The four key processes identified by the Agency in its quality handbook are:
1) The management process (plan)
AEQES' Steering Committee, in its capacity as a decision-making body, sets the Agency's strategic objectives; defines its communication and partnership policies. It discusses strategic issues such as methodological changes, the approval of budgets, the strategic plan, the six-year evaluation plan, etc. and takes decisions on these matters.
2) The quality assurance process (check & act)
To control its work effectively, to contribute to continuous improvement and to report on a regular basis, the Agency has developed procedures such as: the way the working groups operate, ways of collecting and processing information (surveys of stakeholders and feedback from them), mechanisms for corrective / preventive action, and accountability of the Agency's work.
3) The support process (do)
Here the various procedures necessary for the proper functioning of the Agency and its activities are described: secretarial services and archiving, website maintenance, document monitoring, the management of human and material resources, and accounting.
4) The operational process (do)
These procedures relate directly or indirectly to the Agency's main mission, i.e. carrying out external evaluations (planning and preparing phases; visits; reporting; follow-up activities).
The quality handbook is used to define and communicate the strict professional standards that the Agency is committed to observe during each of its activities. In doing so, all the stakeholders (steering committee, board, executive unit and experts) are expected to respect the Code of ethics.
Moreover, AEQES has been reviewed by ENQA in 2011, 2016 and 2021. The reviews evaluated how and to what extent AEQES fulfils the criteria for the ENQA membership and thus the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area. At the end of these reviews, AEQES was first granted then renewed full member of ENQA.
In 2013 and 2019, AEQES addressed follow-up reports to ENQA. Next follow-up report is expected in 2024.
AEQES was first registered on EQAR, the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, in 2012. On 2017 and 2022, EQAR has renewed the AEQES's inscription on the register.
The ENQA and EQAR key documents for 2021 review are available below.
Previous reviews documentation is available on:
- ENQA’s website: https://www.enqa.eu/reviews-database/acronym/aeqes/
- EQAR’s website: https://www.eqar.eu/register/agencies/agency/?id=8
All reports have been translated into French and are available on https://www.aeqes.be/rapports_list.cfm?documents_type=7.
