Purpose

It was almost a quarter a century ago that self-assessment by universities became officially recommended in Japan after a key amendment to the University Establishment Standards. Since then, the environment of quality assurance in higher education has seen huge changes. While aging of society, changes in values and internationalization of socio-economic conditions are proceeding rapidly, self-assessment and the publication of its results became a legal duty of a university. In addition to that, the Certified Evaluation and Accreditation system was introduced: It requires self-assessments as the foundation of external evaluation. All these regulatory conditions have shaped quality assurance from outside universities, and these conditions have apparently reduced the importance of a university as the subjective agent in quality assurance of the university itself.

Therefore, in the NIAD-QE Quality Assurance Forum 2016, we will revisit the role of universities as the “subjects” in the entire grammar of quality assurance in higher education. We will also examine what “verbs” and “objects” might look like when a university is the “subject.” In other words, we will reexamine the basic role of universities in assuring the quality of universities.

Moreover, we will consider the desirable role of external agents -- including accreditors, employers or lawmakers -- as “subjects” of enhancement of quality of higher education, and what their possible tasks and targets might be. On the basis of those discussions, we will thoroughly investigate how we can optimize the different roles, tasks and targets of both internal and external quality assurance agents. To accomplish this, we will look at current practices in Japan and overseas.

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Programme (simultaneous translation provided)

12:00	venue open
13:00	Opening address  FUKUDA, Hideki (President, NIAD-QE)
13:10	Introduction Presentation  NAGATA, Takashi (Director, Research Department, NIAD-QE)
13:20	Keynote speech I  John N. HAWKINS (Professor Emeritus, UCLA)
14:00	Keynote speech2  Padraig WALSH (President of ENQA, Chief Executive of QQI)
14:40	break
15:00	Panel Discussion:PartI Quality Assurance Activities by Universities Themselves  KANDA, Yuichi (Vice-President, Toyo University)  MATSUO, Takashi (Vice-President, University of Kitakyushu)  MINAMOTO, Teruya (Professor, Saga University Graduate School of Science and Engineering) Moderator:  TAKEICHI, Masato (Dean, Research Department, NIAD-QE)
15:45	Break
16:10	Panel Discussion: Part II Subjects, Verbs and Objects of Quality Assurance  John N. HAWKINS (Professor Emeritus, UCLA)  Padraig WALSH (President of ENQA, Chief Executive of QQI)  KANDA, Yuichi (Vice-President, Toyo University)  MATSUO, Takashi (Vice-President, University of Kitakyushu)  MINAMOTO, Teruya (Professor, Saga University, Graduate School of Science and Engineering)  YAMADA, Reiko (Professor, Doshisha University Faculty of Social Studies) Moderator:  MORI, Rie (Professor, Research Department, NIAD-QE)
17:20	Closing remarks  OKAMOTO, Kazuo (Vice-President, NIAD-QE)
17:30	Forum close

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Materials 

Now the materials are downloadable from here.

○Keynote speechⅠ
"Higher Education and Quality Assurance –Views from the Outside and Inside–"
John N. HAWKINS (Professor Emeritus, UCLA)

○Keynote speech II
"The Developing Roles of Internal and External Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area"
Padraig Walsh (President of ENQA, Chief Executive of QQI)

○Panel Discussion:Part I Quality Assurance Activities by Universities Themselves
 「質保証、だれが何をどうするか」(Japanese only)
KANDA, Yuichi (Vice-President, Toyo University)

 「北九州市立大学における内部質保証の取組み」(Japanese only)
MATSUO, Takashi (Vice-President, University of Kitakyushu)

 「佐賀大学における質保証の取り組み」(Japanese only)
MINAMOTO, Teruya (Professor, Saga University, Graduate School of Science and Engineering)

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Photos

Here are some shots from the event.

Opening address


Introduction Presentation


Keynote speechⅠ


Keynote speechⅡ


Panel Discussion:Part I Quality Assurance Activities by Universities Themselves




Panel Discussion: Part II Subjects, Verbs and Objects of Quality Assurance










Closing remarks

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