EXTERNAL AUDIT AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE UNIVERSITIES OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND

Abstract

The article considers the procedures of external audit as a tool for improving the quality management system in the universities of the Republic of Poland. It was found out that the most important body for conducting external quality audits in Polish universities is the State Accreditation Commission, which was established under the Law of July 20, 2001. It is emphasized that other accreditation committees function in providing external audit services for the quality of education of an advisory nature, supporting universities in creating a culture of quality and improving the quality of education in the Republic of Poland. It is generalized that in the Republic of Poland the following processes operate within the framework of external quality assurance audit procedures: initial assessment / institutional accreditation; institutional revaluation / reaccreditation; initial evaluation / accreditation of the program; periodic evaluation / accreditation; additional assessment. All four procedures are mandatory. They can also be called accreditation processes. The legislation of the Republic of Poland also provides for two new external audit processes to be introduced in the coming years (2021-2022): comprehensive assessment focused on internal quality assurance activities, which will not be mandatory and is at the request of the educational institution; mandatory assessment of doctoral students / quality of education in doctoral studies for doctoral students (according to the third cycle / doctoral studies).
The article highlights the procedure for assessing the quality of education, approved by the State Accreditation Commission, which consists of several stages, which are carried out in the prescribed manner.
Comprehensive external audit at the request of the university, focuses on the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance system in all areas in which the university provides education and will be carried out by the Polish Accreditation Commission.
In general, the concept of quality of education in academic terms is understood as the formation of organizational ability to identify and absorb knowledge in the sphere of educational needs and the implementation of this knowledge to create mechanisms to meet the expectations of recipients of educational services. Analysis of the quality of education clearly shows that its recipients have different expectations.