Accreditation in the Framework of Evaluation Activities: A Comparative Study in the European Higher Education Area

Abstract

Higher education systems in Europe are currently undergoing deep reforms. These reforms are triggered by national developments, as well as by the aim to evolve towards comparable systems and ensure the quality of the higher education systems in Europe (Bologna Process). This study was initiated by the education trade unions' goal to widen the scope of the debate on accreditation and evaluation activities in higher education in Europe from a comparative perspective. In order to provide the factual base for this discussion, we were asked to carry out a comparative study of 'accreditation in the framework of evaluation activities' in the European higher education area. Accreditation is the focus of our study, but accreditation is a policy instrument made up of two elements: evaluation and approval. Therefore, we felt it necessary to analyse these two elements in their own right. Hence, the aims of the study are to:1. Provide an updated picture of the current situation with regard to(1) accreditation schemes, (2) other approval schemes (outside accreditation) and (3) evaluation schemes.2. Analyse the underlying principles of the accreditation scheme(s) and how they relate to other approval and evaluation schemes ('system logic' or 'system dynamic').3. Point out and analyse current reforms of the accreditation scheme(s) (with a view to other approval and evaluation schemes as well as supra-national developments, e.g. the Bologna process and other influences).Our study covers all countries involved in the Bologna process. For practical rea sons, we have had to limit ourselves to a sub-set consisting of all fifteen EU member states (situation as of 2003, minus Luxembourg which has a minute higher education sector), a main Western European country which is not part of the EU (Norway) and a sample of Central and Eastern European countries which entered the EU in 2004 (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland), bringing the total to 20 countries. With regard to Central and Eastern Europe, we have reason to believe that the situation depicted below is representative of not just the countries sampled, but 1

The knowledge triangle, European higher education policy logics and policy implications

“…As documented by Schwarz and Westerheijden (2004) in a study of quality assurance schemes in European countries, eighteen of the twenty countries included in the study had implemented an accreditation system of some kind. And since accreditation is a method checking an agreed upon minimum threshold level, developing new standards and guidelines rapidly became the next step.…”

Conceptualising External and Internal Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Pragmatist Perspective

“…These terminologies have different meanings in different educational cultures, and some are also used interchangeably. For example, in the United States the system of assuring and improving quality in higher education is called accreditation (Schwarz & Westerheijden, 2007), whereas in Australia, the national system of assuring and improving quality in universities is termed quality audit (Santiago et al, 2008). In Ghana, the national system of operationalising quality assurance in higher education is called accreditation (Ansah, 2010).…”

The Quest for Quality in Higher Education: Is There Any Place Left for Equity and Access?

“…In general, accreditation has at least two crucially important financial implications for HEIs (Schwarz and Westerheijden 2007): first, it may function as a prerequisite for funding; second, it makes institutions and programmes that have accreditation status more attractive to students and can therefore indirectly increase institutional funding in systems where the funding depends on student numbers. Both provisions apply to Romania.…”