Quality Assurance Issues in European Distance Education

Four major issues concerning quality in European distance education are addressed. (1) The lack of flexibility in educational institutions is a threat to the quality of the present education system. (2) New technologies offer new potential, but also confront us with a need for quality assessment and assurance. (3) New markets in industry and in new regions of Europe highlight the need for quality standards and guidelines. (4) Finally, public assessment and control of quality are under continuous discussion. In general, quality assurance should be approached in various ways and with different measures at institutional, national and international levels.     

EUROPEAN PILOT PROJECTS FOR EVALUATING QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS

The need for quality assessment in higher education, particularly in the European Union countries is explained. Four main systems of evaluation having many elements in common but also many differences have emerged in four of the European Union countries. The purpose of the pilot projects described is to reinforce cooperation among existing national evaluation agencies and to disperse and disseminate these methods to the other European Union countries so as to enhance awareness of the need for quality assessment and evaluation in higher education, impart a European dimension to quality assessment and evaluation, enrich national quality assessment procedures, and contribute to the improvement of the basis and the procedures for academic mobility and recognition. The procedures for setting up and conducting pilot evaluation projects in selected higher education institutions in the European Union countries over a period running from November 1994 to December 1995 are detailed.

     

Quality assessment and institutional change: Experiences from 14 countries

The paper draws on an international study of theeffects of national and institutional quality management systems onhigher education institutions in 14 countries. The study wasundertaken by the authors on behalf of the programme forInstitutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE) of theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Over the last decade, almost all European countries have establishednational systems for the assessment of quality in higher education. Similar developments can be found in many other parts of the world. In most countries, these developments have been largely sponsored bythe state even if the national quality agencies so formed generallyhave a significant degree of operational autonomy and mainly use aform of peer review as their primary assessment method.Drawing on the IMHE study, the paper presents a conceptual model ofthe relationships between quality management and institutionalchange in higher education which takes into account variations inthe national and institutional contexts in which quality managementand assessment takes place as well as differences in the methodsused. The impact of quality assessment is considered in terms ofrewards/incentives, policies/structures and cultures ofinstitutions.The paper argues that central to the establishment of qualitymanagement and assessment systems, whether national or institutionalare questions of power and values. One of the central questionswhich the paper explores is the extent to which quality management represents a challenge to the intrinsic value systems of the academicprofession and is a mechanism through which extrinsic values ofsociety and economy are given greater weight in academicinstitutional life. Changes in the balance of power within academic life between system, institutional, basic unit and individual levelsare explored as part of more general processes of institutionalchange.     

Converge or not converge: the European Union and higher education policies in the Netherlands,Belgium/Flanders and Germany

This article examines the impact of European integration on higher education policies of the Netherlands, Belgium/Flanders and Germany. The analysis of higher education policies in the three countries is part of a broader project, which focuses on a majority of E.U. member states. The selection of the three countries for this paper is not based on any methodological considerations. The question addressed is if higher education policies of member states are converging, diverging or not changing at all, and whether such developments are a consequence of the policies of the European Union (E.U.) or of other factors (e.g., the globalization of the market or of institutions imitating each other). A preliminary assessment leads to the conclusion that a number of important indications of convergence are present in national policy arrangements in the field of higher education (in particular student mobility and quality assurance, but less in the structure of higher education systems My attention will be focused on the structure of higher education systems, on quality assurance and on student and teacher mobility. These domains appear to cover most relevant issues pertaining to higher education policies in the European Union member states (funding of higher education is sometimes considered as a separate domain, but it can also be regarded as an element of the structure of higher education systems, while it is also related to the issue of quality assurance).). The European Union, however, does not have much legal authority in the policy sector in question. Thus, an explanation for converging national policies may lie elsewhere, in part in the concept of “institutional isomorphism”.     

PISA对大规模教育质量的评价解读

大规模教育质量的评价在很大程度上影响着国家和地区教育发展的走向。本文以PISA2006结果报告为中心,解析PISA对大规模教育质量和相关影响因素评价的理念和方法,为研究和开展我国大规模教育质量评价提供借鉴。     

构建质量多元化的高等教育体系

在构建社会主义和谐社会的过程中,现代中国高等教育的主要使命或者说根本任务就是为社会经济发展培养数以百万、千万计的各种层次、各种类型的高素质劳动者,使我国劳动力的整体素质达到国际水平,承担起富民强国的任务。这个使命的完成,仅靠创建几所世界一流大学是远远不够的,我们需要的是一个体系完整、结构合理的能达到国际水平的高等教育体系。这个体系中的各级各类大学在各自的领域内都应该努力成为与世界相应教育层次接轨的、有竞争力的办学机构。一国高等教育体系和结构是否合理,体现着该国高等教育发展的水平。因此,要根据多元化质量观的要求,从时代与国情出发,构建结构合理的中国高等教育体系。     

俄罗斯高等教育现代化进程中的质量问题

在欧洲高等教育一体化进程的影响下,正在经历转折阶段的俄罗斯高等教育领域开展了国家统一考试和国家记名投资试验,并开始实行学分制,但这些举措在实施过程中还存在一系列问题,需要做大量的工作,以切实保障高等教育的现代化、国际化的实现,提高高等教育质量。     

Globalisation and higher education: from within-border to cross-border

Globalisation, the shift to a knowledge economy, and changing demographics are increasingly challenging higher education systems. The move from elite through mass to universal education, coupled with the internationalisation of higher education, has profoundly influenced the system, especially in terms of academic mobility. It has created new fields and challenges for policy-makers. New forms of international education have emerged, including cross-border education. Commercialised for-profit cross-border degree mills and rogue providers have gained new grounds and jeopardised the quality of higher education services and qualifications because of the worthless qualifications and shoddy service levels that they may provide. The focus of national quality assurance agencies, which was previously not related to the assessment of the quality of ‘imported’ and ‘exported’ programmes, has been challenged. This paper provides a theoretical overview of the main developments in the cross-border education level. It focuses on cross-border education opportunities and threats, and on the various international frameworks that regulate these new forms of higher education.     

促进学生国际流动的国家政策:何以可以与何以可为?

随着全球社会发展与国际教育相互关系变得广泛与深刻,国家已成为参与国际高等教育竞争有影响力的行动者.作为国际教育竞争的基石与国家经济竞争力领域的关键结构,学生国际流动被视为促进国家公共外交与培养全球竞争力人才的重要政策工具.全球范围促进学生国际流动的国家政策呈现既复杂又不平衡的特点.以国际教育战略与项目计划为发展先导、参...     

'Accreditation' of engineering studies: Formal systems versus individual responsibility

The globalization of the world's economy (and its labour market) reveals a growing need for graduate mobility. In this free global market, educational institutions are under increased pressure to show their intrinsic value, to define and guarantee their quality and to show continually their relevance to their communities and national governments (often the main financial stakeholder). Accreditation of degrees (and institutions) by a recognized international authority (or by an international network of recognized national authorities) is often quoted as the solution to address the needs of mobility and quality assurance. I believe that the process of accreditation is not the fundamental answer to these needs. Accreditation in education can be a stabilizing factor in a small-scale economical system, but it fails on a large (global) scale. The reason for this is that any accreditation scheme judges quality in an arbitrary way. The key to opening up free mobility of competencies and to leveraging quality education is to develop a system to measure objectively an individual's competence. A system that makes the abstract notion of 'competence' tangible to anyone, but that leaves the judgement open to the ones who need to judge…     

QUALITY ASSESSMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION: ISSUES AND CONCERNS

Although quality in higher education is hard to define and to identify, there is growing concern about it at national and international levels. The work of CEPES, particularly its proposal to create a European Group on Academic Assessment (EGAA), and the work of OECD, particularly its Institutional Management in Higher Education Programme (IMHE), respond to this concern. Approaches to quality assessment in the United States, Japan, and Sweden are evoked.     

迈向单一认证:欧洲联合项目质量保障新变革北大核心CSSCI

欧洲联合项目质量认证长期以国家认证为主要方式,这种方式在立法与认证、过程与手段以及结果与认可三个方面存在显著的弊端。为了促进欧洲一体化,提升高等教育整体竞争力,欧洲委员会于2015年推出了一种新的"欧洲方法"——单一认证。与国家认证相比,单一认证具有兼顾标准的统一性与特殊性、节省时间和成本以及共同参与的优势,但其在实践过程中也遇到了制度、系统以及操作层面的障碍。反思单一认证的实践,欧洲各国在进行联合项目质量保障过程中,应充分认识联合项目的特殊性、建立与欧洲标准接轨的质量认证体系以及落实保障单一认证的实践行动。     

高等教育国际质量保证和认证的模式

在高等教育国际化的今天,各国政府、团体或者学校都寻求一个广泛认可的高等教育质量保证和认证模式。本文对Dirk Van Damme提出的四种模式做了介绍和评价。即1从现有的国家质量保证和认证系统和机构中分离出来并加强它;2促进跨境质量保证和质量保证及认证的双边认可;3．在国际和全球层面制定质量保证和认证机构的后认证;4建立国际质量保证和认证机制。我们需要根据现实情况来参与高等教育国际质量保证和认证,保护高等教育各利益相关人的权益。完善自己的认证系统。     

Problems of Quality Assessment in Polish Higher Education

Beginning with a discussion of the need for and the criteria of quality assessment and accreditation in higher education, the author gives a rapid survey of western European practice. She then introduces the Polish situation in which two organizations have proposed higher education evaluation and accreditation systems: the General Council for Higher Education and the Institute of Contemporary Civilisation. Both organizations have developed pilot projects with selected Polish higher education institutions. The author summarizes the criteria and procedures of the evaluation systems of both organizations. She concludes by mentioning the results of a recent Polish‐American Seminar on Accreditation and Quality Assessment.     

Asian Perspectives on European Higher Education

Asia and Europe have long influenced each other by means of international trade, technology transfer, and foreign policy. Today, Asian countries are searching for more competitive answers in an increasingly competitive world. Educational mobility among countries, especially between Asia and Europe, is the key to unlocking the answer. To achieve the desired educational mobility requires bilingualism (English as the common medium for learning and instruction) and quality education with internationally recognized diplomas and degrees in higher education. A future Asian/European Credit Transfer System is imminent and possible with the implementation of ERASMUS ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) and UCTS (UMAP Credit Transfer System) frameworks. The path to success hinges on the application of knowledge management and risk management to this international challenge for improved educational management. By this means, the prospects for greater understanding and greater economic potential and prosperity can be achieved for both Asian and European nations.     

博洛尼亚进程中高等教育质量保证一体化探究

20世纪90年代,劳动力的流动性促使欧盟成员国意识到共同资格认证的重要性,不断增加的欧洲各国高等教育之间的协作要求学校和系统都需要更大的透明度和理解力。《柏林公报》、《卑尔根公报》以及欧洲大学协会所颁布的五个趋势报告对欧洲高等教育质量保证一体化问题作了系统和详尽的解释。另外,欧洲高等教育质量保证协会（ENQA）颁布的《欧洲高等教育质量保证标准及指导方针》以及其他形式的报告也对欧洲高等教育质量保证的现状和趋势做出了详尽的论述。质量保证是实现欧洲高等教育空间的重中之重,虽然困难重重,但也充满希望。     

博洛尼亚进程促进大学生流动的政策发展及经费支持措施

博洛尼亚进程被视为一系列欧洲会议以及一些旨在2010年前建立欧洲高教区的政策决定的产物和延续。在促进高校学生流动上,博洛尼亚进程是以教育质量为根本,结合学位制度、质量保障体系、学分转换系统、信贷系统等辅助措施,力图打破阻碍教育因素流动的障碍。从发展进程上看,其是以欧洲政治、经济一体化的深入为前提,追求欧洲高等教育在全球范围内的重新崛起。从挪威、瑞士、奥地利等代表性国家为促进高校学生流动采取的经费支持措施看,虽然有相关贷款制度、奖学金制度、经费补助政策的支持,但在国际金融危机的阴影下,各国财政支持的力度并不能很好地支撑博洛尼亚进程相关目标的实现。     

Quality assurance of joint degree programs from the perspective of quality assurance agencies: experience in East Asia

Joint degree programs have gained popularity in East Asia, due to the growth of transnational higher education in the region since 2000. However, the external quality assurance (QA) and accreditation of joint degree programs is a challenge for QA agencies, as it normally involves the engagement of several institutions and multiple national accreditation procedures. The purpose of this study is to explore current QA approaches to joint degree programs in Europe and East Asia from the perspectives of QA agencies. There are four major findings from the study. First, East Asian countries tend to stipulate national regulations for a joint degree program. Second, an external QA mechanism for joint degree programs has not yet been developed in East Asian nations. Third, the adoption of international accreditation as the popular approach for joint degree programs in business fields in Asia raises the serious issue of national jurisdiction over higher education. Fourth, the European Consortium for Education's (ECA) single accreditation mode is highly recommended by QA agencies.     

泰国高等教育质量保障体系及启示

泰国高等教育的质量保障体系由外部质量保障和内部质量保障两大体系组成。在外部,国家教育标准与质量评估办公室这一公益性组织负责对全国所有高等教育机构实施每五年一次的外部质量监控。在内部,各高等教育机构非常重视内部质量保障体系的建设,设立有校级、学院级、中心级等不同层次的教学质量保障委员会,负责对学校的教学、科研和学生服务等方面进行全程监控,以确保提供的教育产品和输出的质量达到国家和国际标准。这一做法对我国高等教育系统的质量保障体系建设具有重要的借鉴意义。