1. HERE Study Visit Quality culture in practice: Scotland and the University of Edinburgh   5-6 October Edinburgh, Scotland

2. Background
HERE Seminar: “The European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) in practice: Implications for HEIs and higher education systems”, 19 – 20 October 2016, Lviv, Ukraine
HERE Seminar: “Students in focus: Student as partners in higher education governance and quality assurance” 5-6 April 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan
TAMs 2016 – 2017
Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan…
Topics: Internal and External QA Systems; ESG theory and practice; QA implementation and students; procedures, tools and criteria for QA systems, etc.

3. Lviv Seminar About the seminar Better understanding of the ESG 2015
Discuss and debate in particular the institutional responsibility for QA and the need to build capacity for this
Pre-survey results -
Challenges
Involving students in QA systematically
Linking QA to the development of learning outcomes based approaches
Building capacity of institutions to implement their own QA processes
Internationalising QA

4. Pre-survey Lviv Seminar: Are you aware of the revised ESG and what is new about them?

5. Are students involved in institutional quality assurance?
Are students involved in external quality assurance panels in your country?

6. Almaty Seminar About the seminar
How is student participation/engagement implemented in institutions and systems?
Analyse different approaches towards student participation in university governance and QA
Understand the pro’s and con’s of student participation as well as the implications regarding legal framework, institutional autonomy and organisational and financial implications, but also regarding the general institutional culture, and its learning and teaching approach.
Challenges
Looking at the role of students around three axes:
Institutional governance,
QA and
National reform processes

7. Study visit - Desired learning outcomes
Generate awareness for the ESG 2015 in practice in a particular institution
Discuss and debate in particular the institutional responsibility for QA and the need to build capacity for this
Learn about the management of quality culture within institutions, and how students, staff and other stakeholders are engaged accordingly
Understand how one institution related its quality practices to the external QA framework of a country or region, on how external and internal QA interact.

8. Forum Discussion 11 answers Main questions raised:
How does your institution understand ‘quality culture’ and how is this supported within the institution?
What is one key challenge your institution has in streamlining quality processes and in generating ownership for quality culture across the institution?

9. Some answers
QA as a collective work/synchronization among all stakeholders
QA understood as both quality management and quality of the curriculum
The teaching and learning quality in accordance to the standards in each subject/area/ specialization
Ongoing interactive process
Challenges:
Different teaching and learning traditions and cultures, which respond to different standards
To involve all stakeholders (students, staff)
Generating ownership for quality culture across the institution
The implementation of the ESG, specifically the student-centred approach as a key principle of QA system
Take into account the local needs without exiting the international standards

10. Discussion on lessons learnt
Identify:
3 main take aways points
1 point of action
Nominate rapporteur on each table
Discuss for 10 minutes
Then… 2 people from each table move to another table
Discuss for another 10 minutes
Then… 2 people move to another table
Summing up: rapporteurs give 2 minute summary of discussions

11. Main conclusions Generating awareness of ESG
Policy for QA; Design & approval of programmes; Student-centred learning, teaching & assessment; Student admission, progression, recognition & certification; Teaching staff; Learning resources & student support; Information management; Public information; Ongoing monitoring & periodic review of programmes; Cyclical external QA

12. Main conclusions
Exploring institutional responsibility for QA, supporting quality culture, student engagement
Advantages and challenges of decentralised structure, relations with central support
Frameworks for continued profesional development
Importance of partnership
Empowerment for student engagement through sparqs and student associations

13. Main conclusions
Considering interaction between internal and external QA
Enhancement led
Long term approach
Adjusting to local context
Key words:
partnership, enhancement, communication, continuity

14. Virtual Community Discussion group on quality culture
Share references, experiences or post questions you may have on the topic
1st HERE Newsletter
Launched last 27 September 2017
SPHERE activities, news and trends on higher education reform, as well as to showcase the different actions carried out by HERE and NEOs
Dissemination
Available on the website

15. SPHERE Contacts Nicole Font Guedes: nfont@obreal.org
Elizabeth Colucci:
Nicolas Patrici:
General queries: