In the chapter, the main characteristics of the process of accreditation of higher education institutions in Bulgaria and their impact on the quality of higher education are revealed. The functions and structure of the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation and its activities are presented. The content and fulfilment of the accreditation criteria by the National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski” are examined. Special attention is paid to the process of developing and updating curricula as well as to the methods and approaches for stimulating students' participation in the educational process. Recommendations for future development of the quality of higher education in the country are given.
TopIntroduction
The problem about the accreditation of higher education has been a subject of interest for many years (Harvey & Knight, 1996). Harvey (2004) revealed:
Accreditation is the establishment or re-statement of the status, legitimacy or appropriateness of an institution, programme (i.e. composite of modules) or module of study. (p. 5)
The latest accreditation processes in Eastern European countries opt for programme accreditation in all academic fields (Westerheijden, 2001). The professional and regulatory bodies for accreditation of higher schools reflect the public interest as well as the interest of academics and professionals (Harvey & Mason, 1995).
Higher education is a component of the educational system in Bulgaria, and the reform in this area is carried out at all levels (Andreeva & Dimitrova, 2021). Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union since 2007. There is no doubt about the positive impact of the European integration process on the development and quality of higher education in Bulgaria (Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area [ESG], 2015; European Higher Education Area and Bologna Process, 2021).
The increasing competition and the dynamics of social development gave rise to the need for continuous diversification of the product of educational services offered.
An important point of the considered processes of European integration in the field of higher education in the country has been the harmonization of curricula and training programs for specialists in different professional fields, and the removal of barriers on the recognition of Bulgarian education in the European countries. In this regard, various activities and initiatives have been developed, integrating the experience and potential of individual educational institutions.
The development of the Bologna Process and the creation of the European educational area raised the important question about the balance between the process of harmonizing curricula and training professionals at European level, on the one hand, while respecting the autonomy, identity of learning and education in different universities in Bulgaria, on the other hand (Mileva, 2012).
In the last few years there has been a trend towards internationalization of higher education in the country, which increases opportunities for access to new students and quality resources, while increasing competition between universities (Serafimova & Andreeva, 2021). There are intensive changes going on in the models of higher education, demonstrated in the opportunities for participation in clusters, joint projects with schools, companies and NGOs, connecting universities in networks - national and European (Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2010).
The aim of the chapter is to reveal the main characteristics of the process of accreditation of higher education institutions in Bulgaria, and its impact on the quality of higher education. In this context, it is important to present the functions and structure of the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation and its activities. The content and fulfillment of the main accreditation criteria by the National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski” are studied and analyzed, and recommendations for future development of the higher education system in Bulgaria and of the National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski” as an academic institution are given.