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The Agency has, according to the Law, extended competencies amongst which are the following:

  • Institutional, Departmental and Programmatic Evaluation and accreditation of higher education
  • Quality Assurance in higher education on the basis of the European Standards
  • The Evaluation and Accreditation of cross-border forms of education, offered by local institutions in member states or third countries
  • Assessment of the conditions for the provision of cross-border education from foreign institutions in Cyprus
  • Assessment of inter-institutional cooperation of higher education institutions
  • The provision of information of Quality Assurance in higher education

With the cooperation of Higher Education Institutions, the Agency will contribute towards the effort for the establishment of Cyprus as district center of quality higher education, in accordance to the standards and guidelines provided by the European Network for Quality Assurance (ENQA). The Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education aspires to join the European Network of Quality Assurance (ENQA) as well as the European Network of Quality Assurance Register (EQAR).



 
 
 
 

External Evaluation of the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA) by ENQA

The Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA) announces its external evaluation for,
  • its full membership in the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and,
  • Its registration in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR)

The Agency's external review is carried out on the basis of Article 26 (6) (a) of the "on the Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Higher Education and the Establishment and Operation of an Agency for Relevant Issues Laws of 2015 and 2016", which states that,

The Agency has an obligation to undergo a competency evaluation, based on external evaluation procedures, in order to ensure the quality of its work, and this evaluation is an integral part of its wider self-awareness and accountability.

The External Evaluation by ENQA is multilevel and one of the main assessment criteria is the implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) in the European Higher Education Area. The evaluation is expected to be completed in February / March 2019.

For more information, please visit the official ENQA website .

Criteria and Quality Indicators for Distance Learning Programmes of Study (Number: 2)

The Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education, has decided and informs all institutions of Higher Education, the following:

All Distance Learning Programmes are expected to meet the following criteria and quality indicators

1. Establishment of a Pedagogical Planning Unit for distance learning, which will be responsible for the support of the Distance Learning Unit and will address the requirements for study materials, interactive activities and formative assessment in accordance to international standards.
2. Stipulating feedback processes for students in relation to written assignments.
3. Specific plan to ensure student interaction with each other, with the teaching staff, and the study material.
4. Development of teacher training programmes focusing on interaction and the specificities of distance learning.
5. A complete assessment framework design, focusing on distance learning methodology, including clearly defined evaluation criteria for student assignments and the final examination.
6. Plan of a set number of expected teleconferences for presentations, discussion and question-answer sessions, guidance.
7. Development of a Study Guide for each course, fully aligned with distance learning methodology and the need for student interaction with the material. The study guide also includes, for each course week / module, the following:
7.1 Clearly defined objectives and expected learning outcomes of the programme, of the modules and activities in an organised and coherent manner
7.2 Presentation of course material, on a weekly basis, in a variety of ways and means (e.g. printed material, electronic material, teleconferencing, multimedia)
7.3 Weekly outline of set activities and exercises and clear instructions for creating posts, discussion, and feedback.
7.4 Self-assessment exercises and self-correction guide.
7.5 Bibliographic references and suggestions for further study.
7.6 Number of assignments/papers and their topics, along with instructions and additional study material
7.7 Synopsis

It is highlighted that the above criteria and indicators were established following the Agency’s announcement entitled "Quality Criteria and Indicators for Distance Learning Programmes" dated 23 September 2016 and will be taken into account by the External Evaluation Committees in addition to the following documents:

Guidelines for Doctoral Programmes of Studies

The Council of the Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Higher Education, at its 18th Summit on May 15 and 16, 2017, made decisions and informs the Universities operating in the Republic as follows: For the evaluation of Doctoral Degree programmes, the following information must be attached to the application form (Form 200.1) and made available to the External Evaluation Committees during the on-site visit:
  • 1) Student Admission Criteria and Terms
    • There must be defined and specific criteria that the potential students need to meet for admission in the programme as well as how the selection procedures are made
  • 2) Programme requirements
    • The requirements of the doctoral degree programme must be anaysed and published, i.e. the stages of completion, the minimum and maximum time of completing the programme, the examinations, the procedures for supporting and accepting the student's proposal, the criteria for obtaining the Ph.D. degree.
  • 3) Guidelines for writing the Ph.D. dissertation
    • There should be specific and clear guidelines for the writing of the proposal and the dissertation, with detailed specifications regarding the chapters it contains, the system used for the presentation of each chapter, sub-chapters and bibliography, the minimum word limit, the binding, the cover page and the prologue pages including the pages supporting the authenticity, originality and importance of the dissertation, as well as the reference to the Committee for the final evaluation.
  • 4) Information on Plagiarism check
    • There must be a plagiarism check system and information given on the stages and check of plagiarism as well as the consequences in case of such misconduct.

  • 5) Policy in reference to the Doctoral Advisory Committee and the Final Evaluation Committee for the support of the doctoral student’s’ research proposal and dissertation
    The number, composition, procedure and criteria for the formation of the member committee must be determined whom the doctoral student submits in writing the research proposal, as well as the Final Evaluation Committee for the final oral defense of the dissertation.

  • 6) Supervision and evaluation
    • The minimum qualifications and experience that the following members should have must be determined: the supervisor-chairperson of the members of the Advisory Committee, any co-supervisors, as well as the Chairperson and the members of the Final Evaluation Committee. Also, the duties of the supervisor-Chairperson and other members of the Advisory Committee towards the student must be determined i.e. regular meetings, reports per semester and feedback from supervisors, support for writing articles and participating in conferences.

  • 7) Number of doctoral students per supervisor
    • The number of doctoral students that each chairperson supervises must be determined.

  • 8) Dissertation Repository
    • The process of submitting the dissertation to the university library so that it is available to the External Evaluation Committees and to the library users must be described.

Mary Ioannidou - Koutselini

MKI
Mary Koutselini, PhD


(Curriculum Vitae) 
She is a professor of Curriculum and Instruction, the president of the Cyprus Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation (CYQAA), Chair holder of the UNESCO chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment of the University of Cyprus. She is also the Coordinator of 20 International, European and National Research programs in the areas of her specialization and active member of a number of national, European and international academic associations and editorial boards of scientific journals.


She served as head person of the Center of Learning of the University of Cyprus, of the Department of Education and as external evaluator of Universities, Research, and academic staff in Cyprus and abroad. She also participates as expert in national and international working groups and advisory boards and networks.

She has authored 15 books and more than 200 articles and invited chapters in scientific refereed journals and books.

Indicative list of articles:
  1. Koutselini, M. (2017a). Teacher Responsive Teaching and Learning Initiatives through Action Research. In I.H. Amzat & Nean P. Valdez ( eds), Teacher Empowerment Toward Professional Development and Practices- Perspectives Across Borders (pp 185-195). Springer.
  2. Koutselini, M. (2017b). The Reflective Paradigm in Higher Education and Research: Compassion in Communities of Learning. In Paul Gibbs (Ed.). The Pedagogy of Compassion at the Heart of Higher Education (pp203-213). Springer.
  3. Koutselini, M. (2014). Empowering principals and teachers to develop participatory teacher leadership: Towards the meta-modern paradigm of teacher development. In C. Craig, & L. Orland-Barak (Eds.), International Teacher Education: Promising Pedagogies of Teacher Leadership, 22(2), (pp. 71-87 ). U.S.A.: Emerald.
  4. Koutselini, M. (2012).Textbooks as mechanisms of teachers’ socio-political and pedagogical alienation. In H. Hickman, & B. J. Porfilio (Eds.), The New Politics of the Textbook: A Project of Critical Examination and Resistance. U.S.A.: Sense Publishers.
  5. Koutselini, M. (2010). Participatory teacher development at schools: Processes and issues. In A. Campell, & S. Groundwater (Eds.), Action Research in Education – Fundamentals of Applied Research, 2 (pp. 243-263). Sage Publications.

Indicative research projects with external funding:
  • Research project CODE-IWP titled "Commitment to Democracy through Increasing Women's Participation" funded by EACEA - EUROPE FOR CITIZENS PROGRAMME (2015-2016).
  • Research project “The profile of the woman politician in Cypriot Television. A gendered analysis” funded by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation (2011-2014).
  • Research project RELEASE titled “Towards Achieving Self-Regulated Learning as a Core in Teachers’ In- Service Training in Cyprus” funded by EACEA, Lifelong Learning Programme - Key activity 1 (2012-2013).
  • Research project VICTIMS titled “An indirect harmful effect of violence: Victimizing the child and Re-victimizing the woman-mother through her child’s exposure to violence against herself. Sensitizing and creating awareness through research-product material, both transnational and differential according to the partner-context” (JLS/2008/DAP3/AG/1157) co-funded by the European Committee - Daphne III programme and the University of Cyprus (2009-2011).
  • National Research programme “The Gender profile in the Tertiary Education” funded by the Machinery for the Promotion of Women’s Rights of the Ministry of Justice of Cyprus and the University of Cyprus (2009-2011).
  • International Project funded by the European Union and IEA (International Organisation for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement): Citizenship Education Project (ICCS) (2007-2010).

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