International and national collaboration
The OAQ plays an active role in a number of international quality assurance networks and has concluded several collaboration agreements.
- ANECA
In September 2003 the OAQ signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with the Spanish national accreditation agency ANECA. The aim of this agreement is to promote collaboration on accreditation and quality assurance procedures and to institutionalize a reciprocal exchange of experience and information. - DACH
In the summer of 2002 the OAQ put forward a proposal to form a regional accreditation network comprising the national accreditation agencies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (D, A, CH). These bodies signed a cooperation agreement on 15 July 2003 which governs their close collaboration on matters of accreditation. Their objective is to achieve mutual recognition of national accreditation decisions. - ECA (European Consortium for Accreditation)
The ECA brings together the national accreditation agencies operating in Europe. It was set up in November 2003 with a view to Europe-wide recognition of national accreditation decisions in the future. It is hoped that this objective will be achieved by 2007 at the latest. The OAQ is one of the founding members, is represented on the management group, and is active in all five working groups. The OAQ has the presidency of ECA since December 2004. - ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher
Education)
This network was set up in 1998 and today brings together 46 quality assurance agencies from 23 European countries. In line with the decisions made by the meeting of education ministers in Berlin in 2003, the objective is for this network to play a central role in coordinating European quality assurance efforts. The OAQ represents Switzerland in the ENQA and participates in a number of the network's working groups. - INQAAHE (International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies
in Higher Education)
This international network of quality assurance agencies was set up in 1991; the OAQ has been a member since early 2003. - JQI (Joint Quality Initiative)
The JQI was founded in 2001 and brings together eleven countries (national quality assurance agencies and representatives of education ministries). The aim of this network is to develop generic descriptors for the qualifications attained at bachelor, master and doctor level which will be valid throughout Europe. A major outcome of the work done by this network are the Dublin descriptors , approved in 2002. This document regulates, independent of discipline, the skills and abilities that a candidate with a bachelor or master degree should acquire.
The following two national networks have been set up on the initiative of the OAQ:
- Swiss Quality Network:
A network of all the persons responsible for quality and evaluations working at the 12 universities in Switzerland - Working Group on Bachelor/Master Descriptors:
A joint initiative of the OAQ and the Bologna Project Group organized by the Rectors' Conference of the Swiss Universities (CRUS); its aim is to discuss qualification and skill profiles at bachelor, master and doctoral level.
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