Challenge of Developing Quality Profile of Higher Education in Ukraine

Abstract

In the article the challenge of developing a quality profile of the national higher education is analysed, the causes of the problem occurrence and prospects for its solution are clarified. The problem is considered, primarily, in the aspect of finding out the best university practices both as a whole, and on subject areas that is important for competitive development. It is argued that in 1990-2019 the Ukrainian higher education grew quantitatively and chaotically with a simultaneous loss of competitive quality. As a result, the country has a fragmented and dispersed, over-duplicated, profile-inadequate, institutionally and resource-weak, researchpoor, and ultimately insufficiently capable to carry out its mission network of higher education institutions. Therefore, according to the ARWU rating, Ukraine is identified as a white spot in Europe, which does not fall into the list of 60 countries in the general version and 90 countries in the sectoral (subject) version of this rating. This situation is largely due to the lack of a system of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation, assurence and improvement the quality of higher education. In contrast to the best practices of progressive countries, Ukraine does not have developed classification, framework, association, and rating mechanisms. Accreditation mechanisms do not cope and in principle cannot cope with the systematic diagnosis and effective motivation of the quality of higher education in the entire range of quality – from the minimum threshold to the breakthrough most perfect. To form a benchmark and justify the way out of the crisis, the best world achievements are considered in detail, Ukraine and USA are compared. Based on the case of the standard Harvard University the determination of the profile of a university quality is illustrated. The definition of the category “higher education quality profile” is given.

Two Dimensions of the Bologna Process: The Problem of Quality in Each of Them

“…After all, quality is multi-level, at the lowest level of which is minimum sufficient quality and at the highest level -the most perfect quality. Accordingly, a range of adequate mechanisms are used for multi-level quality assessment, at the extreme poles of which are accreditation and rating (Lugovyi, Slyusarenko & Talanova, 2020). Due to the fundamentally different functionality of accreditation and rating, it is impossible to ensure different quality in one way (accreditation or rating only).…”

Ratings and Strategies for the Development of Higher Education in World Practice: Experience for Ukraine

“…2). Academic Subjects, GRAS), which systematically complete each other and allow to form a quality profile of higher education at the global, regional, national and institutional levels (Shanghai Ranking, 2021;Lugovyi, Slyusarenko & Talanova, 2020;Lugovyi & Talanova (eds. ), 2020).…”

Transformation of higher education in Ukraine: Impact of the war and objectives for post‐war recovery

“…Notably, systemic social transformations were carried out that aimed the democratisation of society, the establishment of a market economy, the development of national identity and European integration. Many progressive changes, processes of liberalisation of economic activity and an insufficient development of mechanisms for assessing the quality of higher education led to an extensive growth of the network of higher education institutions (Government of Ukraine, 2022b; Kremen, 2021; Lugovyi et al., 2020). The number of higher education institutions in Ukraine has increased significantly, while the average size of institutions has decreased (see Figure 1).…”