On 23 October 2026, the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) held a training seminar for new experts, dedicated to preparing international experts for their work on external expert panels.

The seminar was moderated by Zamzagul Sultanova, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Project Manager for International Cooperation at IAAR.

During the seminar, participants were introduced to the principles, procedure, and stages of international accreditation of educational institutions and study programmes, based on the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) and the principles of student-centred learning.

The session also explained IAAR’s approach to expert work, how an external quality review is organised, and the role of an expert on an external expert panel, along with their duties and functions.

The practical part of the seminar was held in an interactive format. Participants worked with self-assessment reports of educational institutions, preparing comments for their improvement and discussing how IAAR’s standards and criteria for programme accreditation are applied. A separate interactive session focused on developing recommendations for improving institutional performance.

This format allowed future experts to practise the skills needed for effective work on an external expert panel at every stage - from reviewing the self-assessment report to preparing the final report.

IAAR thanks all participants for their active engagement, interest in quality assurance, and readiness to contribute to the development of a quality culture.