Quality in higher education in Portugal the A3ES certifying entity: Accreditation of IQAS and institutional accreditation at one Portuguese university

Abstract

The A3ES (Agency for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education), has as its mission to guarantee the quality of higher education in Portugal through the evaluation and accreditation of higher education institutions and their study cycles, as well as in the performance of the functions inherent in the insertion of Portugal in the European system of quality assurance of higher education, whether in the institutional scope or in the scope of quality all the HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) in Portugal, whether public or private entities. With this work we will explore the perspective of the A3Es on the one hand, and on the other, the one of the HEIs. During the year 2018, all the HEIs in Portugal were submitted to the so-called Institutional Accreditation, which had the objective of evaluating the quality of the performance of higher education institutions, by measuring the degree of fulfillment of their mission, through performance parameters related to their respective performance and results, and should be based on international best practices in this area, focusing on, inter alia, higher education institutions, their organizational units and the study cycles they offer or intend to achieve. The objective of this evaluation is to improve the quality of higher education institutions, provide informed information to society about the same institutions and develop an internal institutional culture of quality assurance. It also provides that accreditation is aimed at ensuring compliance with the minimum requirements leading to the official recognition of higher education establishments and their study cycles, within the framework of the quality assurance system for higher education, and is carried out based on quality evaluation (articles 5 and 6 of the Law no. 38/2007, of August 16). The A3ES says that for an HEI to achieve the Institutional Accreditation, it must have implemented the Internal Quality Assurance System (IQAS), however the IQAS Accreditation is optional, being a "seal of trust" of the A3ES. In this context, this study describes the practices developed by an IES accredited by the IQAS for 6 years, maximum time of accreditation, and accredited for 3 years by Institutional Accreditation. It is a private HEI accredited by the IQAS. It stands out as the results of this content analysis, the perception of the areas with the greatest need to be leveraged, the respective improvements to be applied as well as the mechanisms to be implemented. This study contributes to the good practices of IQAS seen by the experienced side of an accredited HEI. It identifies the most critical and sensitive areas of education where a permanent effort of the QEO (Quality and Evaluation Office) is required in the monitoring of the permanent implementation in the perspective of continuous improvement and the constant creation of control mechanisms for its maintenance.