On 25 September 2023, the publication of a new assessment baseline from HCERES (High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education) for higher education and research institutions in Wave E (2024-25) marked the start of the self-assessment campaign.
Its primary objective is to analyse the changes in the institution’s performance over the past period, based on the previous self-assessment, the recommendations made by HCERES, and the requirements of the standards. A document setting out the school’s strategic priorities for the coming period is also expected as a deliverable from the self-assessment exercise.
The baseline comprises 3 areas instead of 6 for the previous assessment, and includes 18 references, each requiring an individual response backed up by documented evidence. One of the main changes introduced by the standards is the assessment of the “active policy” pursued by the institution in the field of Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility (SD & SR), which is the subject of reference 4. Another strengthened requirement is the general formalisation of guidelines, objectives, action plans, indicators and monitoring bodies for all areas.
The self-assessment exercise and the visit by the experts represent important opportunities for progress in the Institution’s quality and continuous improvement approach (PDCA cycle). A strong commitment by staff and external stakeholders will be essential if this multi-domain, multi-service analysis and evaluation task is to be carried out successfully, while keeping to the very tight schedule. After its presentation to the Board of Governors, the self-assessment file must be submitted to HCERES by 14 June 2024 at the latest.
A collaborative approach has been adopted to analyse performance and draw up the self-assessment report, the details of which will be announced in October.