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