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Quality Assurance

ECLBS Affiliations & Credentials

Internal & External
Quality Assurance

ECLBS, since 2013 has been working in the educational sector for business education, setting recommended External Quality Assurance Standards for our members, helping business schools to develop, and providing assurance of quality. In order to operate effectively ECLBS has internal and external quality assurance processes. 

Internally

  • ECLBS has a board of trustees with their own terms of reference, representing state and private organizations (read more). The ECLBS Board of Directors is working in leading private and state organizations (mainly in Europe).

Externally

Board of Trustees.

At ECLBS, we have a Board of Trustees, consisting of representatives from private and state organizations from across Europe and the world. Our Board of Trustees is dedicated to promoting the highest standards of excellence in all of our activities and initiatives.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for overseeing the work of the organization and for setting the strategic direction of the organization. They are also responsible for ensuring that our goals are achieved and that we are compliant with all relevant regulations. Read More

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Dual Accrediation

We are happy to offer Dual Accreditation with our partner state quality assurance body

Quality Quality Quality...

The main goal of ECLBS Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) is continuously evaluating and improvement of internal systems in order to get effective and efficient fulfillment of key goals. The measures take into account the “Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)”. ECLBS strives to ensure members' satisfaction through effective quality management and acceptance analyses by evaluating our procedures.

ECLBS’s quality concept has the following objectives:

  • The primary objective is to firmly establish ECLBS as a specialized quality organization catering to a specific discipline within the European context.

  • To maintain and elevate the high standard of business education, a proactive and collaborative approach is being pursued. Robust evaluation processes, stakeholder engagements, faculty development, research initiatives, international linkages, and continuous feedback loops are employed to ensure ongoing improvement and relevance.

  • The aim is to secure sustainable staffing and material resources in all business education domains.

To ensure ECLBS's establishment as a discipline-specific quality organization in the European context, the leadership team diligently strategized and implemented a comprehensive plan. They focused on defining the organization's core mission and objectives, aligning them with the specific needs and standards of the discipline they cater to.

The team at ECLBS collaborated with relevant stakeholders, including academic experts, institutions, and accrediting bodies, to gain valuable insights and support for their initiatives. ECLBS engaged in open dialogues and consultations to foster a sense of collective ownership and to ensure that the organization's framework resonated with the wider European higher education community.

To gain recognition and credibility, ECLBS emphasized transparency and accountability in its processes. ECLBS meticulously documented its quality assurance activities, ensuring that reports and findings from their evaluations were consistently published and made accessible to the public. By doing so, they demonstrated their commitment to openness and contributed to the overall improvement of higher education standards in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

In addition to fulfilling the standard quality assurance functions, ECLBS went above and beyond by conducting in-depth thematic analyses. Through rigorous and careful analysis of the information gathered from their external evaluations, they were able to identify emerging trends, best practices, and persistent challenges within the discipline-specific domain. These valuable insights were shared with relevant stakeholders, helping to inform policy decisions and drive continuous improvement across the higher education landscape.

ECLBS also actively engaged in networking and collaborations with other quality assurance agencies and organizations within and beyond Europe. By participating in international discussions and exchanges, they sought to enhance their knowledge base, stay updated with global best practices, and ensure that their discipline-specific evaluations were in line with international benchmarks.

Through ECLBS's unwavering dedication, expertise, and commitment to advancing quality in their discipline, ECLBS steadily gained recognition and respect from European higher education institutions, governments, and students. Ultimately, their efforts led to ECLBS becoming a prominent and reputable discipline-specific quality organization in the European Higher Education Area, playing a crucial role in fostering excellence and continuous improvement within the discipline they serve.

Thematic Analysis

Extract from: Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) Brussels, Belgium:

„3.4 Thematic Analysis
Standard: Agencies  should  regularly  publish  reports  that  describe  and  analyse  the  general  findings  of  their  external quality assurance activities.
Guidelines: In the course of their work, agencies gain information on programmes and institutions that can be useful  beyond  the  scope  of  a  single  process,  providing  material  for  structured  analyses  across  the  higher education system. These findings can contribute to the reflection on and the improvement of quality assurance policies and processes in institutional, national and international contexts. A  thorough  and  careful  analysis  of  this  information  will  show  developments,  trends  and  areas  of  good practice or persistent difficulty.“

  • Standard: Agencies should regularly publish reports that describe and analyze the general findings of their external quality assurance activities.

    • This standard sets an expectation for the agencies responsible for conducting quality assurance evaluations to make their findings accessible to the public through regular reports. These reports should provide an overview of the key observations and conclusions drawn from the assessments of various higher education institutions and programs.

  • Guidelines: In the course of their work, agencies gain information on programs and institutions that can be useful beyond the scope of a single process, providing material for structured analyses across the higher education system.

    • This guideline explains that during the process of external quality assurance evaluations, the agencies collect a significant amount of information about the programs and institutions they assess. This data goes beyond the specific evaluation being conducted and can be valuable for broader analyses of the entire higher education system.

  • These findings can contribute to the reflection on and the improvement of quality assurance policies and processes in institutional, national, and international contexts.

    • The information gathered through the external quality assurance activities can be utilized to enhance the existing quality assurance policies and processes. By reflecting on the findings and insights, policymakers, institutions, and other stakeholders can identify areas that need improvement and make necessary adjustments to enhance the overall quality of higher education.

  • A thorough and careful analysis of this information will show developments, trends, and areas of good practice or persistent difficulty.

    • The data collected by the agencies during their evaluations holds valuable insights into the developments and trends in higher education. It can shed light on both positive aspects, such as good practices that can be replicated, and challenges that persist over time and require attention.

In summary, Thematic Analysis in the context of quality assurance involves agencies regularly publishing reports that present and analyze the general findings from their external evaluations of higher education institutions and programs. The information collected during these evaluations can be used to gain a broader understanding of the higher education system, inform policy improvements, and identify areas of strength and areas that need further attention and improvement.

Bilateral Recognition Agreements

  • Click here to see some of ECLBS agreements

    • ECLBS has a few Bilateral Recognition Agreements with state quality assurance bodies in Europe and all over the world, like:

      • Malta Further and Higher Education Authority MFHEA

      • Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation CAEP USA

      • Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders NVAO

      • Mauritanian Authority for Quality Assurance of Higher Education

      • National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and Research (ANACEC) Moldova.

      • etc... read more

Membership of International Associations

  • We ensure that EU higher education is represented internationally through membership of the following organizations:

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CHEA-CIQG Member

ECLBS is a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Quality International Group (CIQG), a network of quality assurance professionals from across the world

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INQAAHE

ECLBS is a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education, an international quality assurance body..., read more

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The Union of International Associations (UIA.org)

ECLBS deeply values its membership in the esteemed Union of International Associations (UIA) and proudly maintains the UIA Org ID AA4032 as a mark of distinction, read more

Questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact us, if there are any open questions regarding specific regulations or procedures.

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