1. OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES OF AGENCY FOR SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION Project Planning Meeting and Training Visit Ljubljana, Slovenia Monday, 2 July, 2007 Kristina Ferara, dipl.ing. (kristina.ferara@azvo.hr)kristina.ferara@azvo.hr AHES - Department for International Cooperation

2. Presentation Outlines About the ASHE Role of ASHE Overview of activities by Departments

3. About the ASHE 1/3 ASHE MISSION - to protect public interest in the preservation of the standard of HE qualifications and constantly support the improvement of quality of the scientific activity and HE. ASHE cooperates closely with HEIs and science, national councils, competent ministry, and other government bodies. Knowledge-based society innovative and competitive spirit scientific and technological development Accountability of University preparing the citizens: competitiveness, competence, quality education, ethics, democracy, bridging national and cultural differences I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

4. About the ASHE 2/3  Founded - July 2004 (Gov. Reg)  Operative - since March 2005  Agency is providing professional and administrative assistance to: - National Council for Science (NCS) - National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) - Science and Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) - Committee for Ethics in Science and Higher Education - 7 scientific field councils - 22 standing committees and expert commissions  Need for improvement of legislation in order to clarify competences of both the National Council for Higher Education and the ASHE I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

5. About the ASHE 3/3 Agency’s Organizational Structure: Management Board (president + 6 memebers); Expert Bord (9 ASHE); Director Structure (36): 6 Departments + 1 1. Department for Higher Education (5) 2. Department for Science (3) 3. Quality Assurance Department (3) 4. Department for Analytics and Statistics (3) 5. Department for International Cooperation (2) National ENIC Office (5) TEMPUS Office (3) 6. Department for professional and administrative issues Section for financial and accounting affairs (3) Section for general, legal and personnel affairs (2) Section for procurement and technical affairs (1) Section for information affairs (2) 7. Director’s Office (4) I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

6. AZVO 2007 AZVO 2005

7. Role of AZVO external QA of HE including the design and implementation of methods, procedures, standards and criteria, and the actual conduct of evaluations (evaluation/accreditation/audit) resulting in final report and decision (accreditation or audit) on quality of provision  advice to HEIs in relation to quality issues  providing information on the quality of HE to all the partners and the public at large, including regular disciplinary or sector wide analyses  monitoring of international developments, international networking  providing expert assistance to committees working on sub-act documents and directives for evaluation of quality of HEIs  preparing discussion papers, proposing policy developments. I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

8. Overview of activities by Departments

9. Overview of activities DEPARTMENT FOR HE  responsible for the provision of professional and administrative support to NCHE -highest professional body The scope of work:  in the processes of approving new academic programs in HEI  in the processes of issuing permits to new HEI  in the processes of evaluating HEI and academic programs with the purpose of implementing the system for monitoring and improving the quality of HE in the RC I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

10. Overview of activities DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE  organizes and handles managerial, professional and administrative affairs for the NCS in the process of adopting, realizing and monitoring plans and programs of scientific organizations / institutions  handles managerial and professional affairs in the process of adopting, monitoring and implementing national scientific programs and projects  ensures work conditions to Regional Councils and Central Boards, expert committees appointed by the NCS for the purpose of assessing quality, excellence and efficiency of scientific organizations I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

11. Overview of activities QA DEPARTMENT  Implementation, maintenance and constant improvement of the quality management system inside the AZVO  Monitoring of the QA system in HEI in the RC  Association with the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, ENQA I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

12. Overview of activities DEPARTMENT FOR ANALYTICS AND STATISTICS  AZVO is formally bound (by law) with "the creation and maintenance of national databases on the system of scientific activity and HE  identifying the needs for data, IT systems and technology that will be used for the purposes of data gathering and processing  Participation in designing, servicing and improving MOZVAG system (Evaluation Module for the Agency) which was used for carrying out investigations of undergraduate and graduate study programmes (and is now being used for post-graduate study programmes). I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

13. Overview of activities DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION  development of international relations of the RC in the field of HE & science.  planning and creation of international network of contacts – integration of RC into European Higher Education Area (EHEA)  International projects: CARDS 2002 - Higher Education Mobility: Diploma Recognition Policy and Legislation; September 2004 – March 2006 CARDS 2003 - Furtherance of the Quality Assurance Agency and supporting a Management Information System in Higher Education; September 2006 – March 2008 MATRA - Strengthening the Role of Croatian ENIC/NARIC Office (24 Months – starting 2007) TEMPUS SCM - Enhacing Mobility of the Croatian Academic Community - Training for EU-liaison officers in Croatian Universities: pursuing Bologna and EU integration aims I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

14. Overview of activities DEPARTMENT FOR IC – TEMPUS OFFICE & National ENIC/NARIC Office TEMPUS OFFICE  financed by the EC  carries out promotional activities (guidelines, info publications), provides advice and aid to project proposals, assistance regarding technical and financial issues to the leaders of approved projects, carries out evaluations, cooperates with the delegations of the EC, etc National ENIC/NARIC Office  information centre for academic mobility and recognition of foreign higher education qualifications Scope of acitivities of National ENIC/NARIC Office:  acitivities on recognition of foreign higher education qualifications  providing information on foreign education systems  providing information on national education system I ABOUT THE ASHE II ROLE OF ASHE III OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY DEP. Dep. for Higher Education Dep. for Science Quality Assurance Dep. Dep. for Analytics and Statistics Dep. for International Cooperation National ENIC Office TEMPUS Office

15. AZVO in numbers  36 employees  AZVO is providing professional and administrative assistance to the NCS, NCHE, SHEFC, the Committee for Ethics in Science and Higher Education, 7 scientific field councils, 22 standing committees and expert commissions.  During the past period there were 40 NCHE sessions, 27 NCS sessions, 4 joint sessions of the NCHE and NCS, 11 sessions of the Science and Higher Education Funding Council and 6 sessions of the Committee for Ethics in Science and Higher Education  870 study programs evaluated  Since October 2004 there has been a total of 3068 requests for professional and academic recognition of FHEQs.

16. Thank you for your attention! Agency for Science and Higher Education Kristina Ferara, dipl.ing. (kristina.ferara@azvo.hr)kristina.ferara@azvo.hr Department for International Cooperation Savska cesta 41, Zagreb web: www.azvo.hrwww.azvo.hr tel: 01/6274-800

17. Kangaroo is jumping thru Australia and every 100 meters he stops. Out of his sac leans out little penguin completely pale and feeling sick. At the other part of the World – Antarctic – among lot of other penguins sits little kangaroo sneezes and grumbles: “Grrrr … Stupid student exchange…”