On May 1, 2024, the concluding conference of the QFORTE project – "Enhancement of Quality Assurance in Higher Education System in Moldova" (ref. № 18742-EPP-1-2020-1-MD-EPPKA2-CBHE-SP) took place at the State University of Moldova.
Comrat State University was represented by members of the institutional project team: Tatiana RACOVCHENA - institutional coordinator, Sergei ZAHARIA - rector, Georghe SULT - vice-rector for academic affairs, Natalia NACHIOGLO - head of Quality Assurance Department, Nadejda IANIOGLO - member of the project working team, Raisa COVRICOVA - member of the project working team, Natalya DUSHKOVA - member of the project working team.
The concluding conference of the project included several thematic sessions, during which participants discussed the results and achievements of the QFORTE project, as well as prospects for the development of a quality assurance system for higher education in the country.
Welcoming speeches were given to the conference participants by:
Igor SHAROV - Rector of the State University of Moldova
Dan PERCHIUN - Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova
Claudia MELINTE - national coordinator of the Erasmus+ office in Moldova
Franzi DEMŠAR - President of CEENQA (Slovenia).
The first session of the final conference included the presentation of proposals for national legislation regarding quality assurance at the institutional level and quality assurance tools, quality assurance mechanisms for joint higher education programs, changes in the country's profile in quality assurance as a result of the QFORTE project, etc.
In the second session, participants discussed the implementation of institutional Quality Strategies and Quality Guidelines, and discussed the impact of QFORTE activities on higher education institutions. Cases of the State University of Moldova, the Academy of Economic Research of Moldova and the State University “Alecu Russo” were presented based on the results of international accreditation.
The third session was devoted to the development of the quality assurance system of higher education in Moldova from the point of view of foreign experts. The presentation was made by Dr. Alina TOFAN (University of Leipzig, Germany), Marta PLAZA (University of Salamanca, Spain) and Jan ENGELMANN (CEENQA, Germany).
In the final session, the results of the QFORTE project were summed up and plans for sustainable development of the project were discussed. National Project Coordinator, Dr. Nadejda VELISHCO presented the impact of the QFORTE project on the quality of higher education in Moldova, and Dr. Otillia DANDARA, Vice-Rector of the State University of Moldova, presented the project's sustainable development plan.
The conference ended with discussions about the impact of the QFORTE project on the quality of educational programs, as well as the participation of academic staff and students in the process of ensuring the quality of higher education in Moldova.
