INQAAHE Talks on December 11, 2025
Global Trends in Quality Assurance
December 11, 2025 (Thursday)
14:00 – 15:30 CET (UTC+1)
Online (Zoom)
Is higher education ready to embrace changing paradigms and diverse learning modes? Join us for an engaging webinar featuring key authors of II Global Trends in Tertiary Education – QA Challenges and Opportunities in Internal and External QA, a study that examines the efficiency, relevance, and transformative power of quality assurance and accreditation worldwide. Drawing on experts from around the world, this work provides a comprehensive review of developmental trends to better understand how historical insights, policy realities and implementation perspectives can inform sustainable futures for quality assurance. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts shaping the QA legacy and advancing innovation in higher education.
We will hear from:
Dr. Susanna Karakhanyan
Dr. Susanna Karakhanyan is Director of Higher Education Regulation & Licensing at the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), UAE, former President of INQAAHE (2015-2021). With advisory experience in nearly 40 countries, she has led tertiary education initiatives for UNESCO, the World Bank, the Council of Europe, and the Asian Development Bank. Her expertise includes tertiary/higher education governance, policy, quality assurance, curriculum modernization, including micro-credential design and delivery, and academic integrity. Dr. Karakhanyan holds an M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Social Sciences from Radboud University Nijmegen. One of her major contributions to the body of knowledge in TE QA evolves around founding and leading Global Trends in Higher Education Quality Assurance – a research project carried out once per five years exploring trends in tertiary education systems globally.
Prof. Kevin Kinser
Kevin Kinser is Professor of Education Policy Studies and Senior Scientist in the Center for the Study of Higher Education and Pennsylvania State University. A graduate of Columbia University’s Teachers College (New York), Kinser studies leadership, technologies, and organizational structures of institutions of higher education, including the public policies related to private for-profit institutions and international cross-border higher education. Kinser is co-founder of the Cross-Border Education Research Team (C-BERT) which investigates the scope and impact of international branch campuses worldwide, and the incoming director of the Program on Research on Private Higher Education (PROPHE). Kinser is the author or editor of six books and more than 70 articles, chapters, and scholarly reports, and he is regularly invited to present his research at conferences in the United States and abroad. Because of his research, Kinser is regularly sought out by national and international media outlets for commentary a higher education trends and current issues in the US and overseas.
Prof. Francesc Pedró
Francesc Pedró is Professor of Education Policy at Pompeu Fabra University. His executive leadership includes his recent tenure as Director of the UNESCO Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, where he guided Member States in aligning policies with SDG 4. Previously, he held pivotal academic roles as Vice-Rector for Academic Quality at Pompeu Fabra University and Pro-Vice Chancellor at the Open University of Catalonia, Europe’s first internet-based public university. He also chaired the university entrance examinations system in Catalonia. During his time at the OECD (2005–2010), he led major initiatives including the New Millennium Learners Project and reviews of educational R&D. Holding a PhD in Comparative Education and a Postdoc from the University of London, he is a prolific author, with upcoming works focused on international perspectives in higher education policies.
The session will be chaired by:
Vicki Stott
Vicki is the President of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), and the Chief Executive of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in the United Kingdom.
