International review of ASHE
This year, the Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) is to undergo an international review to be coordinated by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education - ENQA.
On 3–6 October 2016 ASHE will host an international panel of experts chaired by Professor Jürgen Kohler, PhD, professor of law at Greifswald University, Germany, and a former president of the German Accreditation Council, the central body governing external quality assurance in higher education in Germany.
Independent agency review panels are appointed by the ENQA Board. They comprise at least two former or present employees of quality assurance agencies, one student and one university professor. Agency employees are nominated by ENQA while other members are nominated by the European University Association, EUA, and the European Student Union, ESU, respectively.
The purpose of the review is to establish whether ASHE still meets all membership standards and criteria, the most important being compliance with the revised Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, ESG, especially the standard related to ASHE's independence in carrying out its activities and issuing final decisions on the outcomes of evaluation procedures. The review will also verify compliance with the standard related to the adequacy of the Agency’s physical, financial and human resources, such as the number of employees and the adequacy of their training for work on procedures of conducting external evaluation in higher education and science.
ASHE also needs to prove its compliance with the standards related to external evaluation process, i.e. demonstrate that foreign students and experts are involved in the procedures, the final reports of external evaluation are published, that the evaluation process includes a follow-up phase as well as an appeals process, etc.
ASHE also has to prove that the standards related to internal quality assurance put in place by higher education institutions are taken into account in external evaluation. By doing so, higher education institutions are encouraged through external evaluation to be actively involved in the quality improvement and development of quality culture.
Prior to a visit by the expert panel ASHE is required to draft a Self-evaluation report explaining ASHE's compliance with ESG standards and to submit evidence thereof.
From media:
Školske novine
Access to open data
Pursuant to the Act on the Right of Access to Information (Official Gazette 25/13) and the Act on Amendments to the Act on the Right of Access to Information (Official Gazette 85/15), for the purpose of stimulating and facilitating the re-use of information, state administration bodies are obliged to disclose the information available for re-use in an easily searchable manner, together with metadata, in a machine readable and open format, in accordance with open standards.
Open data are data created by state administration bodies, which, when used for commercial and/or non-commercial purposes, may create an added value or economic benefit. The data and information are considered open if they are published in a machine-readable and open format. This means that the data can be easily read, displayed or interpreted by a machine or a computer, regardless of the platform used. If the data are protected under the Act on the Protection of Personal Data, they are not considered open because their disclosure is not allowed.
Terms and conditions of use
Users are allowed to:
- Copy, publish, distribute and publically disclose information;
- Process information;
- Use information for commercial and non-commercial purposes, by combining it with other information and re-use it as part of their product,
provided that the source data is stated.
The user is not entitled to use information in a way that suggests their official status nor indicate that the Agency for Science and Higher Education approves the information processed by a natural or legal person who has taken the information.
By taking the information for further use, the user accepts these terms and conditions. Regardless of the purpose of the re-use of information, the user will treat the information in good faith, and it is not allowed to abuse the taken information.
It is not allowed to use the information for the use or disclosure for the purpose of criminal, illegal, racist, discriminatory, defamatory, pornographic, sexist or homophobic activities.
ASHE is not obligated to ensure the conversion of information from one format to another, and it is not obliged to renew (update, upgrade, continue to create) a specific piece of information specifically for the purpose of the re-use of information. ASHE cannot guarantee continuous delivery of information and can change the contents of these web pages without notice. ASHE will try to update the information published on these web pages and maintain correct information. Any identified error or inaccuracy brought to ASHE’s attention will be corrected.
ASHE is not responsible for any errors or omissions, and shall not be liable for any loss, injury or damage of any kind incurred due to a direct or indirect re-use of information published on this website.
For any additional information please feel free to contact us by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Data:
Number of students by various criteria
The data are protected under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) License
ASHE recertification audit carried out in September
External certification body Det Norske Veritas GL carried out a recertification audit in accordance with ISO 9001 requirements in September. The audit established that ASHE operates in compliance withISO 9001:2008 requirements and was issued a certificate with a validity period of three years.
AZVO has established an integrated quality assurance system based on the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area and ISO 9001 requirements.
The auditors made positive remarks about ASHE’s activities such as the process of risk assessment of the goals set, continuous development of human resources, the strengthening of ASHE’s international role, dissemination of good practice and a very good records management system in the accreditation process.
Electronic database created within SCAN-D project
National ENIC/NARIC Office of the Agency for Science and Higher Education participated in the SCAN-D project. The project resulted in a database which is a collection of over 2200 samples of national degree certificates awarded by higher education institutions in 15 participating countries: Belarus, Belgium (Flemish Community), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
The database has security features in order to protect data confidentiality and integrity, and is accessible only to authorized credential evaluators of ENIC-NARIC centres from 55 countries (http://www.enic-naric.net/country-pages.aspx).
The diploma samples database is a useful tool for improving the recognition process:
- Method of control for diminishing fraud or misunderstandings during the qualification recognition process,
- Source of information for all ENIC and NARIC centres on the national academic qualifications from other countries, which will increase coherence and make processes more transparent.
ENIC/NARIC offices strive to foster the mobility of students, teachers and researchers by providing advice and information on the recognition of qualifications and periods of study in other countries.
Financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme – Action 3 (Support for Policy Reform). SCAN-D project started in July 2014 and should end in September 2015.
The SCAN-D project was launched in order to improve the knowledge of different higher education degrees and to promote a better and transparent recognition process.
Croatian ENIC/NARIC Office of the Agency for Science and Higher Education is a partner in the Samples & Copies of Academic National DIPLOMAS – SCAN-DIPLOMAS project, which is led by NARIC Italia – CIMEA.
Recognition of foreign higher education qualifications
In the second half of 2015 National ENIC/NARIC Office, an information centre on academic mobility of the Agency for Science and Higher Education carried out as follows:
- Fully recognised 620 foreign higher education qualifications;
- Replied to 90 requests for advice in academic recognition of foreign higher education qualifications;
- Issued 60 explanations of higher education qualifications;
- Replied to more than 850 e-mail inquiries on professional recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in the Republic of Croatia and abroad.