Around 150 participants from 20 countries attended last month the ECA Conference “Assessing the Quality of Internationalisation” in Paris France.
The conference focused on quality in internationalisation and answered the most pertinent questions from a quality assurance perspective. In the framework of the CeQuInt Project co-funded by the European Commission, quality assurance and internationalisation agencies have developed and tested in 12 pilot procedures across Europe a methodology to assess the quality of internationalisation at both the level of programmes and institutions. The overall aim was to provide a methodology to (self)-assess the quality of internationalisation in higher education and to help enhance the quality of internationalisation.
The keynotes and reflections presented the current state of affairs in internationalisation and its potential in the future. The eminent experts provided their perspectives on internationalisation and the development of quality of internationalisation.
President, European Association for International Education (EAIE)
Deputy Secretary General, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Rolf Heusser (ANECA), Tia Loukkola (EUA), Laura Howard (EAIE), Karolina Pietkiewicz (ESU), Alexandre Wipf (EURASHE)
Quality assurance and internationalisation agencies have developed and tested a methodology to assess the quality of internationalisation at both the level of programmes and institutions.
Rafael van Grieken, Chairperson (ECA), Ann Demeulemeester, CeQuInt Partner (NVAO)
Julien Lecocq, CeQuInt Partner (HCERES), Julie Nolland, CeQuInt Partner (CTI)
A welcome outcome of the developed methodology is that ECA is now able to reward good quality in internationalisation of programmes & institutions. The first 11 Certificates for Quality in Internationalisation were awarded at the conference.
Harald Schraeder, Gilles Baillat and Noureddine Manamanni, CeQuInt Pilot (Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne), François Pernot, CeQuInt Partner (HCERES).
An assessment gives higher education programmes and institutions insight into their performance in the domain of internationalisation and provides them with the relevant means for improvements. Undergoing such an assessment inevitably leads to internal discussions, measures for coherence and provides a considerable contribution to the level of internationalisation already achieved. The award of an ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation confirms that a programme or an institution has successfully incorporated an international and intercultural dimension into the purpose, function and delivery of its education. The applications for the ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation are now open for programmes and institutions at the ECA Internationalisation Platform.
Thomas Blanc de la Carrere, CeQuInt Partner (NVAO)
In addition to the certification service, ECA will publish good practices in internationalisation on a newly revealed internationalisation platform. A good practice in internationalisation (GPI) is an internationalisation activity that has been verified by a third-party review process as contributing to the overall quality of an institution or programme and as adding commendable value for its stakeholders.
For more information on the ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation please contact secretariat@ecahe.eu.
- Visit the ECA Internationalisation Platform
- Access the Conference Presentations
- Visit the Photo Gallery of the Event
