Accreditation of Public and Private Universities in the Republic of Serbia

2008-2010

Republic of SerbiaCOMMISSION FOR ACCREDITATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

2005-2006

2005. – adoption of the Law on Higher Education

2006. – constitution of the National council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (CAQA)

2006. NCHE, after the CAQA suggestion, adopted:- Standards for accreditation of institutions and study programs- Standards for self-evaluation and assessment of institutional quality- Standards for external institutional quality assurance

Standards for accreditation of institutions

Standard 1: Basic tasks and aims of an institution of higher learning

Standard 2: Planning and control

Standard 3: Organization and management

Standard 4: Studies

Standard 5: Scientific-research and artistic work

Standard 6: Teaching staff

Standard 7: Non-teaching staff

Standard 8: Students

Standard 9: Facilities and equipment

Standard 10: Library, textbooks, and information technology (IT) support

Standard 11: Financial resources

Standard 12: Internal mechanisms of quality assurance

Standard 13. Activities open to the general public

Standards for accreditation of the study programs of I and II level of studies

Standard 1: Structure of the study program

Standard 2: Purpose of the study program

Standard 3: Aims of the study program

Standard 4: Competences of graduate students

Standard 5: Curriculum

Standard 6: Quality, up-to-datedness, and international co-ordination of the study program

Standard 7: Student admission

Standard 8: Student assessment and progress

Standard 9: Teachers

Standard 10: Organization and material resources

Standard 11: Quality control

Standard 12: Distance studies

Standards for accreditation of study programs of doctoral studies

Special standard: Competence of an institution of higher learning for the realization of doctoral studies

Standard 1: Study program structureStandard 2: Study program purposeStandard 3: Study program aimsStandard 4: Competences of graduate studentsStandard 5: CurriculumStandard 6: Quality, up-to-datedness, and international co-ordination of the study

programStandard 7: Student admissionStandard 8: Student assessment and progressStandard 9: TeachersStandard 10: Organization and material resourcesStandard 11: Quality control

2006-2007

CAQA selects 700 reviewers (10%)

There were 20 single day seminars in order to train the reviewers

There were 4 seminars with 856 participants from all the institutions in Serbia, dedicated to the preparation of accreditation documents

2008-2010Accreditation of universities

18 universities applied for accreditation: 8 public (7+1)

10 private (7+3)Up to September 2010, the following were accredited:

7 public universities (87.5%)

Universities in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac, Priština, Novi Pazar, and the University of Defense

5 private universities (50%) Singidunum, Megatrend, Educons, Academy of Economy, and

Metropoliten

2008-2010Accreditation of all study programs

Up to September 2010, in all 18 universities the following were accredited:

959 study programs for 61495 students admitted to the first year, out of which

in public universities

791 study programs for 51689 students (84%)in private universities

168 study programs for 9806 students (16%)

2008-2010Accreditation of study programs of doctoral studies

Up to September 2010, in all 18 universities, the total number of students admitted to the first year of doctoral studies at accredited study programs was 3027, out of which

in public universities: 2816 (93%)

in private universities: 211 (7%)

Structure of the accredited study programsBy their accreditation field, study programs can be divided

into 5 groups:

In public universities:

ТТ (technic-technology): 40%; HS (humanities and social sciences: 30%; NM (natural sciences and mathematics: 9.5%; MS (medical sciences) 9.5%; A (arts): 10%

In private universities:

ТТ: 15%; HS: 55%; NM: 11%; MS: 2%; A: 17%

Outcomes of accreditation of faculties83 public and 40 private faculties entered the accreditation processAccording to the original accreditation decision, the outcomes were as

follows:

Public: 67% accredited, 33% warning letter

Private: 15% accredited, 80% warning letter, 5% declined

After the amendments requested in warning letters:

Public : 93% accredited, 7% warning letter

Private: 55% accredited, 13% warning letter, 32% declined

After the decisions issued after the appeals to the NCHE

Private: 72% accredited, 15% declined

Outcomes of accreditation of study programs1064 study programs from public and 262 from private faculties

entered the accreditation processAccording to the original accreditation decision, the outcomes were as

follows : Public: 64% accredited, 36% warning letter Private: 25% accredited, 68% warning letter, 7% declined

After the amendments requested in warning letters : Public : 88% accredited, 11% warning letter, 1% declined Private : 59% accredited, 17% warning letter, 24% declined

After the decisions issued after the appeals to the NCHE Public : 88% accredited, 1% declined Private : 65% accredited, 18% declined

Future activities in quality improvement

Institutions have to prepare their self-evaluation reports (3 years);

CAQA is obliged to perform external quality control of all institutions and study programs (2011);

From 2012 onwards, the next accreditation of all institutions and study programs is to begin (5 years)

Future activities in quality improvement of the CAQA

Full membership in the ENQASteps taken:- Rectors’ Conference in Belgrade, October 2009.- “Mute Application” organized bу the European Council, December 2009. - The CAQA became a signee of the joint declaration about the ENQA

membership of all regional accreditation bodies, May2010.- Visit of the five member delegation of the CAQA to the ENQA

headquarters in Helsinki, organized by the WUS, June2010.- Application for “Candidate Membership”, August 2010.- Self-evaluation report preparation, October 2010.- Application for the visit of an expert tean, the positive report of which

precedes full membership, 2011.