Joint accreditation
Multistandard approach that applies AKKORK in the course of education quality and quality assurance review lets take into account the review findings when the education institution passes the following accreditation programs:
- International accreditation of e-learning in European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning (EFQUEL);
- The education programs accreditation in the Russian Education Academy in the fields of Pedagogic and Psychology;
- The review findings use in the course of preparation to the RF State accreditation;
- The distance learning technologies certification on the standard ISO 19796 compliance;
- The quality management system certification on the standard ISO 9001 compliance.
International accreditation of e-learning in European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning (EFQUEL):
EFQUEL «European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning» is the leading accreditation agency in Europe that specializes in the sphere of quality assurance and e-learning accreditation of the higher education institutions activity.
EFQUEL was established in 2005 in Brussels on the basis of three successfully realized projects on e-learning quality problems with the assistance of European Commission and European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) as well as of European innovation and research network (MENON) and European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and European non-profit association of universities, educational organizations and their networks (Europace).
The goal of EFQUEL is to establish in Europe a firm education quality assurance system with the help of e-learning that will let with the assistance of education community and all the education services market stakeholders provide the availability and quality integration and contribute to traditional Universities in development of innovation activity in the field of e-learning and in necessary internal transformations implementation.
EFQUEL is based on the principles of dialogue conduct and substantiveness. Nowadays the Foundation numbers more than 80 members from 20 European countries that are representatives of European Associations, Universities, and Institutions on vocational training and IT companies. All the members are united by common interest: e-learning quality.
In 2005 at the suggestion of the European Commission EFQUEL elaborated the pan-European system of traditional HEIs institutional accreditation that apply in their activity e-learning tools. The project is called «The Quality Label for the use of ICT in Higher Education (UNIQUe)».
EFQUEL is the first holder of right to carry out the institutional accreditation of the higher education institutions that demonstrate high standards of work within the frameworks of e-learning.
The goal of UNIQUe is to render aid to the HEIs in determination of e-learning quality criteria compliance degree and to give an opportunity for further work development, what contributes to realization in the HEIs activity of the Bologna Declaration regulations in the field of ICT work.
The UNIQUe management procedures and structure are periodically externally reviewed and comply fully with the requirements that are determined in the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), published by ENQA.
The UNIQUe criteria are based on the integrated approach to the education services quality management and consider all the sides of education with the help of e-learning tools as well as on the experts’ assessment academic traditions combination with the modern management traditions in the field of the higher education institutions certification on the institutional level.
The UNIQUe quality assurance approach
- UNIQUe certificates the ICT application and integration in the HEIs and is based on the principle of diversity use
- UNIQUe engages the HEIs into the process of cooperate exchange of the world best practices in the field of ICT application
- UNIQUe is based on three components: pedagogical aspect, technologies and technical support
- UNIQUe confirms the HEI constant active mechanisms availability of e-learning quality assurance, the availability of innovations implementation, of work of high quality with the modern ICT, of quality assurance and competitiveness provision at the program and institutional levels
Nowadays the certifications of UNIQUE (The Quality Label for the use of ICT in Higher Education) are granted to 7 higher education institutions:
- TKK Dipoly Institute at the Helsinki University of Technology (Finland)
- Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
- Moscow University of Industry and Finance
- University of the Aegean (Greece)
- Universidad de Granada (Spain)
- University of Leicester (UK)
- Universita di Macerata (Italy)
On the 2nd of December 2009 in Berlin the agency AKKORK signed the Agreement with EFQUEL on joint realization on the territory of Russian Federation of the European accreditation program (Europen University Quality in E-Learning, UNIQUe), within the frameworks of which the Russian HEIs have opportunity of EFQUEL accreditation passing as a separate procedure as well as within the frameworks of complex assessment procedure of AKKORK education quality assessment and assurance. When the accreditation is passed successfully the HEIs receive the pan-European Quality Label UNIQUe that confirms the high level of work with the modern ICT in the education process.
The education program accreditation in the Russian Education Academy in the fields of Pedagogic and Psychology
In order to contribute to realization of national education initiative regulations «Our New School» in the field of the RF pedagogical education system modernization, about which actuality and importance the RF President D. A. Medvedev has talked on the 21st of January 2010 on the commencement meeting of the Teacher Year in the Russian State Pedagogical University n. a. A. I. Herzen, the Russian Education Academy and AKKORK have started the realization of education program accreditation in the fields of Pedagogic and Psychology.
The first education institutions that has passed the education program accreditation in the fields of Pedagogic and Psychology in the Russian Education Academy is the State Pedagogic University n. a. Akmulla of Bashkiria, and the University Rector R. M. Asadullin is the first rector who has received from the President of the Russian Education Academy D. N. Nikandrov the accreditation certification that confirms the University activity compliance with the European quality standards.
The Russian Education Academy accreditation procedure passing opens for the education institution prospects and opportunities:
- To strengthen and develop the education institution image in Russian and European education field;
- To benchmark its education activity quality with the best internal and external practices;
- To assess the competitive possibilities both of education institution as a whole and of the separate programs;
- To determine the work directions on pedagogic education quality and quality assurance improvement;
- To elaborate the further development strategy of the education institution.
