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Accreditation and quality assurance in Europe
Prof. Dr. Dirk Van Damme
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Overview
The concept of accreditation
Accreditation as merging of recognition and quality assurance
Quality: shifting concepts and approaches
Accreditation: the context and functions
Accreditation: risks and questions
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The concept of ‘accreditation’
‘ad-credere’: giving credit, trust to someone, a service, …
norms of quality, security, safeness, … ’standards’on the basis of independent and expert reviewpublic statementmarket access (trustworthiness) and transparency (standardisation)
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The concept of ‘accreditation’
‘Accreditation is a formal and public statement by an independent agency and on the basis of an external quality review, that specific, previously agreed standards are met by a programme or institution of higher education’
consequences: ‘approval’, ‘recognition’, funding, state recognition of qualifications, …
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The concept of ‘accreditation’
components:formal and public statementof binary natureby competent authorities‘ex post’ or ‘ex ante’previously agreed standards (basic or excellence)after independent and expert quality reviewof programme or institution (or intermediate)restricted time validity
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Accreditation: recognition x QA
Recognition in (continental) Europestate recognition of institutions, programmes and qualifications‘a priori’ decision by Parliament or Governmentinput criteria: curriculum, qualified personnel, …state recognition of ‘effectus civilis’ of qualifications, also giving access to professions in public sector
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Accreditation: recognition x QA
Quality assurancenew regulatory system emerging since the late eightiesseparate from recognitionfocus on improvement, but with increasing importance of accountability function
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Accreditation: recognition x QA
Quality assuranceexternal drivers probably more powerful than internal ‘autonomous’ demand• massification and concerns for a potential
decline of standards• diminishing confidence of stake-holders in
traditional academic quality management• increasing demand for more accountability• public demand for transparency (ranking)• pressures to increase cost-effectiveness
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Accreditation: recognition x QAre
gula
tion
time
accreditation
recognition
quality assurance
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Accreditation: recognition x QA Discipline Programme Institution Theme
Evaluation 6 1 1 6
Accredi-tation
21 20 5 7
Audit 12 10 14 4
Bench-marking
10 0 1 4
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Accreditation: recognition x QA
still other forms of QA than accreditationthere are still recognition systems that do not rely on QAbut there is a growing interconnection and even merging of both regulatory systemsin this process, also the concept of quality itself has changed
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Quality: shifting concepts and approaches
two dimensions:low – highabsolute – externally/internally relative
four approachesexcellence standardsfitness for purposebasic standardsconsumer satisfaction
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high
low
inte
rnal
ly
rela
tive
basicstandards
excellence standards
absolutefitness for purpose
consumer satisfaction
externally relative
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Quality: shifting concepts and approaches
Quality is a multi-dimensional conceptChanging definitionsAny particular definition of quality at a given time-space configuration is function of interaction of those four componentsImportance of social context
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Accreditation: the context and functions
Criticisms of first generation QA systemsexternally imposed, not embedded in real institutional ‘quality culture’; still high tolerance for low quality in institutions
bureaucratic overload, impact on autonomy, cost
methodological weaknesses: benchmarking, self-referential teams, window-dressing, insufficient critical nature, role of disciplines, etc.
conservatism, ‘canonisation’ vs innovation
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Changing environment provokes shift …from egalitarian massification to a more competitive higher education marketfrom domestic focus to internationalisation and globalisationtowards differentiation in institutions and delivery modesfrom meritocracy to lifelong learning, eroding the only left monopoly, degrees
Accreditation: the context and functions
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towards next generation of QA arrangementsproviding clear statements on an increasingly complex realityguaranteeing transparency and convergence in a more diversified and international environmentbroadening focus while keeping up same concept of ‘academic quality’emphasizing external functions while stressing autonomy, self-regulation and inclusiveness
Accreditation: the context and functions
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accreditation is expected to address some of the needs and to fulfil following functions:
guaranteeing that agreed standards are metmore independent, clear, sharp, benchmarked quality statementsstrengthening international functions, transparent student information and accountabilitylinking QA to recognition and other regulatory systems
Accreditation: the context and functions
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accreditation thus implies a shift in the triangle of power in HE towards market relationsbut, accreditation still may be seen as a regulatory system in the middle of the power triangle
Accreditation: the context and functions
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Accreditation
(Intl) MarketAcademia
State
recognition
accreditation
quality assurance ranking
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Accreditation: risks and questions
Still continuing debate on accreditationdo we need it in developed HE systems?fixed standards in a complex, diversifying, dynamic reality?rewarding mainstream and mediocrity; jeopardising improvement functions by stressing accountability?additional bureaucratic burden to institutions and academics, sign of distrust?