quality assurance in vet: lessons from other e&t sectors

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What lessons can be learned from other E&T areas?Possible best practices for EQAVET

Anthony F. Camilleri First EQAVET projects seminarVienna, 15.07.2011

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Origins of PDCA

• Do• Check

• Plan• Act

アクション

計画

実行チェック

CHECK should be read as STUDYin English Check implies ‚to hold back‘(Deming, 1980)

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Lesson

Plan-Do-Check-Act

is about iterative improvement

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Quality Culture

• true high quality education cannot result only from formal quality assurance processes, but rather is a consequence of the emergence of a quality culture shared by all members of a (higher) education community

Jean-Marc RappEUA President

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Lesson

Quality Culture

can enable standards

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Diploma and Accreditation Mills

• Nearly all these institutions claim to have accreditation!

Number of Diploma Mills per Continent (IAU) Colby Nolan, MBA(awarded by TrinitySouthern University)

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Lesson

Quality Assurance Agencies

Need transparency and policing

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Marketing Quality

• MBAs use their own private certification labels. (EQUIS / AMBA / AACSB)

• Simple Message: Label Guarantees Quality– Triple Accreditation = World Leader– Single / Double = Excellent

• Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and MIT – no mention of certification, quality processes on front page of websites

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Lesson

Quality Systems

Need to increase transparency

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Demand for Quality

• The European Student movement:– Key driver of QA process in Bologna

Process– Trains its own QA experts and reviewers– Chairs the EQAR register in rotating

turns– Puts constant pressure on the process

• Would have no influence if not allowed to

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Lesson

Main allies in quality

are those with a vested interest

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European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance

• Impetus came from 2003 Berlin Communique of Ministers

• ‚E4‘ group (ENQA/EUA/EURASHE/ESIB) tasked with developing the standards and guidelines for themselvesl

• Stakeholders continue to maintain ESG (MapESG project), organise reviews, accredit QA agencies, etc

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Lesson

Impetus from government

but leadership from stakeholders

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The Bologna Process

• Started as independent initiative of four states

• Contains no binding decisions (is purely voluntary)

• Is organised enitrely outside of the EU institutions

• Despite complaints, demand for harmonisation came from member states themselves

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Lesson

A good idea

will promote itself

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Questions to Panelists and Audience

• Section Subtitle

• What are the pros and cons of the EQAVET implementation approach vis-a-vis other quality approaches?

• What elements of other QA implementations need to be adopted to make EQAVET a reality?

• How do we create better synergies between all levels of education in QA?

• What is the role of stakeholders and independent initiatives in QA in VET?

• Is there a case for using stronger words – harmonisation, standardisation?

• Do you have best practices to share?