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DEQAR CONNECT
DEQAR CONNECT project “Enhancing the Coverage and Connectivity of QA in the EHEA through DEQAR”
Project implementation period: March 2020 – February 2022
In terms of Erasmus+ Programme, KA3 activity “Support to Policy Reform” Academic Information Centre – Latvian Quality Agency for Higher Education (AIKA) participates in the project “DEQAR CONNECT - Enhancing the Coverage and Connectivity of QA in the EHEA through DEQAR”.
Background: In 2018, EQAR developed a Database of External Quality Assurance Results – DEQAR – with an aim to enhance the transparency and accessibility of quality assurance results. The database also makes visible to what extent EHEA countries have realised the EHEA Key Commitment that all higher education institutions be subject to regular external quality assurance in line with the ESG.
Following its launch on the occasion of the May 2018 EHEA Ministerial Conference in Paris, DEQAR has continued to grow, and currently makes available over 30 000 external quality assurance results covering over 2 000 higher education institutions from 39 EHEA countries.
Aim: The DEQAR CONNECT project focuses on two of the EHEA key commitments, supporting quality assurance and recognition inside the EHEA, and consists of two strands:
- the DEQAR CONNECT project will expand coverage to EHEA countries currently under-represented in DEQAR, by supporting the participation of agencies that could not join DEQAR in the first stage.
- the DEQAR CONNECT project aims to enhance connectivity by exploiting existing synergies and exploring new opportunities to use DEQAR data directly in the recognition workflow, digital credentialing and elsewhere.
Main objectives and activities:
The objectives of the first strand, expand coverage, are to:
- create an impetus for QA agencies that have not yet received support through the initial DEQAR project;
- provide peer support and counselling to agencies in linking up with DEQAR;
- implement efficient methods for submitting data to DEQAR in all participating agencies.
The objectives of the second strand, enhance connectivity, are to:
- integrate information available through DEQAR in the recognition/credential evaluation workflow;
- enable the use of DEQAR quality assurance data for the Europass Accreditation Database;
- explore further opportunities to connect with digitalisation and data platforms and initiatives.
In addition and transversal to both strands, the objectives of the DEQAR CONNECT project are to:
- support the activities of the BFUG Thematic Peer Groups (TPG) on QA and on Recognition, or of their succeeding bodies in the post-2020 BFUG working structure;
- enhance DEQAR’s visibility and relevance among all stakeholders.
Project partners:
- Coordinator: EQAR
- Experienced Quality Assurance Agencies: ASHE (Croatia, lead), NVAO (Flanders)
- ENIC-NARIC partners: CIMEA (Italy, lead), CNRED (Romania), CIEP (France), Nuffic (Netherlands)
- Newcommer QAA partners: ACQUIN (Germany), ACSUCYL (Spain), AEQES (Belgium, French Community), AIC (Latvia), ANQA (Armenia), AQ (Austria), CTI (France, engineering), EAEVE (European, veterinary), HAC (Hungary), IAAR (Kazakhstan), IQAA (Kazakhstan), MusiQuE (European, music), NCEQE (Georgia), NCPA (Russia), NVAO (for Netherlands), SKVC (Lithuania)
- Associated partners (stakeholder organisations): ENQA, ESU, EUA, EURASHE
DEQAR CONNECT project website
