Raport România 2009

.bologna2009benelux.org/documents/Standards-and-Guidelines-for-QA.pdf 9 ESG - Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area 17  If Yes, please outline these measures The Ministry of Education, Research and Youth has asked ARACIS (Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) to develop a system-wide evaluation involving all the Romanian HEIs. The Ministry is financing most of the institutional evaluations in the next 2 years. d) If incentives and/or other measures have been introduced with the aim of improving the internal quality assurance processes in institutions, has any evidence of the impact of these changes been gathered? Yes No If Yes, please give details of how evidence of the impact of the changes was gathered, and of the main outcomes that it demonstrates According to the evidence gathered in the Higher Education Department of the Ministry, all the HEIs have set up their own Quality Management Offices. These offices are by 2008 fully functional and perform periodical internal evaluation of each study programme and / or each of the departments of the university. 18 9.1. Internal quality assurance in higher education institutions Describe the internal QA systems in place in your HEIs. The Quality Management Offices set up in Romanian HEIs have developed internal quality assurance procedures and instruments which are in compliance with the ARACIS standards and requirements applied during the external evaluation. These procedures and instruments are now fully implemented. Besides the teaching staff members, students, graduates, employers and other stakeholders are directly involved in the internal assessment of quality in training and research activities of HEIs. Please comment in particular on the following aspects, giving references to relevant websites: a) How many HEIs have published a strategy for the continuous enhancement of quality? All HEIs Most HEIs Some HEIs No HEIs b) How many HEIs have arrangements in place for the internal approval, monitoring and periodic review of programmes and awards? All HEIs Most HEIs Some HEIs No HEIs Please describe what kind of arrangements are in place According to the Education Law No. 84/1995, each Faculty is fully responsible for the curricula, syllabi and awards in terms of contents and quality. Content of teaching and learning is discussed and aproved during the spring for the next academic year. If needed, adjustments and improvement measures are proposed to the University Senate, which is the decisional body.The Executive Board of the Faculty is responsible for the monitoring of the yearly review of the programmes. c) How many HEIs have described their programmes in terms of learning outcomes? All HEIs Most HEIs Some HEIs No HEIs d) Are student assessments at HEIs designed to measure the achievement of the intended learning outcomes (based on published criteria) applied in a consistent way? All HEIs Most HEIs Some HEIs No HEIs Please describe how the above is achieved. Most HEIs have published on the web-site the intended learning outcomes for their study programmes. Students are either involved in the internal institutional evaluation or they develop and publish their own (independent) evaluation. e) How many HEIs publish up to date, impartial and objective information about the programmes and awards offered? All HEIs Most HEIs Some HEIs No HEIs Additional information if necessary 19  10. Stage of development of external quality assurance system Describe the external quality assurance system operating in your country. Please include: a) the stage of implementation of your external quality assurance system The external quality assurance system became operational in 2006. After one year of piloting the introduction of the new internal and external evaluation methodology, ARACIS (Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) is curently performing a system-wide institutional evaluation. It contiunes to develop also external evaluation of study programmes for temporary authorisation and / or full accreditation. b) does your external quality assurance system operate at a national level; Yes No If No, please specify: c) does your external quality assurance system cover all higher education10 Yes No If No, please specify which types of institutions or programmes are not covered by your external quality assurance system: d) which of the following elements are included in your external quality assurance system: - self-assessment report Yes No - external review Yes No - publication of results Yes No - follow-up procedures Yes No e) has a peer review of the national agency(ies) according to the Standards and Guidelines for QA in the EHEA already taken place Yes No If No is there a date set for the review? Yes (please specify date 2007/08) No 10 Higher education: all types of courses of study or sets of courses of study, training or training for research at the post secondary level which are recognised by the relevant authorities as belonging to a country’s higher education system. 20 11. Level of student participation From the following, please indicate all aspects of quality assurance in which students are involved: a) in governance of national agencies for QA. Yes No In some cases b) as full members in external review teams Yes No In some cases c) as observers in external review teams Yes No In some cases d) as part of the decision making process for external reviews Yes No In some cases e) in the consultation process during external reviews (eg arrangements for external reviewers to consult with students) Yes No In some cases f) in internal quality assurance (e.g. periodic review of programmes) Yes No In some cases g) in preparation of self-assessment reports. Yes No In some cases h) in follow-up procedures: Yes No In some cases Please add any additional comments, especially if students are not involved in any of the aspects: 12. Level of international participation In which of the following is there international participation in quality assurance a) the governance of national agencies for quality assurance Yes No In some cases b) the external evaluation of national quality assurance agencies Yes No In some cases c) teams for external review of institutions or programmes, either as members or observers Yes No In some cases d) membership of ENQA Yes No In some cases e) membership of any other international network Yes No If Yes, please specify: After the external evaluation of the Quality Assurance Agency by EUA and ESU, ARACIS has expressed its interest to becomme a full member of ENQA and to be registered in EQAR. The examination of the request is in progress. Please add any additional comments, especially if there is no international involvement in any of the aspects: 21 RECOGNITION OF DEGREES AND STUDY PERIODS 13. Stage of implementation of Diploma Supplement Describe the stage of implementation of the Diploma Supplement in your country. Please include the percentage of all students graduating in 2009 who will receive a Diploma Supplement (if less than 100%, please explain) All the students graduating in 2009 will receive a Diploma Supplement. (100%). a) Is the Diploma Supplement issued to students graduating from: • 1st cycle programmes Yes No • 2nd cycle programmes Yes No • 3rd cycle programmes Yes No • remaining “old type” programmes Yes No Not applicable • short higher education programmes Yes No Not applicable b) which of the following apply to Diploma Supplements issued in your country: • issued in a widely spoken European language Yes No o please specify the language English alongside Romanian • issued free of charge for a fee • issued automatically on request • corresponds to the EU/CoE/UNESCO Diploma Supplement format • a national Diploma Supplement is used that is different from the EU/CoE/UNESCO Diploma Supplement format 13.1. Use of Diploma Supplement for recognition of qualifications Please describe the way in which the Diploma Supplement is used for the recognition of foreign qualifications (or studies). Please comment in particular on the following aspects, giving references to any relevant websites and documents: a) The Diploma Supplement is used as the reference document when admitting holders of foreign qualifications to the second and third cycles. Yes No Comment b) Holders of foreign qualifications who present a Diploma Supplement in a widely spoken language do not have to provide official translations of their qualifications. Yes No Comment c) Holders of foreign qualifications who present a Diploma Supplement in a widely spoken language do not need to prove through other documents the validity of the qualifications in the awarding country (for further studies or employment in the non- regulated part of the labour market). Yes No Comment For the labour market, the validity of the qualifications in the awarding country is confirmed by the Romanian Center for Recognition and Eqivalence which was set up in the Ministry of Education in 1999. 22 d) Specific action has been taken at a National and Institutional level to enhance the use of the Diploma Supplement as a communication tool towards the labour market Yes No Comment The issueing of the Diploma Supplement was generalised starting with the graduates of the 2005/2006 academic year. The document is issued automatically and free of charge for all the graduates in Romanian and English. 14. National implementation of the principles of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Describe the stage of implementation of the main principles and later supplementary documents11 of the Lisbon Recognition Convention. a) Does appropriate legislation comply with the Lisbon Convention? Yes No If Yes, please demonstrate how it is achieved: The Lisbon Convention on Recognition has been ratified in Romania by Law No. 172/1998. The National Center for Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas (CNRED) was set up by Government Decision No. 49/1999 and is since then fully operational as a member of the ENIC-Naric Network. In May 2008 Education Minister Order No. 4022 has empowered an updated version of "Methodology of Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas, Certificates and Scientific Titles" which aims at shortening, making more transparent and simplifying the recognition process. b) Does appropriate legislation comply with the later Supplementary Documents: i) Recommendation on the Criteria and Procedures for Recognition Yes No If Yes, please demonstrate how it is achieved: Minister Order No. 4022 / 2008 aproving the updated Methodology of recognition explicitly guarantees in art. 11.2.b conformity with recommendation on criteria and procedures for recognition ii) Recommendation on the Recognition of Joint Degrees Yes No If Yes, please demonstrate how it is achieved: Government Decision No. 1424 / 2006 offers the legal framework for the orgaization and recognition of integrated study programmes. The joint degree programmes are mentioned as one of the ways to develop study programmes as a result of inter-university cooperation. iii) Code of Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education Yes No If Yes, please demonstrate how it is achieved: c) which of the following principles are applied in practice 11 Recommendation on the Criteria and Procedures for Recognition (2001); Recommendation on the Recognition of Joint Degrees (2004); Code of Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education (2001) 23  i) applicants’ right to fair assessment Yes No If Yes, please describe how it is ensured at national and institutional level The CNRED has a web-site in Romanian and in English providing information on methodology, criteria, requirements, procedures and duration of the recognition. These are applying for all the applicants. ii) recognition if no substantial differences can be proven Yes No If Yes, please describe how it is ensured at national and institutional level In this case recognition is granted automatically for first and second cycle studies which are documented by accredited HEIs operating in EU member States, in countries of the EEA and in Switzerland as well in those countries which have signed up a bilateral recognition agreement with Romania. The applicant should have finished the study programme by presenting a distinctive written graduation paper. In not, compensatory measures can be applied in order to get the academic recognition. Iii) demonstration of substantial differences, where recognition is not granted Yes No If Yes, please describe how it is ensured at national and institutional level Recognition is not granted when the diploma is issued by an education provider which is not accredited in the country where it operates, when the number of ECTS is not conforming to the Bologna recommendations, when there are substantial differences in the profile of studies/curriculum contents/student workload, when Diploma Supplement is not issued by the awarding HEI and the transcript is not giving convincing information on the chosen field of study in compliance with the awarded qualification. iv) provision of information about your country’s HE programmes and institutions Yes No If Yes, please describe how it is done in practice Information about study programmes and HEIs in Romania are provided in Romanian and in English on the web-sites of the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth, of ENIC-NARIC, IAU, UNESCO/CEPES. Many Romanian universities have their own bilingual websites providing extensive information on their respective programmes. v) do you have a fully operational ENIC Yes No If Yes, please describe the role of your ENIC in recognition and information provision a) nationally and b) internationally CNRED is member of the ENIC- Naric Network. d) As additional information, please describe any actions to implement fully the Convention and the later Supplementary Documents. 24  "Fair access to information - a key to recognition of studies" is one of the strategic projects which will improve recognition of qualifications. It is financed by the European Social Fund. Beneficiary of the project outcomes is the Center for Recognition and Equivalence existing in the Romanian Ministry of