In its new data release, ETER is extending its long-standing cooperation with the Database of External Quality Assurance Results (DEQAR) (https://www.eqar.eu). DEQAR is a large database, which provides access to reports and evaluation results published byEQAR-registered quality assurance agencies, which have demonstrated their compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) agreed within the Bologna Process. DEQAR contains more 70,000 reports and decisions on more than 3,000 higher education institutions in the Bologna countries.
More specifically, ETER now provides the number of evaluation results (excluding those with negative decisions) recorded in DEQAR for each reference year, distinguishing between institutional evaluation, program evaluation at different ISCED level, joint program evaluation and cross-border evaluation (see https://www.eqar.eu/qa-results/find-out-more/essential-info/#faq).
Out of 2,594 HEIs currently available on the ETER database for the year 2019, 1,029 had at least one evaluation report valid for that year. As shown by figure 1, about 600 HEIs had an institutional evaluation, while a similar number had at least one (and frequently more than one) evaluation at the bachelor and/or master level. This figures are however underestimated since DEQAR does not currently cover all European countries, also since not all European countries have a fully ESG-aligned quality assurance system yet.
Figure: Number of HEIs in ETER with quality assurance reports by type of evaluation in 2019 (n=2,594)
This cooperation will allow therefore scholars and policy-makers to analyze more in depth the extent and forms of quality assurance in Europe and the way they differ depending on institutional types and characteristics (for a preliminary analysis see also EQAR Policy Brief https://www.eqar.eu/esg-coverage-of-higher-education-systems-in-europe/).