Complex adaptive systems approach to internal quality assurance in higher education

Polish experiences on QA in higher education are shortly presented. Then seven constituents of IQA are identified and characterized: (1) Mission/strategy/learning objectives (Why do we teach?); (2) Study programs/curricula (What do we teach?); (3) Study process (How do we teach?); (4) Infrastructure (What arc teaching/learning conditions?); (5) Staff (Who teaches?); (6) Students (Who is taught? Is there a real partnership between students and academics?);(7) QA mechanisms (What do we do to improve our teaching?). External factors and "boundary conditions" influencing faculty/department policy and processes are discussed - from European through national to institutional (university) level. The QA mechanisms are characterized as "active walks in an adaptive landscape of European higher education"; to describe this landscape, a "Bologna Tetrahedron" model is used (basing on "4 S" dimensions: State, Subject area, School, Society).