Enhancing Quality Assurance of Studies – A National Priority for Moldovan Higher Education

DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN MOLDOVAMOLDOVA

Enhancing Quality Assurance of Studies – A National Priority for Moldovan Higher Education

Victoria Reinhardt - PhD, QUAEM Project Manager, Curricular Manager at the University of Leipzig; Todos Petru - prof., First Vice-rector of the Technical University of Moldova (TUM); Chiciuc Andrei – PhD eng., assoc.prof., Head of Quality Management Department, TUM; Guvir Stela – Deputy-head of Quality Management Department, TUM


Republic of MoldovaLocated in the South-Eastern part of Europe

Capital: Chisinau

Inhabitants: 3,56 million people (2012)

Number of higher education institutions:State – 19Private – 15Total nr. of students in the academic year 2012/2013 – 102,5 thousand (including foreign students)Didactic staff – 6 thousand


QA Challenges at National Level

1. Long delay in launching the National Agency for External Evaluation and Accreditation Consequences: -difficult harmonization with the European higher education area-non accredited HEI, non accredited study programmes- lack of trainings for QA structures at HEI2. Lack of external mechanisms for quality assurance convergent with European standards (ESG) Consequences:- low reliability of studies, -blockages in the academic and professional mobility 3. Lack of a common understanding concerning quality culture in HEI Consequences:-Low level of involvement of various stakeholders-No networking within and between HEI in the filed of QA-Low impact of internal QA structures in force.


Tempus Projects on QA in RM

•Tempus JEP-26091-2005 “The implementation of the Institutional System of Internal Quality Assurance in Higher Education of the Republic of Moldova” (duration: 2006 - 2008) – finished

•530537-TEMPUS-1-2012-1-DE-TEMPUS SMGR “Development of Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Moldova - QUAEM” (duration: 2012 -2015) - ongoing


Why QUAEM?A study on the needs analysis conducted in January 2011 has demonstrated that the newly established quality management structures at the Moldovan universities (within the previous TEMPUS project) have a low impact because of :

•the lack of training of the staff involved, •the low profile of students in QA,•the low level of communication between the QA structures and the academic staff involved, •the missing link between quality assurance and HE institutions’ strategy development and •the lack of a body that brings QA activities together and helps to implement common standards in the Republic of Moldova.


QUAEM goals

1. To make the existing QA structures at Moldovan HE institutions functional;

1. To integrate QA into the strategic development of the universities;

2. To support Moldova to develop its own QA system on all levels up to the international accreditation of pilot study programs in accordance with EU standards.


How does QUAEM Address the Challenges?

• a series of trainings for all the actors involved in the quality cycle (quality management officers, deans, professors, students, universities’ central administration) that are tailored to the specific needs in Moldova

• the creation of peer networks for all the actors’ groups

• the internal evaluation and the international accreditation of three pilot study programs

• the creation of a pool of experts (professors and students trained and

actively involved in the process of international accreditation of the selected study programs) for the future accreditation body of Moldova

• the link between quality assurance, internationalization and strategy

development of HE institutions.


QUAEM Impact on Quality Teaching and Institutional Strategies for Training of

Staff• Substantial contribution to the structural framework

for quality teaching through:- knowledge on various approaches to quality teaching,

such as research oriented teaching, competences based teaching, student centered teaching;

- Modernization of study documentation, such as module handbooks with clear definitions of learning outcomes, competences, workload etc.

• Involvement of teaching staff in accreditation of pilot study programs, which implies familiarization with quality assurance tools at various levels of implementation of study programs.


QUAEM Impact on Quality Teaching and Institutional Strategies for

Training of Staff• The project does not cover implicitly institutional

strategies for further training of staff. However this could become an important aspect to be covered within the work package „From Quality Assurance to Strategy Development“.

The respective recommendations could be drawn on the basis of experiences with the international accreditation of pilot study programs and serve as basis for a follow up project with a special focus on innovative high school didactics.


QUAEM Impact on Quality of Research Activities and Excellence

Political Tensions in the higher education system in the field of research This is a very critical aspect since the quality of research is not in the competence of universities, but of the Academy of Sciences. Thus the project covers only randomly the quality of teaching through its contribution to the documentation of the national agency on quality assurance.

The quality of teaching is ensured by the quality of research. This is an important principle shared by the teaching staff at all Moldovan universities of the Consortium. However, under the current political situation it is difficult to reach an impact through projects.


QUAEM Impact on Employability of Graduates

Good practices in the field of monitoring the employability of graduates The project does not contain specific activities aiming at improving the employability of graduates. However, it provided good practices in the field of monitoring the employability of graduates on the national level. A follow up project which would aim at developing the methodology for the monitoring of employability on the national scale would be very beneficial for the country. Labour market as stakeholder in QAAnother contribution is related to the link to the labor market in the process of establishing of new study programs and the active involvement of these stakeholders in the process of curriculum development. Good practices have been provided by the University of Girona and the University of Roskilde. In Moldova, the Technical University is very advanced in this process.


QUAEM Impact on Internationalization

Internationalization of HEI as key element of HEI strategy development QUAEM foresees a special workshop on internationalization as part of strategy development of HEI within its work package „From Quality Assurance to Strategy Development“. Internationalization of study programmes through international accreditationThe international accreditation of study programs will be conducive to the creation of first joint and/or double degrees in cooperation with European partners.

Follow up project for capacity building at the national level is requiredStudy programs’ accreditation is crucial for the internationalization of study programs. The delay in launching the activities of the National Agency on Quality Assurance is a serious obstacle in this process. QUAEM contributes to capacity building for the Agency, but a follow up project aiming at the consolidation of the Agency would be required.


Conclusion Quality assurance is one of the priorities in the Bologna Process because only mutual trust will create the conditions needed for a wide-spread recognition of qualifications and study periods abroad, which is at the heart of European Higher Education Area.

Apart from European dimension, enhancing the quality of higher education is an absolutely development priority for countries aspiring to EU integration as is the case with the Republic of Moldova. Quality assessment and accreditation procedures are thus seen as a way to improve the quality of education and enhance academic mobility in the region.

Currently, there is a need for Moldovan HEIs to have a more functional management system and there is an increase in motivation to consider developing QA as a national priority for higher education in Moldova itself.


Thank you for your attention!

Enhancing Quality Assurance of Studies – A National Priority for Moldovan Higher Education

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