12th INQAAHE Forum 2020 Quality, Competencies, and Learning Outcomes: How to Be Fit for Generation Z Employability 13.10.20

12th INQAAHE Forum 2020 Quality, Competencies, and Learning Outcomes: How to Be Fit for Generation Z Employability
Moscow hosted the XII INQAAHE Forum 2020 on September 21 - October 12. For the first time this important event was held in Russia, and the host of the Forum was the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Career Development (AKKORK). The Forum was supported by the Federal Service on Supervision in Education and Science and the Russian Managers Association.

The Forum brings together government bodies, international organizations, universities and quality assurance agencies from all over the world, including representatives of the key institutions in the field of education quality assessment: the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN).
 
The Forum represents a unique platform for discussing the challenging questions in quality assurance, for developing new approaches to quality assurance in a world of emerging new educational practices, and for sharing experience in QA. Interactive sessions always involve high levels of participant engagement, and the XII INQAAHE Forum was no exception, bringing together over 120 representatives of professional communities from all over the world.

Due to the continuing difficult situation caused by the spread of coronavirus infection in the world it was decided to hold the Forum in an online format. The new reality, and hence the new norms, challenges, problems and constraints that the education sector had to face in the era of COVID-19 - all this became topics for active discussion among participants.

The key goal of the Forum 2020 was to form a platform for communication between education systems and systems of independent assessment of its quality in different countries. "Ideally, they should be compatible, ensure effective practices, exchange of experience, and contribute to the evolution of content and educational technologies," said Erika Soboleva, AKKORK Director General and INQAAHE Board member. - Holding the Forum in Russia is of particular importance. Higher education trajectories are being adjusted due to its digitalization, the sphere of independent assessment of education quality is expanding which facilitates a gradual transition from formal control procedures to a real evaluation of the formed competencies of students, the quality of educational programs and the efficiency of educational organizations. The challenge we face is to harmonize the state requirements, professional standards and regulations for international accreditation of educational programs. It is important to figure out how this process is ensured worldwide in order to unite the approaches of the state, employers, students and the academic community in a single puzzle".

On September 21-24, pre-forum workshops were held, where the problems of quality assurance of micro-credentials, evaluation of the training outcomes in medicine, technology, engineering and mathematics, "accreditation of accreditors" and other issues were discussed. The Forum sessions devoted to the global trends existing in the assessment of the quality of higher education and the recognition of professional qualifications started on September 28. For example, the Forum participants analyzed the situation in the U.S., where a unified database for the preparation of a digital portfolio of specialists is being created, and this requires the adjustment of interaction between employers, universities and students

On October 1, one of the most extensive panel discussions devoted to the search of ways of development and new forms of assessment of education quality took place. The panel discussion was moderated by INQAAHE President Susanna Karakhanyan (ADEK Accreditation Agency, UAE) and was attended by representatives of EAEC, CIS and Central Asian countries - Lemka Izmailova, Director of National Accreditation Agency (Russia), Diana Mashtakeeva, Director of Professional Qualifications Council on Financial Markets (Russia), Sholpan Kalanova, President of Independent Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (IQAA, Kazakhstan), Ruben Topchyan – Director of ANQA (Armenia).

The resolutions adopted at the Forum will be sent to the educational authorities of the countries whose organizations participate in the work of INQAAHE, international associations of universities an QA bodies. 

In an age of turbulence, cooperation, exchange of experiences and solutions to overcome the challenges of the 'new normal' are more important than ever. 

AKKORK thanks our colleagues and Forum participants for their contribution to the common cause!


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