An attempt to analyse the implementation of higher education quality assurance standards in Poland: a case study

Abstract

A significant improvement of quality assurance in the higher education institutions is one of the aims of the Bologna Process. In 1995 ENQA (the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), in collaboration with several other organisations, presented a set of standards and guidelines for quality assurance in higher education.

The paper examines a few questions concerning the state of implementation of the internal quality assurance standards and guidelines defined by ENQA at Polish universities, using the case study of one of the leading private technical schools in Poland, the Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology in Warsaw. The study is based on an anonymous survey, conducted in an electronic form, and an examination of the School’s procedures and regulations. The results of the survey and the procedures included in the School’s regulations were confronted with the criteria on quality assurance defined by ENQA (concerning such aspects as the Institution’s policy and procedures for quality assurance, monitoring of programmes and awards, assessments of students, the quality of teaching staff, learning resources and student support, information systems and public information). The findings have shown that there is a noticeable progress in the pro- quality activity in Polish schools, though there still remains a lot of room for further improvement. It seems that the most important challenge nowadays is to build a good system of communication between all the School’s stakeholders.