1. Challenges of transnational accreditation for quality assurance agencies
CEENQA workshop “Quality Assurance of Transnational Higher Education”, Krakow, 13 May 2016
Achim Hopbach
Managing Director, AQ Austria

2. Challenges:
Legal issues / Purpose of accreditation
Conceptual issues / Cross Border HE
Practical issues

3. Legal Issues / Purpose of Accreditation
Accreditation of a programme delivered abroad
By whom?
By the agency of the sending country according to national rules of the sending country?
By the agency of receiving country according to national rules of the receiving country?
Why?
Accreditation linked to state approval / recognition / state funding?

4. Legal Issues / Purpose of Accreditation
Example 1: Austria
Accreditation of outgoing programmes offered by Austrian universities of applied sciences:
Austrian degree awarded
Same regulations apply
Plus regulations regarding
compliance with legal framework of receiving country
cultural traditions in teaching, learning and student assessment of receiving country taken into account

5. Legal Issues / Purpose of Accreditation
Example 2: Dubai
Validation of incoming programmes by UQAIB:
Degree of “sending” country awarded
“home” QA at the core
Plus
(Relevance for Dubai)
Effectiveness of QA arrangements of home campus
Moderation of student assessment

6. Legal Issues / Purpose of Accreditation
Example 3: Austria
Notification of incoming programmes offered by foreign HEI in collaboration with Austrian partner:
Degree of “sending” country awarded
“home” QA at the core
Plus
International standards applied by Austrian partner (Staff, student assessment, QA)

7. Legal Issues / Purpose of Accreditation
Example 4: Germany/Lithuania
Accreditation of a Joint Degree Programme
Degrees of both countries awarded
Regular standards of both countries applied

8. Conceptual Issues: Cross-border HE - 1
How to address the specific features of CBHE?
CBHE is more than just an organizational issue of dislocated provision of a programme!

9. Conceptual Issues: Cross-border HE - 2
How does the program fit into the national education system?
What learning and teaching traditions exist in the receiving country?
Do research and involvement in research activities play a role?
What’s the traditional way of student examination?
How are standards assured if student examination is conducted in different languages?
What’s the involvement of students in the governance of institutions?

10. Practical Issues Legal/cultural framework of HE in receiving country
Legal framework of QA in receiving country
double/conflicting regulations?
Composition of the panel
familiarity with both HE systems
language
Consult the national agency!

11. https://qache.wordpress.com/
Achim Hopbach