QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE STUDY OF CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract

Quality assurance of teaching and learning is among the strategic goals of tertiary education. The key trend is towards comparable educational systems (achieved mainly by defining the teaching results) with improved permeability allowing for higher student mobility and better preparedness for jobs in a globalised economy. A great challenge of tertiary education is linking the research outcomes with degree programmes, which results in the graduates coping better with the real practical problems. The protracted accreditation procedures in the Czech Republic have led to a reform of this process. A new Accreditation Office has been established with quality assurance delegated directly to the universities. The present paper presents the impacts of changes in the quality assurance of the Czech tertiary education using Brno University of Technology (BUT) as an example. BUT is a leading technical university in the Czech Republic. The methods used for writing it include analysis of trends, benchmarking, and synthesis. Based on the outcomes of the research, it may be concluded that the currently set system of quality evaluation at the universities improves the university management. The paper also shows the challenges faced by a university while switching over to internal quality evaluation.