Prospects for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Educational Quality Assurance Agencies: A Multi-Method Qualitative Study

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational systems is progressively discussed, offering opportunities for policy development, improved teaching and learning, and streamlined administration. This Thematic Analysis, aligned with The Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), standard 3.4, initiated by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), examines how AI is used by 52 selected full-member agencies of European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). The study explores AI adoption in organizational processes and external educational quality assurance (QA) mechanisms to identify trends, good practices and challenges. A multi-method qualitative approach was applied, combining desk research and an online survey. Desk research highlights AI’s potential to enhance teaching quality, assessment, and personalized learning in higher education, necessitating adjustments in QA mechanisms. Survey responses from 18 agencies indicate early-stage AI adoption, with six agencies (33%) implementing it to streamline workflows, analyse data, or increase administrative efficiency, primarily using ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. Three agencies reported AI use in external educational QA processes: HAKA - in piloting phase, for documenting council decisions and drafting meeting minutes; NOKUT - for program accreditation screening, in Thematic Analysis, and statistical analysis of external evaluations; and, ZEvA - for textual analysis of higher education institutions’ (HEI) self-assessment reports. Only NOKUT has a formal AI regulatory framework. Key challenges include data protection and staff expertise issues. Remaining 12 agencies plan future adoption of AI. These insights support NCEQE in exploring AI integration and advancing understanding of AI’s role in higher education QA.