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Higher Education a changing world
Higher Education a changing world
Situation in the “sixties” and “seventies”
Freshmen: - Almost no information about chosen studies - Pride and humble to be accepted - No idea about the situation elsewhere Staff: - Education: almost no collaboration and certainly
no tradition of collaboration - Research: international contacts and projects (but
difficult to compare with situation of today)
Course Catalogue 1969-1970
Mid seventies and later on
• first attempts: +/- 1975 with European support • Focus on joint study programmes! • “traditional” topics already mentioned!
Eighties
- EC starts to support mobility – 1985: Erasmus; first mobile students: 1987 – Why?
• EC not responsible for ‘education’ • Creation of European citizens • Steps to Treaty of Maastricht (from EEC to EU)
- Principle of ‘mutual trust and confidence’ - Rapidly growing pressure from students for more
places
Pilotproject/1
• 1987-1988: major problem was not lodging, language, academic calendar, tuition fee, but academic recognition
• 1988: ECTS-pilotproject: – 5 disciplines, 1 per university – Selected partners
• Simple application: only measuring workload of students
• But: ‘Introduction to Biology’ not easy to compare
Credits
• +/- new for the continent! Flanders: +/- in law of 1991
• Where it existed: 42 credits/year, but also 60, 120 • Advantages of 60:
– fits in semesters and trimesters – Average in discussion: more or less course units?
Focus on teaching or on learning? • More important than “May 1968”: student
becomes ‘partner’ in the whole process: – Is the programme feasible? – What is the value of the course units?
Pilotproject/2
• Pilotproject from 1988-1989 till 1994-1995 • Since 1995: in many countries part of the system • More and more countries: 60/year as standard • But: what did we compare?
• New types of projects: CDI, CDA; first steps to an
approach on the level of the system • CDA attractive but often to many steps at once:
recognition of diplomas is even today difficult (Lisbon Convention)
Reaction of ‘national’ political world
• Signing by ministers of the Sorbonne Declaration (1998) and the Bologna Declaration (1999) – Credits accepted as building bricks – Two tier structure (comparability; drop out; …)
• A bit of tension: who takes the initiative in the reforms? EU? Ministers? HEIs?
• Universities + European Commission: Tuning Project
Tuning
• Tuning Educational Structures in Europe: an overall approach: – ECTS – 3 cycli – Curriculum design: from ‘profile’ over curriculum
to course units (modular or not) – “Teaching and learning” or “Learning and
teaching”? – Introduction of “Competences” and “Learning
Outcomes”
Personal level => System level
1 Degree Profile, Competences and Learning outcomes 2 Qualification Frameworks: European, Higher Education, National (Flanders: VKS in 2008) + short degrees on level 5 3 Accreditation of Prior (Experiental) Learning – AP(E)L + flexibilisation (Flanders: 2006): student from participation to responsibility 4 Growing importance of Quality Assurance 5 Recognition of diplomas
1. Degree profile, competences and learning outcomes
• All programmes need to define and describe “domain specific learning outcomes” (in Flanders: jointly!)
• - time and money consuming exercise • - used for external quality assurance • - used in procedure for new degrees • Today: in all ‘Bologna’ countries; several Tempus
projects: Macedonia, Armenia, …
1. Degree profile, competences and learning outcomes
Management Committee
Learning outcomes:
Statements of what a learner is expected to know,
understand and/or be able to demonstrate after
completion of learning.
They can refer to a single course unit or module or else to
a period of studies, for example, a first or a second cycle
programme. Learning outcomes specify the requirements
for award of credit.
[learning outcomes are formulated by academic staff]
Tuning 2 definitions
Management Committee
Competences:
Competences represent a dynamic combination of
knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities.
Fostering competences is the object of educational
programmes.
Competences are formed in various course units and assessed at different stages.
[competences are obtained by the student]
Tuning 2 definitions
Management Committee
How are competences and learning outcomes related?
• Learning outcomes according to Tuning methodology should be formulated in terms of competences.
• Tuning is based on desired learning outcomes not on threshold or minimum requirement
Tuning 2 definitions
2. Qualification Structures
• Qualification a whole set of validated competences
• Qualification Structures - systematic ordered set of validated competences based on a recognised framework - aims transparency in internal relationship between the qualifications
• Qualification Structure also used for
- developing procedures and assessment of recognition of prior acquired competences - coaching students in their study career
NQF & EQF for LLL • level descriptors
– level 6 – level 7 – level 8
• Law 30 April 2009 Qualification structure
level descriptors Bachelor Master Doctor (PhD)
Law 4 April 2003 HE
Associate degree (90-120 ECTS) = higher education & = level 5
ECTS 60-90-120
Master
secondary school leaving diploma
ECTS 180
professional orientation
ECTS 180
academic orientation
Bachelor Bachelor
ECTS 90-120
Associate Degree
waterfall salmon
Bridging programme
NQF Flanders is compatible with the overarching framework for qualifications of EHEA
This is stated by NVAO following the conclusion of an independent and international external verification committee
http://nvao.com/nqf-vl
3. Accreditation of Prior (Experiental) Learning AP(E)L
• Recognition of prior (formal & experiential) learning
• Aim: degree or exemption • Reference = programme or course •Flanders: law of April 2004; in operation since September 2005/closely related to a flexible organisation of HE
Workable European definitions (taken from “Communication from the Commission : Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning, Brussel, COM (2001) 687 final, (http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/life/index.html)”
Formal learning Learning typically provided by an education or training institution, structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support) and leading to certification. Formal learning is intentional from the learner’s perspective.
Non-formal learning Learning that is not provided by an education or training institution and typically does not lead to certification. It is, however, structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support). Non-formal learning is intentional from the learner’s perspective.
Informal learning Learning resulting from daily life activities related to work, family or leisure. It is not structured (in terms of learning objectives, learning time or learning support) and typically does not lead to certification. Informal learning may be intentional but in most cases it is non-intentional (or “incidental”/random).
3. Accreditation of Prior (Experiental) Learning AP(E)L
• Flanders: Agency for Quality assurance in education and training (2009) - Network & advice board of AP(E)L experts - Indicators for quality of AP(E)L - Quality control of AP(E)L - Information to the public www.evcvlaanderen.be (Dutch)
3. APL at Ghent University Association
• Very common practice (thousands/year) • Free of charge • Focus on exemption of courses • Mainly for students “changing track” (e.g. from university to university college) • Individual decision (institution; faculty; department; professor
3. Results of APEL-procedures
• Very time-consuming (for all parties) appeals! • Mainly leads to exemption of courses,
sometimes to awarding a full Ba- or Ma-degree • Possible in all kinds of disciplines, but more
popular in some – overall numbers still low • Offers a “final check” for curricular construction • Real new opportunities = ?
3. Special procedure for entry into HE
• Different procedure (≠ APL / APEL) • 3 deadlines/year • For candidates (+21y) without a secondary
school leaving certificate or for refugees (+18y) • Two possibilities: portfolio or test • + 200 candidates/year
3. APEL Quality kit (2008) Self evaluation instrument for AP(E)L providers
• Accessibility • Transparency of the procedure • Confidence in assessment • Rights of the participant • Professionalism of staff • Quality assurance
4. Quality Assurance the example of Flanders 1991-2006
• 1st level: – internal quality assurance (since??) – self-evaluation report
• 2nd level: – external quality assurance:
• assessment panel, peers, public report, experts appointed by the Rectors’ conference
• no formal framework • 3rd level:
– weak meta-evaluation – Flemish Government
• Focus on quality enhancement • Consequences for institutions: no legal, but …
SIPUS - Ghent June 2014
4. Accreditation system 2006-2013 the example of Flanders
• 1st level: – internal quality assurance – self evaluation report
• 2nd level: – external quality evaluation by a peer review group – appointed by Rectors’ conference (but EQAR–registered) – formal accreditation framework developed by NVAO (but
approved by the government) • 3rd level:
– NVAO- accreditation based on a public assessment report (subject review)
– accreditation decision ‘Yes’ or ‘No’
SIPUS - Ghent June 2014
4. New accreditation system the example of Flanders
• Programme accreditation • Institutional review
– review of HEI educational policy plus trails in departments or specific policy issues
• 1st review round 2015-2016 – public report, no legal consequences
• 2nd review round 2019-2020 – legal consequences – in ultimo: the closure of the institution
• Review commission appointed by NVAO
SIPUS - Ghent June 2014
5. Auto recognition HE qualifications in Belgium
SIPUS - Ghent June 2014
5. Automatic recognition HE qualifications The Netherlands & Flanders
• NVAO treaty Flanders & The Netherlands – direct access to Master en Doctorate
• Flemish Governmental Decision (2010) – Bachelor, Master & Doctor of The Netherlands are
automatically declared equal with the Flemish ones and the other way around
• NVAO treaty update 2013 – Ba = Ba & Ma = Ma
SIPUS - Ghent June 2014
Netherlands FlandersBachelor Bachelor
bacheloropleiding in het hoger beroepsonderwijs
professioneel gerichte bacheloropleiding
bacheloropleiding in het wetenschappelijk onderwijs
academisch gerichte bacheloropleiding
Master Mastermasteropleiding in het hoger beroepsonderwijs
masteropleiding
masteropleiding in het wetenschappelijk
masteropleiding
Netherlands Flanders
Bachelor Bachelor
professioneel gerichte bacheloropleiding
academisch gerichte bacheloropleiding
Master Mastermasteropleiding masteropleiding
bacheloropleiding
kunstonderwijs in het hoger onderwijsFine Art
Conclusion/1 The student in 2014
Europass: portfolio of Europass CV (2013: 100.000 in Belgium) Europass Skills Passport Language Passport (according to European Framework) Mobility (internships, training abroad) Experience Diploma Supplement Certificate Supplement
Conclusion/2
• Internationalisation: from ‘mobility’ to global approach
• Attention for joint and multiple degrees and longlasting cooperation
• Easier for PhD than for Ba and Ma • How flexible is the law? (Flanders: very flexible)
Conclusion/3
• Influence of the labour market – Professional profile – Educational profile – Programme level – Individual curriculum of the student Blessing or curse?
