NIAD-QE held University Quality Assurance Forum 2021 (The event recordings are available online)

The annual event was held online on 13th September 2021, with Keynote speeches and an interactive discussion on the theme of “Supporting Online Higher Education: The Role of Quality Assurance in Times of Pandemic and Beyond.”With the diffusion of the Internet, distance learning in higher education has grown gradually as part of technological innovation. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education systems around the world to adopt distance learning rapidly and extensively. While online learning is an emergency measure to help prevent the spread of the virus, it is expected to become a regular component of higher education once the pandemic is in the past. Quality assurance agencies in higher education throughout the world have begun exploring ways to put alternative plans and approaches into practice to protect students’ rights and support educational institutions.University Quality Assurance Forum 2021 introduced the common perspective of online learning, and discussed what measures can be taken by third-party evaluators in helping institutions ensure the quality of learning in a time of challenge and uncertainty.Please visit the following website for a brief event report, presentation materials, and recordings of the event.https://www.niad.ac.jp/english/news/en2021/uqaf2021.html*The recordings are available until the end of March 2022.Inquiry: International Affairs DivisionNational Institution for Academic Degreesand Quality  Enhancement of Higher Education,NIAD-QE, JapanE-Mail:  kokusai(at)niad.ac.jp