2022 European Quality Assurance Forum
ProgrammeShaping or sharing? QA in a value-driven EHEA
The 2022 European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF) was hosted from 17 to 19 November by West University of Timisoara, Romania.
The Forum, entitled “Shaping or sharing? QA in a value-driven EHEA”, combined sessions about European policies and trends, research, and practical case examples related to the Forum theme and more generally about current developments in quality assurance.
Shared values of democratic higher education systems – such as academic freedom, institutional autonomy, student participation in governance of higher education institutions, inclusion and equity – are at the core of the EHEA. These values should consolidate and unite higher education systems and foster international cooperation and mobility, while allowing the institutions to independently develop their own goals. Recent societal challenges have emphasised the need for policy makers, higher education institutions and QA agencies to continuously discuss these values and ensure that they are upheld, protected and promoted across the EHEA.
The 2022 EQAF offered an occasion to discuss the role of QA in shaping, safeguarding and promoting shared values. The Forum addressed questions such as how to build public confidence in higher education institutions as autonomous scientific institutions that promote academic freedom, integrity and reliable evidence. It explored how equity, inclusion and student participation in governance and QA of higher education are promoted and supported. Finally, the Forum invited the audience to reflect on how to ensure value-driven international collaboration in higher education. During the Forum, paper sessions, workshops and practice presentations provided space for more in-depth exchange about research, policy initiatives and practical case examples related to the Forum theme and more generally about current developments in QA.
This year’s Forum took place on-site and provided participants with opportunities for discussions, debates and networking, also outside the formal programme. The sessions facilitated audience interaction to allow participants to gain the most from the event.
The Forum was of interest to rectors and vice-rectors responsible for quality assurance, quality assurance officers in higher education institutions, students, quality assurance agency staff and researchers working in higher education or in the quality assurance field.
For updates about EQAF please follow @EQAF and #EQAF on Twitter and/or join the LinkedIn group “European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF)”.
About West University of Timisoara
With more than a 78 year-long tradition, founded in 1944 through Royal Decree, West University of Timisoara is the main higher education and research institution in Western Romania, with around 6% international students out of a total of over 15,500.
A comprehensive university, with a strong identity and a time-consolidated image, it hosts 11 faculties and a Department for Teacher Training, offering a wide range of study programmes in areas such as: Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Sociology, Psychology, Educational Science, Social Work, Political Science, Philosophy, Communication Sciences, Law, Economics, Business Administration, Philology, History, Visual Arts, Design, Music, Theatre and Sports. With over 500 international partners in more than 70 countries around the world and close to a thousand incoming and outgoing mobilities yearly, our community is globally connected.
West University of Timisoara is constantly striving to develop and support an interdisciplinary and international environment for teaching and learning, while aiming to connect our research to the local, regional, national, and international ecosystems. Any study programme at WUT includes language courses, internships and courses dedicated to developing transversal skills. Additionally, we focus extensively on developing entrepreneurial curricula and enabling our students and staff’s competencies for the green and digital transition.
West University of Timisoara is part of the European University UNITA, an alliance of 10 higher education institutions in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Romania.
Multiple study programmes at Bachelor and Master level are taught in a foreign language (English, French or German), while the Visiting@WUT programme enables our faculties to welcome international renowned lecturers and researchers.
The student campus is in the heart of Timisoara, the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2023, and is an attraction and a symbol for the city’s multicultural and inclusive character.
About the city
Over the centuries, Timisoara and the Banat region have flourished, fuelled by the energy and ingenuity of its citizens from all over Europe. Over 30 different cultures have lived here for generations: Romanians, Germans, Hungarians, Serbs, Croats, Italians, Spaniards, and Bulgarians.
In 1884, Timisoara was the first city in continental Europe and second in the world after New York with electric street lighting. In 1989, the sparks of the Revolution against the communist regime ignited on the streets of Timisoara. And in 2023, it will be the European Capital of Culture, sharing its aspirations with the rest of Europe.
Today, Timisoara is still a city of friendly people living together in peace, with over 40,000 students in four universities, a vibrant creative sector, and several prestigious cultural institutions. It benefits from economic development, especially in the automotive and IT&C fields.
The charm of this city, settled on the banks of the Bega River, lies in its distinct architectural character and vibrant cultural life, as well as in the impressive number of parks and public gardens. Frequently referred to as “Little Vienna”, due to its Central-European atmosphere, Timisoara is home to year-round and very diverse cultural performances, art galleries, museums, and a buzzing nightlife. Moreover, Timisoara is the only city in Europe that has three state theatres in three different languages – Romanian, German and Hungarian.
In near proximity, the Banat Mountains offers picturesque landscapes, ski resorts and various facilities for nautical, endure, cave and rural tourism. Being the 3rd economic pole of the country, with more than 310 000 inhabitants, Timisoara is a dynamic, progressive and cosmopolitan place.
Organisers
Registration is now closed for the 2022 European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF)
EQAF is a flagship event in quality assurance organised annually in mid-November by EUA, ENQA, ESU, and EURASHE. It regularly attracts more than 400 participants from the higher education quality assurance community in Europe and beyond.
The Forum provides a platform for discussion, professional development and exchange of experiences among the main stakeholders in quality assurance (QA). Specifically, the Forum will be of interest to rectors and vice-rectors responsible for QA, QA officers in higher education institutions, students, QA agency staff and researchers working on higher education or the QA field.
This year’s Forum will provide participants with sessions of various formats, including interactive audience participation and opportunities for exchange of experiences and good practices. In addition to the sessions on the Forum theme, the event will also provide opportunities to network and learn more about various projects and activities the organisers are involved in.
Registration details
The registration fee includes attendance at the Forum, access to the event app, admission to coffee breaks and lunches at the Forum, and to the networking reception. The name badge issued to you on registration is required for admission to the sessions, lunches and coffee breaks, as well as the social programme. You are kindly requested to wear your name badge at all times.
The Optional Forum Dinner which will take place on Friday 18 November is not included in the registration fee. Participants who wish to attend it are invited to click the corresponding option in the registration form and will be asked to pay an additional €60.
Registration fees paid by participants do not cover travel and accommodation expenses.
|
CATEGORY |
EARLY BIRD FEE |
LATE FEE |
|
Members (ENQA, EURASHE, EUA, ESU)* |
€420 |
€520 |
|
Non-members |
€520 |
€620 |
|
Students** |
€120 |
€120 |
|
Paper/workshop presenters*** |
€290 |
€290 |
*To check whether your institution is a member, please consult the corresponding directories below:
EUA members
ENQA members and affiliates
EURASHE members
ESU members
**To benefit from this fee, please contact the EUA Events Team to receive an “EUA Student Certificate form”, which must be signed and stamped by your institution’s secretariat.
***This is only applicable to those whose papers/workshops are selected by the EQAF Programme Committee.
The early registration deadline was 7 October 2022.
The overall registration deadline was 8 November 2022.
Confirmation
Please note that by filling in the registration form for the event you agree to the full payment of registration fees. Your registration will be confirmed by email.
Payment
Payment must be made upon receipt of confirmation and prior to the Forum, either by bank transfer or credit card. The participant assumes full responsibility for paying all bank charges associated with the payment.
Cancellations
If a cancellation is received on or before 20 October 2022 an administration charge of 30% of the registration fee remains due. Any refunds will be made after the conference. Participants who cancel after 20 October 2022 or fail to attend, will be liable to pay the entire registration fee. Substitutes will be accepted at any time provided that EUA is informed of the change.
Cancellations or changes must be sent in writing to the following email address: eqaf@eua.eu.
Contact
EUA EQAF Coordination Team
For enquiries regarding the programme, please contact:
Cecilia Biaggi
Policy and Project Officer
Tel: +32 2 230 55 44
Email: eqaf@eua.eu
For enquiries regarding registrations and general information, please contact:
Caroline Marissal
Event Officers
Tel: +32 2 230 55 44
Email: eqaf@eua.eu
To contact the host (for invoices and credit card payments) please contact:
Tel: +40 256 592 697
Email: eqaf2022@e-uvt.ro
Thursday 17 November
Opening Plenary: What do values mean for QA?
- Peter Maassen, Professor in Higher Education Studies, University of Oslo
- Horia-Șerban Onița, Vice-president, ESU
Friday 18 November
Parallel Plenary Session I: Perspectives on QA
- Meaningful involvement of students in QA, Cristina Ghitulica, ESQA/ARACIS, Ana Gvritishvili, Member of the Executive Committee of the European Students' Union (ESU)
- The role of QA in supporting academic integrity, Sue Hackett, Manager, Academic Integrity Enhancement, QQI
- Policy discussion on values and the ESGm David Crosier, Education System Analyst, Eurydice, EACEA and Øystein Lund, Senior Adviser, Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education
Contributions session I
Workshop 1: Good practices in engaging students in quality assurance at the national and institutional level.
Workshop 2: Who Assures the Quality of New Programmes? You, Me, All of Us
Workshop 3: Cross-border collaboration of QA Agencies in Ukraine, Croatia and Germany: Experiences and Derived Good Practices for Building Trust and Promoting Shared Values across the EHEA
Workshop 4: Brain drain and internationalisation; can existing QA practices foster responsible internationalization and brain circulation in higher education?
Workshop 5: Boosting student engagement within a quality assurance agency
Workshop 6: Establishing and evaluating values in HE student-centred worked-based learning
Paper 1 presentation : Challenges of promoting and ensuring equity in Higher Education: a case study of the gender perspective in Catalunya
Practice Presentation 1_Mendes & Practice Presentation 1_Stephan & Practice Presentation 1_Giorgidze: The role of QA in promoting values across university alliances, academic freedom and digitalisation
Paper presentation 2: Flexible higher education for adult learners
Practice Presentation 2_Nazare & Practice Presentation 2_Snel: Developing new tools for QA: a web-based self-evaluation report format and a new portal to support decision-making
Contributions session II
Paper presentation 3: Listening to voices that matter: The necessity of national surveys of student engagement for governance and quality assurance of higher education
Paper presentation 4: Ensuring teaching quality in an online model: a tool to check the quality of teaching design
Paper presentation 5: “Same storm, different boats” – A Student-Led Approach to Exploring Equity of the Student Learning Experience in Scotland
Paper presentation 6: Value-Driven QA: Does it Matter in the War and Post-War Times?
Practice presentation 3_Dillia & Practice Presentation 3_OLoughlin: How to improve students participation in QA: motivating students to provide feedback and learning from the pandemic to increase diversity
Practice Presentation 4_Gaiziuniene & Practice Presentation 4_Luketic: Involving various stakeholders in QA through a new portfolio management model and an assessment tool for teachers’ performance
Practice Presentation 5_Svard & Practice Presentation 5_Trink: Empowering students and valuing their feedback to strengthen their participation in QA
Parallel Plenary Session II: Perspectives on QA
Trust as a fundamental principle for QA
- Rediet Abebe, Planning and Quality Assurance unit, Aalto University
Responsible internationalisation – the role of QA
- Koen Verlaeckt, Secretary General of the Flemish Interuniversity Council
QA and academic freedom
- Monika Steinel, Deputy Secretary General, EUA
- Daniela Craciun, Center for Higher Education Policy Studies
Saturday 19 November
Workshop 7: Societal-Democratic Participation in Higher Education from a Quality Assurance Perspective
Workshop 8: Listen, talk and team-up: Effective communication in EQA
Workshop 9: Students as co-creators of quality culture
Workshop 10: Actionable values: shaping the engaged university of the future
Workshop 11: Exploring the relationship between quality assurance and dynamic (self) regulation: a partnership approach to the regulation of academic integrity in Ireland
Workshop 12: Student participation in the national QA processes. Engagement and procedures
Paper presentation 7: Measuring the degree of commitment to the SDGs/Agenda 2030: the ALCAEUS Programme.
Paper presentation 8: Student Partnership at the Heart – Quality Assurance and Enhancement in Scotland
Practice presentations 6: Ensuring quality of research and teaching: be clear about ties with commerce and politics
Practice presentations 7 De Groote & Mroczkowski: Engaging students in internal QA: reflection groups, committees, and the work of the doctoral candidates’ union in Poland
Closing Plenary: Student participation as a safeguard for value-driven higher education
- Manja Klemenčič, Associate Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Harvard University
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