Quality Assurance Fit for the Future (QA-FIT)

reflects on some key considerations that the authors of the ESG should keep in mind during the revision process in order support its continued acceptance and success and to help avoid unintended consequences that could arise from new or updated elements.

These key considerations are:

• Recognise the existing purposes of the ESG as relevant and valid.
• Maximise the added value of EHEA standards.
• Celebrate the diverse contexts and cultures in higher education.
• Situate the quality assurance of learning and teaching in its broader context.
• Balance current issues with long term relevance.

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and the key messages that can inform the future revision of the ESG.

High-quality higher education provision has been one of the key aims of the Bologna Process since its start in 1999, and in 2020, the Ministers responsible for higher education in the countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) confirmed their commitment to quality assurance (QA) and the implementation of the European quality assurance framework, including the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Today, cooperation in quality assurance within the EHEA has significantly increased, becoming one of the most successful outcomes of the Bologna Process, and the ESG are widely recognised as a valuable and indispensable common framework for developing shared criteria and methodologies.

The QA-FIT project has looked at how the ESG have been adapted to different (national and institutional) contexts, and explored how quality assurance activities are addressing recent and emerging issues, including those beyond the current scope of the ESG. A survey to gather quantitative and qualitative data was designed for each stakeholder group (institutions, QA agencies, students, and national authorities).

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discuss how current quality assurance arrangements both support and inhibit international activities of higher education institutions, and reflect on how these challenges might be addressed, including through the upcoming revision of the ESG.

As such, the paper provides input for further discussion. The material for the paper draws on the results of recent surveys to map activities and perceptions in the field of quality assurance across national authorities, quality assurance agencies, higher education institutions and students.

The research was conducted as part of the project and is supplemented by other information and data held by the contributing organisations. The paper focuses on internationalisation in the sense of cross-border activities of institutions and agencies within the EHEA, rather than other approaches, such as internationalisation at home, inclusion of foreign experts in internal and external quality assurance processes, and participation in international networks, projects and partnerships.

Internationalisation of higher education is at the heart of the history and development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The common tools and frameworks, to be implemented in all signatory countries, aim to support mobility, recognition and cross-border cooperation. The European quality assurance framework is key to facilitating internationalisation as a basis for trust and transparency in higher education institutions, their learning and teaching activities, and the resulting qualifications awarded to students.

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The analysis of Ministry survey responses offers valuable insights into the state of quality assurance in European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and perceptions of its future.

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