THE EDUCATIONAL DIMENSION AND THE ROLE OF STUDENTS IN QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSES

Abstract

Within the framework of European policies for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, promoted at supranational level by ENQA, Students participation is considered a structural element of university evaluation and continuous improvement processes. In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, such participation has a clear educational value, constituting a formative experience capable of developing skills relevant to the academic citizenship and future professionalism of the students involved. This paper analyses Students participation in quality assurance systems, taking the European Standards and Guidelines as a reference and proposing the Italian case of the Self-Assessment, Evaluation and Accreditation (AVA) procedures devised by ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes) as an example of the national implementation of European policies. The focus is on the role of Students Evaluation Experts (SEV), understood as active participants in situated learning, co-responsibility and Peer training. The contribution adopts a theoretical framework oriented towards a reflective-experiential approach based on the analysis of active representation practices, Peer Training courses and feedback activities, which show how the involvement of Students in QA processes can promote the development of transversal skills such as critical thinking, evaluation skills, institutional communication and the assumption of responsibility in the organizations where they work. In conclusion, the contribution proposes interpreting Quality Assurance processes as learning environments and university governance as an advanced pedagogical space, in which Students participation contributes to the construction of a European culture of quality based on awareness, participation and skills development. Finally, the article proposes a reflection that recognizes Quality Assurance processes as learning environments and university governance as an advanced educational space, promoting a culture of quality based on informed participation, skills development and shared responsibility.