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Publications

ENQA produces publications dealing with the developments in the European quality assurance. This page contains the latest publications of ENQA in PDF Format. Paper copies can be ordered from the ENQA Secretariat.

Occasional Papers

Guidelines for external reviews of quality assurance agencies in the EHEA (pdf) (07. Dec. 2012)

The membership regulations of ENQA require all member agencies to undergo an external review at least once every five years. The present Guidelines contain information and guidance to assist agencies to be reviewed, coordinating organisations and review panel members. The Guidelines apply irrespective of whether the review is co-ordinated by ENQA or another body.

Quality Procedures in the European Higher Education Area and Beyond – Visions for the Future (2012) (pdf) (02. Apr. 2012)

The present publication is the result of the third ENQA survey on quality procedures of quality assurance agencies across Europe and beyond.

This report presents a collection of current features of good practice in external quality assurance within the new priorities formulated by ENQA and following the ministerial Communiqués, highlighting the connection between the practices and the expected benefits for higher education institutions and stakeholders. In addition, the present report identifies practices that are expected to be implemented by quality assurance agencies, as well as areas where progress needs to be made, thus proposing a vision of the future of quality assurance procedures.

This publication was financed by the “ProENQA 2010-2012” project (510499-LLP-1-2010-1-FI-ERASMUS-EMHE) with the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme/Erasmus sub-programme.

Mapping the Implementation and Application of the ESG (MAP-ESG Project) (2011) (pdf) (08. Mar. 2012)

In 2010 the organisations that form the E4 Group launched a project on “Mapping the Implementation and Application of the European Standards and Guidelines on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (MAP-ESG)”.
The project aimed at gathering information on how the ESG have been implemented and applied in the 47 Bologna signatory countries and to launch a thorough discussion on the ESG in their entirety. The report is based on the analysis of expert views from all relevant actors and stakeholders in higher education, notably teachers and students, higher education management and internal quality assurance bodies, external quality assurance agencies, EQAR and ministries, and the social partners. It is the fi rst overarching study on the implementation of the ESG in all its parts, and a thorough analysis of their impact on European higher education.

Evaluation of the reports on agency reviews (2005–2009) (pdf) (24. Feb. 2011)

As part of the operation of its strategic plan, the Board of ENQA has undertaken an analysis of the first tranche of review reports of agencies dating from the inception of the process in 2005 until December 2009. This is the first time such an analysis has been carried out. In total, 34 review reports were analysed.

ENQA: 10 years (2000 - 2010) - A decade of European co-operation in quality assurance in higher education (pdf) (29. Sep. 2010)

On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, ENQA published this publication to celebrate the accomplishments in the quality assurance of European higher education from the early 1990’s until 2010. The authors of this publication, Dorte Kristoffersen who was already a member of the steering group of the European Pilot Projects, and the first three Chairmen and Presidents Christian Thune, Peter Williams and Bruno Curvale, bring their individual views to the history and present position of ENQA. The publication gives an overview of ENQA’s major milestones and identifies opportunities and challenges for the next decade.

ENQA Position Paper in View of the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve conference (pdf) (25. Mar. 2009)

The ENQA Position Paper in View of the Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve conference has been finalised by the ENQA board and may be found in English and French.

Learning outcomes: Common framework – different approaches to evaluating learning outcomes in the Nordic countries (pdf) (22. Oct. 2008)

This report is the outcome of the project conducted by the Nordic Quality Assurance Network in Higher Education (NOQA) in 2007 – 2008 on learning outcomes in the Nordic countries.

Quality Procedures in the European Higher Education Area and Beyond - Second ENQA Survey (pdf) (11. Sep. 2008)

The present publication is the result of an ENQA survey on quality procedures of quality assurance agencies across Europe and beyond. This report updates the findings of the first ENQA survey on Quality Procedures in European Higher Education, undertaken by the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA) in 2002, and considers the main developments that have taken place since then.

Report to the London Conference of Ministers on a European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies (pdf) (24. May. 2007)

Bologna Process ministers of higher education welcomed in 2005 the principle of a European Register of Quality Assurance Agencies. They asked ENQA in cooperation with EUA, EURASHE and ESIB (E4 Group) to develop the practical aspects of the Register and report back through the Bologna Follow Up Group. The present publication is the E4 Group’s final report on the Register to the Bologna Process ministerial conference of London (17–18 May 2007).

Terminology of quality assurance: towards shared European values? (pdf) (26. Mar. 2007)

The present publication incorporates two different but thematically related reports: the workshop report on the Language of the European Quality Assurance and the final report of the second Quality Convergence Study (QCS II). Both reports aim to contribute to understanding of the different concepts and notions of quality assurance across languages, and especially in English, which is the most widely used language in the European quality assurance.

European Standards and Guidelines in a Nordic Perspective (pdf) (02. Jan. 2007)

This report is the outcome of the project conducted by the Nordic Quality Assurance Network in Higher Education (NOQA) in 2005-2006 on the interpretation of the European Standards and Guidelines in the Nordic perspective.

Quality Assurance of Higher Education in Portugal - An Assessment of the Existing System and Recommendations for a Future System (pdf) (11. Dec. 2006)

In the framework of the EPHE project, an international experts panel was appointed by ENQA and worked on two complementary tasks from December 2005 and November 2006. The first mission consisted in reviewing the existing Portuguese quality assurance practices as conducted by CNAVES, the Portuguese National Council for the Evaluation of Higher Education. Secondly, the panel worked on providing recommendations to the Portuguese government on the organisation, processes and methods of establishment of a national accreditation system which would meet the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (pdf).
The final review report presents the results of the panel's work focusing on the strengths and challenges of the Portuguese quality assurance system as well as giving recommendations for future developments.
The response by CNAVES to the final review report can be found here (pdf).

Transnational European Evaluation Project II (TEEP II) - Methodological Report (pdf) (07. Jul. 2006)

The Transnational European Evaluation Project II (TEEP II) was a detailed follow-up to the first Transnational European Pilot Project I (TEEP I) coordinated by ENQA in 2002-2003. TEEP II was a European-wide transnational quality evaluation scheme which aspired to identify means and common elements for quality assurance in the Joint Masters Programmes in three subject areas (water magement, cultural and communication studies, law and economics). The three subject-specific reports can be accessed here: Water management (EuroAquae)(pdf), Cultural and Communication Studies (CoMundus)(pdf), Law and Economics (EMLE)(pdf).

Mapping External Quality Assurance in Central and Eastern Europe (pdf) (01. Jun. 2006)

Mapping external quality assurance in Central and Eastern Europe is a report by the Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEEN). It presents the results of CEEN member surveys that charted how far the member agencies matched up to the good practice described in the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area. The report was published in the series of ENQA Occasional papers.

Quality Convergence Study (pdf) (01. Mar. 2005)

The Quality Convergence Study (QCS), a follow-up to the ENQA Survey on Quality Procedures in Higher Education, has been published in the series of ENQA Occasional papers. It examines the possibilities for convergence of national quality assurance systems in Europe through six samples.

The writing of the self-analysis documents (SADs) by the six participanting QA agencies and their consequent examination constituted an important part of the QCS project. The six SADs can be accessed here:
SAD from the Comité National d'Évaluation, France
SAD of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee
SAD of the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, Lithuania
SAD of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education
SAD of the National Agency for Higher Education, Sweden
SAD of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, UK

Transnational European Evaluation Project (TEEP) - Methodological Report (pdf) (08. Mar. 2004)

ENQA coordinated this pilot project to investigate the operational implications of a European transnational quality evaluation in three disciplines (Physics, History, Veterinary Science) in order to test a method for transnational external evaluation. The three subject-specific reports can be accessed here:
History (pdf), Physics, Veterinary Science.

Quality Procedures in European Higher Education (pdf) (26. May. 2003)

A survey on quality assurance procedures in Europe.

A Method for Mutual Recognition (pdf) (01. Nov. 2002)

A pilot project for a mutual recognition procedures between two Nordic quality assurance agencies.

Quality Assurance Implications of New Forms of Higher Education (pdf) (30. Nov. 2001)

ENQA commissioned a project to understand and identify the principal forms and characteristics of new forms of higher education and implications of these forms for current approaches to quality assurance.

Quality Assurance in the Nordic Higher Education - accreditation-like practices (pdf) (16. May. 2001)

A group of member agencies from the Nordic countries joined in 2000 in a common project to analyse the concept of accreditation and identify accreditation procedures and similar practices.

International Initiatives and Trends in Quality Assurance for European Higher Education (pdf) (28. Mar. 2001)

The first ENQA report, published in 2000.