Slajd 1

1
QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE POLISH HIGHER EDUCATION
SYSTEM AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE BOLOGNA PROCESS
Presentation prepared by Tadeusz Palko, and
Natalia Golnik Institute of Precision and
Biomedical Engineering, Warsaw University of
Technology
2
IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE PERIOD OF SYSTEM
TRANSFORMATION
The Higher Education Act of 1990 guaranteed
autonomy of institutions of higher education and
removed the state monopoly on higher education.
Within next 10 years the number of students more
than quadrupled
3
There was rapid development of the higher
education sector and opening the access to higher
education for a large number of students.
?
This influenced the quality of teaching in Polish
institutions of higher education both preexisting
and newly established.
?
The situation required a new legal instruments in
order to ensure the proper quality of teaching.
?
STATE ACCREDITATION COMMITTEE
Since January 2002
4
STATE ACCREDITATION COMMITTEE (SAC)
is authorized to

• assess the quality of education at individual
  areas of study offered by all Polish institutions
  of higher education with the exception of
  military and police schools,
• assess the observance of the legal framework of
  higher education programmes,
• give its opinion on applications for
  establishment of new higher education
  institutions or for extension of a field of study
  offered by universities and vocational colleges,
• give its opinion on applications for
  establishment of new study areas.

5
THE STATE ACCREDITATION COMMITTEE

• Was provided with control rights
• Without the opinion of the SAC the Minister
  cannot make any decisions related to the
  following issues

• establishment of new schools or transformation of
  existing ones,
• granting schools the right to offer specific
  higher education programmes of study at a
  relevant level,
• establishment of a basic organizational unit,
  including external one, by an institution of
  higher learning,
• assignment of a field of study offered by
  vocational colleges to w relevant area of study.

6
In the years 2002-2004 the State Accreditation
Committee consisted of 77 member appointed by the
Minister of National Education and Sport from
candidates nominated by

• Universities and other institutions of higher
  education
• Main Council of Higher Education
• Scientific, vocational and artistic associations,
• Employers organizations.

The Committee members work in 10 teams,
representing different areas of study.
7
(No Transcript)
8
THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES OF THE SCA

• ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION
• ASSESSMENT OF APPLICATIONS
• ? Areas of study
• ? Analysis of opinions
• ? New areas of study
• EXPRESSION OF OPINION ON LEGAL ACTS
• INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

9
ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION
Every year, at the request of study area teams,
the Committee Presidium determines the areas of
study and schools to be assessed in a given
calendar year. Furthermore, the Committee makes
the assessments at the request of the Minister
responsible for higher education. There were also
the assessments which were used in the
formulation of opinions on the applications to
change the education level from Bachelor to
Master.
10
PROCEDURE OF THE ASSESSMENT (I)

• The Presidium draws up the list of degree
  programmes and institutions of higher education
  that are subject to evaluation in a specified
  calendar year.
• The institutions of the higher education are
  advised on starting the evaluation of the
  teaching quality with a simultaneous request for
  the submission of a self-evaluation report to the
  Committee within six weeks from being notified
  about the evaluation procedure.
• The institutions of the higher education submit
  the self-evaluation reports to the Committee.
• The Secretary appoints the evaluation panel.

11
PROCEDURE OF THE ASSESSMENT (II)

• The evaluation panel studies the self-evaluation
  report and the institution of higher education is
  notified of the on-site two weeks in advance.
• The evaluation panel conducts the on-site visit.
• The evaluation panel prepares a report including
  an evaluation of compliance with the requirements
  for higher-education degree programmes and
  evaluation of teaching quality.

12
PROCEDURE OF THE ASSESSMENT (III)

• The report is made available to the evaluated
  institution of higher education with request to
  present its position with respect to the contents
  of the report of the evaluation panel within 14
  days from the date of receipt.
• The institution of higher education analyzes the
  report and submits its comments to the State
  Accreditation Committee.
• The chair of the evaluation panel presents the
  report and comments submitted by the institution
  of higher education during a session of the
  Section for degree programme. The Section for
  degree programmes words the opinion.

13
PROCEDURE OF THE ASSESSMENT (IV)

• The opinion of the Section for degree programme
  and its reasoned argumentation as well as an
  evaluation proposal is presented during a session
  of the Committee Presidium by the Section Chair.
• The Committee President subjects the ratings
  proposed by the Section for degree programme to a
  vote.
• The Presidium passes the appropriate resolution.
  
• The resolution is submitted to the institution
  of higher education and to the minister for
  higher education.

14
RATINGS APPLIED BY THE SAC
OUTSTANDING Next evaluation is conducted after 5
y, unless there are impor- tant reasons to
conduct a re-evaluation at an earlier date.
POSITIVE Next evaluation is conducted after 5 y,
unless there are impor- tant reasons to conduct a
re-evaluation at an earlier date.
CONDITIONAL APPROVAL The SAC resolu-tion includes
rele-vant recommen-dations and deadlines and
possibility of conducting another on-site visit.
NEGATIVE Revoking or suspending the licence to
offer a specified degree programme at a specified
level, by the minister of higher education.
15
RESULTS OF THE ASSESSMENT ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION
IN 2002-2004
16
ASSESSMENT OF APPLICATIONS
1 The applicant submits the motion to the
Minister of National Education and Sport
The motion is submitted to the appropriate
Section for consideration
The Section Chair presents the matter and
submits the resolution draft with its
argumentation during a session of the SCA
Presidium.
The Secretary in agreement with the Section
Chair appoints the reviewer from section members
or the list of experts. Two reviewers in the case
of masters degree studies. The reviewers draw
up their opinion.
On the basis of the available documents and the
reviewers opinion the Section prepares the
proposal of its stand together with required
justification.
The Presidium passes the resolution in open
voting by the ordinary majority of votes when at
least half of the members are present.
7 The resolution is submitted to the applicant
and to the Minister
17
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING HAS NOT BEEN SPECIFIED
IN THE DECREE OF THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL
EDUCATION AND SPORT OF 28 MARCH 2002 ON THE
CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE MET BY A SCHOOL TO OPEN
AND OFFER AN AREA OF STUDY AND ON NAMES OF THE
AREAS OF STUDY.
18
Only universities which employ at least sixty
tenured teachers holding a professorial title or
a post-doctoral degree and where at least half
of the basic organizational units have the right
to award the post doctoral degree, can submit
applications to establish new areas of study.
19

• Foundation of consortium consisting of 6
  universites supported by Committees of Polish
  Academy of Sciences
• Application to the Minister of National Education
  and Sport to create a new direction in education
  
• Biomedical Engineering
• - June 2004r.

20
PREPARATION OF THE PROPOSAL
Proposal for creation of new direction of
education BIOMEDICAL ENGINERING in Polish
technical universities has been processed by
representatives of six technical universities
with different specialities 1) Prof. Tadeusz
Burczynski - Biomechanics (The Silesian
University of Technology ) 2) Prof. Jan Chlopek
Chairman - Biomaterials (AGH University of
Science and Technology) 3) dr Malgorzata
Komorowska - Medical Physics (Wroclaw
University of Technology) 4) Prof. Antoni
Nowakowski - Medical apparatus, Medical
Informatics (Gdansk University of Technology)
5) Prof. Tadeusz Palko - Medical Electronics
(Warsaw University of Technology) 6) Prof.
Wladyslaw G. Pawlicki - Medical Electronics
(Warsaw University of Technology) 7) Prof.
Bogdan Walkowiak - Biophysics, Medicine
(Lodz University of Technology)
21
BASIC CONDITIONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE
APPLICATION FOR THE NEW AREA OF STUDY
Convincing arguments which would explain why such
a different concept of education and curricullum
of the proposed area of study is
necessary. Different forms of education and
quality of teaching should be combined into a
cohesive whole and closely connected with the
profile of the prospective graduate. Curriculum
of the the new area should be different from the
existing areas of study so far that it could not
be offered at these areas without major
modifications.
22
THE BASIS OF STARTING A NEW EDUCATIONAL
DIRECTION BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING IN POLAND

• Development directions of Biomedical Engineering
• world tendency
• Staff potential (human resources)
• Teaching bases
• Research
• A graduates profile

23
DIRECTIONS OF MEDICINE DEVELOPMENT
Genetic engineering
Biomedical engineering
New generation of drugs
Biomedical engineering is, beside genetic
engineering, the main decisive factor on progress
of present medicine World Health Organization
24
MEDICINE OF XXI CENTURY
Genetic modifications and gen therapy
Robots and computers in diagnostic processes
Nanotechnology
Smart materials
Computer technologies (telemedicine)
Tissue engineering
25

• ACADEMY of MINING and METALLURGY in CRACOW
• Faculty of Automatics, Electronics and Electrical
  Engineering, Department of Biocybernetics
• Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Technique

• WARSAW UNIVERSITY
• of TECHNOLOGY
• Institute of Precision and Biomedical Engineering
  
• Institute of AviationTechnique and Applied
  Mechanics
• Institute of Radioelectronics,
• Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering
• TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF LODZ
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

• TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY in GDANSK
• Department of Medical
• and Ecological Electronics
• SILESIAN UNIVERSITY of TECHNOLOGY in Gliwice
• Faculty of Automatic, Institute of Electronics,
  Division of Biomedical Electronics

• TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY in WROCLAW
• Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

26
Sites of Polish Universities and Technical
Universities with studies on Medical
Physics (MP) or Biomedical Engineering (BME)
27
RESEARCH
1975 - the Institute of Biocybernetics and
Biomedical Engineering (IBIB PAN) was
established. In 1975-1990 the Institute was a
coordinator of the national program of the
biomedical engineering research (headed by Prof.
M. Nalecz) covering 136 projects realised by
1000 scientist and engineers from 60 scientific
institutions in Poland.
28
1934 - Radium Institute was established in
Warsaw, following the initiative of
Maria Sklodowska-Curie
1936 - Courses on medical physics and
biomedical engineering were
organized in the Physics Department
of the Radium Institute.
29

• 1946 - the studies at the level of graduate
  degree were started at the Warsaw University of
  Technology,

being at that time the first regular academic
course of medical physics in the world.
30
PROGRAM ASSUMPTIONS

• Universality
• Two level sudies (the possibility of developing
  in post diploma studies and PhD studies)
• the first-level studies (undergraduate
  studies)
• leading up to the
• Bachelor of Engineering degree
• the second-level studies (graduate studies)
• leading up to the
• Master of Science degree
• 4 interpenetrating teaching areas leading to
  specialization
• Standards of teachings about 40
• of total number of hours

31
DIDACTIC AREAS

• Education in BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING direction
• will be held in four teaching blocks

Medical Informatics, Telematics
Biomechanics, Robotics, Modeling of materials and
medical devices
Medical Electronics, Instrumental diagnostic and
therapeutic methods, Medical Equipment
Biomaterials Engineering, Implants, Artificial
Organs, Tissue Engineering
32
RECOMMENDATIONS

• Suggestions minimum 20 of time devoted to
  subjects containing biological and medical
  knowledge
• English language - minimum 150 h
• Physical Education minimum 90 h
• The principal subjects in the whole programme
  of studies should constitute at least 50 of
  hours. Laboratories and projects should
  constitute at least 30 of hours
• Study program should include 4-6 weeks of
  practice (training).

33
Bachelor of Engineering degree
THE PRINCIPAL AND SPECIALIZING SUBJECTS NOT
INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM MINIMUM
IMPLANTS AND ARTIFICIAL ORGANS
ELECTRONIC MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
DIGITAL PROCESSING OF SIGNAL
TECHNIQUES OF MEDICAL IMAGING
BIOMECHANICS
PROGRAM LANGUAGES
MEDICAL MATERIALS
SENSORS AND MEASUREMENTS OF UNELECTRIC LARGENESS
AUTOMATICS I ROBOTICS
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
LEGAL AND ETHICAL ASPECTS IN BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING
BIO-PHYSICS
MECHANICS AND DURABILITY
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGNING
MATERIALS SCIENCE
BIO-CHEMISTRY
INFORMATICS
MEDICAL SCIENCE
BASIS OF METROLOGY
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
STATISTIC AND THEORY OF PROPABILITY
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
GENERAL SUBJECTS
MATEMATICS
CHEMISTRY
PHYSICS
34
Master of Science degree
THE SPECIALIZING SUBJECTS NOT INCLUDED IN THE
PROGRAM MINIMUM
COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN MEDICINE
MEDICAL TELEMATICS
TISSUE AND GENETIC ENGINEERING
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
COMPUTER NETWORKS
MODELING OF STRUCTURE AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES
RESEARCH METODS OF BIOMATERIALS AND TISSUES
Bachelor of Engineering STUDIES
35

• The educational programs are similar to European
  ones in content and educational experience.
• The quality of the education can be assured in
  next future by accreditation of Universities and
  programs.

36
GRADUATES PROFILE

• Universal preparation to specialization of
  medical engineer technical support for doctors
  (hospitals, polyclinics)
• Designing of medical equipment and devices
  including orthopaedic and rehabilitating
  equipment
• Integration of medical devices with processing
  and data transmission systems.

37
OPINION OF THE SAC
In view of the rapid technological development
and changes in the economic and social life, a
general trend observed in higher education is to
educate graduates, who are prepared for mobility
and frequent change of jobs that require
different qualifications. The SAC would likely
express the negative opinion in the case when
the proposed area of study instead of offering
education with different job options would offer
education with only one job option upon
graduation.
38
Cooperation of the SAC with national and
International institutions and organizations.
39
PARTICIPATION IN BOLOGNA PROCESS
The following objectives of the Bologna
Declaration have been reflected in the work of
the SAC.

• Improvement of higher education quality,
• Introduction of a two-stage study system,
• Promotion of mobility of students, faculty and
  administrative employees,
• Application of the credit system (ECTS),
• Adoption of a system of easily comparable
  degrees,
• Promotion of European dimension and
  attractiveness of higher education,
• Involvement of higher education in the continuing
  education process.

40
MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
With Bologna Follow-Up Group an
intergovernmental group for the implementation
of the decisions of the Bologna declaration. ENQA
European Association for Quality Assurance.
The Polish State Accreditation Committee in
cooperation with the Ministry of National
Education and Sport organized the Bologna Process
Seminar on "Cooperation between accreditation
committees/agencies", 14-16 February 2005 r.,
Warsaw.
41
Debaters emphasized the importance of mutual
sharing of information about accreditation,
mutual visits of experts and training of experts,
participation of students in quality assessment.
Participants of seminar agreed that external
quality evaluation (i.e. provide by foreign
accreditation agency) can be accepted and
recognized as long as it complies with the laws
and regulations of the home (recipient)
countries. The recognition of foreign agencies by
the relevant national authorities should be the
necessary condition for making use of services
provided by them by higher education institutions.
42
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION