Swiss Quality Assurance & Accreditation System in Higher Education: Perspectives for Southeast Asia

By Dr. Alexandre Dormeier Freire, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID),1 Geneva
SEAMEO, Nha Trang 10-11 August 2009

Quality assurance and accreditation, the context

1.Consequence of massification or democratization of higher education. Globalization => Increasing mobility, etc.

2.HE turned into a commodity: responsiveness of universities increases effectiveness

3.What is quality insurance? => attention on quality maintenance and improvement (Vroeijenstijn, 1995) 4.Its not about benchmarking => compliance (with laws) and enhancement, its a process

5.What is accreditation? => legitimation of institutions to award degrees, granting quality mark indicating that certain standards are met (Vroeijenstijin, 2005)
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Swiss Academic System Overview

1.Switzerland has 9 Cantonal Universities and 2 Federal technological universities

2.University law based on national (federal) legislation, but education is highly decentralized
3.Academic world is homogenous and small (100000 HE students), but sharp increase of enrollments in the 1980s 4. Bologna process appeared in late 1990s 5.Quality assurance & accreditation established lately in 2000
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Swiss Quality Accreditation System

European Network for Quality Assurance in HE (ENQA), European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA) in HE- Code of good practice

Federal State

Swiss Parliament

Quality Accreditatio n Organization (QAO)

Cantons

= QAA relations = Political relation = Financial and/or political

Universities

Accreditation decisions

Swiss University Conference (SUC)

Accreditation procedures/1
3 stages for assessment:
1. Minimal norms are elaborated on structures and internal results (objectives definition, internal governance, infrastructures, curriculum, research results, stakeholders participation -students association, staff- etc.)

1.1 Self-assessment also requested

2. External experts assess whether minimal norms are reached (university visits)

2.1. Interviews with all stakeholders (students, professors, deans, etc.)

3. Report, verification, validation and position proposed to SUC

4. 3 decisions possible: accreditation granted, accreditation subject to conditions, accreditation denied

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Accreditation procedures/2
Some remarks:
1. Accreditation is limited in time (7 years)

2. Focus on teaching evaluation => research results is gaining importance

3. SUC takes the final decision of assessment 4. Accreditation is not obligatory, but strong incentive by law suspicions of Cantons to Federal control 5. Accreditation for public and private institutions 6. Both institutes and course are accredited => flexibility
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Perspectives for SEA/1

On quality convergence:
1. National policies have to be integrated in a regional framework, need to overcome domestic approaches => mutual recognition 2. Recognition of antagonistic dimensions: selfdetermination, need of convergences => Is a general model desirable? 3. Common elements in QA & A different national models. Convergence and emerging global consensuses on quality assurance & accreditation (Khawas 1998) 4. But: difficulties to define standards of quality => 23 criteria on 3 dimensions of ENQA
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On the QAA governance system:

Perspectives for SEA/2

1.Independence of the accreditation organization, non-profit oriented, combining national, international expertise => closedcircuit desirable? 2.Monopoly of one QAA agency 3.transparency of decisions

4.Accreditation organization doesnt take political decisions separation between strategic and operational levels in QAA procedures 5.No automatic link between QAA results and financial support
6.Check and balances => Switzerland has found a compromise, not perfect though => flexibility

7.Who determines the assessment framework?

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Thank you!
> Email:
alexandre.freire@graduateinstitute.ch

> Website:
http://graduateinstitute.ch