AIKA has organised an international expert training for assessing study fields

On 30th and 31st August, AIKA organized an international expert training in order to prepare for upcoming study field assessment procedures in season 2021/2022.

AIKA has been organizing expert trainings since 2015. This year, due to epidemiological restrictions, for the first time training was organised remotely that allowed to attract a wide range of participants. In total, 160 future assessment experts from more than 20 different countries took part in the training, including participants from Latvia and other European countries, as well as from more distant countries such as India, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Oman.

On the first day, the theoretical part of the training took place. The Head of AIKA Jolanta Silka gave an insight into the history and current developments of the Agency. The Head of the Agency informed participants about the accomplishments so far, as well as about the expected evaluation procedures in the next period. The experts were introduced to the Latvian higher education system, and higher education quality assurance procedures in Latvia.

Continuing the theoretical part of the training, the Head of the Quality Assessment Unit Ilva Grigorjeva provided the future experts with useful information about the study field assessment process, the methodology according to which it is organized, as well as the criteria to be taken into account. Asnate Kažoka, Head of the Development and International Cooperation Unit, informed the experts about the roles and responsibilities of experts during the evaluation procedures, as well as informed the participants about the AIKA e-platform that is used in the experts’ work.

On the second day of the training, experts from Latvia together with experts from other countries participated in the practical training session. Divided in several groups, participants prepared for the assessment of study fields, developing recommendations for the preparation of expert joint opinion, and for assessment of criteria. Working in groups allowed participants to try out roles of experts, dividing duties, sharing experiences, and working with the guidelines used in assessment procedures. The results of the group work were also presented to the other participants of the training, providing valuable recommendations for the study field assessment procedures.

At the end of the training experts took a test about the content they had learned during both days. The results of the test showed that the participants had gained insight into the quality assurance of higher education in Latvia successfully. Participants have been issued certificates for participation in the training, moreover, participation in the training will provide significant advantages for participation in the study field assessment procedures organized by AIKA. 

Presentations from expert training are available here:

Jolanta Silka. Quality Agency for Higher Education. Higher Education System in Latvia

Ilva Grigorjeva. Study Field Assessment Process: Methodology and Criteria

Asnate Kažoka. Role of experts and work on the e-platform

Those who did not have the opportunity to participate in this expert training, but would be interested to participate in higher education quality assessment as experts in future, can register in the AIKA expert database here: https://eplatforma.aika.lv/index.php?r=expert%2Fexpert%2Fcreate