Past events

An overview of past General Assemblies, including highlights and presentations can be found here.

The 2016 Members’ Dialogue was held in Oslo on 24-25 November, hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.

• Agenda
• Photos

Speakers and presentations:

• Peter Elting, Stenden University of Applied Sciences, ITEpS Programme Coordinator: “First experience with the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes”
• Tia Loukkola, EQAR, President of the Executive Board: “Presentation of the proposal for the President position“
• Melinda Szabo, EQAR Project Officer: “Key considerations for Cross-Border Quality Assurance – presentation of the E4/EQAR initiative“
• Colin Tück, EQAR, Director: “Presentation of the background report and model for a database of quality-assured programmes/HEIs“

See further:

• Database of External Quality Assurance Results Report and Operational Model
• Summary of discussions re. database of external QA reports

The 2015 Members’ Dialogue was held in Sofia, Bulgaria hosted by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.

• Agenda – Members’ Dialogue Sofia, 26-27 November 2015
• Photos

Speakers and presentations:

• Françoise Profit: New Developments in QA brought by the Yerevan Conference
• Tia Loukkola: ESG 2015 – Challenges on the way forward from adoption to practice
• Lucien Bollaert – Introduction into the self-evaluation of EQAR

Knowledges Café presentations:

• Ana Tecilazić-Goršić: Legal framework on cross-border EQA – Croatia
• Nadejda Velisco: Legal framework on cross-border EQA – Moldova
• Benjamin Muhamedbegovic: The impact of the ESG 2015 on QA in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The 2014 edition of the EQAR Members’ Dialogue was dedicated to discussing the final results of the RIQAA project on the cross-border recognition of quality assurance agencies’ results and decisions.

The event was hosted by the University of Palermo and took place in the beautiful historical building of “Pallazo Steri”.

Around 100 participants from over 30 different countries joined the conference and discussed levels of (international) trust and the cross-border recognition of quality assurance agencies’ results in line with the EHEA Ministers’ commitment (to ‘allow EQAR-registered agencies to perform their activities across the EHEA, while complying with national requirements’ and to ‘aim to recognise quality assurance decisions of EQAR-registered agencies on joint and double degree programmes’).

Read more about the event on the RIQQA project pages here

To view photos of the event.

Download Seminar Agenda.

Day 1 – Tuesday, 29 April 2014

• 9:00 Registration
• 9:30 Official Opening
• Plenary Session:
•  Overview of cross-border QA reviews in the EHEA

Chair: Maria Kelo (EQAR, President of the Executive Board)

Speakers:

• Eric Froment (EQAR, Chair of the Register Committee) – Policy and legal frameworks of cross-border QAA
• Melinda Szabó (EQAR, Project Officer) – Presentation of the results from the Questionnaire for QAAs

• 10:30 Coffee Break
• 11:00 Plenary Session: Insight from stakeholders involved in cross-border EQA

Chair: Andrée Sursock (Senior Advisor, EUA)

Speakers:

• Katja Kamšek (Quality Assurance Officer, University of Ljubljana)
• Jan Frömming (Accreditation Manager, Technical University of Munich);
• Henni Saarela (Member of the QA Steering Committee, European Students’ Union)
• Allan Bruun Pedersen (Senior Adviser, ENIC Naric – Denmark)

• 12:40 Lunch
• 14:00 Plenary Session: A diversity of approaches in cross-border EQA

Chair: Sylvia Manning (Higher Learning Commission, USA)

Speakers:

• Christoph Grolimund (Director, OAQ)
• Irene Ainsworth (Head of Degree-Awarding Powers and University Title, QAA-UK)
• Teresa Sánchez Chaparro (Programme Director, CTI) & Caty Duykaerts (Head of Executive Unit, AEQES)
• Marion Moser (Deputy Managing Director, ACQUIN) & Stefan Handke (Head of ACQUIN Programme)

• 16:00 Coffee break
• 16:30 Parallel sessions
• Session I. A snapshot of cross-border EQA

Chair: Lucien Bollaert (EQAR, Vice-Chair of the Register Committee)

Speakers:

• Alicja Bochajczuk (Project Officer, Institutional Evaluation Programme – EUA)
• Anke Rigbers (CEO, evalag)

• Session II. Simulation of a cross-border EQA

Facilitator: Melinda Szabo (EQAR, Project Officer)

• 18:00 Day ends
• 18:30 Guided Tour in Bayreuth
• 20:00 Dinner

Day 2 – Wednesday, 30 April 2014

• 9:30 Parallel sessions
• Session I.  Simulation of a cross-border EQA

Facilitator: Allan Päll (RIQAA, Advisory Group member)

• Session II.  A snapshot of cross-border EQA

Chair: Lucien Bollaert (EQAR, Vice-Chair of the Register Committee)

Speakers:

• Alicja Bochajczuk (Project Officer, Institutional Evaluation Programme – EUA)
• Anke Rigbers (CEO, evalag)

• 11:00 Coffee break
• 11:30 Plenary session –  Wrap-Up, Conclusions and Next Steps

Moderator: Colin Tück (Director, EQAR)

Parallel Session chairs

General Rapporteur: David Crosier (Education System Analyst, Eurydice)

• 12:40 Lunch and departure

A Peer-Learning Seminar organised by the Croation Ministry of Science, Education and Sports and EQAR in Trakošćan, Croatia on 11 December 2013.

Final Report of the Seminar

Photos of the Seminar

Programme

Presentations:

• Erwin Malfroy (ENIC-NARIC of the Flemish Community of Belgium): The new framework for academic recognition in Flanders
• Emita Blagdan (Agency for Science and Higher Education, Croatia): Systems for recognition of foreign qualifications in Croatia
• Almantas Šerpatauskas (Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC), Lithuania): Legislative framework for the work of foreign QAAs
• Andreas Raggautz (University of Graz, Austria): Opportunities and challenges for institutions

The 2013 Members’ Dialogue was held in Ghent, Belgium, hosted by the Flemish Department of Education and Training.

• Agenda – Members Dialogue Ghent, 17-18 October 2013
• Photos

Speakers and presentations:

• Helka Kekäläinen: Cross-border Quality Audit – an Example from Practice
• Peter Riedler: Quality Management @ Uni Graz
• Howard Davies: Professional qualifications: the amended Directive and the Bologna Process

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research, in cooperation with EQAR has organised a morning conference on 19 September 2013 at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU. The presentations addressed Austria’s new law on quality assurance, the experience of the University of Graz’ with an external evaluation by an EQAR registered agency in the context of the new law as well as stakeholders perspective on the Europe-wide policy framework on quality assurance.

Programme/Agenda

Photos

The objectives of the 2012 Members’ Dialogue were to contribute to the
development of a strategic plan for EQAR and to consult members on the
revision of the Procedures for Applications, prepared by the Register
Committee.

The Members’ Dialogue was held in Bucharest (Romania) and hosted by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding in Romania (UEFISCDI).

• Programme / Agenda – Members Dialogue Bucharest, 11-12 October 2012
• Keynote presentation Peter Maassen
• Case study presentation Nina Mares, Departement of Education and Training, Flemish Community of Belgium
• Case study presentation Remus Pricopie, Rector of the National School for Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Romania

The 2012 Members’ Dialogue served as an opportunity to discuss the results of the external evaluation of EQAR and to exchange ideas for the follow-up and implementation plan.

The objectives were to:

• Serve as a unique opportunity for all those involved in EQAR’s governance, management and operation to discuss jointly and in a more informal atmosphere than in official meetings with strict agendas;
• Discuss and reflect on the results of the external evaluation;
• Elaborate on ideas for change and improvement as follow-up to the external evaluation.

The Members’ Dialogue was held in Vienna, Austria, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Science and Research.

Agenda EQAR Members’ Dialogue Vienna 21-22 November 2011