FINEEC is a partner in the QA-FIT project funded by the European Commission

Release Higher education
QA-FIT-logo. Quality Assurance Fit for the Future.

 

FINEEC is a partner in the Quality Assurance Fit for the Future QA-FIT-project funded by the European Commission. The project started in June 2022 and ends in November 2024. The project  gathers comprehensive data on external quality assurance in Europe.

Aims and activities

The purpose of the project is to reflect if and how 1) the current EHEA framework of the ESG is perceived to limit the responsiveness of quality assurance to trends and innovations in higher education, and if and how 2) there should be more room for development of alternative approaches to quality assurance.

More specifically, the project will:

  • conduct a comprehensive mapping exercise of the state of play of internal and external quality assurance in the EHEA;
  • take a critical look at the ESG and see how they have been adapted to different contexts;
  • explore how quality assurance activities are addressing recent and emerging developments in higher education including activities that go beyond the focus of the ESG and that use innovative approaches, and
  • gather perspectives on the future of quality assurance in the EHEA.

Activities

The main activities of the project will include:

  • Surveys to the main quality assurance stakeholders, namely higher education institutions, students, quality assurance agencies, and ministries;
  • A series of papers to present findings from the surveys;
  • A series of webinars, organised in conjunction with the publication of the papers;
  • Five focus groups to discuss in detail some of the matters arising from the surveys;
  • A final publication and policy recommendations;
  • A final conference organised in Brussels.

Expected use of the data

The evidence will serve as a basis for further in-depth stakeholder consultation and reflection on the topics of the project.

The project will conclude with the development of policy messages to be taken up in national, European Union and EHEA policy discussions.

At national level and with individual stakeholder groups, the project outcomes will provide a broad evidence base for further development of quality assurance systems and approaches, act as a benchmark for systems and organisations as well as facilitate the sharing of practice and peer learning.

At the EHEA level, the project findings will feed directly into the discussions leading up to the next Bologna Process Ministerial Conference in 2024 and, if appropriate, into the drafting of the 2024 Tirana Communiqué.

FINEEC’s role

FINEEC is a project partner and a member of the QA FIT steering committee. FINEEC represents the quality assurance agencies in the project.

Consortium

ENQA – European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, Belgium (Coordinator)

ESU – European Students’ Union, Belgium

EUA – European University Association, Belgium

EURASHE – European Association of Institutions in Higher Education, Belgium

EQAR – European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, Belgium

ANOSR – National Alliance of Student Organisations in Romania, Romania

FINEEC – Finnish Education Evaluation Centre, Finland

IUA – Irish Universities Association, Ireland

MOESGE (associate partner) – Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, Georgia

Funding and duration

Call: ERASMUS-EDU-2021-EHEA-IBA – European Higher Education Area (EHEA) – Initiative to support to the implementation of the reforms

Timeline: The project is being held from 1 June 2022 to 30 November 2024 (30 months).

For further information, please contact

Mirella Nordblad, FINEEC,  029 533 5541, mirella.nordblad(at)karvi.fi

 

Co-funded by the European Union