Although it is now well known that higher education institutions ought to foster civic engagement and fulfil their third mission, the role of quality assurance agencies in society, including in promoting civic engagement, is not widely explored. This workshop will address this issue in two ways.  

First, it will invite agencies to discuss how their standards and guidelines can incentivise higher education institutions to shape responsible and engaged citizens. Second, acknowledging that agencies’ external quality assurance activities are more impactful when they are recognised by their higher education community, the presenters will ask how agencies can move from a “procedural legitimacy” (e.g. recognition of the agency by law) to a “substantial legitimacy” (e.g. recognition of the agency by its ecosystem in the framework of its activities) to do so.  

The presenters will display the practices of their agency (Hcéres – France) through these two lenses to stimulate debate.