Changing the Quality Assurance Model: Example of Lithuania Ieva Vaiciukevičienė, Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC) | 2017-09-22 I

The System of Higher Education in the Republic of Lithuania – in brief Binary system of the HE providers: universities (levels 6, 7 and 8 EQF and Lithuanian QF) and colleges (level 6 EQF and Lithuanian QF). Regular external quality assurance system (study programme level) since 1998. Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC) was established in 1995 and since then it stands as the only quality assurance body and ENIC / NARIC centre in the Republic of Lithuania. SKVC is a full member of ENQA and EQAR since 2012, member of INQAAHE and CEENQA.

Current Quality Assurance Model Two types of HEI’s external evaluations are described in the Law of Research and Higher Education (2009): - study programme external evaluation and accreditation; - institutional review and accreditation. Law also states that any subject which wishes to act as HE provider has to go through the external evaluation carried by SKVC ex-ante and if the review is positive – go through the licencing process at the Ministry of Education and Science as well.

Current institutional review and accreditation model (I) In Lithuania, this review is carried out seeking to create preconditions for the improvement of performance of a higher education institution, promote its quality culture, inform founders, academic community and society about the quality of performance of a higher education institution, and on the basis of evaluation findings provide recommendations regarding the improvement of HEI performance. Review is conducted according to four evaluation areas: strategic management; studies and lifelong learning; research and (or) art activities; impact on the region and the development of the country.

Current institutional review and accreditation model (II) After the external evaluation procedure, “positive” or “negative” evaluation is carried out. If the institutional evaluation is “positive” SKVC grants the accreditation for 6 years. If the institutional evaluation is “negative” – SKVC accredits HEI for 3 years and it has to be reevaluated and reaccredited before the endo of this term. In case of second negative evaluation, the Ministry of Education and Science decides to terminate the HE provider’s license of such institution. In 2011 – 2017 all 46 higher education institutions in Lithuania went through institutional review process, 2 of them due to the negative evaluations terminated higher education activities (2 that received the negative evaluation are in the process of re-evaluation at the moment).

Current study programme external evaluation and accreditation model (I) The goals of this evaluation are to evaluate the quality of provision of a study programme, its conformity to legal regulations, the provisions of the European Higher Education Area and the commitments of HEIs, create preconditions for the improvement of a study programme and develop the quality culture. Study programme evaluation is conducted having evaluated: programme aims and learning outcomes; curriculum design; staff; facilities and learning resources; study process and student assessment; programme management.

Current study programme external evaluation and accreditation model (II) Although the quantity of study programmes in 2011 and in 2017 was almost the same - around 1800 study programmes, there was a permanent change in this period. In 2011, political authorities decided to set a liberal model of the registration of the new study programmes: accreditation for 6 years and the experience in the same study field was a sufficient ground to start a new study programme only after a formal review of the documents and legal requirements without peer review. As a result, in 2012 192 new study programmes were submitted to the SKVC (most of them in the 1 quarter of the year in order to obtain accreditation before admission starts). New study programmes are accredited for a period of the duration of the study programme + 1 academic year, but such term can not be longer than 6 years. Such programme next time will be evaluated as an ongoing study programme.

Current study programme external evaluation and accreditation model (III) All on-going study programmes should be externally evaluated by the expert teams (with site visit). In 2016 – 2017 99 percent of on-going study programmes in Lithuania were evaluated by international expert teams. The study programme’s compatibility to the 6 standards must be measured using the scale from 4 (excellent) to 1 (unsatisfactory). On-going study programme is to be accredited for 6 years whether it was evaluated “positively” and the final score was not less than 18 points. If none of the on-going study programme’s score of the each standard was less then two, such on-going study programme is to be accredited for 3 years. In case of the 1 point evaluation of a single evaluation field, study programme is not accredited.

The main challenges and disadvantages of applying such study programme evaluation and accreditation model Huge expenses. Due to the regulations that grant HEIs to submit new study programmes anytime, grouping of similar study programmes is impossible (accreditation periods usually differ). Some of the study fields were evaluated almost anually. HEIs almost annually are going through self evaluation process in the same study field, have to prepare self analysis reports and organize site visits. No possibility to get a general view at the quality level of all study programmes in the study field in whole republic. The comprehensive follow – up of 1800 study programmes at once in hardly achievable.

Changes and new challenges New quality assurance system regarding quality of study programmes will start in January 2018. In the revised Law of Research and Higher Education (2016) the external evaluation of study fields and study field accreditation is implemented. All programmes, registered in one study field are to be evaluated at together. The new system separates the process of external evaluation into 2 parts: Formal investigation if the study field meets the requirements set by the Minister of Education and science; External evaluation, carried out by expert teams.

Minimal requirements for study fields Level of the research in the field; Lowest grades of the student that were admitted in to the study fields’ study programmes; The number of the students that were admitted into study fields’ study programmes; Prior accreditation results (not less than 50 percent of the study programmes in the field must been accredited for 6 years (this requirement will be applied only once); The percent of full-time and half-time academics in the field; Rate of the employment of the graduates; Number of study programmes in the study field that were accredited twice for 3 years (this requirement will be applied only once).

Not all the study fields will reach peer team review stage Only those study fields that meet the minimal requirements would be evaluated by the expert teams. The monitoring of the study fields’ compatibility with the minimal requirements will be carried out annually.

The compatibility to standards to be evaluated by expert teams The standards and indicators of external evaluation were also revised, but no dramatic changes were made. Objectives, learning outcomes and curriculum design; Study process; Student assessment; Staff; Resources; Internal quality assurance system.

Could data analysis be useful? We hope it would To make a process of self evaluation easier for HEI, data from public registers of Lithuania will be collected and automatically processed into the HEIs profiles. HEIs would be able to comment such data in SER or during the site visit. The monitoring of quality indicators (student drop-out numbers, rates of achieved practices, student mobility, cases of academic fraud and etc.) will also be carried-out annually. In case of rapid fall of the numbers, re-evaluation can be initiated.

Decisions after expert team external evaluation: If the study field is fully compliant with the requirements – SKVC accredits such study field for 7 years. New study programmes in this field can be registered and proceeded without any external evaluation; If the study field is partially compliant with the requirements, but the weaknesses of such field are not significant – SKVC accredits such study field for 2 years and institution is obliged to submit a plan of action on how the recommendations of experts will be fulfilled. New study programmes in such fields can be proceeded only after external expert review. If the study field is partially compliant with the requirements, but the weeknessess are significant – SKVC accredits such study field for 1 year, no admission can be organized, Ministry’s commission decides if students can end the study process in such study field in this institution. If the study field is not compliant with the requirements, SKVC carries out the non-accreditation decision and students must be immediately transferred.

Expectations? First of all general and complex picture of the study quality in each study field in whole country with an opportunity to compare the quality and point out the cases of excellence and fields that need improvement. Comprehensive follow-up procedure and quality enhancement. Further competiveness between HEIs seeking the highest level of the study quality in the field.

Thank you very much for your attention! No one is brave enough to stand between a person and his lunch…. Thank you very much for your attention! Ms Ieva Vaiciukevičienė, Head of Division of Law and General Affairs Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (SKVC) E-mail: ieva@skvc.lt