Quality Assurance System of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Quality assurance, in addition to ECTS, is the foundational element of higher education reform in the creation of the European area of higher education. The general objective of the education system is the creation, incitement and assurance of quality education processes for students. As a University constituent, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is in the process of developing institutional mechanisms of internal quality assurance and improvement in order to guarantee quality of the content and study programme execution, as well as quality in the broadest sense of that word. In this process the Faculty adheres to the standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European higher education area. Quality assurance implementation is especially emphasized in the higher education sphere by the important socio-economic role that education plays in the development of local, national and global society.
The first formal quality system bodies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences were established in 2008 and since then they have changed their names, structures and members several times. In order to attain quality system harmonization at University level in accordance with the Regulations on the Organization and Operation of the Quality Assurance System at the University of Mostar and the Guide to Quality Assurance, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, on 12th May 2014, established the Quality Assurance and Improvement Board and Quality Assurance Office, which included the Student Administration Office and Office for Quality Monitoring and Improvement.
Members of the Board are: President of the Board Ivica Musić, PhD, Assoc. Prof., Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs, Marija Vasilj, PhD, Sen. Assist. (Croatian Language and Literature), Marijana Sivrić, PhD, Assoc. Prof. (English Language and Literature), Ivica Petrović, PhD, Assist. Prof. (German Language and Literature), Josip Grubeša, PhD, Assist. Prof. (Latin language and Roman literature), Damir Mišetic, Assist. (Italian Language and Literature), Zoran Pervan, Assist. (Russian Language and Literature), Ita Šakota, PhD, Assist. Prof. (Philosophy), Krešimir Tabak Sen. Assist. (Logopedics), Dijana Pinjuh, PhD, Assist. Prof. (History), Ljiljana Rajković, PhD, Assist. Prof. (Art History), Tino Tomas, Assist. (Archaeology), Ilija Musa, PhD, Assist. Prof. (Journalism), Marijana Šunjić, Assist. (Psychology), Dražen Barbarić, Sen. Ass. (Political Science), Anđelka Oreč, Assist. (Social Work), Damir Vasilj, Assist. (Public Relations), Marko Odak, PhD, Assist. Prof. (Information Science), Maja Sesar (Legal Affairs Service), Ivana Zovko-Bosnjak, Sen. Assist., Head of the Office for International Relations and Projects, Boris Blažević, student representative and Luciana Boban, PhD, Assist. Prof., Head of the Quality Assurance Office and deputy coordinator for ECTS system.
The Board organises, coordinates and implements evaluation procedures and develops internal mechanisms for quality assurance and improvement at Faculty level, particularly with regard to self-evaluation, development of quality indicators, student participation in monitoring the quality of studying, research on studying efficiency and competence of teaching staff, training of university staff, as well as the administrative and technical staff, quality of general and specific competencies achieved in study programmes, and definition and introduction of standardization of the administrative services at the Faculty. The Faculty Board in cooperation with the University Board and the Quality Assurance Office and other bodies of the Faculty sets the strategy for quality improvement at the Faculty as a constituent unit of the University. The Board is obliged to submit a report on its activities to the Faculty Council and the Quality Assurance and Improvement Board at University level. The report is submitted annually, unless otherwise requested. Among other results of the Board’s activity, worthy of mention are the ECTS Manual prepared by Ivica Musić, PhD, Assoc. Prof., Luciana Boban, PhD, Assist. Prof. and Marijana Glavina, academic affairs assistant and The Manual on the Acquisition of Teaching Competencies in Full-Time Study (http://ff.sve-mo.ba/sites/default/files/dokumenti-obrasci/Priru%C4%8Dnik%20o%20stjecanju%20nastavni%C4%8Dkih%20kompetencija%20tijekom%20redovitoga%20studija.pdf).
Members of the Quality Assurance Office are: Head of the Office Luciana Boban, PhD., Assist. Prof., deputy coordinator for ECTS system, members from the Student Administration Office, Marko Odak, Head of ISS and Danijel Korać, Head of the Student Administration Office and members of the Office for Quality Monitoring and Improvement Marijana Glavina, academic affairs assist., Magdalena Ramljak, Sen. Assist and Darija Glibić, Sen. Assist. Among other activities, it is worth mentioning the Office’s development of self-evaluation reports for each academic year, with the purpose of regularly monitoring data or the accreditation processes. In addition, the Office analyses and proposes amendments to various regulations, coordinates the processes and activities among administrative and support services internally, and between the departments and administrative services (e.g. compiling the annual lecture plans of all departments, information system management, addressing specific problem issues, organization of teaching, updating the Faculty regulations and documents, etc.).
The bodies of the quality assurance system synchronise their activities with the organizational bodies of the Faculty, so that the conclusions of the Board or the Office are proposed to the Faculty Council for adoption, either directly or indirectly through the Council of Department Heads and Secretaries. Thus, the Faculty, both internally (the Faculty level) and externally (towards interested stakeholders), carries out all the activities to achieve its strategic goals and the basic settings of its own mission and vision in a transparent way.