fr aab riinvest 2011 (e)

7/31/2019 FR AAB Riinvest 2011 (e)

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Expert Reports

Accreditation and Reaccreditation of several programmes at

1.

College AAB-Riinvest, Pristine, Kosovo

Expert Report/ Site visit: 4th

Experts Team:

Ass. Prof. Mag. Dr. Ingeborg Mottl University of Salzburg (Austria)

Univ. Doz. Dr. Arno Bhler University of Vienna (Austria)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jrg Becker University of Applied Sciences and ArtsDortmund (Germany)

Content

June 2011

(Re-)Accreditation Report of the Programs Faculty of Law ....................................................

General Findings ............................................................................................................................(Re-)Accreditation of the Programs of the Faculty of Law ...........................................................

Accreditation Report of the program Public Administration .................................................

Recommendations ..........................................................................................................................

Recommendation for Accreditation Decision:...............................................................................

Accreditation Report of the program Criminal Law ...............................................................

Recommendations ..........................................................................................................................

Accreditation Report of the programmes Applied Arts Architecture BA and

Applied Arts Interior Design BA ..........................................................................................

Preliminary remarks .......................................................................................................................

Program Accreditation Applied Arts Architecture BA ........................................................

Final remarks .................................................................................................................................

Recommendation for Accreditation Decision ................................................................................

Program Accreditation Applied Arts Interior Design BA ....................................................


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Recommendation for Accreditation Decision ................................................................................

Accreditation Report of the program Child Care and Welfare .............................................Recommendation for (Re-)Accreditation Decision: ......................................................................

Evidence .........................................................................................................................................

List of additional documents ..........................................................................................................

General Findings Concerning the Need of such a Program ...........................................................

General findings concerning the capacity of AAB-Riinvest to meet the institutional needs

of the program ................................................................................................................................

Curriculum .....................................................................................................................................

Diploma-thesis ...............................................................................................................................

Extra one-year-study-program .......................................................................................................

Teaching conditions .......................................................................................................................

Research conditions .......................................................................................................................

(Re-)Accreditation Report of the Programs Faculty of Law

Ass. Prof. Mag. Dr. Ingeborg Mottl, University of Salzburg (A)

According to the provisions of the Law of Higher Education in Kosovo (AdministrativeInstructions No 2003/14 and No 2009/2) as well as normative acts of the Kosovo

Accreditation Agency (hereafter referred to as KAA), the PPHE AAB-RIINVEST presented

a request for (re-) accreditation of several academic programs. The KAA is requested by the

Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Kosovo to evaluate all private institutions

of Higher Education which operate in the Kosovo. According to this request the PPHE AAB-

RIINVEST decided to undergo this process.

General FindingsThe following findings and recommendations are results of the Site-Visit-Program (hereafter

referred to as SVP) of the external expert Ass.Prof. Mag.Dr. Ingeborg Mottl, University of

Salzburg, evaluating the (re)accreditation of an existing and a new program of the Faculty of

Law and the meeting with representatives of the faculty, students and staff members on 4h

June 2011 to discuss the application.

In advance the expert received the Self-Evaluation-Report 2011 (hereafter referred to as

SER). There is no doubt of the quality of the SER which reflects the improvements in the

quality of the programs offered by PPHE AAB-RIINVEST since the last evaluation of external

experts in 2010.

The expert thanks gratefully PPHE AAB-RIINVEST for the hospitality during the SVP. In


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addition the expert wants to express thanks to the KAA and its representatives, Prof. Dr.

Ferdije Zhushi-Etemi (NQC/KAA) and Mag. Basri Muja (Expert for Evaluation and

Accreditation, Acting Director/KAA), for their remarkable hospitality, support and cooperation

during this accreditation procedure. Mag. Basri Muja accompanied the expert throughout the

SVP.

In addition to the meeting with the management during the SVP the expert has asked to

deliver the following documents after the meeting:

Written test for the application of students for the Master Program in Criminal Law

During the meeting on the 4th

A few syllabi of the single courses according to the Bachelor Program in Public

Administration and the Master Program in Criminal Law

June 2011 the expert received a hardcopy of the written exam

for the application of students for the Bachelor Program in Public Administration already.

Complete Staff-List of all members of the Law Faculty with specific information about:

male female fulltime part-time

which person is teaching in which of the two mentioned programs

Example for the selection process according to the students applying for the Master

Program in Criminal Law.

All these additional documents the expert received on the 9th

(Re-)Accreditation of the Programs of the Faculty of Law

June 2011.

The following findings of the external expert relate to the following at the Department of

Public Administration):

Program in Public Administration BSc-Degree

Program in Penal Law MSc-Degree

Accreditation Report of the program Public AdministrationThe SER states that this program which started for the first time in the academic year

2010/2011 has a total amount of 248 students (fulltime: 50 students, part-time: 198

students). The part-time students attend the courses only on Saturday. PPHE AAB-

RIINVEST offers for all students of the Bachelor program in Public Administration three

classrooms with a surface of 300 m2. During the meeting the members of the management

informed the expert that PPHE AAB-RIINVEST does not plan to increase the total number of

students and therefore also only 250 students will be able to apply to the academic year

2011/2012. The reason for the same amount of students is a quality issue. This means, that

the institution wants to ensure the quality of the higher education before the increase of the

number of students should take place. The expert appreciates this position very much.


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The program is organized by the Department of Public Administration within the Faculty of

Law (responsible therefore: Fatmir Qollaku; SER p. 49). As recommended in the Report

2010 the Faculty is divided into departments in 2011. To ensure the quality based

recommendations the study program has been analyzed and the ratio between theoretic and

the needed practical hours for students have been harmonized. As a specific issue of the

last report the language skills of the academic staff was improves and the students wereoffered more possibilities to attend more language courses (which are offered free of charge

for the students).

The students informed the expert that they find sufficient possibilities; enough books in the

library are available for them.

The program aims to improve the communications and research skills of the students and

therefore will offer them the possibility to gain experience in management, policy, analysis,

economics an quantitative methods (SER p. 48) to prepare them to render their contribution

to policy formation, human resources management in pubic organisations and private and

non-profitable institutions. The program is aware of the recent changes in labour market in

the Kosovo and the region. The program wants to enable the students to be able to gain

knowledge in management, advisory services, political, analytic and legal fields as well as

skills and competences to increasing their employability (see an overview over skills,

knowledge and competences in the SER p.49).

Additional courses are offered to the students also to improve their scientific knowledge of

research work at the Centre for Scientific Research, responsible for the Centre is Prof. Dr.

Vesel Latifii (SER p.50).

The admission for the program is open for all students who have completed high school and

have passed the National Matura Exam. At students admission procedure the passing of the

entrance examination is requested.

The workload of this three-year program for one year within two semesters is in total 60

ECTS (30 ECTS each semester). After three years the students gain the academic title of a

Bachelor of Science (BSc; SER p. 5). In the last year (5th and 6th

Recommendations

semester) the students can

select between two modules, the module of Public Administration and the module of Political

Sciences and Diplomacy (SER p. 48). In both cases the offered academic degree is the

Bachelor of Science (BSc).

Although this information was given during the SVP the expert was informed by the receivedadditional documents, that there should be three different streams offered to the students in

the last year of their studies: General Law, Political Sciences and Diplomacy. This different

information confuses the expert. Therefore it is recommended to point out this issue of the

offered curriculum.

During the SVP the management the expert received an example of this writtenexamination. In the opinion of the expert the questions of the entrance examination are


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much too easy to improve the basic knowledge of the further students. Beside this the

examination is also much too shortly, normally should be possible to fill in the answers in

about ten minutes. This means that the expert recommends PPHE AAB-RIINVEST to

redesign the entrance examination immediately to insure the proposed quality of their further

students.

According to the standards of the KAA the offered academic degree for the Bachelorprogram in Public Administration should be a Bachelor of Arts (BA) instead of the proposed

Bachelor of Science (BSc).

In the first semester the mandatory course The management in public administration (No

2, SER p.51) must be named as Public Administration Management according to the

description in the SER (p. 54).

In the first semester there is offered a mandatory course Introduction to the public

administration (No 3) and in the 2nd

In the 2

semester a mandatory course Administrative Law (No

2, SER p. 51). The course description for both courses is very similar (SER p. 54, 57).

Therefore the expert suggests only one course in the first semester with an Introduction to

Public Administration.nd semester the curriculum offers a course Administrative Law and Theory of

Public Administration (No 2, SER p. 51). In the opinion of the expert this course should be

offer this issues as Administrative Law I and the course in the 3rd

In the 3

semester Law on

Administration (No 1, SER p. 52) as Administrative Law II.rd

The course in the 4

semester the course Managing human resources must be named as Human

Resource Management (SER p.59).th semester Informatics in Public Administration (No 4, SER p.52)

could be offered as a selective course in this semester. Therefore the course Administration

Procedure Law (No 1, SER p.53 after renaming it!) should be moved to the 3rd

The course Public Administration (No 1 for students choice, SER p. 52) could be deleted

as this subject is already offered in the 1

semester

therefore.

st

The course No 3 in the 5

semester.th

The course No 3 in the 5

semester should be named International Relations instead of

International Relationship.th

The course Methodology of scientific research (No 2, SER p.53) in the 6

semester should be named Criminal Law instead of Penal

Law.th semester

should be moved into the 1st semester because the students there are offered basic

knowledge. Therefore a course in Academic Writing should be integrated to offer

knowledge for the preparation of the final thesis for the students. This recommendation the

expert also suggest for the course Methodology of political sciences (No 1 in the 6th

The expert suggests the integration of more recent and innovative subjects e.g.

eGovernment or Public-Private Partnership in the current curriculum

semester of the Diplomacy-Module). Therefore also in this module instead of this course

there should be offered a course Academic Writing.

For the achievement of the European academic standard it is also necessary to increase

the number of female staff as soon as possible. According to the detailed information in the

received additional documents there are among the 32 staff-members of the Law Faculty

only 3 woman at all. From these 3 women there is only 1 of them defined as a regular staff-

member.


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Recommendation for Accreditation Decision:

Accreditation of the Bachelor program in Public Administration with the academic degree

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Accreditation of the Bachelor program in Public Administration with the academic degree

Bachelor of Arts (BA) is recommended.

Accreditation Report of the program Criminal Law

Master program in Criminal Law

The Master Program of Criminal Law aims to equip students with knowledge and make them

understand criminal law areas (e.g. basics of Criminal Law, International Criminal Law,

Criminal Procedure Law, Criminology, Criminal Sanctions, see SER p. 75) and provide solid

knowledge and systematic understanding of institutional structures of Criminal Law. The

program wants to enable students to attain valuable skills in combating crime and

particularly modern forms of organized crime and corruption.

Responsible for the program is the Dean of the Department, Dr. Vesel Latifi (SER p. 76).

All students who have received their Bachelor Degree (after four years) can admit for the

program (SER p. 75). In this context it is important that students who prove to have

completed the first level studies with an average grade (GPA) 7.5 or higher, are entitled to

directly continue their master studies. Whereas students with the average grade (GPA) less

than 7.5 shall be subject to a qualifying exam.

The workload for one year within two semesters is in total 60 ECTS (30 ECTS each

semester) and offers the academic degree Master of Science.

RecommendationsRecommendation for Accreditation Decision:

Accreditation of the Bachelor program in Public Administrationis recommended with the

academic degree Bachelor of Arts (BA) .

Recommendations

In the first semester mandatory courses should be offered in Law methodology (SER p.

76). This course offers basic knowledge which is a standard course in most of the Bachelor

programs in the field of law. Therefore this course should be offered as a course Academic

Writing.


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Recommendation for Accreditation Decision:

Accreditation of the Master program in Crimial Law is recommended with the academic

degree Master of Laws (LLM).

Accreditation Report of the programmes Applied Arts Architecture BA and Applied Arts Interior Design BA

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jrg Becker, University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Dortmund (G)

Preliminary remarks

The college AAB Riinvest (AAB) presents a program of architecture with the degree

Bachelor of Arts, which was already evaluated positive in 2009, but they do not get thepermission to run the program. The refusal of that program in 2009 was - in my opinion -

correct. The actual Self Evaluation Report is based on the report from 2009 and shows a

mixture of all fields of architecture education, so by all something, but not really well and

suitable. In addition the program did not fit to the strategy of ABB neither to some

departments.

That situation was discussed at the site visit with the responsible staff of AAB Riinvest for the

program Applied Architecture and Applied Interior Design.

The additional documents present a changed curriculum for Applied Architecture. The

curriculum has changed to a profiling design according the discussions at the site visit and is

now specialized and in context to the college strategy. But the additional documents are still

named the program Applied Arts. Applied Architecture and Applied Interior design were still

mentioned as study courses.

I will evaluate only the program Applied Architecture (mentioned as study course). I will not

evaluate a program of Applied Arts. Thats too general and further more a faculty or a

department of the college than a program. The program Applied Interior Design will evaluate

separately.

Program Accreditation Applied Arts Architecture BA

The following evaluation will focus on the program Applied Architecture depend on the

changed curriculum delivered with the additional documents and the comments on draft

report given by AAB Riinvest.

The evaluation will follow the guideline for experts and concentrate in some special areas to

guaranty employability and future development. Because the program hasnt start, someaspects cant be evaluated.


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P1 Academic Programmes and Student Management

P1.1: Does the academic program correspond to the institutions mission statement and

principles of employability?

The program Applied Architecture corresponds to the institutions mission statement

and principles of employability in Kosovo.

P1.2: Are the programs quality, range and academic aims appropriate according to the

academic degree?

Yes, but like discussed more oblige courses should be in lower semesters (first year),

elective courses at higher semesters, starting at second year. Elective Subjects of

several higher semesters could be joined in one big cluster, so that students can

specialize in one field. That was explained at the site visit.

P1.4: Does the academic degree correspond to international standards?

Yes

P1.5: Does the structure of the program give sufficient opportunity for independent study,

reflection and analysis? (e.g., what is the proportion of independent study time compared to

online/distance teaching and classroom units)

Yes, in general it is okay. The proportion between classroom units and workload is

correct. The structure of the program / curriculum shows some misunderstandings:

ECTS must be higher than teaching hours (see Architectural Constructions 1, first

semester).

Each study course should finish in a single semester. Study courses with duration of

two semesters are bad for international relations and not acceptable for student

development (see courses Architectural Design and Architectural Construction).

According to the specialization of the program the courses Architectural

Constructions in the first year is okay, from second year on the courses should be

cancelled. Instead of the workload of Architectural Construction for example English

language should add in higher semester as well as some more courses of interiordesign fields as oblige courses.

P1.6: Is the allocation of ECTS appropriate and comprehensible?

Yes, but there are some mistakes (see hints P1.5)

P1.7: Is the workload required for the academic program manageable for students?

Yes (see hint P 1.5)

P1.8: Are the teaching methods and content of teaching units sufficient for the successful

achievement of the programs goals and outcomes (competences and qualifications,knowledge and skills)?


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English as a foreign language is necessary as a compulsory subject in curriculum

(see hint P1.5).

P1.10: How do the admission criteria and admission procedures measure up to international

standards?

See hint P1.5

P1.11: Is the ratio of the academic/artistic staff and the students appropriate?

For the program Applied Architecture the capacity should be fixed at 40 students for

the first years. After reaccreditation the capacity can be increase to employability in

Kosovo.

P2 Staff

P2.1: Does the institution have an adequate proportion of permanent staff and appropriate

proportions of permanent and external staff?

Not proved exactly. For the program of Applied Sciences or Arts, like Applied

Architecture about 70% of staff should be resident, less than 30% from abroad. The

relation between full time contracts and staff with on part time basis is okay.

P2. 2: Do the academic staffs demonstrate proven ability at a high academic and didactic

level and are their qualifications appropriate to the positions they hold within the institution

according to the basic criteria 1?

Yes, the high academic level is proved, whereas the didactic level cant be

evaluated.

P3 Research and International Co-operation

P3.1: Is the teaching staffs involved in research activities inside or outside the institution, and

do these research activities have a knock-on effect on teaching/course contents?

Cant be evaluated

P3.2: Are the extent and the quality of international cooperation in research and teaching

adequate?

Cant be evaluated, but the staff show a good international experience.

P4 Finances and Infrastructure / Space and Equipment

P4.1: Does the institution have an adequate budget plan?

No, not proved


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P4.2: Does the institution have adequate buildings and specialized infrastructure for the

requirements of the program?

Yes, but because the program is not running, I can only recommend (as I have done

at site visit): Teaching methods at higher semesters in Architecture should be in form

of project work not in head-on situation. Desk in classrooms should arrange for thatteaching method. The work atmosphere should correspond to the work situation in

offices and companies. There is enough infrastructure, they can manage this

recommendation.

Final remarks

The program should go on in processing the curriculum as mentioned to the profile of design

architecture combined with courses of interior design as oblige courses. Foreign languages

as English should added in more semesters. The CVs of authoritative staff like Esat Valla,Jovan Stefanowski, Teuta Jashari-Kajtazi and Sai Musilu are still missing.

Recommendation for Accreditation Decision

The program Applied Arts-Architecture-BA should be named as Applied Architecture,

Bachelor of Arts (BA) .The program is now linked to the statements and strategy to the

institution. The program focuses on fields of Design and Arts which fits to the history of AAB

and to some other departments they are running. I will recommend to start the program with

40 students and to do a reaccreditation after one year.

Program Accreditation Applied Arts Interior Design BA

The following evaluation will focus on the program Applied Interior Design depend on the

changed curriculum delivered with the additional documents and the comments on draft

report given by AAB Riinvest.

The program is concerning the contents closely connected to the program Applied

Architecture. In the SER nearly 70% of courses are equal to Applied Architecture, staff is

nearly the same. Additional documents show more courses related to departments of Fine

Arts and Painting. The curriculum has changed according the discussions at the site visit

and shows now more fields of design not only a specialization of Architecture. That could be

the basis for a new program Applied Design and a new accreditation. The comments on

draft report indicate that a new program Applied Design could be developed.

Up to now the program Applied Arts-Interior Design-BA has no independence, it is not an

own program. There is not enough specialized staff for Interior Design, only one lecture(Hana Nixha) has enough competence for that program.


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The program conveys rather the impression of a specialization in a field of architecture. Such

a program could be a master program based on architecture.

Recommendation for Accreditation Decision

I cant give today the recommendation to start the program Applied Interior Design neither

as a single program with Bachelor degree nor as a study course with specialization of the

program Applied Architecture.

AAB Riinvest should go on the way they have done with the additional documents and the

comments on draft report to create a new independent program Applied Design which fits

to some other departments / programmes at AAB Riinvest. They need specialized staff forthis.

Accreditation Report of the program Child Care and Welfare

Univ. Doz. Dr. Arno Bhler, University of Vienna (A)

Recommendation for (Re-)Accreditation Decision:

Re-accreditation of the BA-program Child Care and Welfare for another two years

Evidence

The following findings and recommendations are the results of the on-site-visit at PPoHE

AAB-Riinvest on 4th

List of additional documents

of June, the evaluating of the description of the program in the SER

(mainly p. 8-25) and the additional documents that have been delivered by AAB-Riinvest

according to the request of the EE:

A copy of the inter-institutional agreements mentioned in the SER on p. 9.

A list of the academic staff engaged in the program with the following specifications (all

academic staff according to the study-plan!): name + professional specialization + gender

(male/female) + hour of appointments at other departments/institutions + contract/pre-

contract + full time/part time + workload (hrs. to teach/week/semester according to the study-

plan!)

List of research programs in which the program of Childcare and Welfare is included.

All documents have been handed over to the EE in time and contributed significantly to the


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decision of the EE.

The responsible representatives of AAB-Riinvest for the re-accreditation of the Childcare and

Welfare program during the on-site-visit were:

Prof.Dr. Fahrush Rexhepi (Head of the Program)

Prof. Dr. Riza Brada Professor

Prof.Dr. Imri Badallaj Professor

Mr.sc. Bardha Qirezi Quality Assurance Office

The representatives of AAB-Riinvest during the meeting with the management were:

Dr. Sc. Lulzim Tafa, acting rector

Prof. Ass. Dr. Rrahman Paarizi, vice-rector for academic issues

Prof. Ass. Dr. Muhamet Sadiku, vice-rector for international affairs and research

Zija Rexhepi, vice-rector for administration

Prof. Ass. Dr. Shemsedin Vehapi, Head of Quality Assurance Office

Bardha Qirezi, MA, Quality Assurance Office Coordinator

Granit Curri, secretary of AAB-Riinvest

Argjenta Plakolli, Administrative Assitant to the Rectors Office

Mag. Basri Muja from KAA accompanied the entire on-site-visit.

General Findings Concerning the Need of such a Program

The start of the program for Child Care and Welfare at AAB-Riinivest in 2010/11 has shown

strikingly that there exists a high demand for this program in the region. 208 students are

already participating in the program, according to the information of representatives of the

department during the on-site-visit. About half of them are part time students, while the

others are full time engaged into their studies.

In addition to the desire of a large number of students to gain a professional education in this

field, the special post-war situation in Kosova is another, cultural reason why such a program

is highly needed. The whole society is currently undergoing major cultural transitionsconcerning their major values and social structure: like traditional family-values, family-


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structure, gender-roles, etc. There exists a high demand that these processes of transition

and social changes are scientifically reflected and professionally re-structured. Therefore a

cultural demand for this program exists beyond any doubt.

General findings concerning the capacity of AAB-Riinvest to meet

the institutional needs of the program

The representatives of AAB-Riinvest were well prepared for the meeting with the EE during

their on-site-visit. The EE found evidence that the infrastructure like lecture-rooms, library

and so on as well as the organizational capacities like the administrative units, the quality

management and so on are available to run such a program within the given infra- and

organizational structure of AAB-Riinvest. Also the financial situation appears to be stable.

The fundamental working conditions for the academic staff concerning their teaching

conditions are good. The EE have been told that the institute supports them quite well in

order to improve their teaching conditions. There were only minor complaints that thefinancial-budget to do research at the institute should be improved by the management.

There too have been no serious complaints at the meetings about the amount of workflow

the academic staff has to cope with.

The same is true concerning the relations of the students to the institute. There exists a

consensus between them that they face very good conditions both in respect to the institute

and the teachers in the program. AAB-Riinvest renders them administrative help to

accomplish their programs. Criticism by the students did not refer to the institute of AAB-

Riinvest, but much more to the political conditions under which they are currently studying in

Kosova: The difficulty to gain a visa in order to attend conferences, student exchangeprograms and so on.

Recommendation: It would be very important that the IoHE and KAA will work together to

improve this visa and international exchange situation on a political level in the interest of the

students. Only the enhancement of student exchange programs will solve major problems in

the academic field in Kosova, like the improvement of their English skills, the improvement of

their professional qualification by international exchange and so on.

Though the general impression of the institutional setting in which the program of Childcare

and Welfare takes place is satisfying, this degree of satisfaction cannot be shared in respect

to the ratio of men and women who were present during the meeting with the management:

12 out of 13 persons were men. The ratio is better in respect of the academic staff which is

teaching in the program, 4 women / 9 men (AD, p.8).

Recommendation: AAB-Riinvest must increase its efforts to balance this gender-ratio of its

management in the near future if it wants to reach international standards in this field also.


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One must say that still there exists a lack of critical thinking skills and training in critical

methods by almost all agents of this institution: Starting with the students the EET was able

to meet, the management and even the academic staff. It will therefore be important for the

whole structure of AAB-Riinvest that cultural issues are considered to play a significant partin the fields of economy and law matters too. Interdisciplinary research projects on cultural

aspects are thus highly recommended by the EE to balance the dominance of the most

advanced department of economy, not only in respect to the numbers of staff and students,

but as well in respect of the research activities of AAB-Riinvest. To make the work

accomplished at this department visible, not only within the academic world, but also to

public life in Prishtina and the Kosova region, the department should think of a close co-

operation with the department of mass-communication: For example, in communicating the

work it has done via radio or other mass communication media to non-academic cultures in

Kosova, given the public relevance of its program. (For example: Organizing public lectures,

interviews, expertise in mass media etc.)

Curriculum

The EE gained the impression that the department is aware of the great responsibility it

assumes by approaching a program on such sensible matters like Childcare and Welfare.

Given the numerous traumatic experiences a great number of people are still confronted with

in Kosovos post-war situation, the program has become more ambitious in the meantime

and has been designed more to meet the special needs of this extraordinary social situation.

In order to implement this task in the program, the department has signed several inter-

institutional agreements with regional institutions engaged in the field of Child Care and

Welfare like

Primary school Selman Riza Fush Kosov

Primary school Gjona Serei Ferizaj

Directory for Health and Social Welfare in Prishtin.

HANDIKOS, Prishtin

Municipality Departmet for education, Ramiz salihu ( in process )

Primary school Hasan Prishtina Prishtine (in process )

Primary school Thimi Mitko Gjilan (in process )

Primary school Rexhep Elmazi Gjilan (in process )

Municipality Departmet for education , Bujar Nevzadi (in process )


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Primary school Njazi Rexhepi Viti (in process)

The curriculum obliges every student to do a one-month-period of practical work at the very

end of the program (10 ECTS) at one of these institutions and thus fulfills the requirement to

offer a practice oriented study-program in this field. These agreements and the emphasis on

the practical orientation of the institute should improve the employability rate of its students.

Recommendation: It would be advisable if the students attending their BA-period of practical

work and maybe even an extra year-job-specialization after their BA were given certain job-

guaranties by the institution where they do practical work during the program.

Diploma-thesis

The regulations for the diploma thesis are not yet fully clarified. It is a good idea to connect it

closely with the practical experience of the students. The EE has been told by the office for

quality assurance that the representatives of the program are already in contact with them to

discuss and decide this matter. Right now there is the idea that every student has to

compose two reports: one in form of a diary-report where the students mediate and tell about

their experiences during their period of practical work, and a second one in a more

academic, essayistic format.

Recommendation: The number of words of this second academic report should be at least

15.000 and not only 3.000, as the representatives of the program suggested during the on-

site-visit. Since there exists a course in academic writing in the study-plan, some theoretical

skills have to be trained in the program, despite its practical orientation.

Extra one-year-study-program

The idea of an extra one-year-study-program to achieve a narrow specialization of ones job

profile is necessary and important, but has to be specified immediately after the accreditation

of this BA-program. It should be considered a chance to consolidate the practical skills the

students have acquired during their period of practical work in the BA program.

It still remained an open question during the meeting whether the students attending an

extra year job specialization will gain a second diploma for their extra studies.

Recommendation: Prof. Dr. Ferdije Zhushi-Etemi from KAA informed the representatives ofAAB-Riinvest during the on-site visit of the last EET that there was a legal possibility to offer


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them an extra diploma (something like an advanced study certificate), which would obviously

be desirable for the students.

Teaching conditionsThe recourses of academic staff for the program are sufficient to run the program, but still it

will be a big task to acquire more academic teachers, especially due to the large number of

students willing to study this program, as one could see in the first year of its existence.

According to several mistakes and a confusing way to list the academic staff at the SER (p.

10-11), initially it was difficult for the EE to gain a clear picture of the current academic staff

situation at the department. On p. 10 the SER mentions, for example, contracts with three

professors (Dr. Resmije Kryeziu, Dr. Vehbi Ramaj, Dr. Riza Brada), but Dr. Vehbi Ramaj is

not part of the list on the following page 11. In addition, some of the teachers mentioned in

the list on p. 11 do not teach even one course in the study-plan (SER, p.12-14), for exampleDr.sc Prof. Fadil Raka. It is also confusing that on p. 11 the list of academic staff does only

list the names of those with whom AAB-Riinvest has already established a part or full time

contract. It does not list those with whom AAB-Riinvest must have a pre-contract, since their

names are already mentioned in the study-plan, but not on the academic list on p. 11.

The AD finally did much to clarify this confusing situation but still lists, for example, Fadil

Raka as a major teacher in the program, although the EE could not find his name in the

study-plan (SER, p. 12-14). If the pre-contracts will be realized once these teachers are

needed, the current staff-situation matches the basic needs to run the program.

Recommendation: The staff-list that has been provided in the additional documents on p. 8

should be treated as a model for further self-evaluation-reports. It says much more than the

list in the original SER.

Research conditions

Right now, 4-6% of the revenues of the institute are used for research-activities. The

academic staff of this program stated clearly that the budget provided for their research is

not sufficient for realizing the ambitious research-vision of the program like

1. ,,Mental education and childrens ethics, Scientific research project, Riza Brada

2. ,,Changing Identities of Ethnic Minority Groups, Project of ASO group (Austria, Slovenia,

Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo), Rrahman Pacarizi, Ibrahim Berisha

3. ,,The Development of Preschool Institutions in Kosova draft

Recommendation: The management should reconsider whether the research-budget for


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programs coping with social issues should not be enlarged in order to support especially that

part of the academic staff that is willing to invest more in research activities, beyond their

teaching obligations. As a side effect, such an action would enhance the effort of the institute

to regain the degree of a university as one of its institutional visions.

Finally, I would like to thank the representatives of AAB-Riinvest and KAA for their readiness

to support the necessary information and thus helping us make a responsible decision

concerning the accreditation of this program.

On behalf of the Experts Team

Dortmund 20th

2. Expert Report/ Site visit: 7

June 2011

th

Final report on program entitled Bachelor of English Language (Direction of Translation)

Dr Philip Coleman (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

June 2011

This report is based on information gathered as part of a site visit to AAB-Riinvest College

organised by the Kosovo Acreditation Agency (KAA) on Tuesday the 7th

of June 2011,

coordinated by Prof Dr Ferdije Zhushi-Etemi and Mag Basri Muja. It relates to the program

entitled Direction of Translation which was accredited for one year in 2010. Before the site

visit took place a comprehensive Self-Evaluation Report was provided by AAB-Riinvest,

together with other documents, which included an overview of the Colleges Mission and

Strategic Planning, as well as information about changes made since the last site visit took


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place in 2010. The site visit and review included meetings with members of the Colleges

management team, individuals responsible for designing this particular study program,

teaching staff and students, as well as a brief tour of some facilities. This report has been

compiled in response to all of the information presented before and during this particular

visit, especially with regard to pages 26-43 of the Self-Evaluation Report. No additionalinformation was requested after the site visit, although some corrected documents were

provided at the site visit. These have not been consulted here because they have not been

deemed essential for the evaluation.

i. Academic Programmes and Student Management

The program is to be taught within the Faculty of Philosophy-Philology by members of the

Department of Foreign Languages and the Department of English, and valuable

contributions are also to be made by colleagues in the Faculties of Economics, ComputerScience, Public Administration, and Law. It is designed with clear reference to the programs

Mission Statement, and the allocation of ECTS and the arrangement of modules are

appropriate and sound. Over the past year the programs focus as a degree in translation

studies has now been clarified, and professors and teachers have a much stronger sense of

its purpose as a programme of study, as indeed do the students. The teaching methods

proposed are innovative and involve a useful degree of inter-disciplinarity, and the

members of staff are both conscientious and creative in their approaches to teaching and

learning. IT resources are being used sensibly, and the program now has the input from at

least one native English speaker, which is a very welcome development. The proposed

staff/student ratio is appropriate though demanding, and members of staff met during the

site visit have shown a real commitment to the program both in terms of the reinforcement

of existing structures and with a view to developing electives in new areas such as a Creative

Writing in the future. The program is now at a very exciting stage of its development and

re-accreditation for a further 3 years is recommended.

Recommendation

Consider expansion of elective modules in the second and third years to include Creative

Writing, and also explore possibilities for more interaction with public speakers / lecturers /

writers. Otherwise the progam is developing in a very satisfactory way and re-accreditation

for a further 3 years is recommended.

ii. Staff

The institution as a whole appears to have an adequate proportion of permanent staff, but

it is still worrying that a large number of staff members assigned to the teaching of Optional

modules are on temporary contracts. The staff members demonstrate a proven ability at a


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high academic and didactic level, and it is very positive to note that a native English speaker

has now been hired, with the possibility of one more colleague joining from Canada in the

next year. On the whole, though, members of the teaching staff are excellent and they all

demonstrated real commitment and expertise during the site visit.

Recommendation

Explore possibilities for further involvement of native English speakers in the program, and

also think about staff development programs such as international trips/visits which could

be used to develop language skills. This would also be of great benefit to the students. Also

encourage Creative Writing projects of colleagues who are practicing authors andincorporate these interests into program in second/third year electives.

iii. Research and International Cooperation

During the site visit an important collaborative research project with the Ministry of Justice

was described and discussed, and this represents a valuable development for AAB-Riinvest

and the Faculty in terms of collaboration with governmental agencies and as an opportunity

for staff and students of the college to apply their academic interests. Individual staff

research interests and projects could still be clarified and strengthened, however,

particularly in relation to international contacts and contexts, but there is a good deal of

inter-departmental discussion and collaboration among colleagues, especially in the

departments of Economics, Public Administration, Computer Science and Law. This is all

very positive, but in the next few years it would be good to see more colleagues publishing

work in international journals and participating in conferences in the region and further

afield, possibly in Canada. The organisation of a major conference on applied translation in

AAB-Riinvest would be a welcome development.

Recommendation

Establish further connections with English-speaking third level institutions with a view to

developing student exchanges or web-based exchanges between students (in webinars,

online chat, etc). A great deal has been achieved since 2010 and the Faculty has shown real

potential for development, however, so re-accreditation for a further 3 years is

recommended.

iv. Finances and Infrastructure / Space and Equipment


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In general terms the infrastructure at AAB-Riinvest is excellent, and the student have many

good rooms to study and work in. The library holdings in the areas of English language,

literature, and translation studies remain in need of improvement, however, and staff and

students of English should have access to a designated, special room for English which

would provide hard copies of relevant international magazines, newspapers, and journals inEnglish. Staff members might do more to assist in the development of the librarys collection

by requesting desk copies of key texts in the relevant areas from publishers such as Norton,

Routledge, Macmillan, Oxford University Press (in their Worlds Classics series), and Penguin

Classics, but they should also be asked for recommendations for weekly or monthly texts

that the college could subscribe to for their benefit. Many of these may be available online

also, but a designated space for conversation in English in the college would be a very

important and valuable development for staff and students on this and other programs.

Recommendation

More investment is still needed in the library, particularly in the areas relevant to this

program. Students on the program might also be given a dedicated space with the

institution where they can share texts and converse in English in an informal setting. An

English Room was suggested on the last occasion but this has still not been established.

(This is less formal than a language lab and would be a place where students and staff

could meet for informal conversation in English.) It is clear, however, that the college is in

the process of improving its facilities in a number of areas so this is something that should

be considered as part of those plans.

v. Quality Management

The institutions programs are assessed regularly and within the context of international

standards and processes, and there is a clear commitment to Quality Assurance in the

college. More might be done, however, to develop student support systems, and it is

suggested that a Student Support Service should be considered in terms of the colleges

future plans. This would also be in line with the prerequisites for the Bologna process.

Recommendation

Maintain commitment to Quality Assurance in all areas of the colleges activities, and

consider development of (non-academic) student support services in particular.

Summary


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It is clear that AAB-Riinvest is an institution with great potential in terms of its ability to

design and provide third level education for students in Kosovo. It is obvious, too, that this

program is of real interest and value to students in the region, and the students articulated

very positive feedback about their first two semesters on the program. The staff and

management of the college are highly professional and committed to their institution, andon its tenth anniversary they are to be congratulated on their success, which was recently

recognised when AAB-Riinvest became a signatory to Magna Carta Universitatum. This

program is of real value to the students and the broader society of Kosovo and the region,

and given the vision and commitment of all involved re-accreditation is recommended for a

further 3 years.

Dr Philip Coleman

Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning

School of EnglishTrinity College Dublin

Dublin 2

Ireland

14th

3. Evaluation Report (Without Site Visit)

June 2011

Program accreditation:

Fine Arts Graphic Design(BA)

Painting(BA)

Musical Arts(BA)

Experts:

Mag. Doris Carstensen

University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz, Austria (Kunstuniversitt Graz)

Doz.in Mag.a Bettina Henkel

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria

June 20st 2011


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Table of Content

1. Introduction................................................................................................................................................ 22

2. FINE ARTS.................................................................................................................................................. 24

2.1. Academic Programmes and Student Management ........................................................................... 24

2.2. Staff......................................................................................... ........................................................... 12

2.3. Research and International Cooperation ..................................................................................... ...... 30

2.4. Finance and Infrastructure / Space and Equipment........................................................................... 14

2.5. Quality Management.......................................................................................................................... 32

3. MUSICAL ART............................................................................................................................................ 16

3.1. Academic Programmes and Student Management ........................................................................... 16

3.2. Staff.................................................................................................................................................... 37

3.3. Research and International Cooperation ................................................................................... ........ 22

3.4. Finance and Infrastructure / Space and Equipment........................................................................... 38

3.5. Quality Management................................................................................ .......................................... 24

4.

Recommendation

..........................................................................................................................................2

5

Introduction

AAB-Riinvest is an institution that faces the challenging situation of cultural and

political transition in Kosovo. AAB-Riinvest contributes with a wide range of learning

opportunities as shown on their website. We appreciate their efforts to grow. Their

responsibility to provide postsecondary education of high quality is obvious and

should be taken seriously. It is primarily through its graduates that AAB-Riinvest takes

part in the future economic and societal development of Kosovo.

The review process based on the KAA Standads for Accreditation and Guidelines

for Experts (Academic Programme). The first AAB-Riinvest self-report (SR) wasdelivered to the experts on 22 May 2011, it consists of several study programmes

reports. Additional parts of a self-report were provided later on 10 June 2011. They

concern AAB-Riinvest institutional mission, budget and finances, organisational

structure and management, key processes like quality management and academic

HR-management, research activities, internationalisation and cooperation, supportive

and administrative staff, and facilities. In this document AAB Riinvest comments about

the draft evaluation report, which the experts delivered on 1 June 2011, as well.

Due to experts time limitations and the deadline of the Kosovo Accreditation Agencya site visit by the external review team could not be organised. This report bases on


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the AAB-Riinvest written self-report part one and two (mentioned above). One of the

experts gained local impressions of the AAB-Riinvest buildings dedicated to the

artistic branch (Graphic Design, Painting, Architecture) last year in a different

institutional accreditation (s.b.). Actually the floor plan in the self-report at hand (SR

105 and 138) is the same as one year before by Art Design (AD Institute).

In 2010 the experts attended different external reviews in Kosovo (Prishtina). Locally

we achieved insights about several institutions, and general knowledge about the

higher education system and the challenging task of accreditation in Kosovo. The

institutions we visited and reviewed are: The Faculty of Art, University of Prishtina

(Carstensen/Kannonier/Henkel), Akademia e Arteve (Henkel/Carstensen), Art Design

(AD Institute) (Richter/Carstensen). The experts make mention of this, because this

year the study programmes at hand are related to some members of the academic

staff which we already met in 2010 in different contexts. Furthermore in Musical Artsparts of the self-report on the study programme are copied from a former self-report of

Akademia e Arteve.

We think that the purpose of accreditation is twofold. On the one hand experts should

evaluate whether study programmes and their institutional background meet the

standards. On the other hand the purpose of any evaluation is to highlight

perspectives for possible advancement. In general our hope is that a self-report will

prove its worth not only for evaluation purposes, but may help form a good basis for

the further advancement of study programmes and institutions.

In our evaluation we take into account whether minimum standards have been met,

and especially with regard to Bologna conformity of curricula, coherence of study

programmes and accordance with international standards for university studies and

research. The efforts of meeting international standards and correspondence with the

framework of the European Higher Education Area (Bologna Process) potentially vary

within the institution AAB-Riinvest.

Due to the second part of the self-report the experts can estimate how AAB-Riinvest

is organised in terms of structure and processes, how the institution implemented

quality assurance, how it is managed by academic staff and the management team.

We came to know the strategy, mission statement, institutional aims, and the financial

plan of AAB-Riinvest. We are impressed by the strategic mixture of an entrepreneurial

university and academic ambitions to become one of the best universities in the

region that offers studies of high international standards in the fields of humanistic and

information sciences, [] (SR part 2, 6). The description of the quality management

approach is clear and points out how things are done mainly by assessments, and

what general higher education standards are terms of reference at AAB Riinvest. Withregard to the different quality levels of study programme descriptions in the self-report


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(part 1) we would recommend putting more effort on systematic curricula development

to ensure quality, and on formal aspects of programme accreditation in general.

We are indebted to all members of AAB-Riinvest who have dedicated time and effort

in order to provide the self-report (part one and two). We want to thank the Kosovo

Accreditation Agency and its office for support, for engaging us as experts and their

expressed trust.

FINE ARTS

Academic Programmes and Student Management

Do the academic programmes correspond to the institutions mission statement and principles

of operation?

The study programmes correspond to the institutions mission in terms of contributing to the societal

and educational needs of Kosova.

The field of Artistic Higher Education is not mentioned in the general Mission of AAB-Riinvest. We

would like to recommend adapting the enumeration of disciplinary fields according to the development

of AAB-Riinvest.

Are the programmes quality, range and academic aims appropriate to the academic degree?

In the preface of the SR the Fine Artsprogrammes occur contemporary and interesting. The experts

were curios about the purpose that the programmes are for the needs of the Kosovo society (SR,

118), since this is a very important momentum. The programmes formally quote European standard like

training the students in conceptualization and monitoring, implementation of given professional

activities, the mixture of practical and theoretical knowledge, and professional critique. This ambitious

self-given mission hardly corresponds with the curriculum and course description at hand.

The programme description is partly inconsistent concerning the degree. On pages 118, 119, and 120

SR a Master level is mentioned also, which is not described anywhere else nor object of accreditation.1

The self-report does not provide a clear picture of the main qualification aim of the curricula. We still

question whether it is fine arts or applied arts. E.g. subjects like Make Up and Industrial Design in

Painting as well as Poetic of Arts and Elements of Methodic in Graphic Designrefer to occupational

1Degrees and university level (BA, MA) (p. 118), the program of Fine Arts aims to organize study programs in the first

cycle studies completion of which leads to a Bachelor Degree (BA), second level or Master studies (MA). The professional

staff of AAB-Riinvest is qualified and competent to carry out instruction in all tree study cycles (p. 118/119/120).


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fields. As welcome as the reflection of practice may be, it is equally regrettable to see that this approach

is done with a small amount of teaching hours and elective courses.

We would like to point out that besides an independent but economical precarious artistic career, there

are only a few professional fields open to artists, especially because they concur with graduates from

the applied arts like Design, Multimedia etc.

The AAB-Riinvest comment declares the qualification aim teaching art in primary and secondary school

and in universities (SR part 2, 45). Based on the information by KAA teacher training/education for

public schools is an exclusive right of the state funded and public universities. If teaching it self and the

dissemination ofartin general is a qualification aim of the study programmes, there is a severe need of

additional pedagogic, didactic, psychological and communicative subjects in both curricula.

In Europe Art schools often prefer a four-year BA and a one-year master, because they want their

students to become an autonomous artistically personalities. Because of this it is critically discussedwhether it makes sense and is realistic to study only six semesters in art.

The courses are described in a general manner and refer to a traditional understanding of mastery and

master teaching. The given references and literature stress old masters, a contemporary approach is

missing.None of the courses describe its characteristic teaching method. It does not become obvious,

whether it is a lecture, exercise or seminar, practical or theoretical. The experts doubt, that some

aspired course aims are realistic, eg. During the semester, students will be able to recognize and

cultivate the elementary and sophisticated knowledge (SR Graphics 127, 130)

A Bachelor assignment, which is normally an artistic work in the end of the studies, is not intended in

SR 1 and 2. The comment reflects on this need positively and acquiescently.

Simple formal topics like bibliographical reference (e.g. year of publication, complete titles), or artists

names: Cezani = Paul Czanne, Matisi = Henry Matisse, Munki = Edvard Munch should be given

more attention to.

Excursions and international relations are necessary for artistic experiences. Students need different

contacts, contexts and external review and exchange to become an autonomous artist. However, even

their actual exhibiting opportunities are not mentioned in the programmes.

Additional detailed course-review:

In both programmes there is an elective course called Elements of Methodic (SR, p. 125) and

Methodology Elements (SR, p. 132, 133) in the third year. The purpose of these courses is teaching.

The experts would like to recommend giving more attention to the important topic of outreach and art

education.

In both programmes the subject Poetic of Arts remains vague. Usually every concept and discourse

mentioned in the course description is single subjects in a Curricula in Fine Arts. We doubt whether it is


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usefully to summarize them all under the irritating umbrella named Poetic of Arts.

AAB-Riinvest proclaims in their comment that this subject is already changed as well as they offer

mutual exchange and excursions. and exhibitions. The experts have no evidence for this, but

appreciate a change into several subjects or a new subject description in future.

An English course is missing, but would make sense (see recommendation at the end).

In general the different styles of course descriptions, heterogeneity and inconsistence are suggestive of

a compilation of subjects more than a coherent designed study programme.

Are the programmes based on an overarching didactic concept that has been adequately

communicated to and adopted by the teaching staff?

The SR gives no detailed information about didactic concepts in Graphic Designand Painting.

Do the academic degrees correspond to international standards?

See above.

Does the structure of the programmes give sufficient opportunity for independent study,


online/distance teaching or classroom units?)

The teaching approach of the Fine Artsreflects on independent artistic work eg. Conceptualization,

and monitoring, but also in the phase of implementation of given professional activities. (SR, 118).

Therefore students need sufficient time, and individual space for independent studies. But the extent of

self studies and the requirements mentioned in the course descriptions to be studied in the absence of

guidance is too high. Students are in general able to learn independently but they need to be assisted

with professional feedback by teachers and the option for guidance.

In general we observe thatthe teaching input increases per year. This could be related to the high

entrance exam requirements and prior qualifications students already obtain. On the other hand in

Austria, the teaching input slightly decreases per year, because students should be able to work more

and more autonomous during their study process. In the last semester the students need to concentrate

on the Bachelor assignment primarily. The experts are glad, that ABB-Riinvest agree on that in there

comment also.


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Is the allocation of ECTS appropriate and comprehensible?

Generally speaking, in both programmes the courses cover a considerably smaller number of teaching

hours than Austrian curricula.

Based on the SR we seriously question whether it makes sense to give many ECTS credits to subjects

where artistic instruction predominates. As a result students will have a small number of weekly contact

hours (lessons + units) per semester and rely on self-study to a very great extent. For Example at the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna it is a common standard to have up to 17 lessons per semester in the

major artistic course (e.g. painting) and this course owes the same amount of ETCS.

This is a specialized view on the appropriate adoption of the ECTS System to artistic or applied arts

higher education. In most of the higher artistic education institutions several contact hours are regular.

The curricula are composed of major classes and a wide range of additional subjects to cover a high

educational standard.

The AAB-Riinvest comment on this topic signalizes changes of the curriculum. A promising future

intent!

Is the workload required for the academic programme manageable for students?

The workload for artistic students can be unusually high, owing to the amount of independent practice

that is required and expected in order to reach the higher levels of the profession.

In Fine Artsthe workload according to the course description is not manageable. Students have to

compile their historical and artistic background information by reading for the most part. In the second

and third year they have only one course in art history and none (even elective) in art theory (except

optional course Poetic of Arts, s.a.). Other academic institutions organise constantly several lectures

on special periods of art history, art theory and contemporary discourse.

Are the teaching methods and the content of teaching units sufficient for the successful

achievement of each programme goals and outcomes (competences and qualifications,

knowledge and skil ls)?

See above.

Are the examination regulations appropriate?

There are no clear and reliable examination regulations given in the curricula or programme


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descriptions of the self report part one and two.

According to the comment of AAB-Riinvest regulations exist, but they were not provided to the experts.

Is the overlap of the academic content between the various curricula comprehensible and

transparent?

In Fine Artsthere are overlapping elective courses in all semesters. The overlap is more or less

transparent and useful for the students with regard to a future wider range of courses and subjects.

How do the admission cri teria and admission processes measure up to international standards?

The admission test and the required portfolio are mentioned in the Fine Arts. Procedures and standards

for attendance are described vaguely. The portfolio is very craft oriented, and even in painting only

drawings is required this will limit the attention for characteristics of painting like space, gesture and

colour.

The experts regret, that the entrance examinations and examination in general are not specified in both

study programmes in detail. The procedures and standards of examinations indicate the quality a

student can expect from the study programme. In other words: A serious examination attracts serious

students, with high artistic potential and future options as a graduate of AAB-Riinvest.

According to the comment of AAB-Riinvest there are regulations for all entrance exams. Unfortunately

lacking information or descriptions give no evidence to the experts.

Is the ratio of the academic/artistic staff and the students appropriate?

The total number of students in Fine Artsis not pointed out clearly in the self report or amongst the

additional material of AAB-Riinvest. Because of this a ratio of academic/artistic staff can not be

calculated by the review team.

AAB -Riinvest calculates a ratio 1:3 and 1:4, a scrutiny by the experts is not possible.


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Staff

Does the institution have an adequate proportion of permanent staff and appropriate

proportions of permanent and external staff?

In Fine Artsthere is a list of fulltime and part-time members of the artistic/academic staff. Qualifications,

level of engagement, courses and subjects are not clearly pointed out in the table (SR part 1, 121 and

part 2, 49).

The experts recommend formalizing the staff-records in a way, that in general the teaching staff with

subjects, status and the amount of teaching hours can be listed easily. Short biographical and artistic

CVs (Albanian and English) should illustrate the staff on the website of AAB-Riinvest with links to thereindividual homepages.

Especially in artistic education the administrative, technical and supportive staff is very important and of

interest for a review. Again we would like to recommend to AAB-Riinvest to produce a record with there

working time and qualifications.

Does the academic staff demonstrate proven ability at a high academic and didactic level and

are their qualifications appropriate to the positions they hold within the institution according tothe basic criteria?

In general Curricula Vitae and WWW are additional sources of information about artistic/academic

qualifications. In Fine ArtsCVs of the academic staff were provided on experts demand.

The experts are impressed to see the manifold and ongoing activities by which the teaching staff ofFine

Artscontributes to Kosovos cultural life and educational system. This seems to be a good base to

develop curricula. Also the variety of artistic fields, and the different involved generations of artists, is a

good mixture for the heterogeneous field of art to be taught.

Most of the staff was educated at the University of Pristina (UP) in Fine Arts and some of the staff is

even employed at the UP. Not only by this but mainly most of the teaching staff obtain teaching

experience. The given teaching experiences are valuable for new founded programmes.

Some members of the have work experience in different occupational fields related to fine arts and

some are academic artists as well. Their formal qualifications seem to be appropriate to academic

teachers.

Due to the situation in Kosovo the international experience in exhibiting and research activities is rare.


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Male teachers are dominant, and the gender balance between women and men is not given within the

staff.

Research and International Cooperation

Is the teaching staff involved in research activities inside or outside the institution, and do these

research activit ies feed back into teaching/course contents?

Research linked to the study programmes to be accredited is not a topic for the authors of theprogramme descriptions in Fine Arts.

AAB-Riinvest comments that the academic staff is involved in research activities. Since a list of projects

and thematic core areas was not provided, the experts regret they can not review this issue in particular

for the academic staff in fine arts. Nevertheless we appreciate the approach of AAB-Riinvest to foster

research activities and publications in general.

The concept of artistic research is a developing field and increasing topic in several leading European

higher artistic education institutions. Because of that the experts would like to point out, that in the fieldof art, the development of art and artistic research plays the same role that research plays in science.

The very act of artistic performance contributes to the advancement of art. However, any insight gained

and experience made in this context should also be processed, demonstrated and documented for the

purpose of inter-subjective exchange in order to permit artistic research.

Are the extent and the quality of international cooperation in research and teaching adequate?

International cooperation in the study programmes at hand is not mentioned in the SR.

ABB-Riinvest mentioned in the SR part 2 international cooperation in a general and named cooperating

institutions. Because it is an impressive list, it would have been interesting to read more about

cooperation details, programmes, issues and how the Fine Artsare involved.

Are students involved in research and in cooperation projects?

Since research is not a clear topic in the self-description of the programmes (s.a.), the involvement of


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students is not mentioned there and can not be reviewed by the experts.

Finance and Infrastructure / Space and Equipment

Does the institution have an adequate budget plan?

AAB-Riinvest provided further information about the financial situation. The balance sheets and the

income statement give an impressive insight to growth and financial sustainability in past and future.

The financial situation enables AAB-Riinvest to invest in future development of cooperation, newcurricula, enlarge facilities and the university infrastructure to provide teaching and learning conditions

of high standard.

Apart from the given information, budget plans for study programmes would have helped the experts to

review of the financial planning and its adequacy on this level.

Does the institution have adequate buildings and specialized infrastructure for the requirements

of the programmes?

In Fine Artsthere is a difference between the given infrastructure, which is described in a vague

manner (more computers (SR, 122)), and specific requirements mentioned in the course descriptions.

The experts apprehend that wishes and reality do not meet.

Compared to Austrian standards in the fine arts every student has a permanent working space on its

own especially in painting. With regard to this, the space given for the Fine Arts(SR, 138) is enough for

group of permanent students in total up to 12. Alternatively, in extreme situation, students are able to

share one permanent working space with another student but not more and not during all semester.

In view of the increasing number of study programmes to be accredited in the field of Design,

Architecture etc. which are supposed to work in the rooms and on the floor at AAB-Riinvest too, the

expert doubt whether the facilities for these branches at AAB-Riinvest are still adequate to meet

academic study standards.

In general we would like to recommend to obtain and provide detailed information about teaching

facilities, classrooms, technological equipment, library, online services and ICT in use for study

administration or E-learning to the customers (=potential students), external stakeholders, and partners.


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Quality Management

Are the institutions programmes assessed regularly within the context of internal evaluation

processes?

The self-report at hand provides a very small insight into quality management in the Fine Arts. The

AAB-RIINVEST office of quality assurance is mentioned and a general responsibility by the head of the

study programme. We assume regular assessments according to the general rules of AAB-Riinvest are

in place. Especially for the Arts the experts recommend specific course evaluations procedures and

questionnaires.

MUSICAL ART

Academic Programmes and Student Management

Do the academic programmes correspond to the institutions mission statement and principles

of operation?

The study programme corresponds to the institutions mission in terms of contributing to the societal

and educational needs of Kosova.

The field of Artistic Higher Education is not mentioned in the general Mission of AAB-Riinvest. We

would like to recommend adapting the enumeration disciplinary fields according to the development of

AAB-Riinvest.

Are the programmes quality, range and academic aims appropriate to the academic degree?

The name of the study programme varies. It is named General Theory of MusicalorMusical Arts2

programorMusic ArtprogramorProgram of Art and Musicand thereby confusing.

2

Musical Artsis a study programme in the US-higher music education and some higher music education institutions inEurope. It follows an interdisciplinary approach combining musicology, music education, music performance and


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By the comment of AAB Riinvest we finally learned, that the study programme is meant to be Music

Pedagogyon the basis of a four-year bachelor-curriculum. Additionally the comment informs that the

study programme is comparable to the study programme of the Akademija za glasbo v Ljubljani,

University of Ljubljana, which is a three-year bachelor programme.

In the description of the academic bachelor degree future employments as an artist (piano, choir,

conducting) or a teacher (preschool, primary and secondary school or university) are mentioned. Based

on the information by KAA teacher training/education is an exclusive right of the state funded and public

universities. It consists of a four-year Bachelor programme (minimum 240 ECTS) for primary and

secondary schools. A following one-year Master programme leads to recognition as a high school

teacher. Because of this we recommend to state more precisely the qualification for teaching at music

schools only.

On the level of subjects/courses the content and what should be taught are enumerated, but learning

outcomes and consistent qualification aims are missing. A comprehensive view on competences and

qualifications according to the Dublin Descriptors worked out by the AEC Polifonia Network

(http://www.bologna-and-music.org/home.asp?id=1769&lang=en) is missing too.

A formal Bachelor assignment is intended and mentioned (Duration and Volume SR, 151) but not

formally represented in the table of the study programme.

Besides this irritating formal incongruence in the study programme itself, there are thematic

inconsistencies also. The composition of the given study programme gives small extensions towards

pedagogy, didactic of music and psychology. They do not address or differentiate between the differenteducational stages like early childhood and preschool, primary and secondary school. This seems to be

one of the severest desiderata in order to achieve the general qualification aim of teaching and

educating music on different educational levels. This a challenging task of social responsibility: We all

know that badly skilled teachers produce more problems on the long run (demotivation of students, lack

of professionals in the areas of knowledge and art, weakening of national development etc.), than a few

more years with staffing bottleneck at schools.

The self-report mentions modules (SR, 151) like general studies, basic studies in professional

subjects, subjects of studies professional, professional studies with practical work and the diplomathesis (SR 151). Further descriptions like subjects and lessons related to the modules, examination

rules, and the positioning in the study process are not provided in the SR. The experts regret this,

because the idea to develop and design a study programme on the basis of modules is up to date and

composition, and offers secondary disciplines like music management, marketing, journalism or therapy. First the experts

assumed by some termini mentioned in the purpose of the programme that the author of this part of the self-report intended

to describe something next to Musical Artsfour year Bachelor programme. The study approach ofMusical Arts(us-model

and European adoptions) is very broad and provides interesting perspectives for occupational fields in particular in Kosovo.
http://www.bologna-and-music.org/home.asp?id=1769&lang=enhttp://www.bologna-and-music.org/home.asp?id=1769&lang=enhttp://www.bologna-and-music.org/home.asp?id=1769&lang=enhttp://www.bologna-and-music.org/home.asp?id=1769&lang=en


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challenging. In terms of modules the curriculum music pedagogy at the Akademija za glasbo v Ljubljani

offers an interesting model: Module special didactic issues (I preschool/ II primary school/ III secondary

school), module choir (choir conducting, vocal techniques, scores), module pedagogy (psychology,

pedagogic and adult education, didactics of music), module music theory (harmony, descant, solfeggio,

musical forms), module practice (piano, Orff instruments). Music history and pedagogic practice aresingle subjects.

The study programme and its purpose to serve obviously need projects that can only be carried out in

cooperation with external third parties and schools. Internationalisation is needed as well. The English

language course is a first step into it.

Are the programmes based on an overarching didactic concept that has been adequately

communicated to and adopted by the teaching staff?

The SR gives no detailed information about didactic concepts.

Do the academic degrees correspond to international standards?

The range of subjects presented in the study programme shows out a good basis to be completed and

with more didactic and pedagogic issues. In total the programme obtains nearly two-thirds of a four-year

study programme in instrumental or general music education (teaching at music schools) or musicpedagogy (teaching at schools and preschool education). The relevance of Orff-Instruments and its

didactic approach should be reviewed by the team of the study programme.

We would recommend rearranging the major subjects like Solfeggio (ear training, notes, solmisation),

harmony, piano, choir, conducting, history of music (World and Albanian), didactic, vocal techniques

and pedagogy more comparably to the curriculum of Ljubljana. The elective courses offer some

subjects which are comparable to Ljubljana like sociology of art, music and technology, aesthetics of

music. We appreciate this completion. Additional practical thematic issues should be considered. Again

the Ljubljana curriculum gives some inspirations: publishing music, teaching strategies, teachingshandicapped children, historical instruments, movie soundtracks e.g.

A higher number of contact hours in instrumental and musical exercises, more major courses

concerning practical pedagogic and didactic issues, and electives will make it possible that this

programme covers a high educational standard.

The subject description in some cases accords the study programme in the table, in some cases not.

We recommend putting more emphasis on coherence in form and content of the curriculum and the

study programme.


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Does the structure of the programmes give sufficient opportunity for independent study,


online/distance teaching or classroom units?)

The teaching approach in Musical Artis individual or in groups. The amount of teaching units gives

sufficient opportunities for independent studies, instrumental exercise and practice. Generally speaking,

it is necessary to define the balance between self-studies in absence of guidance and guide

fr aab riinvest 2011 (e)

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