Results of the VII Eurasian Forum on Quality Assurance in Higher Education

On 26 September 2024, Maqsut Narikbayev University hosted the VII Eurasian Forum on Quality Assurance in Higher Education on the theme “Principles and Technologies That Determine the Future of Higher Education”.

The event was organised by the Independent Quality Assurance Agency in Education (IQAA) with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The forum discussed topical issues for higher education:

- Academic Integrity and Ethics;

- Digitalisation technologies in learning and assessment;

- Artificial intelligence technologies in the learning process and science.

216 applications were submitted for participation. The forum gathered representatives of the academic community: rectors, vice-rectors of universities in Kazakhstan, public figures, Kazakhstan and International experts, managers and teachers of Kazakhstan universities and companies, as well as representatives of foreign universities from Tajikistan, Russia, Lithuania, and Azerbaijan.

Opening the forum and welcoming the participants, the Chairman of the IQAA Supervisory Board, public figure, and former Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor Zhaksybek Kulekeev noted that the issues of academic integrity and ethics remain fundamental for the entire academic community, including students, teachers, researchers and accreditation agencies in the external evaluation of educational organisations and educational programmes in the use of modern digital technologies. Increasing digitalisation inextricably leads to the introduction and use of artificial intelligence in educational activities including integrity statements.

Moderators of the sessions were - members of the Accreditation Council - Deputy Chairman of the Accreditation Council of IQAA Talgat Doskenov, Chairman of the Committee for the Development of Human Capital and Social Policy of Business, National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the RK “Atameken”, Doctor of Economic Sciences; Margarita Kadyrova, member of the Accreditation Council of IQAA, vice-rector for academic activities of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Economic Sciences;

- Ainur Karbozova, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Maqsut Narikbayev University;

- Rinat Iskakov, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovations of Atyrau University of Oil and Gas named after Safi Utebaev, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor.

The reports presented by the speakers of the sessions (Sergey Pen – Provost (Rector) of Maqsut Narikbayev University, Associate Professor, Candidate of Law; Firuz Kodirov - Vice-Rector for Science of Tajik State Financial-Economic University (Tajikistan), Associate Professor, Candidate of Economic Sciences; Sholpan Kalanova - President of the Independent Agency for Quality Assurance, Professor, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Candidate of Chemical Science; Lazzat Yerkinbaeva - Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Taraz Regional University named after M.Kh.Dulaty, Professor, Doctor of Law; Grainne Mooney, Co-Chair of the Global International Network for Academic Integrity from Ireland; Phil Newton - Professor at Swansea University (UK), expert of the network “Pan-European Platform for Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education” (ETINED) of the Council of Europe; Askar Hikmetov - Rector of Astana IT University, Associate Professor, Candidate of Physics and Mathematics; Miras Daulenov - President of Coventry University Kazakhstan, Associate Professor, PhD) were accompanied by topical issues, discussions, which contributed to an active exchange of views and experience between the participants of the forum.

The final summarising of the VII Eurasian Forum was conducted by the Chairman of the IQAA Accreditation Council, Professor, Doctor of Economic Sciences Gennady Gamarnik.

An important result of the forum work is generally recognised as its methodological productivity of original ideas and innovation management methods.

The main conclusions and obtained results of the forum were formulated in the provisions of the final resolution.