Euro-Mediterranean perspectives on the complex shifts between external and internal QA of teaching and learning, at strategic and practical levels:
Enhancing Quality Assurance Management (EQuAM) in Jordanian universities
Abstract
EQuAM (Enhancing Quality Assurance Management) is a collaborative project involving European and Jordanian universities and QA agencies. It links successful aspects of the Bologna Process to the development of policy and practice in Jordan. Despite significantly different contexts, shared expectations have been identified, leading to QA Guidelines.
These target issues specifically faced by university leaders, academics and students, addressing their different roles, responsibilities and expectations. An accompanying White Paper provides necessary political support. Drawing on the ESG and the Jordanian (HEAC) Quality Standards the Guidelines have demonstrated an immediate impact in the first Pilots.
The success of the project’s approach – starting with identification of shared expectations rather than comparing procedures/criteria – will be discussed, along with some emerging answers to issues for further inter-regional collaborations such as: can the ESG be applicable in widely different contexts? How to move from very compliance and input driven QA approaches to something else - institutional responsibility and quality culture?
This paper was presented at EQAF and reflects the views of the named authors only.
