@article {680,
	title = {CONTROL, FREEDOM AND TRUST: SEEKING FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION MODEL IN A POST-COMMUNIST COUNTRY},
	journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century},
	volume = {40},
	year = {2012},
	month = {March/2012},
	type = {Original article},
	chapter = {88-95},
	abstract = {Higher education in Estonia as in all post-communist countries has undergone rapid changes during the last 20 years. Soviet-type centralised model was replaced during the 1990s with liberal and sometimes even chaotic self-organisation of the whole sector. From the beginning of the new century, through the use of both financial mechanisms and quality control procedures state regulation has been strengthened. During last years the new paradigm of trust has been frequently discussed, and some first steps taken to introduce this approach, for example the replacement of control-centred curricula accreditation with quality evaluation and institutional accreditation, aimed at supporting the development of university{\textquoteright}s strategic management and quality culture.
 Analysis of the higher education paradigm change in the research is based on Hargreaves{\textquoteright}s Bigger, Tighter, Harder and Flatter model, which describes the large scale educational change taking place in the western world during recent decades. The article studies changes in the Estonian higher education sector and observes possible future developments originating from the EU and Estonian strategies.},
	keywords = {educational change, higher education, quality assurance},
	issn = {1822-7864},
	doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/12.40.88},
	url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1408532108.pdf},
	author = {Mati   Heidmets and Birgit Vilgats}
}
@article {167,
	title = {QUALITY CONCEPTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATION: THE ESTONIAN NATIONAL PROFILE},
	journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century },
	volume = {8},
	year = {2008},
	month = {October/2008},
	type = {Original article},
	chapter = {153-161},
	abstract = {The main goal of this paper is to analyse the concept of {\textquotedblleft}quality{\textquotedblleft} which is used quite often in texts of legislation of public universities. The paper provides an analytical overview of the development of Estonian higher education and related legislation focussing particulalrly quality assurance within public universities following the regaining of independence and accession to the European Union. The paper presents results of empirical data collected through analysis of the following documents {\textendash} Universities Act; Standard of Higher Education; Regulation of the Government of the Republic {\textquotedblleft}Procedure for Accreditation of Universities, Institutions of Professional Higher Education and their Curricula and Requirements for Accreditation{\textquotedblright}; Estonian Higher Education Strategy for 2006-2015. The paper{\textquoteright}s main conclusions include that the concept of quality of higher education remains undefined in legislative acts of public universities, which, in turn makes it complicated for them to meet quality-related expectations. It can be further maintained that, at the state level, concepts of quality in higher education refer to the conformity to requirements/standards and value for money. In the context of a multitude of different approaches and stakeholders the process of establishment of a public university quality assurance system in this manner is too narrowly focussed. The conceptualisation of quality should be widened and clarified at the state level as to what universities are expected to do when creating their internal quality assurance systems.},
	keywords = {development of quality-related legislation, quality assurance},
	issn = {1822-7864},
	url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1392284828.pdf},
	author = {Birgit Vilgats}
}
