Quality assurance and joint programmes
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Transcript of Quality assurance and joint programmes
Quality assurance and joint programmes
•Axel Aerden
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What are we talking about?
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Quality assurance?
Accreditation?
Joint programme?
Process establishing stakeholder confidence that provision is fit for purpose or measures up to requirements
Formal & independent decision that a programme (or institution) meets certain predefined quality standards
A programme offered jointly by different higher education institutions irrespective of the degree (joint/multiple) awarded
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AIMS: mutual recognition of accreditation & quality assurance decisions
RESULTS OF THIS COOPERATION:• Code of good practice (2004)
• Principles for the selection of experts (2005)
• Principles for accreditation procedures regarding joint programmes (2007)
• Bilateral mutual recognition of accreditation agreements (2007)
• Qrossroads.eu (2008)
• Principles regarding learning outcomes in accreditation procedures (20010)
• Multilateral agreement regarding joint programmes (2011)
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Joint programmes?• 2011 (Institute of International Education & Freie Universität Berlin)• 84% of universities offer joint programmes;• 33% of institutions award joint degrees • all others are developing or planning joint degrees;
• 2012 (Bologna Process Implementation Report)• all but one EHEA country has implemented legislation
allowing establishment of joint programmes & joint degrees• none of HE institutions participate in joint programmes:• Albania, Andorra, Liechtenstein and Montenegro;
• in addition to countries above, none of HE institutions participate in awarding joint degrees: • Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Moldova;
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Most common external quality assurance procedures regarding joint programmes
National procedure• Procedure by:
• Individual agency• Focus of procedure
• National offer• Whole joint programme
• Result: • National (accreditation)
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Joint procedure• Procedure by:
• At least 2 agencies• Focus of procedure
• Whole joint programme• Result:
• National (accreditation(s)) in countries involved
Most common external quality assurance procedures regarding joint programmes
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Challenges overcome
Multilateral Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Accreditation
Results regarding Joint Programmes
AT – DK – FL - FR – NL – PL – ES -CAT
Agreement to set up a Coordination Point for Joint
Programmes
Assessment Framework for Joint Programmes in Single Accreditation
Procedures
ECApedia
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Single procedure• Procedure by:
• One agency• Focus of procedure
• Whole joint programme• Result:
• National (accreditations) in MRA/MULTRA countries
Single accreditation proceduresregarding joint programmes
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So many challenges left, and all national (#1)
Too many national standards in external quality assurance and
accreditation
Good practice: assessments of joint programmes can be discharged from using certain national standards if they contradict others.
Very long list of examples:• Master thesis:
“max. 30 ECTS credits” vs. “at least 35% of the total number of credits”;• The assessment report (expert report) is required to be in the national
language;• Every programme should be taught by at least 6 doktor habilitowany & 6
PhDs who are all full-time staff of a national institution and have to teach at least 540 hours in the programme per academic year;
• Not about quality• Not suited for international
joint programmes• Contradict each other
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So many challenges left, and all national (#2)
Many national requirements make cooperation in external quality assurance difficult/impossible
Examples:• National QA agencies which are not allowed to coordinate an international
procedure / undertake a site visit abroad;• National QA agencies which cannot accept accreditation requests from a
foreign institution (the coordinator of the joint programme);• Different periods of accreditation; and some QA agencies cannot accept a
joint programme’s request for accreditation (years) before the current accreditation status is almost expired;
• Very procedural• No international perspective• Unaware of implications
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
[email protected] - @AAerden
www.ecaconsortium.net - www.qrossroads.eu - www.ecapedia.net