On following the standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European higher education area: a Slovenian case study

Abstract

In 2006?2007, Slovenian Higher Education (HE) experienced a pilot project of the national Institutional External Evaluations (IEEs). Simultaneously, we carried out the observation of the site visits on evaluated Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The participants in the evaluation case study raised many issues, which cannot be answered uniformly by applying the standards and guidelines of the European institutions for quality assurance in HE. This article raises the question of to what extent it is reasonable to be innovative and different in developing a national IEE model, considering the characteristics and level of complexity of HEIs on the one hand, and the ensuring comparability and accountability on the other.