ARMENIA: Quality Assurance (QA) and National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Tbilisi Regional Seminar on Quality Management in the Context of National Qualifications Framework Tbilisi, November 4-5, 2010

Countries Participating in the Bologna Process (three cycles) 2008

Bologna Action Lines Stocktaking: Armenia 2009 Excellent performance Areas progress Little Excellent performance Quality Assurance Level of international participation National implementation of Standards and Guidelines for QA in the EHEA Stage of development of external quality assurance system Level of student participation

Internal Quality Assurance Institutional Practices European Standards Institutional Practices Policy and procedures address In most of cases there are no specific policies in place. Legal requirement to have procedures Approval, monitoring and periodic review of programs and awards None of the required mechanisms for monitoring are in place. The exception is the formal program approval procedures, (under development), some details exist Assessment of students Presence of none of the attributes can be ascertained. Assessment is high stakes and a most contentious area. Learning outcomes are not linked to assessment Quality assurance of teaching staff Development opportunities limited. Law provides for non-renewal in case of poor performance but little evidence of implementation. Some HEIs have HD system which is not efficient Learning resources and student support Availability varies hugely between institutions. Need to ensure that any existing methods of allocating resources yields equitable results against standard benchmarks. Information systems (means to collect systematic data) There is almost no systematic data collection and analysis. Very limited MIS functions in place. Public information Very limited information available in brochures and on university websites. Many universities have started the prep. ECTS info package Source: World Bank, 2008

External Quality Assurance Institutional Practices European Standards Institutional Practices Use of internal QA procedures There are no specific internal QA procedures in place. Development of external QA processes Clear, transparent, and publicized procedures developed with input from key stakeholders There are no processes in place for external QA. Criteria for decisions Published criteria and standards that are interpreted consistently Appropriate standards and criteria that reflect current ways of measuring academic performance (individuals and institutions) do not exist. This is one of the objective ANQA Reporting Comprehensive, with recommendations Accessible to the institution as well as to those outside Scope and level of disclosure not yet defined Follow-up procedures Steps to ensure that recommendations are followed up Follow-up procedures include rating of institutions and providing improvement recommendations. Periodic review No specific reference to periodic review practices. System-wide analysis To be developed by ANQA Source: World Bank, 2008

European Standards and Guidelines for External QA Agencies Practices of Existing External QA Agencies Use external QA procedures for higher education Standards defined in external process for higher education (Table 2) are taken into account. Currently, none exist that would satisfy European thresholds. Official status Recognized by public authorities in EHEA Established legal basis Comply with requirements of national legislative jurisdictions Satisfactory Activities External QA activities at institutional or program level on a regular basis Not clear Resources Adequate human and financial resources Provision to develop own processes and procedures Mission statement Publicly available, clear and explicit goals and objectives Division of labour with relevant stakeholders Systematic approach to achieving its main purpose of external QA Website developed, needs further work Source: World Bank, 2008

European Standards and Guidelines for External QA Agencies Practices of Existing External QA Agencies Independence High relative level of independence External QA criteria Pre-defined and publicly available Preceded by self-assessment; external expert peer reviews; site visits; student input Publication of report with recommendations Follow-up procedures to address recommendations Procedures for own accountability Provision for appeals procedures Being developed and consulted with HEIS Accountability Published policy for the QA of agency/unit itself Documentation to support appropriate actions, no-conflict of interest mechanisms, oversight for any documentation developed by third parties, Mandatory cyclical review of the agency activities at least every five years. Not clear Source: World Bank, 2008

IMPLEMENTATION OF NQFs Country National qualifications framework been prepared Generic descriptors for each cycle based on learning outcomes and competences ECTS credit ranges for the first and second cycle NQF been nationally discussed with all stakeholders Timetable been agreed for consultations with all stakeholders Implementation of the national qualifications framework Stage of progress on the self-certification of compatibility with the EHEA Has the self-certification report been published? Armenia Yes   TT Not yet No Source: 2009 National stocktaking reports

National Qualifications Framework EHEA National Qualifications Framework HEI ANQA