ЕЛЕКТРОННИЙ ПОРТАЛ МОНІТОРИНГУ НАВЧАЛЬНОГО ПРОЦЕСУ У ВІЙСЬКОВОМУ ВИШІ: ДОСВІД ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ

The article considers quality assurance system of higher education (internal quality assurance system) and educational activities at the higher education establishments as one of the components of the quality assurance system of higher education in Ukraine. The assurance of higher education system integrated into the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area is one of the higher education system’s reforming goals in Ukraine. For the full functioning of the higher education internal quality assurance system at a higher education establishment, the paper defines the structures of the quality assurance system of educational activities and higher education, specifies the content of quality control procedures, and distributes areas of responsibility for the internal higher education quality assurance system functioning. Division of Monitoring the Quality of Education plays an essential role concentrating the functions of the quality assurance of higher education at the university level, in particular defining the subject areas of its activities and are aimed at solving specific and diverse tasks and issues of interaction between individual divisions of the higher education establishment, which require specific actions, planning and organizing quality audits, compliance audits and the effectiveness of structural divisions, analyzing monitoring studies results, preparing audit reports, conclusions, recommendations, etc. This function implementation is possible only in cooperation with all structural divisions of the higher education establishment, which are full-fledged elements of the internal quality assurance system of educational activities and higher education at the higher education establishment.

The article is devoted to the study of the features of the quality assurance system in education for future specialists in special education at the first (bachelor’s) and second (master’s) levels of higher education in Ukraine. Based on the analysis of modern Ukrainian research, it was determined that theoretical methodological and conceptual approaches to the study and development of this problem are still leading in Ukraine. To date, no comprehensive, practice-oriented research has been presented that would illustrate or analyse specific ways to ensure/improve the quality of training for special education professionals. Unlike Ukrainian studies, foreign studies offer specific, practice-oriented approaches to the quality assurance system in education for future specialists in special/inclusive education. Two criteria were used to conduct the study: the availability of accreditation from the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (evidence of the quality of educational and methodological support, staffing, etc. in accordance with the criteria of the accreditation examination) and the attractiveness of the educational program (volume of applications submitted, number of enrolled applicants, etc. according to the data of the 2023 admission campaign, compared to the same indicators in 2024 in Ukraine). It was established that at the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education, 18 (33 %) of 54 educational programs have accreditation from the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, 1 of them has accreditation with the definition of “exemplary”, 26 educational programs (48 % ) have accreditation from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 6 have the status of “conditional (delayed) accreditation” and 8 (14 %) educational programs have the status of “not accredited”. As for the second (master’s) level of higher education, out of 55 educational programs, 26 (47 %) are accredited by National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, 2 are accredited by the definition of “exemplary”, 20 educational programs (36 %) are accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 6 educational programs (10 %) have conditional (delayed) accreditation and 4 educational programs (7 %) are not accredited. According to the second criterion, it was established: applicants gave preference when submitting applications to the leading institutions of Ukraine in Lviv and Kyiv. Also, preference for submitting applications was given to universities of Ukraine located in the west of the country, which is natural within the framework of security conditions. In 2024, applicants mainly chose accredited educational programs, but not all universities have it from National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education — 4 HEIs have educational programs accredited by National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, 2 are accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, 3 are conditional (delayed) accreditations, 1 is not accredited. At the second (master’s) level of higher education in the specialty 016 Special Education, the choice of HEIs is mainly regional, in addition, most educational programs are accredited by National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. A sharp increase in applicants was established in 2024. In general, the number of applications submitted in Ukraine increased by 34 % compared to 2023, and the number of applicants who entered the second (master’s) level of higher education also increased by 18 %

The year 2015 can be considered the year of the regulatory and methodological changes in the system of higher education quality assurance. There are plans to bring into effect new standards governing the education quality assurance, both at the global and national levels. Also, the enforcement of new standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area is expected, and the international standard ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems. Requirements is being developed. A number of regulations have been put in effect at the national level: the Concept of the federal targeted program of education development for 2016-2020, the Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation On approval of the indicators characterizing the general criteria for assessing the quality of the educational activities of organizations engaged in the educational activities, federal state educational standards of higher education, which make adjustments to the federal state educational standards of higher professional education—the so-called third-generation standards. In 2014, the activities of the Transbaikal State University were focused on the upcoming changes. The university developed a system of education quality assurance. The present article describes the operation of the in-house education quality assurance system that conforms to the European standards and national regulations and guidelines. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s4p140

Preliminary Research on the Construction of Education Quality Assurance System of the Open Universities

The paper summarizes the results of research conducted by domestic and foreign scientists on the existing models of education quality system, the practices of the quality management functioning and approaches to evaluating the indicators of an educational scientific organization activity. The principles of the model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and the model of the balanced scorecard (BSC) are distinguished and analyzed based on the analysis of the practice of the quality management system and its indicators in the course of certifcation and accreditation procedures. The basic criteria and principles of improving the system of university education quality management as an important tool of the university's competitiveness have been determined. The specifc features of the organizational structure of higher education institutions, their functions as a system of socio-economic activity are highlighted; the principles of running the quality management system in higher education institutions are defned. The role and basic elements of the educational activity quality system in the strategic management of higher education institutions are defned. The study proposes a model of sustainable evaluation of the effectiveness of education quality management efciency involving two evaluation components, namely management and evaluation perspectives. Opportunities objects (goals, strategies, partnership, resources, organizational culture, interested parties involvement) and the results indicators (students, customers, employees and other stakeholders satisfaction) were formed. The algorithm for improving the system of ensuring the quality of university educational activities is determined and the need to adapt its practical application to the specifcs of the institution, in particular the management system, education quality and strategic management, is substantiated. It was concluded that the improvement process should be based on the standards and recommendations on higher education quality assurance in the European area, the current national system of education quality assurance and regulatory documents regarding the activities of the system of education quality assurance in a specifc institution. Considering the proposed sustainable system for the management system effectiveness evaluation, the author emphasized that the development of indicators of higher educational institutions activity is to be based on the analysis of the university strategic indicators map. The map is advisable to flexibly adapt the structure of the organization according to the following directions: development, processes, consumers, fnances. For this purpose, it is expedient to choose interconnected strategic prospects for higher education institutions development of and to develop a corresponding system of indicators. It is proved that consistent operation of the university quality management system requires ensuring a connection between the evaluated indicators of all types of higher educational institutions activities and the process of forming university strategic management tasks in the course of working out a development strategy and in achieving the objectives set. Key words: higher education institution, competitiveness, quality culture, educational activity, indicators of the organization's activity, quality assurance system, stakeholders, education quality management.

The article highlights the European progress of the Ukrainian higher education within the framework of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and on the basis of Ukrainian legislation (Laws of Ukraine «On Higher Education» (2014) and «On Education» (2017), underlines that European integration of Ukraine is the strategy of development of the Ukrainian state, and the integration of the higher education system of Ukraine into the European Higher Education Area is recognized as one of the principles of state policy in the field of higher education. It is determined that the quality assurance system of education, defined by the Ukrainian legislation, consists of a quality assurance system in educational institutions (internal quality assurance system); external quality education system; quality assurance systems in the activities of the governing bodies and institutions that carry out external quality assurance of education. It corresponds to the European philosophy and practice of ensuring the quality of education. The characterization of the essence of Europeanization and Europeanization of higher education, European benchmarks in the field of higher education in the European Higher Education Area are provided. The author emphasizes that the dynamics of the implementation of these standards by the countries varies, although the commonality is the introduction of systems of internal quality assurance, external quality assurance, creation of an institution for the quality assurance of higher education. The challenges that exist on the way of synchronization of the quality assurance system of higher education in Ukraine with the European standards, as outlined in the Standards and Recommendations for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, are highlighted. A conclusion is made about the dynamic progress of the Europeanization of higher education in Ukraine and the need for further synchronization with European standards.

Стаття присвячена аналізу специфіки сучасної системи забезпечення якості університетської освіти в Австрії на основі виконання історико-педагогічного дослідження. Відповідно до мети та завдань дослідження автори використали теоретичні та прикладні методи дослідження (описовий, статистичний, порівняльний, аналітичний метод, метод узагальнення, інтерпретації даних, логічний, структурний, системний метод, а також методи індукції і дедукції; інтерв’ю, опитування, анкетування). У статті представлена методологія аналізу забезпечення якості освіти в австрійських університетах. Автори висвітлюють теоретичні та методологічні основи процесу забезпечення якості університетської освіти в досліджуваній країні. Проаналізовано забезпечення якості університетської освіти в Австрії відповідно до структурно-функціональної моделі. Ця модель охоплює концептуальний, цільовий, операційний та оцінювальний компоненти. Представлено класифікацію та характеристику ресурсів дослідження якості університетської освіти в Австрії. Охарактеризовано сучасні тенденції розвитку системи забезпечення якості університетської освіти,а також виконано аналіз та порівняння європейських та австрійських стандартів кваліфікації. Автори представляють висновки з виконаного дослідження та обґрунтовують необхідність проведення подальших досліджень.

The article outlines the main trends in the education quality management at the pedagogical university which include the existence of clear prospects for development, the construction of an institutional model of the quality management in the system of education, the availability of the system for making management decisions, their relationship with the development strategy of the institution, the involvement of all structural units in the process of managing the education quality in higher education establishments. The institutional model of education quality management in Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University has been grounded, which covers the development and improvement of quality maintenance procedures, the implementation of the main provisions and the program of measures to improve the quality of educational process and the quality of higher education corresponding to the ESG Standards and taking into account the methodological recommendations for the construction of the institutional structure of the internal system for ensuring the quality of educational process and the higher education quality in higher education establishments. Implementation of the policy of quality assurance in education and training process at TNPU (Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University) includes planning of education quality (definition of strategy, policy, goals and requirements for the quality of higher education); development and updating of the normative and methodical basis for quality assurance in educational process; preparation of proposals, recommendations for improving the internal system of quality assurance; coordination of the work of structural units of the University on the quality of educational process and the quality of higher education; participation of student self-government bodies, external and internal stakeholders in these processes. It is proved that functioning of the institutional model of the system of quality management in educational process at TNPU (Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University) is realized through the implementation of appropriate measures. Normative documents that regulate the structure, principles and procedures of the system of internal quality assurance at the university have been developed; students, employers, leading scholars and practitioners have been involved in participating in educational process and developing content, review and improvement of educational programs. An integrated system for monitoring the quality of educational process has been created, mechanisms for preventing and detecting academic plagiarism in the academic work of the teaching staff and students are being applied effectively. Today the university develops and improves the requirements for the system of quality assurance in education, focusing on the main goals of higher education; has a transparent mechanism for developing, monitoring and revising educational programs that contain specific goals focused on learning outcomes and competencies; adheres to clear rules for organizing the educational process; has the necessary resources to carry out educational process and support students; carries out effective quality management in educational process and higher education.

Since the 1980s ， as the awakening of subjectivity and the widely implementation of subjectivity education, university stakeholders as subject participation has becomes the core of improving the education quality in modern society, teaching Quality Assurance (QA) System. However, by contrast, the concepts such as university stakeholders don’t have the abilities to participate in university management, still prevail in the field of QA System in university. Participatory management advocates that university stakeholders participate in quality control and management. Introduced the establishment of teaching QA system one of the core contents in meticulous management -- participation of all members through the entire process by overall conversion in order to explore the construction of teaching QA system designed by all college stakeholders who also take part in the system, to reform education and teaching in the interdependent world, to strengthen the construction of the QA system. Participation is certain to be fruitful in cultivating talents with assurance. Through the establishment of the participatory teaching QA system, the college personnel training has been enhanced with significant economic and social benefits. According to the statistics from National Examination Center, in recent years, the pass rate of qualification examination by our clinical majors, stomatology students, preventive medicine majors, and nurse major graduates is several points percent higher than national average pass rate and the one-time pass rate of National Judicial Examination for a certificate by our law (medical law) major students is much higher than the national average pass rate. Construction of participatory teaching QA system is a useful tool to form a long-term mechanism for participatory teaching QA system and to achieve the maximized operation efficiency of educational resources and continuous improvement of the teaching quality. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA

Background/Objectives: The aim of the study is to identify meaningful evaluation and approaches to building a model of the system of monitoring education quality and quality assurance at the university. Methods: The research methodology is based on a pedagogical qualimetry approach revealing a nature and characteristics of education quality, principles and methods for education monitoring, domestic and international theoretical foundations of independent evaluation of higher education quality. Findings: The international context of the changes specified by networks of agents-intermediaries Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the Washington Accord – an “American” model, EURACE Framework Standard – a “European model”, the International Energy Agency (IEA) International organization and European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Engineer register have determined the new content for improving the quality of higher education in the activities of the Trans-Baikal State University as a supporting institution in the region. The objectives and mechanisms for the implementation of international requirements of independent quality evaluation in the supporting institution in the region indicate the search for management solutions for the study and introduction of international experience considered as a base for creating a new educational practice of monitoring of education quality and quality assurance at the university in accordance with the criteria and standards of the Russian Association for Engineering Education. Applications/Improvements: The result of the study is the model of the system of monitoring of education quality and quality assurance at the university, built on the basis of theoretical research.Keywords: Education Quality, Education Quality Assurance, Evaluation, Monitoring

The New Round of Review and Assessment on Undergraduate Education and Teaching & Learning has set requirements for the construction of quality assurance systems in universities. It emphasizes the focus on the university's teaching quality assurance system, the utilization of quality information in universities, and the improvement of quality and cultural development. This article takes the practice of Chengdu Neusoft University’s teaching quality management and assurance system as an example to explore the quality assurance system in private applied universities. It explains the connotation of the system and analyzes its support for evaluation and assessment, with the aim of providing reference and guidance for the construction of teaching quality assurance systems in private universities.

The specific feature and at the same time the problem of formation of a holistic system of quality assurance of higher education in Ukraine is that the impe- tus for its formation was the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” in 2014, in which all existing instruments of quality assurance of higher education were grouped for the first time within one integrated system, consisting of two subsystems – external and internal, each of which has its own list of mechanisms, tools, ways to ensure the quality of higher education, etc. Thus, the system and mechanisms for ensuring the quali- ty of higher education began to be formed and applied in practice without their prior scientific understanding and justification. Therefore, today the practice of their application is quite ambiguous and often contradictory, which does not contribute to neither a calm movement towards the gradual improvement of the quality of higher educa- tion, nor the effective spending of public funds during the development of this system. Therefore, each of these subsystems, including their components, requires its own research, understanding and justification in order to optimize all procedures, their coordination and balancing with each other, to avoid duplication and unnecessary “paperwork”. Thus, in particular, the external quality assurance system of higher education includes such a tool as licens- ing of educational activities in the field of higher education, which has undergone conceptual changes three times since 2014, which hinders both the solution of many problems by means of using this tool of quality assurance of higher education and effective operation of this tool in the market of educational services. The purpose of this article is to try to scientifically understand the mechanism of licensing of educational activi- ties in the field of higher education as one of the external tools to ensure the quality of higher education, including its components, and to make sound proposals for its further improvement. Research methods. The author used such methods of scientific cognition as general philosophical (universal), historical and logical methods, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, abstraction, generalization, analogy and others. The main results of the study. 1. Licensing of educational activities in the field of higher education is one of the most important tools of the system of external quality assurance of higher education and a mechanism for im- plementing state policy aimed at ensuring the ability of legal entities to provide educational services in higher education. The state is directly responsible to applicants, employers and society for the development of effective regulatory policy in terms of licensing, for the development and continuous improvement of licensing conditions, for the proper organization and continuous operation of the licensing mechanism (objective and fair compliance with licensors, licensing, licenses, impartial and systematic verification of compliance with licensing conditions by each of the participants in the market of educational ser- vices, uncompromising revocation of licenses provided that the fact of non-compliance of free economic conditions with the license conditions). 2. Stability of public relations is one of the important principles of public peace and the formation of trust in the state. Therefore, the state, which is responsible to educa- tion seekers and society for the proper functioning of the market of educational services in higher education and guarantees the ability of its licensed establishments of higher education to carry out relevant activities at the appropriate level, has no moral right to conceptually change the licensing mechanism three times. It is ineffi- cient, impractical and irresponsible. Thus, in particular, only at the level of laws of Ukraine (not to mention the level of Government resolutions and orders of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine), the following con- ceptual changes took place: 1) term licenses issued for a period of 10 years were recognized by the legislator as indefinite without any transitional, balanced and compensatory mechanisms, which cannot be called a balanced state policy, taking into account previous experience in issuing licenses; 2) the licensing mechanism, which was issued specifi- cally for the field of higher education, was replaced by another - common to all types of economic activities (and these different mechanisms were in conflict for some time and “worked” at the same time); 3) the term of the applicant’s compliance with the li- cense conditions before the license was issued was signif- icantly reduced (from two months to 10 days) and the on- site inspections (directly to the establishment of education) were replaced by only a “paper” inspection. In addition, the inspection by “experts” was replaced by an inspection by “civil servants”. All this, taking into account the level of dishonesty in society, did not strengthen the responsibil- ity of the state to society for admission to the market of educational services in higher education (especially new ones), which really meet all licensing conditions and are able to provide services in higher education; 4) licensing “by specialty” (for example, “choreogra- phy” or “law”) has been replaced by licensing “at the level” (for example, a bachelor’s or master’s degree). Such a “simplification” of the licensing procedure for establishments of higher education actually eliminates any responsibility of the state to society for the ability of establishments of higher education to carry out educational activities in the relevant specialties, the list of which is approved by the Government. Scientific novelty of the research results. 1. The mechanism of licensing of educational activities in the field of higher education is considered through the prism (at an angle) of state responsibility for the quality of higher education to society, students and employers and as one of the most effective tools for public policy in higher education. Erroneousness and ineffectiveness of public policy was demonstrated, if it is not based on previous research. Conclusions and the author’s specific suggestions. 1. The quality assurance system of higher education should be the subject of in-depth and serious research, and any legislative changes should be based on the sound results of such research. Science must anticipate legislative change, and managers must base their policy decisions on scientifically sound data. 2. Improvement of the licensing mechanism should be carried out in the direction of delimitation of functions of formation of the state policy and its realization. That is, those who create the “rules of the game” do not have to follow them later, because in this case there is a real conflict of interest. The state, represented by the Ministry of Education and Science, cannot be both a regulator of the market of educational services, the founder of the vast majority of participants in this market (state establish- ments of higher education and research institutions) and a “guarantor of the ability” of all, including state-approved licensing terms. This approach cannot be considered balanced with regard to the responsibility of the state and universities for the quality of higher education. Under such conditions, everyone loses – education seekers, employers, society and the state itself. 3. Licensing should be subject to the specialty for which the establishment of education plans to provide educational services, not the level of education. The license for educational activities should be indefinite, but again – for the specialty, not for the level of education. 4. The quality of higher education cannot be ensured without the fulfillment by establishments of higher educa- tion of the minimum requirements – licensing conditions established by the state and which are the start and foundation of quality assurance. The compliance of an establishment of education with the licensing conditions must be controlled by the consumers of educational ser- vices and the state, and any non-compliance must quickly and inevitably lead to the deprivation of such an estab- lishment of the relevant license in the relevant specialty. Compliance with licensing conditions is the foundation for the formation of an internal system to ensure the quality of educational activities and the quality of higher education and should guarantee education a safe environment (namely in terms of sanitation, fire and environmental safety, no psychological danger, including bullying, etc.) from qualified teaching staff with appropriate educational and professional qualifications, availability of informa- tional support (powerful library fund, including digital, free internet access, advisory support for teachers, etc.), availability and security of infrastructure facilities that can provide, stimulate and maintain a healthy lifestyle in the younger generations. That is, the licensing conditions should include those requirements of the state that make the stay in the establishment of education safe, comfortable and one that promotes and stimulates the acquisition of quality higher education of a certain level and specialty. These requirements also need to be reviewed from time to time, as both universities and society evolve, and what is now considered to be the standard may not be the norm in a few years and requires a proper response from the state and establishments of higher education. At the same time, the improvement of licensing conditions should not lead to the need for establishments of higher education to obtain new perpetual licenses, but each establishment must constantly ensure its compliance with the licensing conditions (taking into account all changes).

The article presents the development of the system of external quality assurance of higher education in Ukraine. In particular, the positive and negative tendencies of the formation of the external security system in the post-Soviet period are considered, the situation of the present proceeding from the analysis of the Laws of Ukraine “On Higher Education” 2014 is outlined and "On Education" 2017, as well as the ways and prospects for its further transformation.In the first decade of Ukraine's independence, there has been a decline in the quality of higher education. The education management system of this period was, in fact, a Soviet model adapted to the needs of the transition period. Attempts by the state to further establish an effective institution of state accreditation of higher education institutions for a number of objective reasons (state monopoly on the decision of the conditions of accreditation of higher education institutions, non-competitiveness, opacity and non-accountability of the accreditation mechanism, corruption) revealed its inefficiency. The main trend in the higher education system of the late 1990s and early 2000s was the quantitative growth of higher education institutions, which was accompanied by a decrease in the quality of education and a significant imbalance of graduates' specializations to the needs of the labor market. Obvious losses were suffered by such advantages of Ukrainian education as fundamentality, systematic and practical orientation.The first steps aimed at improving the external quality assurance system of higher education was the Bologna Process, to which Ukraine joined in 2005, committing itself to make appropriate changes to the national education system and to join the work on setting priorities in the process of creating a single European Higher Education Area. The next key round of positive changes and integration processes in the European Union in the higher education system was the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" of July 1, 2014, in which one of the important innovations was the creation of a National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and an attempt to legitimize the idea of independent institutions of assessment and quality assurance of education. The Law on Education, adopted on September 5, 2017, provided new opportunities for the development and enhancement of its competitiveness for education seekers, educators and educational institutions. The law has substantially distributed the powers and areas of responsibility of the authorities in education, significantly expanded the public's right to participate in the management and control of the activities of educational institutions and authorities, etc. The strategy of development of civic education for the period up to 2022 aims to form a holistic system of education, to create appropriate conditions for the functioning of the education system, implementation of the system of monitoring the quality of education and assessment of civic competences.The above points to the future positive changes in the creation of an effective system of external quality assurance of higher education aimed at joining the European educational, scientific and professional space.

ПРОФЕСІОНАЛІЗМ ВИКЛАДАЧІВ ВВНЗ ЯК СКЛАДОВА ВНУТРІШНЬОЇ СИСТЕМИ ГАРАНТУВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВИЩОЇ ВІЙСЬКОВІЙ ОСВІТИ

Problem setting. Higher education is the most important component of national capital. It helps to overcome social conflicts that exist in modern society. In this regard, the priority development of higher education is considered in the countries of the world as a driving force of social progress.
 Recent research and publications analysis. The study of the problem of ensuring the quality of higher education belongs to the sphere of scientific interests of both Ukrainian and foreign scientists. Among modern domestic researchers dealing with theoretical and methodological issues of higher quality assurance, such scientists as N. Batechko, O. Zhornova, S. Karpenchuk, T. Krystopchuk, V. Moroz, T. Dobko, I. Zolotaryova, S. Kalashnikova, V. Kovtunets, S. Kurbatov, I. Linyova, V. Lugovoi, I. Prokhor, N. Sydorenko, I. Stankevich, I. Sikorska, Zh. Talanova, M. Trebin, T. Finikov, S. Sharov and others. A significant contribution to the theoretical development of higher quality assurance problems was also made by foreign scientists ‑ K. Argyris, G. Becker, J. Brennan, R. Brown, L. Brockerhoff, R. Williams, A. Helmke, G. Papadopoulos, E. Sallis, R. Harris, S. Harris-Hemmert, D. Schön, and others. Despite the fact that the understanding of various problems of ensuring higher quality has been widely reflected in the scientific literature, a number of issues that need to be constantly considered remain debatable.
 Paper objective. The purpose of the article is to study the essence of the concept of “higher education quality” in the modern socio-philosophical discourse; consideration of methodological approaches to the analysis of this phenomenon; identification of the main factors that determine the effectiveness of the higher education quality assurance system.
 Paper main body. Ensuring the quality of higher education is currently an extremely acute issue for many countries. This is primarily related to the transition from elite to mass higher education, the active introduction of modern distance learning information technologies into the educational process, the need to ensure the competitiveness of graduates of higher education institutions in the conditions of a globalized labor market and academic mobility, etc. In Ukraine, the problem of ensuring the quality of higher education is gaining particular importance. This is evidenced by state programs for the development of higher education, including the Law “On Higher Education”, in which for the first time a separate section dedicated to the problems of ensuring the quality of higher education appears.
 Three quality models of higher education are known in the world, namely: 1. “English”, based on the internal self-assessment of the academic community. The formation of such a mechanism for assessing the quality of education is connected with the significant autonomy of educational institutions in Great Britain and the decentralization of education management. In this country, there is a multi-level system of accreditation of universities and educational programs. This model of education quality assessment also prevails in Australia, and a new approach to the accreditation of educational programs has been introduced. The accreditation procedure includes, along with internal evaluations and quality guarantees, external criteria and recommendations from industrial enterprises; 2. The “French” model provides for an external evaluation of higher education institutions to determine their responsibility to society; 3. The “American” model, which is actually being implemented in Ukraine today, is an organic combination of the two mentioned, which gives it significant advantages and wide opportunities in its application, as it provides for both public and state forms of control of the achieved results.
 The implementation of European standards and recommendations for ensuring the quality of higher education is implemented in the activities of higher education institutions of Ukraine. Art. 16 Chap. V of the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education” defines the structure of the higher education quality assurance system. It is noted that the quality assurance system of higher education in Ukraine consists of: 1) systems of ensuring the quality of educational activities and the quality of higher education by institutions of higher education (system of internal quality assurance); 2) systems of external assurance of the quality of educational activities of institutions of higher education and the quality of higher education; 3) systems of quality assurance of activities of the National Agency for Quality Assurance of Higher Education and independent institutions of assessment and quality assurance of higher education.
 Conclusions of the research. The system of higher education of Ukraine must follow the path of mutual approximation of its own achievements and the latest European experience in the issue of ensuring the quality of higher education in modern conditions of social development. This will contribute to the growth of the competitiveness of graduates of Ukrainian higher education institutions, the full entry of higher education institutions of Ukraine into the European area of higher education.