This paper has been presented during the European Quality Assurance Forum held in Lyon on the 18-20 of November 2010.
http://www.eua.be/eqaf-lyon.aspx 

The paper reports on the results of the QACEP project‟s first phase, consisting of the comparative analysis of the approach to quality assurance of CEPs.

Abstract of the paper:

Due to social-economic developments and the march of the knowledge society, the importance of lifelong learning has grown significantly. Continuing education at HEIs plays an important role within the concern for providing adults with opportunities to improve and adapt their competences. Parallel to the growing number of continuing education programmes (CEPs) at HEIs, the need for appropriate quality assurance systems for this kind of programmes has also grown. The project “Quality Assurance for HEIs‟ Continuing Education Programmes (QACEP)”, in which 8 European institutions are involved, aims at developing a general framework for quality assurance of CEPs offered by HEIs, compatible with the specific needs and context of each HEI, and at elaborating practical tools for their quality assessment.