Representative from the National Entity for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (NEAQA) participated in the 3rd ENQA Seminar for Agencies Preparing for a Review, held in Madrid, Spain, on 27-28 March 2025. The event, organized by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and hosted by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation of Spain (ANECA), gathered representatives from 19 different quality assurance agencies.
The seminar aimed to support agencies preparing for external reviews against the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015), either through full or targeted reviews planned between 2025 and spring 2027.
Participants, including NEAQA’s representative, gained valuable insights into the methodologies of both full and targeted review processes. Attendees also discussed good practices related to the self-assessment phase and received guidance directly from members of the ENQA Agency Review Committee (ARC) and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).
The seminar was structured into three parts. The first part provided an overview of ENQA Agency Reviews, explaining the objectives, main stages of the review process, and common challenges in achieving ESG compliance. It also highlighted EQAR’s role in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and its expectations for agency reviews.
The second part focused on practical considerations for agency self-assessment. It included important dos and don’ts and an interactive workshop focused on self-assessment and self-selected enhancement standards for targeted reviews.
Finally, in the third part of the seminar, the review process was brought to life using practical examples. Agencies shared their experiences and lessons learned from previous reviews, including insightful case studies presented by MAB from Hungary, ANECA from Spain and AQ Austria.
Participation in this seminar enabled NEAQA to better understand and effectively prepare for its upcoming review, reinforcing its ongoing commitment to quality assurance and continuous improvement in higher education.
