Curriculum Development and Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Case Study of Italian and English Language and Literature Programs

This paper examines the continuous development of the study programs in Italian and English Language
and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, Goce Delcev University of Stip, Republic of North
Macedonia, as a key mechanism for quality assurance and enhancement in higher education. The quality
of study programs is conceptualized as the outcome of systematic evaluation, regular monitoring, and
ongoing revision in alignment with established national and European quality assurance standards and
guidelines. The research is based on a secondary research method, specifically document analysis, which
involves the systematic collection, examination, and synthesis of relevant institutional documents and
textual sources to obtain reliable data and draw well-founded conclusions. The analysis provides a
comparative overview of the structure and content of the study programs over a period of approximately
fifteen years. The main analytical parameters include: the structure of the study programs, with
particular emphasis on the distribution of compulsory and elective courses per semester; changes in the
range of elective courses, including faculty-based, university-wide, and interdisciplinary offerings; the
involvement of external stakeholders and advisory bodies in aligning the programs with labor market
needs; developments in practical training and work-based learning; the introduction of innovative
teaching methods and digital tools; the selection of compulsory and supplementary literature; and the
extent of student participation in the design and revision of the study programs. The concluding section
discusses the key findings of the analysis and proposes recommendations for further improvement,
aiming to ensure that the study programs remain relevant, competitive, and responsive to the evolving
needs of students, the labor market, and society at large.
Keywords: Academic Program Review; Evaluation; Language Studies in Higher Education; Quality