Student-centered learning, teaching and assessment
The Cyprus Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA) would like to emphasize criterion no. 1.3 of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) which focuses on student-centered learning, teaching and assessment.
According to the abovementioned criterion,
Institutions should ensure that the programmes are delivered in a way that encourages students to take an active role in creating the learning process, and that the assessment of students reflects this approach.
On the basis of the above criterion, during the site visit, the External Evaluation Committees (EECs) will visit classes or/and laboratories of the programme of study under evaluation. Classroom and laboratory observation will be decided by the EEC during the site visit on the basis of the general weekly schedule of the institution, which should be available upon the EEC’s arrival to the institution.
The Agency highlights that within the framework of previous announcements, exam papers should be made available to the EECs, as well as sample tests in the case of a new programme of study.
In the case of adverse observations, that do not circumvent the expected learning outcomes and skills required by the EQF, for a transitional period of six months from the date of the present announcement, adverse observations will be included in the Final Report, with a specified timeframe for improvement and full compliance with european standards in teaching, learning and assessment.
Further, the Agency would like to inform higher education institutions that within the first trimester of 2020, CYQAA will organize a conference with renowned experts on Active Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Higher Education as key-note speakers.
It is underlined that these type of conferences do not substitute for the institutions' obligation to train teaching staff for effective student-centered teaching in line with European Standards and Guidelines.
