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The Policy and Quality Assurance Unit (PQA) ensures transparency, excellence, and quality across all EMA policies and projects. This unit plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall experience of EMA members by collaborating on multidisciplinary surveys that uphold the values of equity, innovation, and inclusivity. 

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The Current (2024-2025) Unit Director (Ad Interim) is Shahin S Eity, who can be reached at policy-quality@em-a.eu. 

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Policy Sub-Unit

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Object

Developing and implementing impactful policies that align with EMA’s goals and vision.

The Policy and Quality Assurance Unit is responsible for a. Issue identification and definition; b. data, research, and analysis for policymaking; c. policy formulation; d. consultation; e. policy adoption; f. policy implementation; g. policy monitoring and evaluation for EMA. The existing Policies could be found here. 

In 2024, this sub-unit reviewed three (03) existing policies, updated two (02) of them, and drafted green papers for six (06) new policies.

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Reviewed Policies: 

• Electoral Policies and Guidelines (Updated)

• Volunteer and Personnel Policies (Updated)

• Crisis Management Policy 

 

Green Paper for Policies (Draft):

• EMA Information Security Management Policy

• EMA Projects and Partnership Policy

• EMA Asset and Finance Policy

• EMA Communication Policy

• EMA Transparency Policy

• EMA Green Policy

 

Guidelines (Draft)

• Financial Management Guideline 

    (Supporting EMA Asset and Finance Policy)

• Digital Workspace Guideline 

    (Supporting Communication, Transparency and Information Security Management Policies)

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Membership Sub-Unit

 

Strengthening members’ engagement and fostering a sense of community among EMA members. 

The EMA Members Area—the Community Portal is the communication hub for Global Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni. The Membership sub-unit supports the students and the alumni regarding all the membership related issues and works as a bridge between EMA and the Erasmus+ Service Support Team.

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Membership Type Verification Survey

In a continued effort to foster active participation and ensure accurate membership details, the membership sub-unit has launched Membership Type Verification Survey on the EMA Community Portal. This initiative aims to strengthen the EMA community by empowering its members and addressing any inconsistencies in membership records.

Why This Survey Matters

The survey is a crucial step in ensuring all EMA volunteers can fully exercise their rights and responsibilities within the association. By verifying membership types, EMA seeks to:

• Validate Membership Status: Confirm that all members hold the correct and valid membership type.

• Resolve Discrepancies: Identify and rectify any inaccuracies or mismatched membership records.

• Empower Volunteers: Guarantee that every EMA volunteer has the appropriate membership type to actively engage in the community.

Importantly, inaccurate membership status can limit a volunteer’s ability to participate fully in EMA’s activities. This survey ensures every member’s role and contributions are recognized appropriately.

 

Quality Assurance Sub-Unit

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Ensuring the highest standards in EMA activities and projects, backed by research and data-driven decisions.

The Quality Assurance Sub-Unit is responsible for supporting the Policy Sub-Unit with Data-driven Guidelines,  Information, Analytics, and strategies. The key initiatives and activities are –

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Graduate Impact Survey: 

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The Erasmus Mundus Graduate Impact Survey is a (bi-)annual survey conducted since 2007 on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture. The central aim of the survey and the following analyses depicted in the recent reports is to evaluate the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees (EM Master) programme. These highly internationalised Master programmes are organised de-centrally by consortia of higher education institutions under the Erasmus+ framework of the European Union. The survey has been conducted among students and alumni of the Erasmus Mundus programme to determine the long-term impacts of participating in these programmes and get insights on career development and individual personal growth.

The comprehensive reports illustrating the insights found are included here. Some insights are based on specific cohorts, whereas others include information from all survey respondents over the years.

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Help us understand how EMA’s initiatives have impacted your academic and professional journey. The results will guide future program improvements and ensure a better mobility experience for future participants. ​

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EMA for Equity

Promoting equity and inclusion across all EMA initiatives to ensure diverse perspectives are valued. Supporting Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni’s journey to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive one. 

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Visa Experience Survey

Enhancing the visa application experience for students by collecting and analysing feedback.

The Latest Visa Experience Survey can be found here. 

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Academic Experience Survey

Enhancing the academic experience for students by collecting and analysing feedback.

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Mobility Experience Survey

Enhancing the mobility experience of the students by collecting and analysing feedback.

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DoPEM Project

Strengthening project management processes within EMA to meet global standards. Key point for ESAA activities on behalf of PQAU. 

 

Gender Inclusion Sub-Unit:

Assuring the celebration of Women, Non-Binaries, and Transgenders in HE and STEMM, backed by story-telling, awareness creation, research and data-driven findings.

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Gender Inclusion - Breaking Barriers: Their Voices in STEMM

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An engaging podcast-style conversation where we amplify the voices of Women, Non-Binary, and Transgender individuals in STEMM. Through candid storytelling, we’ll break down barriers, bust myths, and challenge stereotypes—sometimes with humour, always with authenticity. This initiative by the Gender Inclusion Subunit aims to foster inclusivity, celebrate diverse journeys, and inspire the next generation of change-makers in STEMM.

 

Key Initiatives

 

Policies and Guidelines for EMA: 

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Graduate Impact Survey:
 

The Erasmus Mundus Graduate Impact Survey is a (bi-)annual survey conducted since 2007 on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture. The central aim of the survey and the following analyses depicted in the recent reports is to evaluate the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees (EM Master) programme. These highly internationalised Master programmes are organised decentrally by consortia of higher education institutions under the Erasmus+ framework of the European Union. The survey has been conducted among students and alumni of the Erasmus Mundus programme to determine the long-term impacts of participating in these programmes and get insights on career development and individual personal growth.

 

The comprehensive reports illustrating the insights found are included below. Some insights are based on specific cohorts, whereas others include information from all survey respondents over the years.

Help us understand how EMA’s initiatives have impacted your academic and professional journey. The results will guide future program improvements and ensure a better mobility experience for future participants. ​

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EMA for Equity Project

Objective: Promoting equity and inclusion across all EMA initiatives to ensure diverse perspectives are valued.

• EMA for Equity Project Leader - Shahin S Eity, Sayed Muhammad Baker

• EMA For Equity Project Manager - 

• Project Executive(s): Position Vacant

Visa Experience Survey

Objective: Enhancing the visa application experience for students by collecting and analysing feedback.

• Visa Experience Survey Co-Lead - Michael de Leon

• Visa Experience Survey Researcher - Elio Neto

• Visa Experience Survey Executive - Octavio Caunedo 

• Data Analyst (02) -

  • VES Data Analyst - Carlo Dernini, 

  • PQA Data Analyst - Andrea Garcia

Academic Experience Survey

Objective: Enhancing the academic experience for students by collecting and analysing feedback.

Mobility Experience Survey

Objective: Enhancing the mobility experience of the students by collecting and analysing feedback.

 

DoPEM Project

Objective: Strengthening project management processes within EMA to meet global standards. Key point for ESAA activities on behalf of PQAU. 

• DoPEM Project Executive - Zahidul Miaji

Gender Inclusion - Breaking Barriers: Stories from Women, Non-Binary, and Transgender Voices in STEMM

An engaging podcast-style conversation where we amplify the voices of Women, Non-Binary, and Transgender individuals in STEMM. Through candid storytelling, we’ll break down barriers, bust myths, and challenge stereotypes—sometimes with humour, always with authenticity. This initiative by the Gender Inclusion Subunit aims to foster inclusivity, celebrate diverse journeys, and inspire the next generation of change-makers in STEMM.

 

Why the PQA Unit Matters

The PQA Unit is pivotal in driving the success of EMA’s policies and projects. With a dedicated team of volunteers, it fosters a culture of excellence, inclusivity, and innovation. From shaping policy frameworks to analysing data for informed decisions, the unit ensures EMA’s continued growth and impact.

PQAU works closely with all other EMA Units and members of the ESAA, with actions aimed at facilitating a quality Erasmus Mundus experience for all students.

 

Volunteers of PQAU

 

The Policy and Quality Assurance Unit is responsible for a. Issue identification and definition; b. Data, research and analysis for policymaking; c. Policy formulation; d. Consultation; e.  Policy adoption; f. Policy implementation; g. Policy monitoring and evaluation for EMA. 

In 2024, this unit reviewed three (03) existing policies, updated two (02) of them, and drafted green papers for six (06) new policies - 

• EMA Green Policy

• EMA Legacy, Transparency and Communication Policy

• EMA Financial Management Policy

• EMA Digital Workspace Policy

• EMA Partnership Policy

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The Policy and Quality Assurance Unit (PQAU) is tasked with creating all policy documents, both internally and externally with the goal of transparency in all statements. This Unit also collaborates on multidisciplinary projects to help ensure the excellence, quality, and efficiency of all Erasmus Mundus programmes.

 

The current director is Shahin S Eity, who can be reached at policy-quality@em-a.eu

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The other members of the unit are as follows:

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• Elio Machado Neto, Visa Survey Project Co-Lead: e4eresearch@em-a.eu

• Arman Sattar, Policy Coordinator: policy-coord@em-a.eu

• David Moses Kolade, Quality Assurance Coordinator: quality-coord@em-a.eu

• Brian Kiprop, Policy & Quality Coordinator: policy-quality-coordinator@em-a.eu 

• Michael de Leon, Visa Survey Project Co-Lead: policy-research@em-a.eu

• Andrea Garcia and Carlo Dernini, PQA Data Analysts: pqadata@em-a.eu 

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EMA’s PQAU focuses on strengthening the skeletal system of the Association through introducing and implementing policies, standards, and quality assurance mechanisms to ensure that all of EMA’s actions align with its mission and vision. This aids in aligning all processes within the Association and our external collaborations.

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PQAU also assists in ensuring the excellence, quality, and efficiency of all Erasmus Mundus programmes by conducting surveys on graduate impact, student and alumni experience, course quality assurance via experiences and degree recognition, and many other topics.

 

As part of our quest to increase our involvement in course quality assurance, PQAU recently participated in an Erasmus Mundus Design Measure (EMDM) project. These projects work to develop potential new Erasmus Mundus degree programmes with future consortia members.

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PQAU works closely with all other Units, especially the Student and Alumni Relations Unit and Legal and Internal Affairs, but also members of the EACEA, all with actions aiming to facilitate a quality Erasmus Mundus experience for all students.

 

Are you interested in getting involved? Send Shahin an email at the aforementioned address.

 

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