KORÇA, ALBANIA

“Fan S. Noli” UNIVERSITY

“Fan S. Noli” University has been an educational institution and a scientific research center of the region, since 1971, when it was first established under the name of

“The High Institute of Agriculture”. It received its current name in

1994. FAN STILIAN NOLI was a man of letters, publicist, writer, translator, musician and politician whose work and contribution still gives great pride to the Albanian people and country.

1882- 1965

The University of Korca has approximately 7500 students (full-

time and part-time cycle) from all regions of Albania. The academic staff consists of 140 full-time lecturers,

professors and assistants (70 per cent of whom hold titles and degrees) and a considerable number of part-time academic staff. The majority of the academic staff are young people, who have attended post-university qualifications in Albania and abroad.

68 employees assist and facilitate the work of the above academic staff in the administration, laboratories and research centers of the university.

“Fan S. Noli” UNIVERSITY

The University Collegial bodies are: the Senate, the Board of

Administration, the Rectorate and the Council Boards of the Faculties.

The Academic Senate is the highest collegial body that defines the development policies of the institution. It compiles, coordinates, guides and monitors the teaching and research work activities of the university academic staff.

The Board of Administration is a decision taking collegial body that monitors the management, administration, finance and ownership activities of the university.

The Board of Professors of the University was first established in 2010 to organize and monitor the third cycle studies (Doctorate) and further research qualifications afterward.

“Fan S. Noli” UNIVERSITY

The studies in the University of Korca are organised

according to the three levels of the Bologna Declaration: first level Bachelor - 180 credits; second level Proffesional Master - 90 credits;

Master of Science - 120 credits; the third level Doctorate/PhD.

“Fan S. Noli” UNIVERSITY

“Fan S. Noli” UNIVERSITY

offers: 24 full- time and 15 part-

time Bachelor study programs;

15 full-time and 2 part- time Proffesional Master study programs;

5 Master of Science programs;

1 Doctorate program at the Faculty of Agriculture.

“Fan S. Noli University” consists of four Faculties: Faculty of Agriculture Faculty of Education and Philology Faculty of Economy Faculty of Natural and Human Sciences

“Fan S. Noli” UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

The Faculty of Agriculture is the foundation stone of “Fan S. Noli” University. It was first established on 15 June 1971, as the High Institute of Agriculture.

PhD studies in Sustainable Horticulture

The Department of Agronomy; The Department of Bio-Chemistry and Agro-Nutrition; The Department of Horticulture and Agro-Business

THE FACULTY OF NATURAL AND

HUMAN SCIENCES The Faculty of Natural and

Human Sciences, was opened in the academic year 2011-2012 as a new and very important unit of the University “Fan S. Noli” Korçë.

The Department of Social Sciences

The Department of Informatics and Physics

The Department of Mathematics

The Department of Nursery

The Educational and Research Group of Biology - Chemistry

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND PHILOLOGY

The Faculty of Education and Philology (1993) consists of four main units: The Department of Language and

Literature; The Department of Foreign Languages; The Department of History and

Geography; The Department of Education.

Faculty of Economy

The Faculty of Economy

was opened in 1992. Its first students were graduated in 1996.

The Department of Finance- Accounting

The Department of Marketing-Tourism

The Department of Management

“Fan S. Noli” University initiated the process of

quality assurance in 2008, when the office of the Inner Quality Assurance was established to ensure that the University was continuously improving its capacity building opportunities.

At the time the office was run by members of the academic staff and the Rectorate of the University. For the first two years their activity was mainly focused on trainings and Quality Assurance Capacity Building.

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance

The staff participated in workshops and trainings organized by the Ministry of Education and Science and by the PUBLIC ACCREDITATION AGENCY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (PAAHE). These trainings consisted in raising the awareness

of the HEI about the quality assurance principles, procedures and terms and the adaptability they had on the Albanian context.

Since 2010 the office started to operate in a more institutionally coordinated structure. It manages a network of quality insurance within the university administrative structure. Beside the people who work in the office, there are also groups of quality assurance in each of the Faculties.

Quality Assurance

The groups consist of two members of the full time

academic staff and one student of the Faculty. They collaborate with the Quality Assurance Office periodically and their main activity is based on the Strategic Plan and the Quality Assurance Manual approved by the Ministry of Education and Sport. The office is currently working on designing its manual that will guide the administrative functions and rules of the quality assurance staff of the university.

Quality Assurance

In that respect the functions of the above structure rely

mainly, but are not restricted in the following issues: - The periodical assessment of the Faculty quality through the analysis of the study and research achievements; - The periodical assessment of the Faculty quality through the organization of surveys and questionnaires with students before and after the exams; - The preparation of an annual self-evaluation report.

Quality Assurance

The Self-Evaluation Report

The working group at each Faculty gathers the data of the self-evaluation systematically and designs the self-evaluation report.

The report is structured based on the state quality

standards for the evaluation and accreditation of the study programs of the three cycles- Bachelor, Master and Doctorate.

It envisages the systematic gathering and analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data of the units. Its scope is to analyze the current teaching and learning situation and facilities in order to improve the chances for the University to meet the quality standards.

The Self-Evaluation Report

Study programs offered by the unit; Organization, Management and Administration of

the study programs; The unit academic and administrative staff; The students corpus and rights; Facilities and other information sources; Financial sources and financial audit; Regional, national and international collaboration; Quality Assurance Structures.

These standards may be mainly

summarized as follows:

While preparing the self-evaluation report, the quality assurance groups communicate, collaborate and, at the same time, have the support of a number of the faculty and university structures, mainly: The Dean and the Council of the Faculty; The Head of the Departments and the respective

secretary offices; The Academic staff and the student corpus; The Information and Communication Office; The Center of the Students Career.

The Self-Evaluation Report

The qualitative data of this section of the self-

evaluation report is respectively supported by the quantitative information which constitutes the second section of the report.

It consists of tables of illustrations about the academic staff (full- time and part-time), the students of each study program(age, origin), the facilities and library corpus, etc.

The Self-Evaluation Report

SWOT ANALYSIS

Each report is accompanied by the SWOT ANALYSIS, which this year (for the first time) is being inspired by the analysis of a questionnaire organized among the academic staff of the faculties.

The aim of the above procedure is : - to improve quality targets like: the study programs, the recruitment policies and procedures, facilities and services offered by the University, as well as the academic and administrative performance; - to engage the above structures in the improvement of the week points recommended by the self-evaluation report.

The Self-Evaluation Report

The work done so far has revealed the following drawbacks: - There is need for a better communication between The Section of the Curricula and Institutional Assessment, the Council of the Students and the Center of Studies and Student Carrier. - Better promotional needs of the results of the self- evaluation reports should be organized, in order to increase the awareness of both the academic and administrative staff as well as that of the student corpus on the role they have in the standard increase and quality improvement. - The Faculties should pay more attention to the recommendations of the report in order to decrease the list of the weak points of the SWOT ANALYSIS.

The aim is to increase the communication between the structural units, directly related with the university quality assurance.

Quality Assurance

The above elements and structures are all involved in the process of the curricula assessment.

a. This is a process that starts on each department based on the learning outcomes feedback and on the issues that are related to the quality of the incomming students each year. Since the Higher Education Instituions do not yet have the right to set entrance criteria for the new enrollments, teachers are faced each academic year with different learning quality.

b. The next reason for which the curricula need updating is the everchanging requirments of the trade market and qualification standards it asks from the graduating students. The university is creating a traditition of meetings with the stakeholders who provide suggestions on the way the curricula need to be improved for better suitability of the graduated into the required job positions.

Quality Assurance

At the beginning of each academic year the Departments propose currirulum changes to the Facoulty Council. The proposal is accompanied with the arguments for the change. If it approved by the Faculty Council, it is also represented for approval to the Academic Senate of the University.

In cases of deeper curriculum ristructuring the approved version of the Senate goes to the the Ministry of Education and Sport, who approves/ disapproves based on the verdict of the Council of Accreditation.

The findings of the Self-Assessment Reports (on Faculty basis) are always discussed in the Faculty Councils and a general review is also represented to the Academic Senate. In cases of measures that need to be undertaken in order to imporve the general teaching and learning trends at the University, the Senate takes decisions that are to be applied in all academic programs.

Quality Assurance

“Wishing this project could help us improve and enrich our Quality Assurance Standards….” “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!”

“Fan S. Noli” University