accreditation and quality assurance in europe prof. dr. dirk van damme

Accreditation and quality assurance in Europe

Prof. Dr. Dirk Van Damme

Bern, 29 April 2004 Dirk Van Damme 2

Overview

The concept of accreditation

Accreditation as merging of recognition and quality assurance

Quality: shifting concepts and approaches

Accreditation: the context and functions

Accreditation: risks and questions


The concept of ‘accreditation’

‘ad-credere’: giving credit, trust to someone, a service, …

norms of quality, security, safeness, … ’standards’on the basis of independent and expert reviewpublic statementmarket access (trustworthiness) and transparency (standardisation)



‘Accreditation is a formal and public statement by an independent agency and on the basis of an external quality review, that specific, previously agreed standards are met by a programme or institution of higher education’

consequences: ‘approval’, ‘recognition’, funding, state recognition of qualifications, …



components:formal and public statementof binary natureby competent authorities‘ex post’ or ‘ex ante’previously agreed standards (basic or excellence)after independent and expert quality reviewof programme or institution (or intermediate)restricted time validity


Accreditation: recognition x QA

Recognition in (continental) Europestate recognition of institutions, programmes and qualifications‘a priori’ decision by Parliament or Governmentinput criteria: curriculum, qualified personnel, …state recognition of ‘effectus civilis’ of qualifications, also giving access to professions in public sector



Quality assurancenew regulatory system emerging since the late eightiesseparate from recognitionfocus on improvement, but with increasing importance of accountability function



Quality assuranceexternal drivers probably more powerful than internal ‘autonomous’ demand• massification and concerns for a potential

decline of standards• diminishing confidence of stake-holders in

traditional academic quality management• increasing demand for more accountability• public demand for transparency (ranking)• pressures to increase cost-effectiveness


Accreditation: recognition x QAre

gula

tion

time

accreditation

recognition

quality assurance


Accreditation: recognition x QA Discipline Programme Institution Theme

Evaluation 6 1 1 6

Accredi-tation

21 20 5 7

Audit 12 10 14 4

Bench-marking

10 0 1 4



still other forms of QA than accreditationthere are still recognition systems that do not rely on QAbut there is a growing interconnection and even merging of both regulatory systemsin this process, also the concept of quality itself has changed



two dimensions:low – highabsolute – externally/internally relative

four approachesexcellence standardsfitness for purposebasic standardsconsumer satisfaction


high

low

inte

rnal

ly

rela

tive

basicstandards

excellence standards

absolutefitness for purpose

consumer satisfaction

externally relative



Quality is a multi-dimensional conceptChanging definitionsAny particular definition of quality at a given time-space configuration is function of interaction of those four componentsImportance of social context



Criticisms of first generation QA systemsexternally imposed, not embedded in real institutional ‘quality culture’; still high tolerance for low quality in institutions

bureaucratic overload, impact on autonomy, cost

methodological weaknesses: benchmarking, self-referential teams, window-dressing, insufficient critical nature, role of disciplines, etc.

conservatism, ‘canonisation’ vs innovation


Changing environment provokes shift …from egalitarian massification to a more competitive higher education marketfrom domestic focus to internationalisation and globalisationtowards differentiation in institutions and delivery modesfrom meritocracy to lifelong learning, eroding the only left monopoly, degrees



towards next generation of QA arrangementsproviding clear statements on an increasingly complex realityguaranteeing transparency and convergence in a more diversified and international environmentbroadening focus while keeping up same concept of ‘academic quality’emphasizing external functions while stressing autonomy, self-regulation and inclusiveness



accreditation is expected to address some of the needs and to fulfil following functions:

guaranteeing that agreed standards are metmore independent, clear, sharp, benchmarked quality statementsstrengthening international functions, transparent student information and accountabilitylinking QA to recognition and other regulatory systems



accreditation thus implies a shift in the triangle of power in HE towards market relationsbut, accreditation still may be seen as a regulatory system in the middle of the power triangle



Accreditation

(Intl) MarketAcademia

State

recognition

accreditation

quality assurance ranking


Accreditation: risks and questions

Still continuing debate on accreditationdo we need it in developed HE systems?fixed standards in a complex, diversifying, dynamic reality?rewarding mainstream and mediocrity; jeopardising improvement functions by stressing accountability?additional bureaucratic burden to institutions and academics, sign of distrust?

accreditation and quality assurance in europe prof. dr. dirk van damme

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