In the beginning of the 90`s a few evaluations on the one hand of

In the beginning of the 90's a few evaluations on the one hand of study programmes
like architecture, teacher training, computer sciences and music studies and on the
other hand of research in certain disciplines like physics, electrical engineering and
biochemistry were carried out. Most of the projects were initiated by representatives
of the disciplines and done by peer review. The Austrian Rectors‘ Conference
coordinated the participation of study programmes in European pilot projects for
evaluating quality in higher education.
The Federal Ministry of Science and Transport did not initiate evaluation projects until
the decree on evaluation came into effect in October 1997. The decree on evaluation
was intensivly discussed by the representatives of the higher education system. The
decree enables the universities to a large extent to design and plan their evaluation
tools and to establish a procedure of quality assurance and enhancement. The
decree on evaluation is implemented at the moment. The recent reform of the
universities of the arts will extend the evaluation measures in this sector.
In the Fachhochschule sector a quality assurance system was developed by the
Fachhochschulrat in common with the Fachhochschulkonferenz in 1996. Now the
first peer reviews are taking place.
In 1997 started a not immediately evaluation project where in a period of ten years
the total range of studies in Austria regarding "historical" decisions on locations is
reviewed. In consultation with the Austrian Rectors‘ Conference a working
programme is to be implemented which will view multiple offers in teaching and
studies in terms of their practicality and economic efficiency and submit proposals for
inter-university focal points. The pilot project covering nine study programmes in
natural sciences will be concluded in autumn 1998.
Belgium - Flemish-speaking community
Prepared by the Flemish Interuniversity Council
Ownership of the evaluation procedures
Article 122 of the decree of 12 June 1991 on the universities in the Flemish
Community obliges the universities to assess the quality of their education activities
on a regular basis. Article 123 specifies that the government must oversee the
implementation of the universities' quality assurance activities and may appoint an
independent committee of experts to carry out regular comparative research into the
quality of education delivered by the institutions. Article 124 also specifies the
sanctions the government can impose if quality remains inadequate for a prolonged
period.
VL.I.R. (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad - Flemish Interuniversity Council) is acting
as an intermediate coordinating institution for the external quality assurance. To this
end, it has established a framework, taking account of the experience built up in the
Netherlands since 1988, drawing on the support of the Association of Dutch
Universities, VSNU, and the findings of the pilot projects initiated by the European
Commission. The external quality assurance is carried out in accordance with the
principles set out in the 'Gids voor de Onderwijsvisitaties' (guide for educational
'inspections'), published by the VSNU (1995), and a supplement, adapted to the
Flemish situation. In 1992, VL.I.R. and the VSNU concluded a general agreement
concerning cooperation in external quality assurance. According to this agreement,
which became operative in 1993-1994, joint reviews as well as separate reviews are
organised.
The activities of VL.I.R. concerning external quality assurance are financed by the
individual universities.
Scope and level of the evaluation activities
The scope of the evaluation procedures covers university education at all six Flemish
universities.
The evaluation focus
All university education programmes are systematically evaluated on a rotating basis
in which all programmes will be evaluated by 2001. The order in which the
programmes are evaluated has been decided by VL.I.R. All programmes within a
given discipline area are evaluated at the same time at each university. The time
between two evaluations of the same discipline is eight years.
Objectives of evaluation activities
The purpose of the external quality assurance is, on the one hand, to encourage the
universities to promote the quality of their education in the various fields of study by
initiating comparative research of individual courses at all universities, while, on the
other hand, there is a desire to account to the community for the work delivered and
the use of the resources provided to this end.
Main elements of the evaluation procedures
The visiting committees which carry out these comparative studies are made up of
independent external experts from Belgium and abroad. These committees are
composed in consultation with the universities.
At the beginning of the process, each of the relevant study fields at each university
has to write a self-evaluation report expressing the results of a critical self-analysis.
This report makes up the basis of the process. After reading this report, the visiting
committee visits the relevant faculties. The committee has to answer the question
'Does a course achieve the objectives it set itself at the outset?' To this end, the
committee holds conversations with all possible interested parties connected to the
course, reads all kinds of written information and visits infrastructure facilities. At the
end of its visit, the committee issues a preliminary oral report of its findings and
recommendations. After the visit the committee drafts a course report to enable each
faculty to work on improving its quality. The faculties are given the opportunity to
responding to the report. The committee also writes a general report, in which various
aspects of the education provided by the institutions are placed in a comparative
perspective. The final report, comprising the general report and the course reports, is
public.
Aspects which are evaluated
The quality assurance system relates solely to education and not to the service the
universities provide to society, neither to the research they carry out. The most
important topics that have to be covered are the following:
· educational philosophy and objectives
· programme
· dissertation and internship
· student numbers and pass rates
· feasibility of learning
· facilities/infrastructure
· graduates
· staff
· internationalization
· internal quality assurance
Expected major developments in the near future
The Flemish Minister of Education has expressed the intention of limiting the time
between two evaluations of the same discipline to five years instead of eight.
Furthermore there is a tendency to give the visiting committees a more international
composition, and to involve university research in the evaluation process, or at least
the way university education pays attention to scientific research.
Political developments since 1995
In 1997 the Flemish Minister of Education installed an audit commission to evaluate
the internal and external quality assurance processes of the Flemish universities on a
meta-level. This commission finds its base in article 123 of the Decree of 12 June
1991 (see above). The general conclusion of this commission is that the Flemish
universities fulfill their legal obligations concerning quality assurance very well.
Belgium - French-speaking community
Prepared by Direction Générale de l'Education Superieure et de la Recherche
Scientifique Cité Administrative de l'Etat.
Aucune procédure officielle d'évaluation de la qualité n'existe actuellement en
Communauté française, bien que son adoption soit prévue dans un avenir proche.
En effet, Monsieur William Ancion, Ministre de l'enseignement supérieur a fait
connaître récemment sa volonté de mettre en place, dans les meilleurs délais, une
procédure d'évaluation de l'enseignement supérieur, tant pour l'enseignement
supérieur non-universitaire que pour l'enseignement universitaire.
Pour rappel, au niveau de l'enseignement supérieur non universitaire (Hautes
Ecoles), la garantie de la qualité de l'enseignement dispensé est assurée, jusqu'ici,
par des procédures préventives que l'on peut qualifier de "ex-ante":
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pour être reconnu et subventionné, un établissement d'enseignement
supérieur doit répondre à certains critères définis dans des textes légaux;
les traitements des professeurs ne sont pris en charge par la Communauté
française que si ces derniers sont titulaires de diplômes spécifiques
déterminés en fonction du niveau d'enseignement et de la discipline
enseignée;
la création d'une section et/ou d'une orientation d'enseignement supérieur doit
être approuvée par le Ministre de l'enseignement supérieur;
les programmes et grilles/horaires des établissements d'enseignement
supérieur doivent être soumis à l'accord préalable de l'inspection de
l'enseignement supérieur.
Au niveau de l'enseignement universitaire, seules les universités reprises
explicitement dans un décret et habilitées à organiser certains enseignements
peuvent se voir reconnaître le statut officiel d'université reconnue et subventionnée
par la Communauté française.
L'enthousiasme rencontré par le projet pilote en 1994 et la mise en oeuvre de
procédures d'évaluation dans la plupart des Etats européens ont amené les autorités
de la Communauté française à insérer, dans le décret du 5 août 1995 fixant
l'organisation de l'enseignement supérieur en Hautes Ecoles (enseignement
supérieur non universitaire de type long et de type court), l'obligation, pour les
Hautes Ecoles, de procéder à l'évaluation de la qualité des activités d'enseignement
et des autres missions qu'elles organisent.
Ce contrôle de qualité sera géré selon une procédure déterminée par le
Gouvernement de la Communauté française dans un arrêté qui est à l'examen à
l'heure actuelle.