This discussion panel will look at different perspective on the quality assurance of flexible learning pathways, with a focus on the potential of micro-credentials to supporting lifelong lesrning opportunities for all and widening access to quality education, and how the quality assurance community can help the sector untapping this potential. We will hear from two quality assurance agencies that have led the way in developing systems for quality assuring micro-credentials, the Malaysia Qualifications Agency and AQU Catalunya. We will hear from INQAAHE, who have recently undertaken a mapping study on approaches to micro-credentials on behalf of UNESCO.

Michaela Martin has a track record of more than 30 years in research and teaching in higher education policy, governance and planning. She holds a doctorate in Education from the University of Paris, a Post-graduate degree from the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium, a Master’s degree in Franco-German Economic Relations from the University of Paris III (France).  

Since she joined the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) in 1990, she has been specializing in the management of higher education. Since 2004, she has been in charge of an international research and training programme in the area of internal and external quality assurance in higher education. Since 2017, she is in charge of a research on flexible learning pathways in higher education. Since September 2022 she is the interim Assistant Director a.i. at UNESCO IIEP.

Over the years, she has published some 50 single or co-authored books, articles and several series of training modules.

Dr. Susanna Karakhanyan is employed by the Abu Dhabi Government as Higher Education Policy & Regulation Director at the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge in the United Arab Emirates. She consults governments on policymaking, governance as well as external and internal QA systems in a diversity of contexts globally. Dr. Karakhanyan’s expertise evolves around tertiary education in general and policymaking, governance and quality assurance in particular. She authors and delivers capacity building events and external reviews of governance structures, legal frameworks and QA systems worldwide. She has authored, initiated and has been implementing a variety of projects under the auspices of the Council of Europe, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, Open Society Institute, IREX, to name some. All the projects address higher education reforms in general and diversity of aspects in legal frameworks, governance and quality assurance, in particular (e.g. Tajikistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan). One of the most recent achievements is leading development of INQAAHE International Standards and Guidelines 2022, which make a first attempt to introduce quality assurance standards for micro-credentials, both formal and non-formal provisions. Dr. Karakhanyan holds M.S.Ed in Educational Administration/Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, the USA and PhD in Social Sciences from Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Her research interests focus around higher education governance and administration, reforms, policymaking, policy diffusion and transfer, and external and internal quality assurance. Her research background has helped her tremendously in the establishment of new and evaluation/review of existing tertiary education systems, including, but not limited to external and internal (both quality assurance agencies and higher education institutions) quality assurance systems in a diversity of contexts at the global level. 

Dr. Esther Huertas 

Esther Huertas is the Head of the Quality Assurance Department at AQU Catalunya, the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency. Previously, she served as a researcher at the University of Barcelona and followed her professional activity as an assistant professor at the same University. Huertas is an Agronomist Engineer and has a degree in Food Science and Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Barcelona. Huertas has a broad experience in the accreditation of programmes and institutions with special focus on e-learning. She was the chair of ENQA’s working group on quality assurance and e-learning and the work package leader of quality assurance in online higher education in TeSLA project – Trust-based authentication & authorship e-assessment analysis (https://tesla-project.eu/). Besides, she is a member of ENQA working group on microcredentials and their quality assurance. She is also involved in international activities, participating in different groups of discussion focused on quality assurance. Nowadays she is a member of the Agency Review Committee of ENQA.