OPTICS OF LOOKING TO THE FUTURE (Paper 3)

Keeping with the topics of 9th-11th European Quality Assurance Forums (EQAF), the paper analyzes the impact that a new pedagogical paradigm has on changes in higher education as well as on developing a new quality assurance methodology. At present Europe is featured by a new inter-university institution – tutor support of students; developing assessment practices for professionally-oriented baccalaureate and changes of state policy tools in higher education due to the advent of a new public management. The authors monitor a practice of surveying students and graduates and present results of t4SCL project aimed at developing sustainable strategies and methods of student-centered learning. The paper identifies the focus of 10th and 11th EQAF on trends in higher education development for the coming decades and reveals the dynamics of mentality changes in higher education occurred for the time of the Forums

TODAY'S ROUND OF THE BOLOGNA PROCESS: CONTINUED OPTIMISM. AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RUSSIAN (Paper 1)

The proposed three-paper series is the authors' attempt to address at least tangentially the whole diversity of quality assurance practices in higher education, the way this diversity has been dynamically manifested and comprehended at the eleven European Quality Assurance Forums (2006-2016). Of course, the authors' intention is to reflect this collective conceptual and methodological activity in the context of the Bologna Process, which obviously has already gone through an optimistic round of its first decade and entered into a contradictory, multi-speed and multilevel reality of transition to the institutional level of reforms.The first article deals with some issues of the current stage of Bolognatransformations amid financial, economic and demographic crisis. The authors briefly touch upon a great potential of Russian higher education, which in late 20 century - early 21st century they described as "Russian pre-Bologna"

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: UP-TO-DATE EXPERIENCE (PAPER 2)

The paper presents a panorama of European Quality Assurance Forums (EQAF) and their topical focus. The authors give their opinion that for the purposes of academic communication we need to develop a glossary completely reflecting theoretical, conceptual, methodological and practical wealth in this area. While addressing topics within the whole “perimeter” of all forums held, the paper focuses mainly on the selected materials of the eighth EQAF. The authors consider issues concerning the defining of the concept of “higher education quality” and developing the institutional quality culture. The paper dwells on the barriers to European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) implementation. Attention is given to accreditation processes, especially to the balance between “accountability” and “enhancement”. The paper also touches upon the issues of criteria validity and the indicators for higher education quality