ENQA Newsletter - Issue 4

ENQA Newsletter - Issue 4
We have the pleasure to present you the fourth Issue of the ENQA Newsletter. To access the Newsletter "Issue 4" please follow the link here.
New ENQA policy on publication of review reports – enhancing transparency
In the interest of increased transparency, ENQA decided to publish all review reports regardless of the outcome of the review. The reports will be published on the ENQA website under the page “review reports and decisions”. Thus, there will not be a list of “unsuccessful applicants” on the members’ page. The review report, together with the Board’s letter to the agency (enlisting the reasons for the decision and related recommendations) will be published. The policy will be effective for all those agencies whose review process (or second round review process) has not yet started. All agencies will be informed as part of the terms of reference for the review that the review report will be published on the ENQA website at the end of the process, i.e. after the decision of the Board on ENQA membership.
QAA: New review method in the making
In the UK, two key areas of focus at the moment are 1) the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (the Quality Code), which provides the basis for review judgements and is maintained by QAA, and 2) a new risk-based review method for England and Northern Ireland – “Higher Education Review”. The move towards a more risk-based approach marks a significant new stage for the external quality assurance of higher education. QAA believes this approach is more appropriate for an increasingly diverse sector with a significant number of new entrants of very different kinds. The Handbook for Higher Education Review was recently presented for public consultation online and will be published in June 2013. The Higher Education Review, to be launched during the academic year 2013-14, will succeed two existing methods: Institutional Review in England and Northern Ireland (IRENI) and Review of College Higher Education (RCHE). The overall aim of the new method is to inform students and the wider public whether a provider meets the expectations of the higher education sector for the setting and/or maintenance of academic standards; the provision of learning opportunities and information; and the enhancement of the quality of its higher education provision. The Higher Education Review strives to achieve the right balance of interests, bringing together a lighter touch, transparency, consistency, professional judgement and a tailored approach for each provider. QAA underlines the importance of ensuring that any variation in the intensity of review for individual providers is based on sound evidence, and does not prevent reviewers from investigating the key issues affecting students and other stakeholders. For further information: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/.
ACSUCYL Guide for Managing External Placements at Universities
With the perspective of providing universities with a support document and methodological tool that will enable them to plan and assess external placements offered by higher education institutions, the Quality Assurance Agency for the University System in Castilla y León (ACSUCYL) has published a "Guide for Managing External Placements at Universities in Castilla y León". This guide reflects on the increasingly important role played by external placements as a training activity within the framework of the new university curricula adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This is the first guide of its kind to be published on the topic to help universities handle and assess the placements offered. A working group comprising seven national and international experts with extensive knowledge and wide experience in the field was involved in drawing up the Guide. ACSUCYL consulted a number of stakeholders in order to gauge the suitability of the content as well as its usefulness for the potentially interested HEIs. The Guide was then approved by ACSUCYL's Institutional Quality Assessment Commission, published and circulated to all relevant stakeholders. For further information: http://www.acsucyl.es/.
ACSUG studies labour market insertion of graduates in Galicia, Spain
One of the leading activities of the Agency for Quality Assurance in the Galician University System (ACSUG) since its establishment in 2001 has been the performance of labour market insertion surveys of graduates in the Galician University System (SUG). The SUG is formed by three public universities, with seven campuses in Galicia. The labour market insertion project started with the study of graduates from academic years 1996/97 to 2000/01. Currently ACSUG is working on the 2009/10 survey. The surveys aim at getting an overview of the employment situation of the SUG graduates, approximately 18 months after completing their degree. The information provided by these studies proved to be helpful to universities in designing new academic degrees, as well as in managing resources and student services. Currently, the SUG universities, in the process of adapting to the EHEA, show commitment for the employability of graduates. Hence the need for ACSUG to perform labour market insertion studies, with special attention to the possible gap between the knowledge and training acquired at university and the professional competencies required. The Galician Government will include the labour market insertion rate as one of the indicators to be taken into account when determining universities financing. For further information: http://www.acsug.es/english/webs/pil.php.
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