European, global and intercultural dimension in curriculum development
Higher education institutions are self-governing institutions and the creation of study programmes’ content is fully within their competence. The European dimension of higher education is promoted mainly in the form of common study programmes.
In Long-term Intention in Education, Research, Development, Arts and Other Creative Activities for the Area of Higher Education and Institutions for 2023-2028 (Dlhodobý zámer vo vzdelávacej, výskumnej, vývojovej, umeleckej a ďalšej tvorivej činnosti pre oblasť vysokých škôl na roky 2023-2028), the Government of the Slovak Republic set a goal of supporting internationalisation of higher education institutions. Internationalisation of higher education institutions is supported through performance agreements, which introduce a new way of funding higher education. Funding will be based on measurable indicators. This “higher education internationalisation“ thematic area also includes measurable indicators such as the proportion of students and creative employees with other than Slovak citizenship, international accreditations, joint study programmes and scientific centres with foreign higher education institutions. The detailed list of measurable indicators is defined by the Directive of the Ministry of Education no. 48/2023 on measurable indicators of agreements on the provision of subsidies to public higher education institutions (Smernica ministerstva školstva č. 48/2023 o merateľných ukazovateľoch zmlúv o poskytnutí dotácie verejným vysokým školám).
V4 countries’ cooperation in the area of higher education quality
In 2021, V4 Accreditation agency heads signed a Budapest Memorandum of Understanding, which created a common forum for quality assurance in higher education in V4 countries (V4QA Fórum). In the memorandum, the agencies agreed on the development of cooperation in quality assurance in higher education. It mentions mainly mutual exchange of information, overview of registers, and exchange of experience with assessment and decision-making. The countries agreed on the exchange of experts from the agencies including the possibility to participate in assessing institutional and programme activity by directly taking part in mutual procedures.
Partnerships and networks
Slovak higher education institutions are members of EHEA (European Higher Education Area EHEA) and are active in ERA (European Research Area).
EUROPASS
- serves for documentation of abilities and experience acquired in other countries,
- is helpful when searching for a job, applying for various educational programmes,
- helps employers to evaluate job applicants' qualifications,
- has a uniform structure, which makes it intelligible in other countries as well,
- its accessibility and promotion is coordinated by the National Centre for Europass (NCE),
- consists of five documents (1. Europass - Resume (CV); 2. Europass – language portfolio; 3. Europass - mobility; 4. Europass – supplement to the certificate; 5. Europass – supplement to the diploma).
The State Institute of Vocational Education was authorised to perform activities of the National Centre for Europass (Národné stredisko pre Europass).
EUNIS
EUNIS Slovakia is an association whose mission is to create a platform for higher education institutions which would enable and support their cooperation to help each other with the development of quality information systems and solutions to other problems in the area of information technology use.
EUNIS Slovakia's goal is to cooperate with national and international organisations dealing with information technology at higher education institutions, particularly with the European University Information Systems Organisation EUNIS, of which it is a member. The association has a close relationship with a partner association EUNIS-CZ from the Czech Republic.
CEEPUS – Network of cooperating higher education institutions
The cooperation takes place within the network consisting of at least three higher education institutions, at least two of which have to be from different CEEPUS programme member states.