Quality in education is one of the basic elements of the Bologna Declaration. Quality assurance implies the introduction and application of standards and norms in the educational process. Following the basic requirements of the Bologna Declaration, the University of Zenica formed a Quality Committee in 2006, which consists of: the Quality Manager of the University of Zenica, vice-chancellors, the Secretary General of the University, the head of the University Library, managers of faculty quality committees, a representative of external users and three representatives of the Union students. The main goal of the university Quality Committee is to ensure, manage and improve the educational process. Some of the basic activities of the Quality Committee are: application of procedures, evaluation of the scientific-teaching process, work of the library and administration, preparation of the Annual Report, etc.
Since 2006, there has been a Quality Committee at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zenica. Some of the basic activities of the Quality Committee at the Faculty of Economics are: evaluation of the teaching process, submission of annual reports, application of standards and norms in the scientific-teaching process, etc.
The Quality Committee at the Faculty of Economics consists of the following members:
Seeing the importance of connecting with the labor market, the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zenica was the first to create and modify the curriculum based on the competencies that the student acquires during the study process. The goal is that competencies as a set of knowledge, skills and abilities are the result of designed and implemented curricula and not the result of chance. Within the activities that result from this, the student will acquire those competencies in accordance with the requirements of the labor market with the aim of enabling faster and more efficient employment.
When determining competencies, the recommendations of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in BiH were used, which was based on the Qualification Framework of the European Higher Education Area, which defines competencies as the ability to apply knowledge, skills and personal, social and methodological abilities, at the workplace or during study, as well as in private and professional development. For each subject in the curriculum, competencies are assigned that the student must acquire during the learning process. As a consequence, the number of assigned competencies must be less than the number of learning content and activities.
By studying at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zenica, the student acquires the basis for studying generic (general) and specific (special) competencies. The curriculum is designed so that students taking common subjects during the first and second year of study acquire the generic (general) competencies prescribed for those subjects. By focusing on one of the two offered courses, the student acquires specific (special) competencies. Each teacher in the subject (course) is entrusted to develop competences, so that the whole degree guarantees a compensated and sufficient processing of different competences. Based on this, a list of generic and specific competencies was formed:
The list of competencies has been formed with the greatest possible clarity, in order to guide both the lecturer and the student. When compiling the list of competences, verbs in the infinitive were systematically used in order to unambiguously indicate what the student must be able to do. After the list of competences has been determined, it is time to define learning activities related to certain subject contents, which will be exposed and proposed to students at the beginning of lectures and exercises from the given subject, so that they develop each of the listed competencies.
One of the most important goals of the Bologna process is the promotion of the mobility of teaching staff and students. By accepting the Bologna model of education and, therefore, by adopting the ECTS scoring system for student activities, the Faculty of Economics supported the mobility of teaching staff and students. This is shown by the fact that many members of the teaching staff of the Faculty of Economics used scholarships for training at various foreign universities. Also, during their studies, a certain number of students participated in numerous summer and winter schools and workshops in the country and abroad, and the points they gained were included in the Diploma Supplement.
At the end of each semester, the Faculty of Economics evaluates the work of the teaching, administrative and technical staff. Students were offered a universal university form with five questions each about the work of teachers and associates and four questions each about the work of administrative and technical staff.
The survey results are analyzed at the meetings of the Quality Committee and the Scientific and Teaching Council. Staff members who have low and, on the other hand, high grades, are sanctioned, according to the Rulebook on Surveys and the Rulebook on the Quality Assurance System of the University of Zenica, i.e. they praise. The results of the survey can be obtained in printed form in the library of the Faculty of Economics.
As part of the activities of the Quality Committee, at the end of each calendar year, a detailed analysis of the situation at the faculty is carried out, the product of which is a document entitled "Internal evaluation of the situation". This document presents an overall overview of all elements of the work of the Faculty of Economics in Zenica (research, teaching, financial, student activities, cooperation with the community, mobility of teaching staff and students, etc.).
The team appointed by the Scientific and Teaching Council for the occasion participates in the preparation of the internal evaluation. "Internal evaluation of the situation" can be obtained for inspection in the library of the Faculty of Economics.
External evaluation is one of the most important ways of assessing the situation in higher education institutions. The Faculty of Economics has been successfully externally evaluated three times so far. All evaluations were of an institutional nature. The work of the University of Zenica was evaluated, during which the work of the Faculty of Economics, as a member of the University, was also evaluated.
The first external evaluation was carried out in November 2008 by the Senate Evaluation Team of the Council for Higher Education of the Republic of Slovenia. The report on that evaluation can be viewed via the following link:
http://unze.ba/Evaluacija/Izvjestaj%20%20evaluacionog%20tima%20Slo.pdf.
The second external evaluation was carried out by the European University Association. The evaluation was carried out in February and May 2009, and a part of the report on the results of the evaluation can be found at the link:
http://unze.ba/Evaluacija/University_of_Zenica_Final_Report.pdf.
The third evaluation was carried out as part of the Tempus project "European Union standards for accreditation of study programs on BH Universities - ESABIH", and was carried out in March 2012. As part of this evaluation at the Faculty of Economics, an assessment was made of the Business Management study department. The report on this evaluation can be downloaded from the page:
One of the fundamental mechanisms in the construction of the European Higher Education Area is ECTAS - the European System of Transfer and Accumulation of Points, which enables national systems across Europe to efficiently move students and teachers at the European level. The European area of higher education was proclaimed in 2010 at the ministerial conference in Budapest and Vienna
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, ECTAS - the European system of transferring and accumulating points is designed as a unique system that enables easier recognition and comparability of different educational programs at universities and other higher education institutions in European countries. The system is based on points that express the student's "load" in mastering a certain study program. In short, it is the "weighting factor" of a course or study program. For one academic year, it is necessary to obtain 60 ECTS points, 30 for a semester, or 20 for a trimester. The application of the ECTS system in university practice enables the mobility of students in the European area of higher education, with the possibility of transferring and accumulating points acquired at different higher education institutions, which fulfills the prerequisites for high-quality inter-university cooperation of both students and teachers.
Credits - points, points, credits are the key element of ECTS. They are assigned to individual subjects (courses, modules), as well as to other forms of mastering the planned study program (exams, consultations, projects, seminars, studies, experimental work, field work, master's thesis, dissertations...). ECTS are a quantitative measure of the student's total work effort and are awarded to the student after the successful completion of a specific program, i.e. passing the exam.
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