2017 INQAAHE Biennial Conference
Call for Papers and Poster Presentations
BETWEEN COLLABORATION & COMPETITION: THE PROMISES & CHALLENGES FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Gulf Convention Centre, Gulf Hotel
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
27 February - 1 March 2017
Organised and hosted by
Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA), Kingdom of Bahrain
The International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies (INQAAHE) invites proposals for papers and posters for presentation during the 2017 INQAAHE Conference. Papers or posters may be either presentation of research or best practice experience based on a previous or newly introduced best practice or research. Presentations should be interactive with a high level of participant engagement. Research-based presentations should include the appropriate research design and scientific methodology. Paper and poster proposals will be assessed by members of the Conference Program Committee for compliance with the criteria for acceptance.
Conference Theme and Sub-themes
Theme:
Between Collaboration & Competition: Promises & Challenges for Quality Assurance in Higher Education
Sub-Themes:
1. Quality assurance breaking down barriers for students and providers
This theme will focus on the role agencies can play in building trust, partnership and mobility for students and providers, and across different modes of learning. From formal structures to staff exchanges, and transnational reviews to student protection schemes, what are the tools and strategies that work in an increasingly connected world? And in this context, what role can students and employers play in agencies' reviews/audits?
Papers presented under this sub-theme should address the role that agencies are playing in developing the structures to support successful transnational delivery of higher education and cross-border student mobility. They may include but not be limited to accounts of agreements between agencies, shared review activity, and case studies of agency support for provider and governmental initiatives in transnational development. The role of new technology in dissolving boundaries and facilitating cross-border HE is also of interest in this sub-theme. What opportunities does online learning offer? Why does it continue to be regarded with suspicion in many jurisdictions? Does it pose distinctive challenges for quality assurance and agencies? The role of students and employers as key stakeholders, and the ways in which agencies are responding to and incorporating their needs and insights are of particular interest in this sub-theme.
2.
Quality assurance for competitive advantage in the markets for national and international students
International education is now a hugely competitive market, and national governments and individual providers often see agencies as key tools for developing positional advantage. What are the implications for agencies in seeking to meet these expectations? And, as some agencies position themselves to offer services outside their national jurisdictions, are we also now seeing the emergence of a competitive international market in quality assurance itself? Competition within countries is also intense in many places; is QA seen as a help or a hindrance?
The papers submitted under this subtheme should address the challenges which regulation and quality assurance may pose to the development of successful international partnerships. How do agencies ensure that QA facilitates rather than obstructs, while at the same time making sure that standards and quality are maintained in the face of powerful financial and commercial interests? Are agencies there to protect the consumer interest in an increasingly competitive environment? Papers may include but not be limited to accounts of cooperation (or conflict) with wider trade and economic agendas, strategies for dealing with pressures that may conflict with educational values, and models of cooperation and collaboration which help to transcend a purely competitive model of HE and even agency relationships.
3.
Are we closer to a global QA and qualifications framework?
From the GGP to CHEA’s new International Principles, to regional QA and Qualification frameworks in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Arab world, there are now structures which hold out the promise of an approach to a system which can transcend national boundaries and constraints. But QA & QF is still overwhelmingly delivered by agencies constructed on national lines. Is global recognition of institutions and qualifications a dream or a likely reality? What should be the relationship between national and international, or even global, frameworks? Do we see complementarity or conflict?
Papers presented under this sub-theme should address the growth of regional and global frameworks. How are they negotiated, who uses them and why, and do they help or hinder the tasks that agencies face in conducting credible and effective quality assurance? What are the values and principles that these frameworks are based on: genuine alignment or ‘lowest common denominator’? It may include but not be limited to accounts of the existing agreements and networks, but contributors are also encouraged to look forward to the arrangements of the future: what more needs to be done and can we envisage a future in which national frameworks matter less and less in a globalized world?
4.
The Quality Assurance agenda for the next 25 years
Challenges to independence and funding; the challenge of relevance and connection with students, employers and the professional accreditation bodies; the challenges of migration, and refugee students and scholars; the pressures of reconciling collaboration and competition; e-learning that crosses institutional and national boundaries; and increasingly sophisticated challenges to academic integrity.
What will the next 25 years hold for higher education, quality assurance, agencies and the students and institutions we serve?
Papers presented under this sub-theme should address the future, boldly and imaginatively! HE quality assurance has grown and developed remarkably over the first 25 years of INQAAHE’s existence; what promises will the next quarter century hold? Papers may include but not be limited to the projects already underway which will guide our future directions as agencies, dreams and aspirations for the future of higher education and quality assurance, concrete proposals for future activity, and scenarios both apocalyptic and utopian!
Requirements for Submissions
Paper Proposal
As the number of papers, which can be presented, is limited by the number of parallel sessions, only papers which cover topics with relevance to one of the sub-themes will be selected for presentation. Furthermore, papers will be assessed against the following criteria:
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There is a clear focus of the paper, which will be of interest to the participants of the conference.
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The argument, development, and structure of the paper are logical, coherent and understandable.
A paper proposal should:
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indicate the conference sub-theme,
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state the topic covered in the paper,
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identify the author(s),
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identify the organization of the author(s),
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specify any audio-visual requirements,
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be outlined in no more than 1,000 words,
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be accompanied by a 100 – 150 word abstract,
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be prepared in 12 point Times New Roman font, and
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the file must be identified as follows: number of the subtheme, last name of the author, last name of any co-authors (i.e. 2_martin-jara, which means it is a paper under subtheme 2, written by Martin and Jara).
The papers will be presented in concurrent sessions with duration of 45 minutes. This typically will include five minutes for introductions at the beginning, 25minutes to present, five to ten minutes for questions and discussions, and five minutes at the end for concluding remarks and closure of the presentation
Poster Proposal
Proposals for poster presentations on any topic related to one of the sub-themes will be considered. The poster format is well suited for delegates to present their quality assurance systems or procedures as this will facilitate a discussion between delegates of a range of aspects related to these procedures and for presenters to get feedback on these.
The poster should have a topic, the name(s) of the presenter(s) and should elaborate on its topics through text and/or graphics such as tables, drawings or charts. They will be exhibited in the areas where tea and coffee are served, and a session is also reserved in the program for contributors to present their posters.
A poster proposal should:
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be no more than 250 words in length
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identify the presenter(s)
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identify the organization of the presenter(s)
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include information on the title or topic,
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include an abstract explaining the intent of the poster,
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be prepared in 12 point Times New Roman font, and
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the file must be identified in the following way: p_last name of the author-last name of any co-authors (i.e. p_martin-jara, which means it is a poster presented by Martin and Jara).
Note: The conference organizers will provide poster boards. Presenters are responsible for bringing the poster to Bahrain for displaying it to the poster board and for being present at the board during breaks and the special poster session.
Timelines
All paper and poster proposals must be submitted to the INQAAHE Secretariat by
30th of November 2016.
Proposals should be sent to:
secretariat@inqaahe.org. Contributors will be notified if their paper or poster has been accepted by
25th of December, 2016. The final version of papers and posters should be submitted to the INQAAHE Secretariat by
30th of January 2017. Publication of the conference materials will be completed by
20th of February 2017.
Conference Registration
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Submitting a presentation implies that all authors listed in the program book and on the web site proceedings will register for the conference. The deadline for the authors to register is 2nd of January, 2017. Authors not presenting can be recognized in the brief or detailed description and in the content of the presentation.
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Presentations will be accepted from INQAAHE and ASPA members and non-members. The ‘early-bird’ registration fee is US$450 for members and US$500 for non-members. Early-bird registration ends on 2nd of January, 2017. The regular registration fee thereafter is US$500 for members and US$550 for non-members.
Contact Us
For further information and questions regarding the submission of papers, please contact the INQAAHE Secretariat at:
The Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency, AQU Catalunya
C. dels Vergós, 36-42
08017 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 268 89 50
e-mail:
secretariat@inqaahe.org
For further information regarding conference registration, hotel accommodations, and the conference program please visit the Conference website,
INQAAHE Conference 2017 or contact the Conference organizers:
Education & Training Quality Authority (BQA)
Building 2334 – Road 2830 – Block 428
Doha Plaza – Seef Area - Manama
Tel: +973 - 17562461
Fax: +973 - 17562304
