Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education*

University teaching staff who wish to become ARACIS expert evaluators must go through a process that includes meeting eligibility conditions and evaluation criteria. Admission to the National Register of Expert Evaluators (teaching staff) RNE-CD is done by going through two successive stages.

Eligibility conditions:

Ø To be tenured teaching staff with an individual employment contract for an indefinite period, holding the position of lecturer, associate professor, or university professor, with experience in evaluating the quality of education.

Ø The teaching staff prove experience in the field of quality assurance in higher education.

Ø To apply for only one field of undergraduate studies or for the forms of organization of distance and part-time undergraduate study programs.

Ø There must be an active call for applications for the selected field of undergraduate studies or for the forms of organization: distance learning and part-time learning.

Evaluation criteria

Ø Candidates have teaching and scientific research experience in the field of undergraduate studies for which they apply or for the forms of organization of distance and part-time study programs;

Ø Candidates have experience in university management, acquired through:

· being members in leadership structures at university level or equivalentto these;

· holding management positions in a higher education institution or an education provider or equivalent to these

Ø Candidates prove knowledge of at least one internationally spoken foreign language;

Ø Candidates have not been sanctioned for breach of university professional ethics and deontology rules.

Admission of teaching staff to the National Register of Expert Evaluators (teaching staff), RNE-CD is carried out through an electronic platform, available at: https://rne.aracis.ro. Applications sent by other means of communication are not accepted for analysis. Each teacher must first register on the electronic platform https://rne.aracis.ro/înregistrare.aspx.

Document submission:

· Electronically via the platform https://rne.aracis.ro.

· Schedule: Monday – Friday 08.00 – 16.00

Required documents:

1. The teaching staff's CV – this will be filled in directly on the platform https://rne.aracis.ro.

2. Certificate – issued by the higher education institution where the candidate comes from, certifying that he or she is a tenured teacher, with an individual employment contract for an indefinite period, holding the position of lecturer, associate professor, or university professor;

3. Declaration on own responsibility that they have not been sanctioned for violating university professional ethics and deontology norms.

Admission stages

· Stage I - involves fulfilling eligibility conditions and evaluation criteria according to the information provided in the CV and the documents uploaded to the candidate platform. The Permanent Experts Committee (CEP) analyzes these applications and formulates reasoned opinions regarding the acceptance or rejection of the applications. The ARACIS Executive Office validates the CEP's proposal regarding the acceptance or rejection of the application. The decision of acceptance / rejection of the application is communicated by e-mail.

To progress to stage II, it is necessary to successfully complete stage I.

· Stage II - involves taking a test to assess knowledge regarding evaluation and quality assurance in higher education, according to the bibliography available at https://www.aracis.ro/bibliografie-aracis-rne/, requiring a minimum score of 70% of the maximum possible score.

Admission of candidates to RNE-CD is done with the approval of the ARACIS Council, after successfully completing both admission stages.

The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) evaluates bachelor's degree university study programs of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) based on a request from the institutions regarding the initiation of the external quality evaluation of bachelor's degree university study programs.

STEP 1.

Required documents:

Ø Request for initiation of the external evaluation procedure;

Ø The certificate regarding the registration/update of the study program in RNCIS (obtained from the National Qualifications Authority (ANC)), which is submitted together with the request.

Submission of documents:

By e-mail to solicitari.evaluare@aracis.ro

Schedule: Monday – Friday 08.00 – 16.00

STEP 2.

Ø After checking and registering the request, the Institutional Relations and Informatization Service accesses RNE (https://rne.aracis.ro/Login.aspx) and, through an interface, generates in SharePoint the portal structure for the evaluation with the data presented in the request;

Ø Grants permissions in the evaluation portal for HEI;

Ø SRII sends to the HEI an e-mail to the institutional contact person informing them about subsequent procedural aspects such as:

· uploading by the HEI of the Internal Evaluation Report (REI);

· sending the service contract in editable format (mentioning that it will be signed by the HEI in handwritten form in 2 (two) original copies and sent promptly to ARACIS (post/courier services));

STEP 3 - Compliance of the Internal Evaluation Report (REI)

Ø After uploading the REI, the Quality Assurance Directorate checks the compliance of the REI with the Guide for conducting external quality evaluation procedures for temporary authorization, accreditation, or maintaining the accreditation of a bachelor's degree university study program .

Ø If the REI is compliant, ARACIS signs the service contract.

Ø If the REI is non-compliant, the Institutional Relations and Informatization Service, depending on the findings in the REI compliance sheet, informs the institutional contact person about aspects to be rectified (they will be indicated in the body of the email).

· the deadline for re-uploading the revised/completed REI is specified (maximum 5 (five) days from the request for revision/completion);

STEP 4

Required documents:

· The internal evaluation report of the bachelor's degree university study program subject to external evaluation;

· The service contract signed by the higher education institution (in two copies)

· Proof of payment of the evaluation fee.

Submission of documents:

· Electronically in SharePoint in the evaluation portal

· Schedule: Monday – Friday 08.00 – 16.00.

Ø After receiving the service contract signed handwritten by the HEI officials, it is then registered the tax invoice is issued and sent through the RO e-Invoice system to the HEI for payment (the invoice will be paid within 5 working days);

Evaluation fees

· Provisional authorization (FT, PT, DE, DUAL) – 76,160 lei/program

· Accreditation (FT, PT, DE) – 76,160 lei/program

· Periodical evaluation (FT, PT, DE) – 65,280 lei/program

The fees can be paid in lei by payment order / bank transfer mentioning the account below:

Beneficiary: The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education

Tax identification code: 18476245

Bank: A.T.C.M.P. Bucharest Municipality

IBAN code: RO36TREZ70020F335000XXXX

Documents issued by ARACIS to higher education institutions following the submission of documents from STEP 4:

· the service contract signed by ARACIS;

· the tax invoice;

· entry-reception note.

The documents will be sent in an original copy to higher education institutions by post, with acknowledgment of receipt.

Upon submission of the entire documentation by higher education institutions (according to the above), ARACIS Council approves the undertaking of visits for the external quality evaluation of bachelor's degree university study programs.