Public Accreditation Agency for Higher Education Albania Regional

Public Accreditation Agency for Higher Education -Albania- Regional Conference “APPROACHING TO ENQA MEMBERSHIP AND HOW TO BE LISTED IN THE EQAR “ Sarajevo, 12 May 2010

Higher Education: Institutions and Programmes n 47 Higher Education Institutions ► 13 Public/State HEIs ► 34 Private HEIs n 1, 201 HE Study Programmes ► 670 in Public HEIs ► 531 in Private HEIs ► ~ 100 of the old system 2

Higher Education Institutions Tot. 47 3

HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN ALBANIA: GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION CITIES PUBLIC HEIs 13 PRIVATE HEIs 34 TIRANË 7 31 DURRËS 1 0 ELBASAN 1 0 KORCË 1 1 (Branch) POGRADEC 1 (Branch) 1 GJIROKASTER 1 0 SARANDË 1 (Branch) 0 VLORË 1 1 FIER 0 1 (Branch) LUSHNJË 1 (Branch) BERAT 0 1 (Branch) BURREL 0 1 SHKODER 1 0 KUKËS 1 (Branch) 0 PESHKOPI 1 (Branch) 0 4

Higher Education Institutions 12 12 11 10 8 8 8 6 4 3 2 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 2001 0 2002 0 Public 0 HEI 2003 2004 Private HEI 0 2005 2006 0 2007 0 2008 2009 5

Study Programmes Tot. 1, 201 Total in Public 670 Total in Private 531 56% 44% Total Prog in Public HEI Total Prog in Private HEI 6

Students Tot. around 120, 000 96800 ~80% Students number in Public HEI ~20% 20288 Students number in Private HEI 7

Study Programmes HEIs 670 700 600 531 500 400 300 200 100 600 13 0 0 Public HEIs 34 Prog in Public HEIs Private HEIs Prog in Private HEIs 8

Study Programmes Number of Programs per cycle in in Public and Private HEIs 497 500 450 Tot. 1, 201 406 400 298 350 300 250 ~34% ~ 41% ~25% 200 150 100 50 0 1 st cycle 2 nd cycle 3 rd cycle 9

Number of Programms per cycle in Public HEIs 350 300 325 Total 670 250 211 200 150 134 100 50 0 1 st cycle 2 nd cycle 3 rd cycle 10

Number of Programms per cycle in Private HEIs 300 272 Total 531 250 200 172 150 87 100 50 0 1 st cycle 2 nd cycle 3 rd cycle

Process of Bologna: reforms n n 97% of Public HE study programmes implemented and reviewed 100% of Private HE Study Programmes licensed/accredited against Bologna requirements Challenge: content review, especially in Public HEIs Internal QA

Reviewed/New/Bologna Study Programmes: 2007 -2009 Tot. 1, 136 13

Higher Education Law 2007 QA: What’s new and different? n n n n Operational independence of the External QA Institutions; Involvement of stakeholders in Internal and External QA; employers and students; Preliminary evaluation and accreditation as part of the licensing of new programmes and institutions: Peers mandatory in the entire evaluation and accreditation process; Involvement of foreign experts at all levels of QA: evaluation, consultancy and decision making; ESG for QA EHEA as reference criteria for Internal and External QA; HEIs freedom to select other European agencies operating in compliance with the ESG: Transparency and easy access to information regarding QA

- External Quality Assurance n QA institutions: • PAAHE (APAAL): Public Accreditation Agency for Higher Education • Accreditation Council • Ministry of Education and Science

Agency Establishment-Status-Scope n n n In 2000 by law; start in 2001 Public, state owned agency; Ministry of Education and Science with operative independence and financial autonomy Wide coverage: n n n Public and Private HEIs and programs; universities and colleges; domestic and cross and/or transboundary HEI Staff: 11 full time

Agency Tasks and Responsibility External Evaluation q q q Evaluation: process, procedure, peer team, follow up, appeal; System-wide analysis; comparative ev. Reporting: periodical, analitical, comparative Publication of results Collaboration with HEIs for Internal Quality Assurance and Quality Audit Supporting Accreditation Council; secretariat, infrastructure, logistic, finnancial

PAAHE External evaluation; types n External Evaluation of HE institutions and Programmes; ex ante, first and periodical n Analitical, comparative evaluations n System wide analysis n Audit of Internal QA n Follow up & monitoring between accreditations n Support for Accreditation Council: secretariat

Accreditation Council- AC n Based on and in line with External Evaluation results Recommendations to Ministry n n New programmes and institutions (Public HEIs) Accreditations of established Institutions and programmes (public and private) Consultancy to the Minister for QA issues, HE standards, etc. 9 members; part time basis

Ministry of Education and Science n The Minister takes the final accreditation decision but. . Based on and consistent with n the external evaluation results and outcomes n Recommendations of AC

Evaluation procedure External evaluation &Accreditation: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Predefined and priory informed criteria, requirements and procedure Application Self-evaluation, peer review, on site visit Evaluation reports; descriptive and SWOT Transparency of procedure and publication of results Accreditation decision Appeal (if any) Follow up (in case of conditional accreditation)

Ex ante evaluation procedure HEI (request) application 4 Ministry (proposal) 1 2 3 Agency & Council (Evaluation and Recommendations) Government Decision

Evaluation Procedure First & periodical accreditation HEI (request) 1 3 Ministry 2 (decision) 3 Agency and Council

Experts; involvement and selection Experts Data base : ISCED classification n Public call: general and specific requirements n Selected case by case/ ad hoc n International; occasional, not ht rule n Students; as observers, not full members n

PAAHE- International n n INQAAHE : full member 2002 CEE Network : full member 2003 EAIE individual membership 2004 ECA cooperation agreement (as CEEN member) – 2006 n ENQA - n EQAR – about to apply- July 2010 (associate as CEEN member) after ENQA/external evaluation

ENQA membership; roadmap n n n n Self-check analysis against ESG, Part 2&3 Of compliance for each standard Measures to be taken/improvements Implementation plan Schedule of implementation Foreign expertise – best practice Formal application

Independence ESG definition: Standard 3. 6: “Agencies should be independent both that they have autonomous responsibility for their operations and that the conclusions and recommendations made in their reports cannot be influenced by third parties such as HEIs, Ministries or other stakeholders”

Independence: PAAHE n n n PAAHE: operational independence and finnancial autonomy (HEL) Independent for: n Preparation and approval of procedures, criteria, evaluation schedule and internal operation n Nomination and appointment of experts n Principles of objectivity, professionalism, paanshmeri dhe out of conflict of interest n Students, professional organisations and other stakeholders are actors of the external evaluation process n The content and outcomes of an external evaluation process is under total independence of the peers; none can influence Final decision (AC and Ministry): based on and consistent with the external evaluation results and outcomes

Expectations and future plans; end 2010 Twining programme – Memorandum of Cooperation with a QA Agency member of ENQA and EQAR – public call n Foreign expertise to assist PAAHE during the process of selfpreparation and selfevaluation for ESG fulfill n September 2010 – application - Status ? ? ? n December 2010: Selfevaluation Report – End 2010 : ready for external evaluation n

Expectations and future plans; beyond 2010 n n External Evaluation by ENQA or other: foreign peers EQAR application Thank you