The creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has been vital in the process of internationalisation of universities, as it has highlighted the need for common standards and guidelines for higher education.
To this end, ENQA was established in 2000 as the European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education to promote European cooperation in the field of quality assurance in higher education. In 2004, it became the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, with the aim of contributing to the maintenance and enhancement of quality in European higher education and to act as a major driving force for the development of quality assurance in all signatory countries of the Bologna Process.
ENQA is an association that serves and represents its members at European and international level. ENQA members are quality assurance organisations of the European Higher Education Area.
AVAP has been a member of ENQA since July 2022. To this end, it has undergone a process that includes the following phases:
- Self-Assessment Report (SAR): The first stage of the review process is the preparation of an analytical self-assessment report by the agency under review.
- External evaluation: The external review is carried out by a panel of experts composed of a chairperson, a secretary and two (exceptionally three) members. The task of this panel is to assess the agency’s activities and give its opinion on whether it is acting in accordance with the ESG (the criteria and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area). This is done through a thorough assessment of the SAR and additional material, such as the website and requested documents, including an on-site visit to the agency.
- Expert panel report: The panel drafts an external review report, which includes evidence and analysis of the agency’s compliance with the ESG. For each standard, the report issues an opinion of compliant, partially compliant, or non-compliant. The report also includes recommendations, commendations, and suggestions for further development. The agency has two weeks to review the draft report for factual corrections and then the ENQA Agency Review Committee reviews it. The review report is considered final once validated by the Committee. Finally, the report and the Committee’s statement are published on the ENQA website. Once the positive report is obtained, the agency can use it to apply for ENQA membership and for inclusion in the EQAR register (European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education). EQAR is the official register of EHEA Quality Assurance Agencies, which lists those agencies that substantially comply with the ESG. Spanish legislation requires agencies to be part of DEQAR in order to be able to assume full responsibility for quality management in higher education.
The documents reflecting the different phases are the following:
TRIPARTY TERMS OF REFERENCE BETWEEN AVAP, ENQA and EQAR- AVAP SELF-ASSESSMENT REPORT
- ENQA EXTERNAL REVIEW REPORT
More information on the full ENQA membership process can be found at:
More information on the full process to be listed on the EQAR register:
FOLLOW-UP to ENQA accreditation:
The follow-up to the review provides the agency with continuous reflection and development of its work. Agencies are required to submit a follow-up report within two years of validation of the final external review report. The report should demonstrate how the recommendations made in the review report have been addressed and explain any other significant changes or developments in the agency.
The AVAP follow-up report for submission to ENQA during June 2024 can be found at the following link:
ENQA also offers the option of a follow-up visit to the agency, usually conducted by two reviewers from the original review group. This visit usually takes place two to three years after the verification of the final external review report (and after the submission of the follow-up report) and aims to generate a more intensive and improvement-oriented dialogue, in order to go beyond the compliance-focused on-site review visit.