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Purpose – This study investigates whether there are relationships between the characteristics of the boards of trustees of universities in the Arab region, higher education quality assurance and the output of scientific research. Design/methodology/approach – The descriptive analytical approach was used in this study. The study was conducted on the universities of the Arab region that are included in the classification of the British Institution for the Arab Region: QS Arab Region University. Findings – The findings show that there is an effect of the characteristics of the trustees combined in the universities of the Arab region on ensuring the quality of higher education, other than the output of scientific research. The findings also indicate when measuring the characteristics individually that the trustee system is not effective in the Arab region and it is only formal for nominal purposes. Research limitations/implications – Most universities in the Arab region do not disclose the data of boards of trustees, their roles, committees, rules of procedure and the nature of their work. A large number of universities also do not operate under the trustee system because the regulations and instructions do not allow this in the country. Practical implications – This study seeks to improve practitioners knowledge, including boards of trustees, in ensuring the quality of higher education and the output of scientific research. Originality/value – The research projected the governance model through the characteristics of the boards of directors of for-profit companies on the boards of trustees of universities in the Arab region. The study examines the nature of the characteristics of the boards of trustees that are compatible with its responsibilities, the most important of which is the supervision of the strategy to ensure the quality of higher education research.

The article deals with the quality of higher education in the context of global trends in higher education development, taking into account global and international influences that encourage discussion of the problem of higher education quality assurance. The concept of quality has been considered and the lack of consensus regarding its conceptualization and evaluation has been stated. The higher education quality has been considered from a pedagogical point of view – as a systematic methodological category reflecting the degree of conformity of the result to the goal set, as well as the correspondence of the product to the consumers’ requirements and as a set of its characteristics determining the degree of suitability of the product for its intended use. It has been noted that the concept of quality and its indicators are debatable due to the presence of a range of stakeholders – persons interested in higher education. The difference in the value of higher education quality for each of the interested parties has been determined by the presence of their own interests and their own vision of quality. Globalization, the massification of higher education and the ICT revolution have been stressed in the article as factors that have radically changed the higher education environment, creating new challenges for governments, higher education institutions and other stakeholders. Higher education quality assurance has been defined as a global problem, and the growing attention to this problem has been noted in connection with the rapid development of higher education and the increase in the cost of educational services for the state and the public. Recent trends in higher education have been reviewed and their advantages and disadvantages have been noted.

The article deals with the quality of higher education in the context of global trends in higher education development, taking into account global and international influences that encourage discussion of the problem of higher education quality assurance. The concept of quality has been considered and the lack of consensus regarding its conceptualization and evaluation has been stated. The higher education quality has been considered from a pedagogical point of view – as a systematic methodological category reflecting the degree of conformity of the result to the goal set, as well as the correspondence of the product to the consumers’ requirements and as a set of its characteristics determining the degree of suitability of the product for its intended use. It has been noted that the concept of quality and its indicators are debatable due to the presence of a range of stakeholders – persons interested in higher education. The difference in the value of higher education quality for each of the interested parties has been determined by the presence of their own interests and their own vision of quality. Globalization, the massification of higher education and the ICT revolution have been stressed in the article as factors that have radically changed the higher education environment, creating new challenges for governments, higher education institutions and other stakeholders. Higher education quality assurance has been defined as a global problem, and the growing attention to this problem has been noted in connection with the rapid development of higher education and the increase in the cost of educational services for the state and the public. Recent trends in higher education have been reviewed and their advantages and disadvantages have been noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is dedicated to the issue of student involvement in higher education quality assurance and evaluation – a vital and highly relevant issue in today’s higher education of Ukraine. Changes instigated by the Law of Ukraine «On Higher Education» of 2014, foresee an active role of students in the formation and evaluation of higher education quality as 1) final beneficiaries, 2) interviewees and participants in accreditation of study programmes, 3) external evaluation experts during study programmes accreditation, as ruled by current legislation. Taking into account the significance of students’ role in quality assurance, it is necessary to find out: • how university students interpret quality of higher education and higher education quality assurance; • how students perceive their role in the formation and enhancement of higher education quality; • to what extend they are ready and committed to influence and improve the quality of higher education. Accordingly, the aim of this article is to investigate students’ opinion on the quality of Ukraine’s higher education. To this end, students’ survey was conducted with the focus on the following: • what is quality and quality assurance in students’ opinion; • how respondents assess the quality of education in their HEI and in Ukraine in general; • whether students can influence the quality of study programmes and quality of higher education; • what hinders improvement of study programmes and enhancement of quality of higher education. The survey was conducted in May – October 2020; the respondents were 115 students of five Ukrainian universities (years three and four of bachelor programmes and master students) who volunteered to take part in the survey. The research resulted in the following conclusions: 1) There is no integral, holistic understanding of higher education quality among student community. Representatives of different HEIs interpret higher education quality differently, though in total 60% of respondents interpret quality as « new, relevant information and knowledge». 2) On the whole, respondents value the quality of higher education rather low: only 25% of students regard it as high. At the same time, most of surveyed students rate the quality of their study programme higher, than the quality of higher education in their university or the quality of educational services in Ukraine in general. 3) Students of different HEIs are rather diverse in their interpretation of quality assurance of higher education and choice of different means for quality enhancement. On the whole, respondents give preference to those tools that anticipate active students’ participation in quality assurance, like asking the teacher to change the manner of teaching, or leaving a complaint with student self-government, discussing the quality of teaching in a focus group, or filling in an evaluation questionnaire. 4) Students who participated in the survey demonstrated critical thinking and fair judgement of their negative impact on the quality of higher education by stating that low student motivation is the most significant factor that obstructs quality enhancement. Other factors cited by respondents include low teacher motivation, underdeveloped infrastructure at HEIs, teacher workload. 5) The positive finding of the survey is that the majority of students are confident in their capability to influence the quality of higher education in their HEI and only 21% responded they are deprived of the possibility improve higher education quality.

This study aims to identify the role of higher education quality assurance in achieving sustainable development goals. To support this aim, the following objectives were formulated: to discuss and summarize the best practices of QA agencies in promoting SDGs, to identify how Ukrainian universities consider SDGs in their policies, to develop recommendations for internal, and external quality assurance systems regarding SDG achievement. This qualitative study is based on a case study, observation, and questionnaire methods. Ukrainian higher education quality assurance systems are taken as a case study for this article. Primary data are collected through an online questionnaire and observation of Ukrainian universities’ publicly available information regarding sustainable development activities at their official websites. Additionally, some publicly available documents, reports, and materials on the experience of foreign quality assurance agencies are also reviewed, compared, and contrasted. The results of the research can be used at national levels where higher education standards should include competence in sustainable development goals, at institutional level to improve HEIs’ quality assurance system, and at the study program level to include SDG consideration as one of the requirements during internal quality assurance procedures.

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Sumber daya manusia (SDM) di lingkungan perguruan tinggi yang terdiri dari dosen dan tenaga penunjang memiliki posisi yang sangat strategis, karena memiliki pengaruh langsung terhadap proses belajar, mutu lulusan dan pola keluaran yang kompetitif. Efektivitas kinerja dalam proses belajar mengajar dan perbaikan atmosfer akademik sangat dipengaruhi oleh standardisasi mutu yang ingin dicapai serta proses penjaminan mutu yang harus dilakukan oleh sebuah perguruan tinggi salah satunya dalam bidang sumber daya manusia (SDM). Syarat yang harus dipenuhi agar penerapan sistem penjaminan mutu SDM di sebuah perguruan tinggi dapat dilaksanakan dengan baik adalah ketersediaan basis data akurat yang dapat digunakan pada setiap pengambilan keputusan. Untuk itu perlu dikembangkan sistem informasi penjaminan mutu SDM di lingkungan perguruan tinggi. Sistem informasi penjaminan mutu SDM ini dapat berfungsi untuk memudahkan bagi perguruan tinggi dalam menjalankan penjaminan mutu, sehingga proses penjaminan mutu bisa dijalankan melalui tahap-tahap yang terangkai dan didukung oleh pangkalan data (basis data), sistem informasi manajemen, dan sistem pendukung keputusan yang terintegrasi. Adapun tahapan yang dilakukan dalam perancangan sistem informasi ini meliputi analisis kebutuhan, perancangan model proses, analisis kebutuhan perangkat lunak, dan desain. Human resources (HR) in the college environment consisting of lecturers and support staff have a very strategic position, because it has a direct impact on the learning process, the quality of graduates and the competitive output pattern. Effectiveness of performance in teaching and learning and improved academic atmosphere is strongly influenced by the standardization of quality to be achieved and the quality assurance process that should be done by a university either in the field of human resources (HR). Condition that must be met in order for the application of quality assurance system in a college human resources can be successfully implemented is the availability of accurate database that can be used in any decision-making. It is necessary to develop human resources information system of quality assurance in higher education environments. Human resource quality assurance information system can serve to make it easier for universities in implementing quality assurance, so that the quality assurance process can be run through the connected stages and supported by the data base (database), management information systems, and integrated decision support system. The stage that is done in designing information systems include requirements analysis, design process models, software requirements analysis, and design.

The International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education’s Guidelines of Good Practice by higher education quality assurance agencies need substantial revision before they can be considered adequate by stakeholders in any national higher education system. Various revisions are proposed in this article. But the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education also argues that adoption of its Guidelines of Good Practice has international significance in that the decisions about higher education quality made by agencies which comply with them can be accepted at face value universally. This conclusion, however, cannot be accepted until the Guidelines of Good Practice are amended to address the processes whereby each agency can become comfortable with the criteria and standards which the others impose in their respective jurisdictions. This article also maintains that, even if the Guidelines of Good Practice were technically perfect, agencies and/or governments ought to subject any proposals for their implementation to the discipline of rigorous risk management processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the role of higher education quality assurance in achieving sustainable development goals. To support this aim, the following objectives were formulated: to discuss and summarize the best practices of QA agencies in promoting SDGs, to identify how Ukrainian universities consider SDGs in their policies, to develop recommendations for internal, and external quality assurance systems regarding SDG achievement. This qualitative study is based on a case study, observation, and questionnaire methods. Ukrainian higher education quality assurance systems are taken as a case study for this article. Primary data are collected through an online questionnaire and observation of Ukrainian universities' publicly available information regarding sustainable development activities at their official websites. Additionally, some publicly available documents, reports, and materials on the experience of foreign quality assurance agencies are also reviewed, compared, and contrasted. The results of the research can be used at national levels where higher education standards should include competence in sustainable development goals, at institutional level to improve HEIs' quality assurance system, and at the study program level to include SDG consideration as one of the requirements during internal quality assurance procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]