quality assurance in estonia
DESCRIPTION
QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ESTONIA. ACCREDITATION OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES AND INSTITUTIONS TIIT LAASBERG. Population 1.4 million Area 45,216 km. 2. QA IN ESTONIA. Estonia - a maritime country Length of the marine border 3,794 kms. Forests - 44% of area. Accreditation – more than 100 years old. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
QUALITY ASSURANCE IN QUALITY ASSURANCE IN ESTONIAESTONIA
ACCREDITATION OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMESAND INSTITUTIONS
TIIT LAASBERGTIIT LAASBERG
Population 1.4 millionArea 45,216 kmPopulation 1.4 millionArea 45,216 km 22
QA IN ESTONIA
Estonia - a maritime countryLength of the marine border 3,794 kms
Forests - 44% of area
Accreditation – more than 100 years old
Accreditation is the process by which a (non-) governmental or private body evaluates the quality of a higher education institution as a whole or of a specific educational programme in order to formally recognize it as having met certain predetermined minimal criteria or standards.
USA as homeland of accreditation•Accreditation in HE started in USA around the turn of the 20th Century (set up ca. 100 years ago). It became the most systematic assurance of quality in the HE system.
•There are six main regional accrediting organizations for the institutional accreditation of universities in the USA. They are private and independent from HE institutions and the Government.
•There are additionally organizations that accredit study programmes in certain areas of knowledge such medicine, law, teaching, engineering, business. Professional accreditation bodies, however, do not exist for all types of HE programmes, only for those with organised professional communities.
•The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a private organization that coordinates the regional accrediting organizations, as well as the accrediting organizations in specific academic subjects - http://www.chea.org/.
EVALUATION IN WESTERN EUROPE – 25 YEARS OLD
15 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM
IN CEE COUNTRIES
Developments in Central and Eastern Europe
Background
• The beginning of 1990’s, "Perestroika" and changes in HE system
• Autonomous institutions versus strictly state controlled institutions or public universities instead of the state universities
• Credit point system versus strictly course system
• Establishment of many new private HE institutions
• Increasing mobility of students (or need to increase the mobility of students)
• Recognizion of diplomas and study periods
Most of CEE countries took the idea of accreditation
Outcomes
• Nearly all the CEE countries have introduced systems of higher education evaluation, usually as part of an accreditation process - accreditation of study programmes or institutions or both.
• At the national system level, the same system of QA has not been applied across the CEE countries. However, there are similarities which has been driven by EU accession requirements and experiences and practise in Western Europe and elsewhere:
1) A national body in charge of QA
2) Self-evaluation of HE
3) External peer review usually site visit
4) Public reporting
Founded in 1632Founded in 1632
NEED FOR ACCREDITATION:NEED FOR ACCREDITATION:
•Rapid changes in Estonian HE at the beginning of 1990’s (first curricula reform – 4 +2 system; CP)
•Universities, strictly regulated by the state before, started to operate relatively autonomously
• Increasing number of private institutions
•Reformed Academy of Sciences
LAWS AND REGULATIONSLAWS AND REGULATIONS::
• Main principles were laid out 1994 to 1995
• University Act was adopted 1995 and amended 1996
• State-recognized diplomas were introduced
• Universities and curricula have to be assessed every seven years
• Procedures for accreditation were drawn up
MAIN AIMS OF ACCREDITATION IN ESTONIA
•Quality improvement
•Quality control
• International comparision
•Program and institutional accreditation
HE HE QUALITY QUALITY ASSESSMENTASSESSMENT COUNCIL COUNCIL::
• Established on June 13, 1995, by the decree of the Government of the Republic of Estonia
• Operates in accordance with Estonia’s University Act
• Includes 12 representatives of research and development institutions, state foundations, and professional associations
• May not include university rectors, pro-rectors, or Quality Assessment Center staff
• Makes accreditation decisions based on expert evaluation reports
• NEW! Accreditation decisions must be approved by the Minister of Education – from 2002
• Discloses accreditation decisions
• Makes recommendations for bringing higher education standards into accordance with internationally approved educational standards
• Develops methods for assessing academic programmes at higher education institutions
• Makes recommendations based on accreditation decisions
HE HE QUALITY ASSESSMENT CENTERQUALITY ASSESSMENT CENTER(HE ACCREDITATION CENTER):(HE ACCREDITATION CENTER):
• Founded on September 1, 1997, by the Estonian Ministry of Education
• Legally a part of the Archimedes Foundation
• Funded by the state
• Arranges accreditation of universities and their curricula in the country
• Prepares documentation required by the Assessment Council: self-analysis reports, expert commission reports
• Arranges experts’ evaluation visits to schools
• Cooperates internationally with other assessment centers
• Advises and holds seminars on writing of self-analysis reports
Higher Education Quality Assurance Higher Education Quality Assurance System in EstoniaSystem in Estonia
Quality Assurance at a Level of an Institution
Act Plan
DoCheckInternal controlSelf-EvaluationExternal Evaluation
The quality assurance system is following the DEMING’s circle of quality: PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT
“As long as the circle is rolling,
the quality is providing.
Once the circle is interupted
The quality fails.” (Deming)
Quality Control
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Every next circle must be of better quality
Quality improvement
Quality Assurance at a Level of an Institution
EXPLANATION OF ACCREDITATION
Accreditation must be understood as a continuous evaluation process with the purpose of defining and improving the quality and effectiveness of the educational process.
ACCREDITATION DECISIONS
Full accreditation (valid for 7 years)
Conditional accreditation
(valid for 3 years)
No accreditation
Program willbe closed
Right to offer state recognized diplomas
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fully accreditedconditionallynon-accredited
Accreditations of study programmes Accreditations of study programmes (203) in 2006 by 25 expert groups, (203) in 2006 by 25 expert groups,
visited 21 HEIvisited 21 HEI
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fully accreditedconditionallynon-accredited
Accreditations of study programmes Accreditations of study programmes (1065) 1997 – 2006 (1065) 1997 – 2006
Cost of accreditation
•One expert per one week - salary 1150 EUR - travel 600 EUR - accomodation 400 EUR - other 100 EUR
2250 EUR
•Four experts per one week 9000 EUR
Evaluation Expert Team MusicNovember 25 – December 2, 2007
Dr. Timothy TaylorCardiff School of MusicCardiff UniversityUK
Prof. Einar SolbuExecutive Vice PresidentInternational Music CouncilNorway
Prof. Timo LeisiöHead of the Department of Music AnthropologyUniversity of TampereFinland
Mr. Wouter TurkenburgHead of Jazz studiesRoyal Conservatoire in TheHagueThe Netherlands
AFTER THE ACCREDITATION:AFTER THE ACCREDITATION:
•Teaching methods have been changed
•Universities have updated their libraries, equipped computer classes, etc
•A process for regular self-assessment has been developed (SWOT analyzes)
•Expert reports have been used in writing universities´ development plan
BENEFITS OF HE:BENEFITS OF HE:
•Accreditation process was carried out only by international experts – in improvement of Estonian HE the international know-how is used
• 4(3)+2 system together with accreditation “woke up” Estonian HEI
• International relations have helped to improve the quality of Estonian higher education (students’ and teaching staff exchanges), implementing one the main aims of Bologna declaration
• Accreditation results have been helpful for students to decide where to continue their studies. Accreditation results can be easily found from the internet
BENEFITS OF HE:BENEFITS OF HE:
NEGATIVE
Estonian accreditation process is process oriented and less outcome oriented
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND SOME FACTS ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION IN
ESTONIA
Quality AgreementAgreement was initiated by Estonian Rector Conference.
Agreement:
The Parties shall harmonise the quality requirements for curricula, academic degrees being awarded and academic positions in universities.
The Parties shall bring the rules regulating their curricula, the awarding of academic degrees and the filling of academic positions into conformity with the provisions of this Agreement.
Practice:
• Quality commission of the RC
• Self analysis of the awarded doctoral degrees, elected professors, study programs
• All parties have some problems!
Internal QA handbook of HEI
•Worked out by public universities
•Should be improved
• Implementation of internal QA still on the way
Main poblem in the Estonian HE
•Estonian HE is overheated – too many HEI
•The number of secondary school graduates will rapidly drop down
•There will be further a strong pressure to the quality of HE
•There exists a pointless overlap of many study programmes in HEI
Expected decrease of student intake
Secondary school's graduates (blue line) and intake of first year students (white line) into HEI in 1990 - 2012
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keskk. lõpetajad
kõrgk. vastuvõtt
Intake, students and graduates by HE stages
Educational stages Intake Students Graduates
2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006
Applied and vocational HE studies 6 530 6 503 23 416 23 659 4 326 4 263
Bachelor’s studies 7 619 7 336 29 773 28 628 5 549 5 290
Integrated bachelor’s and master’s studies 834 815 3 463 3 684 252 315
Master’s studies 4 197 3 499 9 663 10 654 1 535 1 535
Doctoral studies* 440 444 1 972 2 142 131 143
TOTAL 19 620 18 597 68 287 68 767 11 793 11 546
*Together with resident students (intake before 2001/2002
45% state supported students, others are paying tuition fee
Higher education institutions1995–2006 (in 2012 – 20 HEI?)
Tallinn – first mentioned in 1154
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