The first seminars of the workshop series “Internal Quality Assurance System as a Strategic Tool for Institutional Development: Evaluation, Priorities and Targeted Improvements” have taken place
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The first workshops of the series “Internal Quality Assurance System as a Strategic Tool for Institutional Development: Evaluation, Priorities and Targeted Improvements” took place on 24 and 25 September this year. Separate workshops were organised for representatives of universities and colleges, allowing the discussions to focus on the specific issues and challenges characteristic of each type of higher education institution. The workshop series is organised within the framework of the ESF project “Introduction of Cyclical Institutional Accreditation in Higher Education.”
The aim of the workshops was to initiate a professional discussion on the functioning of internal quality assurance systems, their strengths and opportunities for improvement, as well as to identify issues where drawing on the experience of external experts could be particularly valuable.
The workshops opened with a presentation by Jolanta Silka, Head of the Quality Agency for Higher Education (AIKA), on the findings of study-field evaluation experts and the areas for quality enhancement they have identified, based on the experience of study-field evaluations conducted between 2020 and 2026. These findings provided a basis for the subsequent discussions, during which representatives of universities and colleges worked in small groups to analyse their own experience, identify good practices and areas requiring improvement, and formulate key issues that would benefit from further in-depth exploration and on which it would be valuable to hear the views of external experts.
Particular attention during the discussions was paid to how the different elements of quality assurance systems are interconnected and contribute to a comprehensive improvement cycle, how the information generated is used in decision-making, and how to ensure that quality assurance supports not only the implementation of processes but also the achievement of tangible improvements.
During the next workshops in the series, to be held in November, the issues identified will be discussed with experienced experts in internal quality assurance systems in higher education. The experts’ experience and the outcomes of the workshop discussions will be used in further work to develop practical recommendations for universities and colleges on enhancing their internal quality assurance systems.
