Internationalizing Quality Assurance Systems With International Accreditations in Slovenian Higher Education: Globalization and Regionalization Influences

Introduction

This chapter seeks to explain the internationalization process from the perspective of international accreditations, which are perceived by many as one of the key drivers for the internationalization of quality assurance systems at the institutional level of higher education. Today, many higher education institutions worldwide internationalize their quality assurance activities with international accreditations (evaluations, audits, etc.), which are performed by various international accreditors, especially those specialized in the particular disciplinary field (Alphin, 2014). In the United States, regional accreditation agencies already started to perform accreditation activities at secondary schools, colleges, and universities in the late 19^th and early 20^th century (Harcleroad & Eaton, 2005), whilst in some (Western) European countries, their emergence and development strengthened in the early 1990s. At that time, it was argued that by choosing a specific accreditation agency, higher education institutions would be “able to show to whom they want to be held accountable for their activities and products” (Vroeijenstijn, 1999, p. 245; van der Wende, 1999). With the start of the Bologna Process (in 1999) and its goal of creating the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), accreditation indeed became the key topic of the political agenda and the dominant quality assurance approach in both Western and non-Western European countries (Schwarz & Westerheijden, 2004).

Under the influence of globalization and regionalization on higher education, the accreditation ‘marketplace’ strengthened at program, institutional, national, and international levels of higher education (Alphin, 2014; Brahimi et al., 2018). On this basis, international accreditations developed into “a booming business” (Vroeijenstijn, 1999, p. 238) not only in Europe but worldwide. At present, numerous specialized international accreditors are offering their services in the form of institutional and program accreditations either additionally or together with the obligatory accreditation, evaluation, or other assessment procedure conducted by the national or foreign quality assurance and/or accreditation agency.

Higher education institutions can benefit from international accreditations in a variety of ways. They give them the opportunity to choose the accrediting body in compliance with their own profile and mission, assess their institutional performance according to the internationally-accepted standards, identify strengths and weaknesses of study programs (for example, in terms of designing the curriculum or developing academic and administrative staff), etc. (Hou et al., 2015). According to Urgel (2007), “some of the value added is specific and unique to having international accreditation, and is therefore unobtainable by any other means” (p. 68). Also, for 62% of about 1,300 participating students in the Carrington Crisp’s (2013) survey A change of direction? Tomorrow’s Masters, international accreditations represent an important or very important factor for considering where to study, and over a third of students think that the most important international accreditations are those awarded by professional accreditation bodies.

However, due to the growing diversity and commercialization of international (professional) accreditors, individual higher education systems may react differently to the expansion of this internationally-oriented quality assurance instrument. In some countries, the growth in the number of higher education institutions with international accreditations is strongly affected by the globalization of quality assurance in higher education, where predominantly overseas accreditors (for example, from the United States) are assuming the leading role (Altbach, 2015). In other countries, for example, those from Europe, their expansion results primarily from the increased regionalization of quality assurance systems in the framework of the Bologna Process, where regional (or European/EHEA) accreditation organizations are undertaking the relevant role.