation of quality of polytechnics and colleges in the procedure of re-accreditation of higher education institutions;
- Procedure for the re-accreditation of HEIs;
- Analytic supplement from MOZVAG
In accordance with the new model, the goal of the next re-accreditation cycle should be to encourage improvements, in accordance with the recommendations for quality improvement resulting from the first cycle of the re-accreditation of higher education institutions. In this context, a higher education institution is viewed as a whole, and the quality of an institution includes the assessment of all HEI’s activities. The new re-accreditation model enables the verification of key, generally accepted standards as well as a quality grade, based on an expert panel report. The available minimum quantitative data are used as input data for drafting an expert panel's report. On the basis of an expert panel’s report and a response of a higher education institution, the Accreditation Council passes an expert opinion on the result of re-accreditation. Using this approach, the key standards, which include the previously used minimum conditions and the new amendments made according to the revised ESG, are included in the quality grade. The result of the evaluation, and ultimately, the outcome of the re-accreditation procedure, depends on the fulfilment of key standards, as well as on the overall quality grade.
The standards have been aligned with the ESG, while the assessment of compliance with each standard, as well as the overall quality grade and recommendations for quality improvement are passed by an independent expert panel. The new model, using quality and quantitative standards, enables members of an expert panel and the Accreditation Council to make an informed decision on each case, based on the assessment of an extent to which a lower quality of a segment of a HEI’s activity lowers its overall quality.
HEIs Re-accreditation Pilot Plan
Accreditation Recommendations
Accreditation recommendation is an independent expert opinion by the Agency based on a conducted evaluation procedure.
With accreditation recommendation, the Agency recommends to the Minister to:
- issue a confirmation that the requirements for performing the activities, or parts of the activities, are met, if the accreditation recommendation is positive
- deny a license for performing the activities, or part of the activities, if the accreditation recommendation is negative
- issue a letter of expectation with a time limit of up to three years to remove deficiencies; for the higher education institutions can also include the suspension of student enrolment for the specified period.
In case of discontinuation of work of higher education institution due to denial of license, the Ministry shall, at the recommendation of the Agency, brings forth measures to assure the continuation and completion of study for the students of the higher education institution in question. This can also be applied to private higher education institutions, in which case the implementation of measures is the financial obligation of the founder.
Accreditation recommendations published on the Agency web-site that include the suspension of student enrolment, relate to the period from the academic year 2012/2013, upon issuing the final document by the minister, unless a higher education institution beforehand provides evidence that it fulfils necessary requirements.
