1. Erasmus+(Mongolian team) 16-17/Oct/2018
What System of External Quality Assurance to address the challenges of State Policy for Quality Assurance of Cycle 3 (doctoral) programmes?
Erasmus+(Mongolian team) /Oct/2018

2. NATIONAL SYSTEM OF EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE IN MONGOLIA
Aim
Instrument
Implementing agency
Target
Criteria
INITIATING
To grant licenses to HEIs to start academic activities
Licensing
Ministry of Education
MECSS
Public HEIs
Minimum standards of teaching and other activities
Private and branches of foreign HEIs
Initial program accreditation
Compulsory
MNCEA
New academic programs
Quality standards
IMPLEMENTING
To enforce minimum standards
Quality control - monitoring
Public and private HEIs and branches of foreign HEIs
Requirements of licenses
To enhance the quality
Institutional accreditation
compulsory
Quality enhancement standards
To enhance the quality
Program
accreditation
Voluntary
But some professional fields are encouraged to be compulsory in the near future
Field committee under MNCEA and program accreditation agencies
Programs that are being implemented
Special requirements or standards by field committees or professional associations /national/
Special standards of profession /international/
OUTCOME
To grant professional licenses
Professional licenses
Professional associations
Graduates
Standards set by professional associations, and ministries
Provision of data
Registration
Accredited HEIs, programs, national and international accreditors
Standards set by the government
REFORM PROCESS
BEFORE IT WAS MORE OF INPUT ORIENTED, DUPLICATED, QUALITY CONTROL RATHER THAN ENHANCEMENT
NOW IT IS MORE OF PROCESS AND OUTCOME BASED SYSTEM, WHICH ENABLES HIEs to enhance their quality through their IQA
Different bodies are integrated their functions.

3. POLICY CHALLENGES Salzburg principle 1: Research originality
Plagiarism is a burning issue.
The quality of training of research methods and research ethics is not adequate
Defense committee is politically biased and instable which affects the assessment of the original research work – lack of good governance and merit based selection of committee members.
Scientometric database and national citation database are not put in place yet.
Salzburg principle 5: The quality of supervision
A limited number of competent supervisors .
No regular trainings for supervisors .
Monitoring and evaluation of supervision is not well established

4. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
Initial program accreditation (compulsory) introduced to improve the quality of doctoral programs in the first place.
Voluntary program accreditation (a policy to encourage more programs accredited)
Abolition of inappropriate prerequisite for doctoral program accreditation (had to get BA and MA in the same subject area accredited prior to doctoral program)

5. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
4. Programs in particular professional fields are encouraged
to be compulsory by professional associations
5. More detailed criterions for doctoral programs are being
developed regarding the originality of research and
supervision.
6. Field specific criteria will be developed by field committees
within MNCEA and independent program accreditation
agencies.
7. EQA criteria of initial program accreditation and program
accreditation both include IQA of doctoral programs

6. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
Defense committee’s regulation is being amended to improve its governance and management
National Citation Database and Scientometrics will be developed under the national program for building up research-based university.

7. Salzburg principle 7: Duration of doctoral programs
POLICY CHALLENGES
Salzburg principle 7: Duration of doctoral programs
Prolonged doctoral process is high which results in high drop-out rate.
Most doctorates study part-time basis while working in order fund their studies and keep their current positions which affects the quality of their research work.
Salzburg principle 10: Ensuring appropriate funding
Limited scholarship and loan opportunities for doctoral students.
Financial burden for doctorates: Most doctorates have to work to fund their studies and at the same time their living expenses.

8. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
6.3 Duration of doctoral program
Doctoral programmes should operate within appropriate time duration and procedures for prolonged or drop-out cases are informed to doctoral students.

9. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
2.8 Scholarship
Specific rules and regulation to specify the financial resource to fund doctoral students' studies and provide scholarships to them.
6.9 Research funding
The doctorate is based on a transparent thesis funding policy, which is consistent with its objectives and the institution’s scientific policy. The policy involves controlled management of this funding.

10. POLICY CHALLENGES
Salzburg principles 2: Career development opportunities
Employability is not much considered in curriculum development
IQA to track doctoral graduates is not well established
Professional associations’ involvement in the development of doctoral program is limited.
Active partnership with industries to support practicum in the field are limited
Salzburg principles 4: Status of doctorates as early stage researchers
Limited funding to support doctorates to present and attend field specific conferences
Limited number of high quality scientific journals and peer review culture is not well established.

11. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
1.5 Employability skills
Doctoral programmes include appropriate professional career development opportunities such as embedding employability skills in curriculum and including relevant practicum in the work places.
Doctorate ensures professional associations’ involvement in the development of doctoral program.
7.2 Quality assurance indicators to support employability Higher education institutions monitor their research
degree provision against internal and external indicators
and utilizing effective instruments to monitor and
improve their doctoral graduates’ employability.

12. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
2.7 Research events
The doctorate invites doctoral students to take part in supplementary scientific and/or professional events or actions, such as scientific events, conferences or panel discussions, etc. For each type of action, the methods for access, validation and evaluation, particularly by doctoral students, are defined and communicated

13. POLICY CHALLENGES Salzburg principle 3: Joint doctoral program
Joint doctoral programs with national and international HEIS and research institutes such as Academia are limited
Salzburg principle 9: Mobility
Less mobility opportunities for doctorates between national and international HEIs, industry, and science academia.
The number of visiting and adjunct professors is limited.

14. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
6.7 Research partnerships
The doctoral programs have established links and partnerships with national and international higher education institutions, internal or external research departments and research institutions and industries to establish joint doctoral programs, joint research projects and industry partnerships.
Entrepreneurship opportunities are provided through business incubator centers within universities for doctoral communities , where applicable.

15. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
2.5 Doctoral student progress and recognition of achievements Credit transfer system to enable recognition of learning outcomes acquired in different institutions is in place. Relevant regulation and procedure to support mobility of doctoral students, allowing them to do a certain number of courses offered by external institutions, if they wish. 4.4 Mobility of teaching staff Doctorate supports mobility of teaching staff, inviting highly competent visiting and/or adjuct professors from national and international organizations and research institutes. Providing teaching staff a professional development opportunities through working as visiting professors or researchers in different institutions through joint agreements.

16. POLICY CHALLENGES Salzburg principle 6: Innovativeness and uniqueness
Priority areas of national and regional development are not neatly reflected in research strategies of graduate schools. Research groups and excellence centers which address the particular contextual challenges are limited.
PPP is limited so research demands from industries and society are not much reflected in doctoral programs and thesis.
Entrepreneurship opportunities (start-up and spin-off) for doctoral communities are limited.
Salzburg principle 8: Interdisciplinarity
A mechanism to support interdisciplinary structures is not in place. Disciplinary tribes are strong to defend their borders.
Interdisciplinary research institutes within the universities are limited

17. HOW ARE THESE ADDRESSED THROUGH EQA SYSTEM?
1.2 Pertinence of doctoral studies for society
Priority areas of national and regional development needs and/or contextual challenges are reflected in research strategies of graduate programs.
To address the contextual challenges, doctoral schools support interdisciplinary programs and research opportunities.
6.7 Research partnership
Entrepreneurship opportunities are provided through business incubator centers within universities for doctoral communities , where applicable.

18. Thank you
for your attention!

19. Gross enrollment ratio in tertiary level
MONGOLIAN
HIGHER EDUCATION AT A GLANCE
58.4%
41.7%
0.2%
17 public HEIs
74 private HEIs
4 branches of foreign HEIs
The total
number of
HEIs
1991
2017 14 95
Undergraduate majors
Gross enrollment ratio in tertiary level
14%
1991
69%
2017
business and law
25%
19%
14%
12%
7.5%
5.1%
4.07%
3.2%
2.9
2.07
engineering
education
medical science
arts and humanities
social science
services
natural science, maths IT
Agriculture
1.6%
Doctoral
Total students 157,138
86%
Bachelor
12.3%
Master
Full time academics 6917
PhD
Master’s Degree
29.4
65.9
First, I’ll just give you a brief overview of the Mongolian higher education and current issues around curriculum development.
Well, the Mongolian higher education has experienced a remarkable expansion since its transition from planned economy to open-market economy. The number of higher education institution (HEIs) grew from 14 to 95, and gross enrollment ratio in tertiary level grew from 14 to 69 percent.
58.4 percent of the total students study at 17 state-owned HEIs, 41.4 percent at 74 private HEIs and 0.2 percent at 4 branches of foreign HEIs. 86 percent of students study at Bachelor’s, 12.3 percent at Master’s and 1.6 percent at doctoral levels.
It is interesting to note here that top four majors students enrolled are business and law, engineering, education and medical science.
We have about 7000 full time academics and 30 percent of them hold PhD and the majority of them have Master’s degree. HEIs employ a large portion of assistant lecturers and lecturers who are in their earlier careers of the profession while the professoriate comprises less than a quarter of academic community. The situation is much more evident in private institutions compared to those in state-owned universities.
20,000
157,138
1991
2017
Tertiary students

20. Higher education sector-some categories