Dr. Ariana De Vincenzi, Director of the INQAAHE Board, participated in the XXI General Assembly of RIACES (Ibero-American Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) held in Panama City, Panama, from September 5-7, 2024. The event brought together over 80 participants, including directors from national, regional, and international agencies dedicated to quality assurance in higher education, as well as external quality assurance providers focused on specific professions. The event was sponsored by UNESCO and hosted by Panama’s national quality assurance agency, CONEAUPA, led by Dr. María del Carmen Benavides Terrientes, who was elected the new president of RIACES.
Dr. De Vincenzi presented the initial findings from the II Global Study on external and internal trends in quality assurance in higher education, with a particular focus on the data collected from the Latin America and Caribbean region. She also elaborated on the scope of the International Standards Guidelines (ISG) and the three evaluation modalities offered by INQAAHE: assessments conducted solely by INQAAHE (ISG Recognition), evaluations carried out jointly by INQAAHE and another reputable external assessor (Joint Recognition Review), and recognition of prior evaluation through the presentation of evidence from a credible and reputable independent external organization (Recognition of Prior Review). The national agencies CONEAUPA from Panama and SINAES from Costa Rica confirmed the commencement of their evaluation process under the ISG of INQAAHE, with the former undertaking recognition of prior evaluation based on the Good Practices Guide of RIACES, and the latter engaging in a joint evaluation between RIACES and INQAAHE.
Finally, agreements were reached with RIACES authorities (Dr. Iván Ramos and Dr. Olga Hernández) to deepen the development of new joint activities between RIACES and INQAAHE within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023, with a projection for 2025 concerning the offering of training programs for agencies and universities in Latin America and the Caribbean.