AIKA representatives gain experience on implementation of cyclical institutional assessment in Sweden

On March 19, representatives of the Quality Agency for Higher Education (AIKA) visited the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) to gain experience in implementing cyclical institutional accreditation.

The cyclical institutional evaluation process has been implemented in Sweden since 2017, following a large-scale study programme evaluation exercise in 2011–2014, and UKÄ has now launched its second institutional evaluation cycle. During the institutional evaluation process in Sweden, the main emphasis is not on the outcome of education or research, but on the quality of the quality assurance processes themselves.

During the exchange visit, AIKA representatives learned about the higher education and quality assurance system in Sweden, in particular about the methodology and guidelines for institutional evaluation, including the development of evaluation timelines and detailed schedules, the establishment of expert groups and support provided to expert groups and higher education institutions, as well as various methodological challenges that UKÄ has encountered in the development of the quality assurance system.

To promote mutual exchange of experience and sharing of good practices, AIKA representatives introduced Swedish colleagues to the higher education quality assurance system in Latvia, as well as outlined the progress, considerations, and challenges of implementing cyclical institutional accreditation in Latvia.

The exchange visit took place within the framework of the ESF+ project No. 4.2.2.6/1/25/I/001 “Introduction of cyclical institutional accreditation in higher education.”