UM showcases digital innovation in quality assurance at EQAF 2025

The University of Malta (UM) celebrated a significant milestone at the European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF) 2025, marking the first time in the forum’s twenty-year history that UM presented its own scholarly work. The paper, co-authored by Dr Jacqueline Vanhear, Prof. Joel Azzopardi, Dr Chaker Mhamdi, Dr Jonathan Xuereb, Ms Zuzana Farrugia and Prof. Frank Bezzina, represents a model of collaboration between academic and administrative staff that made this achievement possible.

EQAF, organised annually by EUA, ENQA, ESU and EURASHE, is recognised as a leading international event in the field of quality assurance (QA). The 2025 edition, themed “QA in times of crises – Ensuring stability, autonomy and international cooperation in higher education,” convened QA experts, university leaders, regulatory agencies, students, and EU-level policy bodies. Together, they explored how institutions can navigate growing pressures while maintaining academic integrity and fostering innovation.

Representing UM in Budapest were Dr Jacqueline Vanhear and Dr Chaker Mhamdi from the Quality Support Unit (QSU), along with Professor Joel Azzopardi from the Faculty of ICT. They delivered a presentation titled “From Compliance to Collaboration: Redefining QA in Challenging Times through Digital Innovation.” This paper was selected from 70 submissions, with only 28 accepted by the EQAF Programme Committee, demonstrating the strong relevance and academic merit of UM’s contribution.

The presentation showcased UM’s efforts to reconceptualise the long-standing tension between accountability and enhancement by implementing a digital, participatory, and collaborative QA ecosystem. Central to this approach is a digital peer-review platform that blends quantitative indicators with academic narrative, enabling more context-rich and meaningful evaluations. Complementing this is the Academics for Quality Assurance (A4QA) initiative, which positions academics as co-creators in QA processes, and a tiered assurance model designed to sustain both accountability and local innovation.

The session attracted a full audience and generated highly positive feedback from QA practitioners, university representatives, and Maltese stakeholders, including MFHEA. In its closing reflections, the EQAF Committee echoed UM’s core message: the need to move beyond a solely compliance-driven mindset toward a culture of collaboration. This principle resonated strongly across the forum, reinforcing its importance for the future of QA in higher education.

This milestone also reflects the strong collaboration between academic and administrative staff at UM, demonstrating what can be achieved when expertise, mutual support, and a shared commitment to quality come together. Very special thanks are extended to Prof. Frank Bezzina, whose leadership, steadfast support, and scholarly guidance have been pivotal in advancing UM’s QA evolution and enabling this achievement.

Participants were further inspired by the keynote delivered by renowned Moroccan education economist Professor Jamil Salmi, “Resilience through QA in an Age of Turmoil.” His emphasis on enhancement-driven, trust-based, and flexible QA systems to foster institutional resilience amid global disruptions resonated strongly with UM’s presentation.

UM’s contribution to EQAF 2025 signifies both international recognition and a collective internal accomplishment, reaffirming the University’s position at the forefront of digitally enabled QA and its dedication to advancing higher education with high-quality standards and innovation.