Changes in quality assessment criteria for evaluating education in Polish higher education institutions

Legally based changes in the Polish higher education sector are outlined, including the establishment of higher education professional schools and their impact on the education level of the population. The need for a quality assurance system compliant with the national and international standards is presend, mainly based on the work of the State Accreditation Committee (SAC), a full member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (EAQAHE). The assessment of higher education courses in Informatics serves as an example of quality assurance approaches at various groups of institutions. Highlighted is the fact that initial SAC accreditations were based on the assessment outcome of factors affecting the quality of education that were not publicly accessible. This assessment was subjective and often depended on the experience of visiting team members. With time, the assessment criteria were formalised by the SAC and made available on the Internet. Thereafter, the requirement for an internal quality assurance system in higher education institutions has appeared reasonable and appropriate. The final conclusion is that over time the accreditation process could be based on the assessment outcome of such a system, and the current requirement for accreditation of individual units could be removed.