International recognition and quality assurance

1. Bologna Seminar Improving the recognition system International recognition and quality assurance Jindra Divis Director, Netherlands NARIC/ENIC, Nuffic Riga, 3 December 2004

2. General background: Global trends & developments in HE • Diversification of programs (degree, non-degree) • Individualisation of qualifications (and learning paths) • Globalisation of education: cross borders provision • Virtualisation of education • Lifelong Learning: from education to any form of learning

3. Reactions • Many responses on national level – from strong support to permanent struggle • Culmination on the international level in the Bologna process • National and international responses coordinated • Also in the fields of recognition and quality assurance

4. Berlin Communiqué • Three priorities: • Quality assurance • Recognition • Two-cycle system • How do the first two interlink

5. Where do quality assurance and recognition meet? • Quality assurance/accreditation • From the perspective of recognition ‘one concept’ • In the hands of ‘national’ competent authorities • National level - objectives: • Accountability • Public protection • Quality improvement

6. Where do quality assurance and recognition meet? • International level – objective • recognition of diplomas and qualifications • Recognition: • Quality ( and status) of institutions and programs the very first issue • Plus other issues (criteria)

7. Too high expectations? • Co-operation in quality assurance and accreditation will NOT result in automatic recognition of diplomas and degrees • Other questions to tackle in recognition (see criteria Lisbon Recognition Convention) • Slow progress in quality assurance/accreditation co-operation • Looking for common objectives and criteria • Why not ‘acceptance’ and looking for ‘substantial differences’? • Two-cycle system promotes further diversification

8. Co-operation between quality assurance/accreditation and recognition • On the agenda: • Specific information about quality to foreign target groups • Non-regular field: • Non-degree programs • Joint-degrees • Virtual education • Across borders provision • Lifelong learning

9. Co-operation between quality assurance/accreditation and recognition • Moving from process to output: learning outcomes and competences • In need of ‘explaining’ frameworks • Qualifications frameworks • National and international

10. What do we need? • A system of Qualifications Frameworks and a European Framework • Containing different levels of qualifications • Expressed in terms of learning outcomes/competences regardless of any specific or formal learning paths • Demonstrating how these competences could be shown, without referring to the educational process or learning paths • Supported by quality assurance provisions • Thus facilitating international recognition.

11. Who is involved in quality assurance and recognition? • Who is not? • NARIC/ENIC networks • ENQA • EUA, ESIB, EURASHE • Council of Europe • UNESCO/CEPES

12. Who is involved in quality assurance and recognition? • UNESCO • Global Forum • OECD • With UNESCO: Guidelines for quality provision in cross-border HE

13. Who is involved in quality assurance and recognition? • Joint Quality Initiative • INQAAHE • Others

14. Conclusion • Quality assurance /accreditation two sides of the same coin • Recognized as such • Facilitating European mobility, employability and labour market

15. Questions?