Accreditation With ASIIN - Degree Programmes Institutions and Systems 2015-06-26
Accreditation With ASIIN - Degree Programmes Institutions and Systems 2015-06-26
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As of: 26/06/2015
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Table of Contents
1. Self-Conception ................................................................................................................................... 5
2. Definition of Terms.............................................................................................................................. 6
2.1 Quality ............................................................................................................................................ 6
2.2 Quality management und quality assurance ....................................................................................... 6
2.3 Processes and their results ............................................................................................................... 6
2.4 Accreditation ................................................................................................................................... 7
3. Programmes and systems: observation of good teaching and successful learning on two levels .............. 7
3.1 The quality-related responsibility of higher education institutions ....................................................... 7
3.2 Stakeholders ................................................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Programme objectives and learning outcomes ................................................................................... 8
3.4 Review of degree programmes in an accreditation procedure: orientation on results ........................... 9
3.5 Review of the system level in an accreditation procedure: governance of learning and teaching as
quality management ...................................................................................................................... 10
3.6 The possibility of further perspectives: governance of research and development as quality
management ................................................................................................................................. 11
4. Quality seals under the roof of ASIIN .................................................................................................. 11
4.1 Seal of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany (Accreditation
Council) ......................................................................................................................................... 12
4.2 ASIIN quality seal for degree programmes ....................................................................................... 13
® ® ® ®
4.3 European subject-specific labels: EUR-ACE , Eurobachelor -/Euromaster , Euro-Inf for degree
programmes .................................................................................................................................. 13
4.4 ASIIN system seal (Institutional Accreditation) ................................................................................. 13
5. Model of procedures: single and combined procedures ....................................................................... 14
6. Overview of ASIIN guidelines ............................................................................................................. 15
3
List of key documents
At European level:
“Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area” (May 2015, in the
applicable version) (ESG, European Standards and Guidelines)
European Union: ECTS Users’ Guide, Luxembourg (2015, in the applicable version).
European Communities: European Qualifications Framework, EQF, (Empfehlung der Europäischen Parlaments
und der Europäischen Rates vom 23. April 2008 zur Einrichtung des Europäischen Qualifikationsrahmens für
lebenslanges Lernen (2008/C 111/01)
Specific to Germany:
Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany (Accreditation Council): Resolution
“Accreditation Council Rules for the Accreditation of Study Programmes and for System Accreditation”
(08/12/2009, in the applicable version).
Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs: Resolution “Common structural
guidelines for the accreditation of Bachelor’s and Master’s study courses” (10 October 2003, in the applicable
version).
Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs: Resolution “Qualifications Framework
for German Higher Education Qualifications” (21 April 2005, in the applicable version).
The latest versions of these and other documents may be accessed from the following web pages:
4
1. Self-Conception
The representatives from higher education institutions, the private sector and public administration
who are involved with ASIIN share the belief that a solid academic education is the basis for the
sustainable development of a modern society.
ASIIN understands „education“ both as a learning and development process in order to achieve
manifold competences and as the outcome of such a process. The result of the educational process
supports the successful creation of the personal, social and professional life.
For this reason ASIIN pursues nationally and internationally the goals,
→ to strengthen and ensure the quality of academic education.
→ to establish transparency about the achieved quality of academic education and further
education in order to promote academic and professional mobility.
We pursue these goals for the members of ASIIN, for higher education institutions, for teaching staff
and students, for representatives of the private sector and the public administration as well as for
interested third parties.
ASIIN achieves its goals
→ as a service provider for learning providers and educational systems within academic and
further education nationally as well as internationally
→ especially by accreditation and certification, evaluation, consultation in matters of system
and organisational development as well as training courses
→ through the participation of (honorary) external academic and professional experts.
This handbook firstly explains the central concepts used in the ASIIN criteria and in its accreditation
and certification processes.
It details the principles and perspectives which are common to all ASIIN criteria and processes –
irrespective of whether the accreditation/certification concerns a quality management system, an
institution or a degree programme.
An overview of all quality seals awarded by ASIIN is followed by a description of the aims and
principles for the design of procedures – again irrespective of the object of the
accreditation/certification.
Finally, there is a summary of all available documents containing the criteria and guidelines for each
single seal.
This document was designed for all kinds of institutions of higher education that offer educational
programmes on an academic level of 6 or higher with respect to the European Qualifications
Framework.
5
2. Definition of Terms
2.1 Quality
ASIIN’s understanding of quality is characterized by two key elements:
x The content-related quality of teaching and learning is defined by the higher education
institution1 itself by determining the objectives and expectations for outcomes.
x The higher education institution and its members include external requirements owed to the
political, legal and socio-economic environment in which they design and implement their
education and/or training programmes. As a consequence, content-related quality is not chosen
arbitrarily since it must also meet external expectations: In contrast to economic success (the
central standard for quality and quantity-related production objectives of businesses), quality
criteria for higher education institutions can only be developed in reference to the effect which
the activities of the institution have on society, the economy and education policy making.
1
The present document addresses all types of education providers of educational offers at an academic level (level 6 or
higher with respect to the European Qualifications Framework. For all such providers the generic term “higher education
institution” is used here.
2
See DIN/Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V., DIN EN ISO 9000:2000, 3.2.2
3
Compare: PDCA-cycle after Deming (Deming, W.E.: Out of the Crisis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
1982, ISBN 0-911379-01-0, S. 88.)
4
See DIN/Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V., DIN EN ISO 9001:2008-12, 0.2: "For an organisation to function effectively,
it has to determine and manage numerous linked activities."
6
programmes to be implemented, a number of additional processes take place in every higher
education institution. Their results again have an impact on the qualifying process itself.
The quality of teaching and learning at a higher education institution becomes evident on the basis of
the results of the qualifying process of the degree programmes. The results that are achieved by the
students in the degree programmes are the learning outcomes.
2.4 Accreditation
Accreditation is defined as an instrument of quality assurance. It confirms in a way that is
comprehensible to all interested parties - including those outside the higher education institution -
that at a certain point of time an object under review complies with certain standards. These
standards are publicly accessible and compliance is required from all institutions which want to
acquire the certificate. Accreditation is connected with a yes/no decision if the object under review is
awarded the certificate or quality seal for a certain period.
3. Programmes and systems: observation of good teaching and successful learning on two
levels
According to ASIIN both accreditation procedures for institutions and systems in the area of teaching
and learning as well as accreditation procedures for degree programmes focus on their quality – only
on different levels. Based on this logic, institutional accreditation/system accreditation and
accreditation/certification of degree programmes do not compete but can complement each other
methodically: They focus on different aspects in the operation of a higher education institution and
have a different depth of detail.
From the viewpoint of ASIIN both concepts should be designed in a way to make good teaching and
successful learning apparent – in different levels of detail and results - and to support its further
development.
7
Higher education institutions therefore have the opportunity to take over the responsibility of
internal and external quality reviews and their results, and to specifically include them into their
strategic planning. A coordinated interaction between internal and external view leads to an
integrated system which comprises all processes and activities of all units of a higher education
institution and that can evolve into a quality management system which governs the whole
organisation.
3.2 Stakeholders
Regardless of whether a higher education institution itself defines the quality to be expected from its
activities (by aiming at results which the institution considers to be of good quality) or whether the
quality of a degree programme or of the entire institution is determined by external quality
expectations: when defining quality, different groups of people are typically involved or affected to a
different extent and thus become stakeholders.
All individuals or groups who are directly involved in the activities of a higher education institution
can be classified as internal stakeholders. This group includes students, teachers, lecturers, trainers
and members of staff who work in the administration and management departments of an
institution as well as other persons who deliver their services within the institution. In addition to
that, there are external stakeholders who get involved by presenting demands and needs from
outside and around the higher education institution. Among others, this group includes potential
employers, future colleagues and representatives of government institutions. Stakeholders can be
identified through their function within a higher education institution, but also through their specific
and individual disposition, e. g. gender or cultural and linguistic origins. This is especially true when
identifying people who are directly affected by or involved in teaching at a higher education
institution.
The identification of all relevant stakeholders depends directly on the strategic positioning of a
higher education institution in its environment as well as on its guidelines and development
objectives. Taking into consideration such group-specific interests can, for example, mean taking
measures for equal opportunities and diversity.
In order to achieve the quality aimed at, it is crucial whether and how stakeholders who have been
identified as relevant are involved in the planning, management and implementation of quality
assurance processes.
8
Based on the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning, ASIIN uses the following
definitions:5
x Qualification means the formal result of an evaluation and validation process in which a
competent body has found that a given person's learning outcomes are in line with the required
standards.
x Learning outcomes are definitions of what students know, understand and are able to do after
completing a learning process. They are defined as knowledge, skills and competences.
x Knowledge is the result of the processing of information by learning/studying (theory and/or
factual knowledge).
x Skills are the ability to apply knowledge in order to carry out given tasks and solve problems
(cognitive skills such as logical, intuitional and creative thinking as well as practical skills such as
skilfulness and the use of methods, materials, tools and instruments).
x Competence is the ability to use knowledge, skills and personal, social and/or systematic abilities
in a working or learning environment as well as for one's own professional and/or personal
development.
Learning outcomes may be achieved through various forms of teaching and learning.
The learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, and competences) which a degree programme aims to
impart have to be clearly defined by the higher education institution – irrespective of whether it is an
institutional accreditation/system accreditation or an accreditation of a degree programme. In case
of an institutional accreditation the focus is on the processes and management mechanisms of the
higher education institution with which the faculty members define the learning outcomes for all
degree programmes. In case of an accreditation of a degree programme the peers’ external view is
directed towards the specific learning outcomes of a degree programme and their implementation.
5
see European Parliament legislative resolution of 24 October 2007 on the proposal for a recommendation of the
European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework for
lifelong learning (COM(2006)0479 – C6-0294/2006 – 2006/0163(COD)), Brussels 24/10/2007
9
2. Implementation: Here, the focus is on the measures, instruments and resources which are
the product of the supporting or organisational processes of a higher education institution
that it invests in the implementation of a programme (input) in order to attain the defined
goals (outcome).
3. Further development and checking results: The institution’s internal quality assurance
process is considered at this juncture; its feedback mechanisms should lead to continuous
improvements in the programme.
ASIIN’s process-oriented perspective and underlying quality concept mean that the responsibility for
quality and the process firmly lies with higher education institutions which are, therefore, also
responsible for defining the objectives for a given programme. In this way, they give expression to
their strategic orientation, the image they seek to create and their integration within the social
context.
3.5 Review of the system level in an accreditation procedure: governance of learning and teaching
as quality management
For ASIIN, the quality of teaching and learning results first and foremost from the combination of the
elements which make up the qualifying process in a degree programme and the extent to which its
objectives have been met. ASIIN's understanding of quality is based on qualifying processes. It is the
basis for all requirements and procedural principles for ASIIN programme and system/institutional
accreditations. While single degree programmes are externally assessed by ASIIN during the
accreditation of degree programmes, the higher education institution has to demonstrate during the
system/institutional accreditation procedure that a review of teaching and learning is carried out as
part of its internal quality management system.
10
The following is a good example of a comprehensive quality management system at a higher
education institution (the figure takes the field of teaching and learning as an example for a more
precise description):
Quality Management
Competences and
Strategy and structures
responsibilities
Instruments
Implemen- Information/
tation Analysis
Planning Assessment/
Feedback
Core processes of the higher education institution
Research and
Teaching and Learning Other Activities
Development
Objectives + Implemen
Outcomes
development -tation
This design is only one tool for analysis. All other reasonable designs to set up a quality management
system and the processes it is based on can serve as a suitable basis for accreditation.
During the system/institutional accreditation procedure it is necessary to describe and document the
quality management system as well as to prove is effectiveness.
3.6 The possibility of further perspectives: governance of research and development as quality
management
Besides the core process of teaching and learning, an HEI’s quality management system can also
focus on other core processes – such as research and development or administration.
The present approach is also suitable to assess an HEI’s quality management system with respect to
its effectiveness on other core processes. It thus allows ASIIN, upon request, to further assess an
HEI’s internal quality management system - in addition to the requirements and questions connected
with the accreditation seal - in order to identify possible areas of improvement in structures and
processes.
4.1 Seal of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany (Accreditation
Council)
The Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany (Accreditation Council)
defines procedural and decision-making rules and the criteria for the accreditation of degree
programmes and for system accreditation. Under the stipulation of these rules and criteria the seal
of the Accreditation Council can be obtained by the way of system accreditation or the accreditation
of a degree programme.
The award of the seal of the Accreditation Council confirms the quality of the degree programmes as
well as the compliance with the formal requirements of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of
Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) and the European standards for degree programmes for
academic degrees according to German law.
While developing the criteria, procedural and decision-making rules, the Accreditation Council took
into account the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education
Area.
The award of the seal of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Study Programmes in Germany is
cost-covering and generates no profit.
12
4.2 ASIIN quality seal for degree programmes
The ASIIN quality seal is based on general and subject-specific criteria for degree programmes in the
area of engineering, informatics, natural sciences and mathematics. These criteria are defined in
consultation with stakeholders and their organisations from the academic and the private sector and
are continually further developed during meetings of working groups of these stakeholders.
The ASIIN quality seal for study programmes provides assurance that subject specific quality
standards of the academic discipline and of the profession for which that programme prepares are
met at high level. It confirms further that a suitable framework for good teaching and successful
learning is provided. The award of the seal is based on learning outcome oriented standards of the
involved disciplines and complies with the European Qualifications Framework and the “European
Standards and Guidelines”.
The award of the ASIIN quality seal is cost-covering and generates no profit. It is available nationally
and internationally.
13
The award of the ASIIN system seal is cost-covering and generates no profit. It is available nationally
and internationally. The relevant criteria are currently available only in English.
14
Adaption to national systems and legal frameworks
If ASIIN conducts procedures in countries with an own higher education accreditation which is open
to foreign agencies, ASIIN also awards possibly additional seals that are based upon national laws and
requirements. In Switzerland the national accreditation system provides the preparatory work of an
agency like ASIIN up to the decision recommendation. The final decision about the accreditation with
national validity is only made by official government bodies.
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Version: 26.06.2015
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