The Education Quality Assurance System at National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic»
National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» implements a modern quality assurance system for higher education, developed on the basis of international and national standards, such as the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG–2015)” and the national standard DSTU ISO 9001:2015, as well as the legislation of Ukraine. The main goal of the system is to create a favorable educational environment for the personal development of students, to foster academic integrity, to support innovation, and to ensure a high level of professional training.
Upon the recommendation of the Scientific and Methodological Council, the Academic Council of the University defines the mandatory university-wide academic disciplines. These disciplines are aimed at developing key lifelong learning competencies for students, as recommended by the Council of the EU on May 22, 2018 (document 2018/C 189/01), and are directed towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/1 of September 25, 2015, and defined by the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 722 of September 30, 2019, with a total volume not exceeding 10% of the educational program’s total volume. The Council also defines fundamental and general science disciplines for students within a field of study (or group of fields),
Sustainable development goals in the system of quality assurance of higher education are aimed at long-term development, integration into the global educational space and meeting the needs of society. Among these goals:
- ensuring quality education that meets international standards and labor market needs;
- creating equal access to education;
- supporting innovation and research;
- creating a culture of academic integrity and transparency.
Internationalization plays an important role, which involves cooperation with international partners and integration into the global educational space. Effective resource management and the implementation of modern management approaches contribute to achieving these goals and increasing the competitiveness of the university.
| The structure of the internal quality assurance system at National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» covers 6 levels. | |
| Level 1 | Higher education students who are responsible for: • fulfilling the requirements of the educational program with academic integrity • achieving the learning outcomes specified by the educational program • forming selective components of the individual curriculum and its implementation |
| Level 2 | Support groups, working project groups, guarantors of educational programs and departments, which ensure that the OP meets the standards of higher education, the content and scope of mandatory educational components, the requirements of the law and regulatory documents of the university, in particular, in terms of personnel and scientific and methodological support. |
| Level 3 | Faculties and scientific and methodological committees of faculties, student self-government bodies of faculties and the scientific society of students, postgraduates, doctoral candidates, young scientists and specialists create a holistic education quality management system focused on meeting the needs of all stakeholders, increasing the competitiveness of graduates and developing the university. |
| Level 4 | Structural units responsible for the internal quality assurance system of higher education: • Department of Prospective Development, Licensing, Accreditation and Quality of Education is responsible for ensuring high-quality administrative management and implementing promising areas of development of the university, for controlling the processes of licensing regulated specialties and accreditation of educational programs, for ensuring the quality of higher education at all levels of the National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» • The Educational and Methodological Department is responsible for preparing the university’s regulatory documents on educational and methodological support of the educational process, monitoring their effectiveness and implementation. • The Educational Department is responsible for planning the educational process, developing regulatory documents of the university on the organization of the educational process and monitoring their effectiveness and implementation, and controls the implementation of the educational process. |
| Level 5 | The university’s management: the Supervisory Board, the Academic Council, the Rector, the profile vice-rectors, the Scientific and Methodological Council, and the university’s student self-government bodies are responsible for organizing educational activities and ensuring a high level of quality education at the university. |
| Level 6 | External stakeholders — employers, alumni, and civil society organizations — play a key role in ensuring the quality of higher education, in particular, by helping to adapt educational programs to the needs of the labor market and modern standards. They provide feedback, participate in independent evaluation, and facilitate the organization of internships and training. |
The quality assurance system is based on the principles of responsibility and transparency, clearly defines the roles of all participants in the educational process, ensures openness of procedures and accessibility of information for interested parties. Academic integrity is a key element of the system that guarantees compliance with ethical norms and the fight against manifestations of academic plagiarism at all levels of educational and scientific activity.
Focusing on the needs of education seekers is the basis for creating quality conditions for the individual development of students. Regular updating of programs, methods and standards of education allows us to meet modern challenges and requirements of the labor market. The use of the latest technologies, including generative artificial intelligence, helps optimize the educational process and increase its efficiency.
The main elements of the internal quality assurance system include:
- quality assurance policy, which defines strategic directions for the development of educational activities and its quality assurance;
- a system of rector’s control of the quality of education aimed at monitoring the success of applicants and the quality of educational programs;
Particular attention is paid to mechanisms for ensuring academic integrity:
- Code of Academic Integrity;
- provisions on the academic responsibility of participants in the educational process;
- the procedure for identifying and establishing facts of violations of academic integrity.
Another important component is checking the qualification papers and scientific reports of education seekers for plagiarism.
The university is actively implementing artificial intelligence into the educational and research process. According to the declaration on the principles of using generative artificial intelligence, the use of such technologies contributes to innovative development and improving the quality of education, provided that academic integrity is observed.
Mechanisms for monitoring and improving the quality assurance system include:
- regular analysis of educational programs;
- survey of applicants and graduates;
- partnership with employers to ensure that specialist training meets labor market requirements;
- improving internal quality control procedures.
The system of ensuring the quality of higher education at National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» is a constantly improved mechanism that combines European standards, national traditions, and modern technologies for the training of highly qualified specialists.
