DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

Article 2 of Law 30 of July 20, 2009 and its draft regulations defines the key terms as follows:

Accreditation: 
Certification issued by the National Council for University Evaluation and Accreditation   of Panama, prior analysis of program self-evaluation processes, institutional self-evaluation and evaluation by external pairs, to publicly attest to the quality of their programs and the university institution in general.

Accreditation Agency
External public or private entity which evaluates educational quality and publicly certifies programs and institutions.  In general they can be referred to as evaluation and accreditation agencies or entities.  In Panama the National Accreditation Agency (of the State) is CONEAUPA. 

Program or career self-evaluation: 
Process by which the university and its members assume the responsibility of evaluating and analyzing the achievements as well as the critical aspects of a specific program for the purpose of formulating improvement plans based on their own educational process and quality criteria and indicators approved by the National Council for University Evaluation and Accreditation of Panama.

Institutional Self-evaluation:
Process by which each university assumes the responsibility of evaluating the institution as a whole, in order to prepare a final report to include all the achievements and critical aspects of its operation, for the purpose of formulating improvement plans, based on their mission, vision, and institutional objectives, as well as quality criteria and indicators approved by the National Council for University Evaluation and Accreditation of Panama.

Provisional Operating Authorization
Authorization granted by the Executive Branch through the Ministry of Education to private universities for a period of six years.

Quality of Higher Education
Degree to which a set of differentiating characteristics inherent to higher education meet established needs or expectations.  In a broad sense it refers to characteristics which make a higher education institution stand out.  It is also defined as a multidimensional concept which comprises higher education activities and functions such as teaching, research, management and extension, which should be related to the relevance and responsibility of sustainable development in society.  These functions are assessed through the evaluation based on compliance of established standards by an accreditation agency or entity.  (In Panama this agency is CONEAUPA).

Higher education:
Permanent education process that takes place once secondary education is completed and encompasses different types of non university and postsecondary higher education.

Evaluation
Study of the institution or program which includes the systematic compilation of qualitative and quantitative information related to its quality.

External Evaluation:
Verification process that will be carried out by a group of  independent specialists, called academic pairs, based on the content of the institutional or programs self-evaluation report, improvement plan and internal operating conditions of the institution or programs, which concludes with the final report.

University:
Higher education institution, created by law or authorized by executive decree, whose mission is to generate, disseminate and apply knowledge through teaching, research, extension and production, as well as develop competent, enterprising, and innovative professionals, who will be citizens committed to the national identity and the human and sustainable development of the country.

National university:
Public law legal entity, created in accordance with constitutional regulations.

Private university:
Private law legal entity, of public interest, authorized by the State through the Executive Branch.