Workshop on International Quality Assurance Networks in Higher Education

On 28/29 October 2003 Project Quality Assurance and the International Department of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), together with the German Accreditation Council, held a workshop on international quality assurance networks in higher education in Cologne, Germany.
The workshop was the first of its kind, offering a platform to 35 representatives of the leading quality assurance networks in Asia, Latin America and Europe to discuss the objectives and the relevance of regional, national and supranational networks and to identify common objectives for the future.
With this workshop HRK continued its efforts to remove obstacles to mobility and to increase international cooperation in quality assurance against the backdrop of the process of European harmonisation in higher education, the Bologna Process.
In spite of considerable cultural, political and legal differences in the higher education systems a closer cooperation between networks is urgently needed, since cardinal challenges and functional tasks of quality assurance are largely similar. Regional and supra-national networks are important actors in formulating comparable criteria and achieving mutual recognition of quality assurance procedures and standards.
At the end of the two-day workshop, participants stressed that talks had been extremely fruitful and had helped to build mutual trust, which was essential to any cooperation. It was suggested to elaborate an international manual for quality assurance procedures, which should be closely coordinated with the Code of Good Practice currently being developed within the framework of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, INQAAHE.

Professor David Reyes-Guerra,
Vice-President, National Commission of Accreditation, El Salvador,
commenting on the workshop outcomes

Welcoming Address
Dr Christiane Ebel-Gabriel
Secretary General, HRK
Greeting Dr Ebel-Gabriel [127 KB]

The Relevance of International Networking in Quality Assurance
Professor Hans-Uwe Erichsen
Chairman, German Accreditation Council
Speech Prof Erichsen [27,8 KB]

The European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) - Covering Organisation for the European Agencies
Professor Christian Thune
ENQA, Finland
Presentation Prof Thune [183 KB]

European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA): Organisation and Objectives
Mr Ton Vroeijenstijn
Consultant/Advisor Quality Assurance, Association of Universities in the Netherlands
Presentation Mr Vroeijenstijn [216 KB]

Different Systems but Common Procedures - The Network of Central and Eastern European Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEE)
Professor András Róna Tas
Honorary President, Hungarian Accreditation Committee
Presentation Prof Róna Tas [328 KB]

The Network of German-Speaking Agencies D-A-CH (Germany - Austria - Switzerland): Fast Track to Mutual Recognition?
Dr Rolf Heusser
Director, Center for Accreditation and Quality Assurance of the Swiss Universities
Presentation Dr Heusser [26,7 KB]

Different Viewpoints but Common Interests - The Example of the Nordic Quality Assurance Network in Higher Education
Dr Tapio Huttula
Secretary General, Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC), Finland
Presentation Dr Huttula [86,8 KB]

The Ibero-American Network for the Accreditation of Quality in Higher Education (RIACES): A Transatlantic Bridge?
Ms Maria Luz Penacoba
Director Institutional Relations, National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), Spain
Paper Ms Penacoba [285 KB]

Presentation Ms Penacoba [181 KB]

Cooperation in Quality Assurance in a Heterogenous Region: The Case of Central America
Ms Marya Alvarado Urtecho
Director, National Accreditation System for Higher Education (SINEAS), Costa Rica
Presentation Ms Alvarado [247 KB]

From National to International Networking in Accreditation and Evaluation: The Mexican Perspective
Dr Mauricio Fortes
National Center for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (CENEVAL), Mexico
Presentation Dr Fortes [329 KB]

The ASEAN University Network (AUN) for Quality Assurance: The Role of Universities in International Networking
Assoc. Professor Damrong Thawesaengskulthai
Deputy President for Quality Assurance
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
and
Professor Mashkuri Hj. Yaacob
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Malaya, Malaysia
Presentation Prof Damrong & Prof Yaacob1 [386 KB]

Presentation Prof Damrong & Prof Yaacob2 [254 KB]

Think Global, Act Local: The INQAAHE Asia-Pacific Sub-Network Forum
Ms Wai-Sum Wong
Executive Director, Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation
Presentation Ms Wong [422 KB]

Local, National or International QA Standards? - The Indonesian Perspective
Professor M. K. Tadjudin
Chair, National Accreditation Board for Higher Education, Indonesia
Presentation Prof Tadjudin [776 KB]

The Japanese View on the International Dimension of Quality Assurance
Professor Masuo Aizawa
President, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Presentation Prof Aizawa [47,6 KB]

Towards Mandatory Quality Evaluation in Higher Education in Japan
Professor Hiroshi Hokama
Senior Managing Director
Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA)
Presentation Prof Hokama [35,7 KB]

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