Assessment of the quality of higher education in Italy: Action frameworks and prevailing elements

The evaluation of university and research systems is an essential tool for achieving improvement and obtaining new opportunities in terms of human and technological resources. This chapter begins with an introduction, emphasizing the Italian educational system, which includes three stages of education: primary, secondary of the first and second degree, and higher education. Differences are highlighted in comparison to the Colombian context regarding the preparation and the time a person spends in the entire educational system, with a focus on higher education. Next, the regulatory bodies of evaluation and accreditation in the university and research system in Italy are presented, along with the implemented system, where the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System [ANVUR] is responsible for the processes, always supervised by the Ministry of Education, University, and Research [MIUR]. Subsequently, it is evident that The accreditation process in Italy consists of three main phases: analysis of the relevant documents for accreditation, the on-site visit, and the drafting of the preliminary and final reports by the Expert Evaluation Commission [CEV], ultimately obtaining the result of the evaluation process.