2. Standards and guidelines for internal quality assurance
The standards contain quality assurance practices in higher education that are validated and accepted across the EHEA and should therefore be considered and respected by all types of higher education within the EHEA.
The guidelines explain why a particular standard is important and describe how it can be implemented. For the people in charge of quality assurance, they can serve as a suggestion of good practice in certain areas. Their implementation may vary depending on the context.
Standards and guidelines for internal quality assurance:
| Standard | Guidelines | |
| 1.1. Quality Assurance Policy | Higher education institutions must have a quality assurance policy that is publicly available and part of their strategic management. This policy must be developed and implemented by internal stakeholders through appropriate structures and processes, involving external stakeholders. | Policies and processes are the foundation of any coherent internal quality assurance system that forms a cycle of continuous improvement and contributes to the accountability of the higher education institution. Such a system supports the development of a quality culture in which all internal stakeholders take responsibility for quality and engage in quality assurance at all levels of higher education institution. To facilitate this, a quality policy must be formally adopted and publicly available. |
| 1.2. Development and approval of the program | Higher education institutions must have procedures for the development and approval of their study programs. They must be designed to meet the objectives set for them, including the intended learning outcomes. The qualifications awarded under the program should be clearly described and presented, referring to the appropriate level of the national qualifications framework for higher education and thus to the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area. | Study programs are at the very core of the educational mission of higher education institutions. They provide students with academic knowledge and skills, including those that are transferable and can influence students' personal development and find application in their future careers. |
| 1.3. Student-centered learning, teaching and assessment | Higher education institutions must ensure that programs are delivered in a manner that encourages students to take an active role in the learning process and that student assessment reflects this approach. | Student-centered learning and teaching play an important role in fostering student motivation, self-reflection, and engagement in the learning process. This involves careful design of study programs and their delivery, as well as evaluation of outcomes. |
| 1.4. Student enrollment and progression, recognition and certification | Higher education institutions must consistently implement pre-established and published regulations covering all phases of study, i.e. enrollment, progression through studies, recognition and certification. | Ensuring the conditions and support necessary for students to progress in their academic careers is in the best interest of each individual student, programme, higher education institution and system. It is essential to have enrolment, recognition and graduation procedures that are fit for purpose, particularly when students are mobile within and between higher education systems. |
| 1.5. Teaching staff | Higher education institutions must ensure the competence of their teachers and apply fair and transparent processes for the recruitment and development of their employees. | The role of teachers is crucial in creating high-quality student experience and enabling the acquisition of knowledge, competences and skills. The growing diversity of the student population and a greater focus on learning outcomes require student-centred learning and teaching, which is why the role of teachers is changing. |
| 1.6. Learning resources and student support | Higher education institutions must adequately fund learning and teaching activities and ensure sufficient and easily accessible resources for learning and student support. | To provide an optimal study experience, higher education institutions provide a range of resources to support learning. Resources range from physical, such as libraries, workspaces or computer equipment, to human, in the form of tutors, mentors and other advisors. The role of support services is particularly important in facilitating student mobility within and between different higher education systems. |
| 1.7. Information management | Higher education institutions must ensure the collection, analysis and use of information relevant to the effective management of programs and other activities. | Reliable data is essential for making well-informed decisions and knowing what is working well and what needs additional attention. Through effective processes for collecting and analyzing information on study programs and other activities, data is fed into the internal quality assurance system. |
| 1.8. Informing the public | Higher education institutions must publish information about their work, including the study programs they offer. This information must be clear, accurate, objective, valid and easily accessible. | Information about the work of a higher education institution is useful to potential and current students, as well as alumni, other stakeholders, and the public. |
| 1.9. Continuous monitoring and periodic revision of the program | Higher education institutions must monitor and periodically review their programs to ensure that they are achieving their stated goals and meeting the needs of students and society. Reviews should be aimed at continuous program improvement. Actions planned or undertaken based on reviews should be communicated to all relevant stakeholders. | The goal of regular monitoring, revision and modification of study programs is to ensure their appropriate implementation and create an effective learning environment and support for students. |
| 1.10. Periodic external quality assurance | Higher education institutions must periodically undergo external quality assurance procedures in accordance with the ESG. | External quality assurance in its various forms can confirm the effectiveness of internal quality assurance, act as a catalyst for change and offer the higher education institution new perspectives. It also provides the public and the higher education institution themselves with information that confirms the quality of the higher education institution's work. |
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