European Dimension in Quality Management

European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

The quality management system employed at JAMK is in line with European and national requirements and it is constantly developed by anticipating changes in the operational environment.

As a result of the Bologna Process a common higher education area has emerged in Europe. The idea behind creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) was to ensure that academic degrees and other higher education qualifications are comparable and mutually recognised across Europe. Furthermore, the objectives of the Bologna Process include the enhancement of student mobility and employability within the EHEA as well as the overall aim to secure the competitiveness of the European higher education.

In order to enable the comparability of the qualifications obtained in different countries it is crucial that the quality of the Degrees is assured. In Europe the higher education institutions are responsible for taking care of their own quality management.

More information on the Bologna process and the EHEA can be found on the EHEA Official Website.

European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance

The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) has created a set of standards and guidelines that direct both the internal and external quality assurance procedures within the EHEA.

Internal quality assurance refers to the policies and practices through which higher education institutions not only monitor but also continuously develop the quality of their programmes and awards. External quality assurance, on the other hand, is an evaluation process carried out by an agency or another external party in relation to the HEI.

The standards and guidelines drafted by the ENQA are meant to contribute to a common frame of reference, which ought to guide both the higher education institutions and the external agencies in their efforts regarding quality management and the evaluation of it.

The European standards stress the official status of quality assurance in higher education institutions. Furthermore, they emphasise the importance of

• regular evaluation of Degree Programmes,
• reliable and transparent evaluation of learning outcomes
• assurance of the quality of teaching staff
• sufficiency of student support and learning resources
• sufficiency of knowledge needed in management as well as
• production of public information about the quality of education.

Audited Quality System

The Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC) is an independent expert body assisting higher education institutions and the Ministry of Education and Culture in matters relating to evaluation. FINHEEC is a full member of ENQA and it has been accepted to the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

FINHEEC has audited JAMK’s quality system in 2006 (please see the Audit Register). According to FINHEEC’s audit, the quality system of JAMK meets the criteria set for a quality system and for quality management procedures. The validity period of the audit is 13.3.2006 - 31.12.2012.

The audit is based on the evaluation criteria published by the FINHEEC. This set of criteria takes into account the European standards and guidelines described above.