Our Mission
ZEvA's overarching mission is the academic development of the European Higher Education Area. Therefore, ZEvA takes on tasks for quality assurance in the education sector. Accreditation, evaluation and certification are ZEvA's designated fields of competence.
The foundation pursues the following purposes (§ 2 Foundation Charter):
- Advising on issues of quality assurance and development, including the evaluation of teaching and study at universities.
- Planning and execution of evaluation procedures pursuant to section 5 (1) sentence 4 NHG.
- Planning and execution of procedures for the accreditation of study programmes at universities and the system accreditation of universities for submission to the Accreditation Council.
- Methodological and content-related further development of quality assurance procedures.
- Establishment and maintenance of national and international cooperation, especially within the framework of the creation of a single European Higher Education Area.
- Assuming special tasks in quality assurance and quality development at higher education institutions on the basis of contractual arrangements.
- Planning and implementation of external quality assurance procedures at national and international level in addition to accreditation according to letter c).
The ZEvA vision statement:
What defines ZEvA? What should the foundation stand for today and in the future?
Five points that are important to us:
1. We stand for quality assurance.
As a charitable foundation, ZEvA supports higher education institutions, whether private or state-run, that have the clear goal of offering high quality standards in international comparison with regard to research, teaching, and continuing education. ZEvA also supports the further development of the German higher education system and the permeability of the education systems with tailored services and reform proposals.
2 We are international.
Founded in 1995 as an agency for quality assurance, ZEvA has been internationally connected from the very beginning and is a key player in the European study reform. In the future, the academic development of the European Higher Education Area will remain ZEvA's overarching mission.
3 We never stop learning.
We see ourselves as a learning organisation that actively and flexibly adapts to change. Strategy, products, and services are reviewed and optimised if necessary to always offer beneficial higher education services. It goes without saying that we take government requirements and valid standards into account.
4 We ensure competence.
The acknowledged expertise of the academic staff in the office and an extensive pool of experienced experts are ZEvA's greatest assets. It is important to us that we work together with our university partners in a spirit of trust and commitment so we can provide them with the best possible support in quality assurance in teaching, learning, research and continuing education.
5 We think about tomorrow today!
ZEvA continuously develops its services and creates new formats for future challenges in the higher education sector. In addition to the further development of accreditation, evaluation, audit and certification procedures, the focus will be on consulting services for higher education institutions in the area of teaching and learning and in quality assurance and development. As a service provider, ZEvA offers individual solutions.
