CEE Network: Enhancing Quality Assurance in Higher Education

1. Content of presentation Background on the CEE Network Objectives Membership and membership criteria Activities Contribution to QA in the EHEA Outcomes Problems Future Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 2

2. Main Objectives to share experiences  foster cooperation to exchange information on background, aims, procedures and outcomes of activities of members to recommend experts to assist each other in elaborating measures for harmonizing activities in quality assurance play a proactive role in shaping the European higher education area. Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 4

3. Regional concerns when founded problems related to transition to democracy consequences of autonomy granted to HEIS (relationship with governments) relationship with Academies of Science (new Ph.D. vs. research degrees) economic constraints (salaries, infrastructure, brain drain, etc.) few applicants to academic profession low student and staff mobility (money, language) in Hungary also: considerable ethnic minority population in neighboring countries in some countries: steep increase of private HEIS, need for quality control .. Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 5

4. Latvia • Lithuania • Macedonia • Poland (UC + PKA) • Romania • Russian Federation • Slovakia • Slovenia Membership: 21 agencies in 16 countries Austria (Acc. Council, Fachh. Council, AQA) Albania Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Estonia Germany (ACQUIN, FIBAA, ASIIN) Hungary Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 6

5. Estonia Estonia Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 7

6. Membership criteria: current Regulations “Membership is open to agencies/committees which are recognized as national or regional higher education quality assurance agencies by the lawful authority/ies in their respective Central and Eastern European country, and which operate on a non-profit and non-commercial basis” Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 8

7. Memberships, affiliations, agreements CEE Network is ENQA Affiliate since 2006 CEE Network Cooperation agreement with ANECA, Spain, 2003 ECA, 2008 INQAAHE, 2008 Member agencies: all are Bologna signatories ENQA members: 12 agencies INQAAHE members: 16 agencies ECA members: 6 agencies Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 9

8. Activities website www.ceenetwork.hu workshop (annually) on quality assurance issues Steering Committee meeting (at least once a year) General Assembly (biannually) publication of “Mapping external quality assurance in Central and Eastern Europe: A comparative survey” by Stefanie Hofmann, ACQUIN Statements: to BFUG on CEE Network fulfilling goals of Berlin Communiqué, 2003 to ENQA and EQAR, in response to EQAR, 2008 Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 10

9. Contribution to QA in the EHEA • Was the first accreditation network in Europe • the geographic range of membership: • has brought this range of agencies into a forum for information exchange on • European trends in QA • special concerns for the region • now all members are Bologna signatories Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 11

10. Outcomes 1 • 2000, Budapest: • INQAAHE survey on agency tasks and scope • 2001, Krakow: • Agency background reports published on website • 2002, Vienna: • formal organization • Encouragement to join ENQA from its Steering Committee member • workshop on institutional and program evaluation (national case studies and „European” speakers) • 2003, Bucharest: • workshop: „After Berlin: The Bologna Process and Evaluation / Accreditation in Central and Eastern Europe” • statement to Ministers about CEE Network Contribution to EHEA Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 12

11. Outcomes 2 • 2004, Prague: • workshop: “Convergence and Divergence in Quality Assurance Systems. The CEE Contribution to the European Higher Education Area” • Statement on new ENQA membership criteria (pre-ESG): CEE Network supports them • 2005, Poznan: • workshop “Mapping External quality Assurance in Central and Eastern Europe:A Comparative Survey” • subsequent publication by Dr. Stefanie Hofman Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 13

12. Outcomes 3 • 2006 May, Leibnitz/Graz: • “Mapping external quality assurance in Central and Eastern Europe: A comparative survey. Follow-up”. • 2006 October, Vienna: • CEEN/ENQA workshop ”Implementation of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA” • WGs on ESG independence, external QA, appeals Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 14

13. Outcomes 4 • 2007, St. Petersburg: • workshop “The European Standards and Guidelines in the Central and Eastern European Context after London” • 2008, Albania: • workshop: “Cooperation of accreditation agencies: Towards mutual recognition of accred. decisions”. • presentation by chair of ENQA on EQAR • CEEN statement to ENQA and EQAR • 2009, Vilnius: • Workshop: “External Reviews of Agencies: Lessons Learned” • Publication: „Directory” on CEEN agencies • 2010, Bulgaria: • working title: The CEE Network Agencies Ten Years after Bologna • analyses of external reviews of member agencies Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 15

14. Outcomes for members • Contact • Invitation to sit on others’ Boards • Information exchange • Which indirectly feed into: • Bilateral projects • E.g. HAC hosted agency study visits from Albania (2006) • Poland PKA (2009) Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 16

15. Problems • Lack of human resources to build up a more active organization • Failure to register as legal entity • Partially related to human resources Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 17

16. Future • Next GA in Bulgaria next May • Revision of Regulations • Reconsider requirement that members be non-profit (Austrian, German members not government supported) • New Steering Committee • Expect increased activity Christina Rozsnyai CEEN Secretary General 18