Mission, Values and Purposes

About Us

The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) is a world-wide association of organizations that is active in the theory and practice of quality assurance (QA) in higher education (HE).

The greater majority of its members are quality assurance providers (as Full members) that operate in many different ways. However, the Network also welcomes (as Associate member) other organisations that have an interest in QA in HE, and individuals with major interest in HE (as Affiliates). INQAAHE thus offers its members the many benefits of being part of such an active group of workers in QA in HE.

INQAAHE was established in 1991 with only 8 members. Today the total membership exceeds 300 members. Tertiary Education (TE) has dramatically changed over the last decades. Distance education as well as vocational education have become increasingly more important as is the need for recognition of prior learning. TE has become more global than ever before. Professional accreditation has become more important as more tertiary education institutions (TEI) delivering programs in different modes enter the market. All these have thrust the QA providers into ever expanding roles.

INQAAHE is a QA community, with shared interests, a common language and an understanding of how things are done with regard to a very specific field of work. It provides a forum for the discussion of global issues that go beyond national or regional boundaries, such as cross border education. Members have the opportunity to learn from what others are doing, both from their successes and their failures, and thus have now set the ground for the development of a QA profession.

MISSION

The central purpose and role of INQAAHE is to promote and advance excellence in tertiary education through the support of an active international community of quality assurance providers. In order to achieve this goal, the network focuses on the development of the theory and practice of quality assurance, the exchange and understanding of the policies and actions of its members, and the promotion of quality assurance for the benefit of tertiary education, institutions, students and society at large.

VALUES

Fundamental to the work of the Network are the key values that support the policy and practice of quality assurance:

  • Recognition of the value of the collective wisdom gathered from the practices of a diverse set of members, and their ability to address the challenges of the educational and social structures in which they operate. INQAAHE celebrates this diversity, which has also made it possible to identify and highlight commonalities and fundamental principles that underpin good practice and guide the operation of Quality Assurance (QA) providers.

  • Belief in the primacy of academic freedom and institutional integrity, and a commitment to the idea that quality and quality assurance are primarily the responsibility of tertiary education institutions themselves.

  • A fundamental understanding of the importance of working in partnership – among members, with tertiary education institutions, regional, international government and nongovernment organizations as well as the business sector – in order to provide member support, guidance, information and advocacy for quality assurance.

PURPOSES

  • To create, collect and disseminate information on current and developing theory and practice in the assessment, improvement and maintenance of quality in tertiary education.

  • To undertake or commission research in areas relevant to quality in tertiary education.

  • To express the collective views of its members on matters relevant to quality in tertiary education through contacts with international bodies and by other means.

  • To promote the theory and practice of the improvement of quality in tertiary education.

  • To provide advice and expertise to assist existing and emerging quality assurance providers.

  • To facilitate links between quality assurance agencies and support networks of quality assurance providers.

  • To assist members to determine the standards of institutions operating across national borders and facilitate better-informed international recognition of qualifications.

  • To assist in the development and use of credit transfer and credit accumulation schemes to enhance the mobility of students between institutions (within and across national borders).

  • To enable members to be alert to improper quality assurance practices and organisations.

  • To organise, on request, reviews of the operation of members.

Our History

  • 1989

    HKCAA - First Conference of QA Agencies and representation of QA bodies from all the continent. Associations insights and INQAAHE network foundation.

  • 1991 - 1995

    First Secretariat Host HKCAA. The hosting model, globally moving Secretariat.

  • 1993 - 1994

    North america. The earliest expression of formal external quality assurance in higher education originated in North America over a century ago in the form of accreditation and the worldwide pattern for the establishment of external quality assurance commenced at the end of the 1980s and mid-1990s.

  • 1995

    UNESCO and membership definition. As the demand for trustworthy and credible tertiary education increased so did quality assurance provisions, raising a tangible need to bridge diversity of quality assurance providers in an effort to respond to the emerging challenges.

  • 1999

    Emergence of regional networks. The growth of a strong partnership with other world bodies - EQA agencies. The Latin America initiative.

  • 2005

    In the same year, INQAAHE signed an agreement with UNESCO under the UNITWIN scheme, which gave an official status to INQAAHE with UNESCO and marked joint efforts to develop and enhance QA.

  • 2008 - 2012

    INQAAHE FIRST STRATEGIC PLAN

  • 20TH

    By its 20th anniversary INQAAHE already enjoyed wide acknowledgement and acceptance in a diversity of contexts, cultures and thourghout all the continents as a global umbrella network for QA providers.

  • 2012 - 2021

    At the same time, INQAAHE, under the lead of Susanna Karakhayan, then the Vice-President, worked closely with UNESCO on gathering information for the second round of regional scoping studies on external QA. Later on, the tradition of regional scoping studies under the auspices of, was adopted by INQAAHE.

  • 2021 - 2025

    The global study

  • 1989

  • 1991 - 1995

  • 1993 - 1994

  • 1995

  • 1999

  • 2005

  • 2008 - 2012

  • 20TH

  • 2012 - 2021

  • 2021 - 2025

What do we do?

The central purpose and role of INQAAHE is to promote and advance excellence in higher education through the support of an active international community of quality assurance agencies. In order to achieve this goal, the Network focuses on the development of the theory and practice of quality assurance, the exchange and understanding of the policies and actions of its members, and the promotion of quality assurance for the benefit of higher education, institutions, students and society at large.

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