The 3-day APQN Academic Conference 2023 was successfully hosted at the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) from November 3 to November 4, 2023. The closing session took place at the AIUB Auditorium on Saturday, November 4, 2023.

During the final day, two keynote speeches and four parallel sessions were conducted, addressing topics such as the quality of transformative teaching and learning, blended education, digital quality assurance, and university-industry linkages.

The first keynote speaker, Mr. Jan Friis, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in the USA, centered his discussion on the scope and challenges related to quality in transformative learning, sharing valuable insights from CHEA's experiences.

The second keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Olgun Cicek, a board director of INQAAHE and a member of the international advisory council of CHEA, emphasized the significance of internationalization and shed light on ranking and quality assurance issues. He pointed out that while quality assurance ensures ranking, the reverse may not be true; ranking does not necessarily ensure quality assurance.

Dr. Dipu Moni, MP, the Honorable Minister of Education, graced the event as the chief guest and conveyed her message online. She elaborated on the initiatives undertaken by the Government of Bangladesh to uphold the quality of higher education.

As a special guest, Prof. Dr. Md. Abu Taher, a Member of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC), elucidated the role of UGC in maintaining educational quality. Dr. Timur Kanapyanov, a director on the APQN Board, expressed his gratitude to AIUB for their comprehensive support.

Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, a member of the AIUB Board of Trustees, extended appreciation to the APQN Board for entrusting AIUB with the opportunity to host this conference. She acknowledged the invaluable contributions of local and international researchers and participants, making the conference a memorable event.

The concluding session featured the annual general meeting and the 2nd board meeting with a focus on the sustainable development of APQN.

The APQN academic conference concluded on a high note, with great anticipation for the implementation of the proposals discussed during the conference to drive sustainable development in higher education.