Workshop on the topic “Integration of European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) into the work of quality assurance agencies in higher education from the Western Balkans”, organized by ERI SEE (Education Reform Initiative of South Eastern Europe), RCC (Regional Cooperation Council) and ASHE (Agency for Science and Higher Education of Republic of Croatia), was held in Zagreb on July 7 and 8, 2023.
The goal of the workshop was the exchange of experiences between the agencies in the process of implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), the presentation of the Regional Register of accredited higher education institutions and study programs, as well as the identification of national and regional priorities in the process of assuring the quality of higher education.
During the first day, representatives of the Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education presented how the ESG standards from Part 3 (Standards and guidelines for quality assurance agencies) are integrated into the work of the Agency, and how they measure and improve the aforementioned standards. They also presented the way in which the ESG standards from Part 2 (Standards and guidelines for external quality assurance) are integrated into the Agency’s methodology, which is used in the evaluation procedures of institutions and study programs.
The last presentation on the first workshop day referred to Part 1 of the ESG standards (Standards and guidelines for internal quality assurance), i.e. the role of the Agency in the process of providing support to institutions of higher education in ensuring the quality of their internal mechanisms, as well as defining the way of providing assistance in “building a culture of quality” on institutions of higher education.
During the second day of the workshop, the plans and future activities of the RCC in the process of providing support to the countries of the Western Balkans in the field of higher education, as well as the innovative version of the Regional Register of accredited institutions of higher education and study programs were presented, while at the end were identified needs for strengthening national capacities and regional cooperation in the area of quality assurance in higher education.
The workshop was also attended by the representatives of the Agency for Control and Quality Assurance of Higher Education of Montenegro.