The HQA, seeking to ensure the integrity of the procedure of Internal Evaluation of the academic units of the HEIs, has established a code of ethics, which is comprised of three main axes: transparency, discretion and confidentiality.
TRANSPARENCY
- The planning and whole procedure of the evaluation of academic units in which members of the HQA are employed is undertaken by another member.
- Alternatively, another member or members must undertake the planning/coordination of the evaluation of the other academic units of the School to which the member belongs.
- The composition of an External Evaluation Committee must include one member of those suggested by the academic unit being evaluated.
- The External Evaluation Committees must be comprised of individuals from different HEIs or foreign scholarly bodies and, as far as possible, from different countries.
DISCRETION
- The members act with discretion and maintain some distance during the procedure of external evaluation from experts with whom they have personal relationships and from members of the academic units being evaluated.
- The members personally undertake to “inform” the committee that they have planned during its reception and with their support during its stay in Athens in order to prepare the External Evaluation Report, with visits to the hotel, if necessary.
- The members must NOT accompany the Committee during its site visit, and must NOT appear in the areas of the academic unit being evaluated and, in general, should maintain a clear distance from both evaluators and evaluated.
CONFIDENTIALITY
- In general, the members must maintain a strict confidentiality as regards everything they see or are made aware of regarding the quality assurance procedures, especially as regards information arising from the oral statements or comments of the evaluators or unpublished texts (e.g. Internal Evaluation Reports, unpublished External Evaluation Reports).
- If they deem it necessary to refer to specific data in the presence of a third party, they must not reveal its origins or name the specific academic unit or individual, even in reference to published reports.
