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At the invitation of the European University Association (EUA), as representatives of the University "Goce Delchev" - Shtip participated the vice-rector for education at UGD, prof. Mishko Dzidrov, PhD and prof. Lenche Milosheva, PhD from the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

The main topic of the forum was "Flexible higher education: implications for Quality Assurance". The event offered an interesting and contemporary combination of online sessions, webinars based on European policies and trends, research and practical examples of success stories related to the main topic of the forum and generally on contemporary development trends in quality assurance.

In the pre-forum part, on November 10, 2020, a session was held dedicated to the presentation of the European Framework for Quality Assurance in European higher education. On November 11, a meeting of students-experts in quality assurance took place.
The forum part officially started on November 12, 2020, with the first part of sessions dedicated to flexible higher education. By presenting success stories from European universities, the situation with quality assurance was presented, as well as the future perspectives regarding flexible higher education. The key topics were how higher education systems should respond to rapid transformations and how higher education institutions should be best prepared to face and implement changes. The second part of the session was dedicated to internal quality assurance in emergencies and the examples of internal quality assurance in the academic community during the Covid-19 crisis were presented. In the third part of the sessions, the focus of the presentations and discussions was on external quality assurance in emergencies. Three European quality assurance agencies presented their approaches to the crisis, as well as the experiences they had learned.

On November 13, the forum continued with the fourth part of the sessions with a focus on mini-qualifications and experiences in certain areas and open educational resources. The fifth part of the sessions was based on the involvement and engagement of students in creating a culture of quality. The sixth, final session addressed the role of quality assurance in shaping change.

Responding to current societal changes, higher education institutions in Europe are increasingly inclusive and accommodate diverse student populations. In addition, as part of the move towards student-centred learning, institutions are expected to allow students to choose the pace, place and mode of delivery. These developments are leading to the emergence of more flexible learning paths and educational offers beyond traditional qualifications.

The 15th edition of the European Forum in higher education explored if Quality Assurance is fit for this dynamic and flexible environment and how it could better support higher education institutions in this transition and encourage them make the most of it. The European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF) provided a platform for discussion, professional development and exchange of experiences among the main supporters in quality assurance.