Accreditation procedures as a factor of quality assurance of higher education in Germany
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.16926/p.2021.30.12Keywords:
accreditation procedures, accreditation council, accreditation agency,, program accreditation, higher education in GermanyAbstract
The article presents an analysis of the accreditation procedures launched in higher education system in Germany during current period, and accents that accreditation procedures are significant factor in ensuring the quality of higher education in Germany at present time. The article considers that the term “accreditation” means the formal recognition of an educational program or institution of higher education by an authorized external body on the basis of an established procedure. The article reveals that in Germany, the accreditation system is organized on the principle of decentralization. It also reveals that in current period there are four types of accreditations in Germany, namely program accreditation, cluster accreditation, institutional accreditation, and system accreditation.
The article discusses that accreditation system in Germany has three levels, namely the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of Federal Lands of Germany, the Accreditation Council, the Accreditation agencies. It is shown that the Accreditation Council assumes its overall responsibility for the accreditation system by ensuring the consistency and coherence of its accreditation decisions, supporting the states in the further development of the German quality management system, promoting international cooperation in the field of accreditation and quality assurance, and contributing to the realization of a common European Higher Education Area. It is also shown that the Accreditation Council of Germany recognizes ten agencies including eight from Germany, one from Austria, and one from Switzerland. Accreditation agencies are independent, they develop educational standards, criteria and procedures used by independent experts. It has been proven that accreditation agencies, which have already received permission from the Accreditation Council to carry out their activities, conduct accreditation of educational programs and internal quality assurance systems in universities.
Special emphasis in the article is done on the analysis of accreditation agencies registered in Germany, namely ACQUIN, AHPGS, AKAST, AQAS, ASIIN, EVALAG, FIBAA, ZEvA. The article highlights that the main purpose of quality assurance agencies is to help to create high-quality educational programs in various fields, rather than meticulous bureaucratic procedures as well as that accreditation itself is less controlling in nature, and more focused on development of entire university.
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