Paula Przybylowicz, Quality Assurance Specialist, and Lisa Cruz, External Evaluations Coordinator, participated in the 4th seminar for recently evaluated agencies of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), which took place on 26 and 27 March in Madrid, Spain, hosted by the Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA). 

The seminar was opened by invitation only to agencies that, like AQUA, have been recently evaluated according to the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). The aim is to support the development of these agencies, offering a space to share and discuss good practices for implementing recommendations received by the agencies in their evaluation reports. 

Participants had the opportunity to discuss their experiences in preparing and carrying out the external evaluation, the challenges in meeting the expectations of the 2015 ESG and exchange views with other professionals. 

Thus, main topics covered during the seminar were: 

• The importance of external evaluations for the development of agencies and accountability. 
• The challenges of adapting to the ESG, especially in terms of alignment with national frameworks.
• The relationship between external evaluation and educational innovation, highlighting how quality assurance processes can improve teaching and learning methodologies. 
• Recommendations and improvement plans so that the results of the evaluations are translated into concrete actions. 
• Good practices in quality assurance, emphasizing transparency, stakeholder involvement and institutional development. 

Participation in these events is a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and strengthen the Agency's commitment to quality assurance in higher education. 

More information here.