Representatives of the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating IAAR took part in the Forum "Institutional Studies: Using Data to Support Academic Quality and Decision-Making in Higher Education", which took place on October 10-11, 2019 at Nazarbayev University.

Forum participants discussed trends in the development of higher education in Kazakhstan, existing experience and the possibilities of using various mechanisms for collecting and analyzing data and developing an analytical culture in higher education institutions. Vice-Provost of Nazarbayev University, Loretta O, Donnelle, Head of Institutional Studies at Nazarbayev University, Felli Chiteng Kot, ICLON Education Advisor at Leiden University, Henk Frenken, and others spoke at the Forum venue. Duncan Priestley, Director General of Institutional Efficiency, Nazarbayev University, shared his vision of conducting international accreditation, assessment and improving the quality of education in the context of institutional research. Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, JSC Information and Analytical Center, and a number of universities in Kazakhstan shared the experience of conducting institutional research and analyzing big data for decision-making. Forum participants were unanimous in the fact that higher education institutions that make decisions based on the results of institutional research gain a deeper understanding of the needs of students, teachers and the university as a whole.