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Quality assessment agencies

The accreditation procedure laid down in Dutch and Flemish legislation stress the importance of the role of both the Dutch and Flemish quality assessment agencies. In the accreditation procedure, the panels assessing a programme operate under the supervision of these quality assessment agencies. Based on the assessment report, NVAO takes an independent decision on whether the programme offers sufficient generic quality.
In the case of initial accreditation, the assessment is delegated to an assessment panel selected by NVAO. In the Netherlands, an initial accreditation procedure may also be carried out by an assessment agency.

The assessment of programmes is carried out by assessment panels under the supervision of quality assessment agencies. Both in the Netherlands and Flanders, but only in the accreditation procedure, these panels are selected by the quality assessment agency. Panel members should be independent. In the Netherlands, their independence is monitored by the quality assessment agency prior to the assessment procedure, whereas in Flanders, it has to be examined previously by a separate Recognition Commission.
NVAO also monitors the independence of panel members while judging the assessment report (see below).

NVAO has developed several protocols by which quality assessment agencies have to abide. NVAO also takes great care to assure the quality of the judgements.

Quality assessment agencies in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the legislative opted for a free market of quality assessment agencies. NVAO has been given the legal task to annually draw up a list of quality assessment agencies that are considered capable of producing assessment reports that meet NVAO requirements. To be eligible for inclusion on the list, quality assessment agencies annually submit a programme dossier to NVAO in which they point out how they meet the requirements of the ‘Protocol for Quality Assessment Agencies’ (download) in order to be inserted on the list. Departure points are: the quality assessment agency should be an independent organisation, its assessment panels should be of good quality and its assessment reports should enable NVAO to make independent judgements whether an assessed programmes offer sufficient generic quality.

In addition, in accordance with the system implemented by NVAO, quality assessment agencies should undergo an audit every two years. The audits select and examine applications on a random basis and they examine the organisational aspects of the quality assessment agencies:

• ASIIN: Fachakkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge der Ingenieurwissenschaften, der Informatik, der Naturwissenshaften und der Mathematik e.V.
• Certiked VBI bv: Lloyd's Register Nederland B.V.
• EAPAA: European Association for Public Administration Accreditation
• FIBAA: Internationale Stiftung für Qualität bei Bachelor en Master-studiengängen; Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation
• Hobéon: Hobéon Certificering bv
• NQA: Netherlands Quality Agency
• QANU: Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities

Each quality assessment agency has a different approach to quality assessment stemming from their origin. The approach applied by NQA en QANU (which have their origin in the umbrella organisations of the universities of professional education and universities, respectively) has developed from a content-oriented ‘peer review’ system. The approach of Hobéon, Certiked and DNV (originally certification agencies and/or consultancy agencies) is more focussed on a process-based audit. QANU is oriented towards universities while the other quality assessment agencies primarily focus on universities of professional education. Institutions can choose the quality assessment agency that applies the working method that best accords with their vision for their programme. Whichever approach is used, NVAO ensures that sufficient attention is given to the content and the achieved learning outcomes of the programmes in its decision-making process.

Quality assessment agencies in Flanders

Under the Flemish Act, the coordination of external assessments of programmes of statutory registered institutions has been delegated to
VLIR and VLHORA. These two agencies have developed a joint protocol that was given an authorative recommendation by NVAO on 14 February 2005. NVAO was also involved in the preparation of a protocol for embedding programmes in research.
Programmes offered at (privately funded) registered institutions are assessed by agencies that are recognised by NVAO. VLIR and VLHORA can also have themselves recognised for this kind of assessments. For this type of recognition, NVAO has drawn up regulations and guidelines (download) .

Independence of panel members

In the protocol for the quality assessment agencies of the Netherlands, a requirement for inclusion on the list is that panel members should not only have authority and expertise, but should also be independent. When selecting panel members, quality assessment agencies explicitly take great care in selecting independent panel members.

Especially in Flanders, considering the position of the umbrella organisations, independence is a major issue. Procedures concerning independence have been developed thoroughly and independence of the decision-making process is made transparent and has been ratified by law. For this reason, VLIR and VLHORA are responsible for the selection of panel members, but it is the task of the Recognition Commission, prior to an assessment procedure, to verify whether panel members are independent of the institution or programme under review. The Recognition Commission is an independent body appointed by the Flemish Government that ratifies the independence of panel members in accordance with the stipulations of the Flemish Act.
Additionally, assessment panels in Flanders are fully independent of the quality assessment agency and therefore issue their assessment report independently.
In the decision-making process, NVAO again explicitly verifies the independence of all panel members.

Quality assurance by quality assessment agencies

If unclear issues are recurring in the assessment reports, NVAO looks into the problem with the quality assessment agencies. This takes place both in bilateral discussions between the quality assessment agency and NVAO (and in the Netherlands via the audits of quality assessment agencies) and during plenary meetings in which all quality assessment agencies are represented. These plenary sessions concentrate usually upon a central theme.