Aurelija Valeikien Deputy Director Centre for Quality Assessment

Aurelija Valeikienė, Deputy Director Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education: brief overview

ü to contribute to creation of favorable conditions for free movement of persons • assessment & recognition of foreign qualifications • organization of qualification exams • provision of info and consultations ü to encourage quality of activities of HEI • assessment and accreditation of HEI (institutional review) • assessment and accreditation of HE study programs • assessment of establishing HEI 11/25/2020 2

Ø Mission of the Centre is to contribute to improvement to quality of higher education and increase awareness of it by the way of assessing studies and qualifications received abroad. Ø Vision of the Centre – being an influential organization in dissemination, implementation and creation of ideas with regard to quality in higher education. Ø Values, as guiding principles of the organization, are: partnership, professionalism, transparency, and quality. 11/25/2020 3

SKVC coverage • Higher education institutions of all types: – Universities – Colleges of higher education • All HEI irrespective of legal form (public & private) • On the state level – mandatory program evaluations and institutional reviews, accreditation decisions issued

achievements from 1995 ü around 14500 qualifications received abroad evaluated ü consulting and information provision regarding evaluation and recognition of qualifications in Lithuania and abroad for natural and legal persons (more than 2100 formal info letters issued) ü more than 200 consultations to researchers and/or their host institutions in Lithuania regarding issues of taxes, social insurance, accommodation, employment etc. 11/25/2020 5

achievements from 1995 ü around 2700 study program evaluations done ü institutional review of 34 higher education institutions: – 29 colleges of higher education – 5 universities ü review of 23 applications to open a new HEI or a branch, to receive a permission to organize studies or engage in related activities 11/25/2020 6

achievements from 1995 • study program evaluations in most cases done with international teams (90% of programs reviewed in 2011) • All institutional review teams – mixed ones, involving both foreign and local experts (in particular – students and employer representatives) • Involvement in 30 projects both on national and European levels - partnerships and coordination of activities in Phare, EC Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, 6 FP, 7 FP, European Social Fund programs

Focus of activities • Encouraging quality culture on institutional level • Maintaining minimum standards via study program accreditation • Consultations to HEI • Policy input on the state level

international relations • INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) – full member from 1997; • ENIC/NARIC (European Network of National Information Centres / Network of National Academic Recognition Information Centres) – full member from 1999 • CEENQA (The Network of Central and Eastern European Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education) – from 2000; • ENQA (associate member from 2000, after the transformation of ENQA from network to association - candidate member since 2008); • EURAXESS (European Network of Researcher Mobility Centres, prior to 2008 named ERA-MORE network) – full member 2006 -2011 (activities passed on Lithuanian Science Counsil). 11/25/2020 9

external review of SKVC • Preparation and self-analysis July 2010 - February 2011 • Update to SER in January 2012 • Review Group visit on March 14 -15, 2012 • Review Report expected in June 2012 11/25/2020 10

internal quality management • Consolidation of internal quality assurance system (2010 -2011), based on ISO 9000, ISO 9004, European Standards and Guidelines for QA in HE (ESG): – Analysis of processes (both core and supporting processes), strengths and weaknesses – Internal trainings (13 sessions, each 8 hours long) – internal audit performed, as the outcome of it descriptions of some processes adjusted 11/25/2020 11

Next steps • External review report submitted to ENQA Board in June 2012 • Application for EQAR listing submitted in September 2012

http: //www. skvc. lt aurelija. valeikiene@skvc. lt THANK YOU!