Quality assurance and qualifications frameworks as tools to promote mobility

and recognition: national, bilateral, regional and global experiences and

opportunities

China International Forum on Cross-border EducationHaikou, Hainan December 2016

Bryan Maguire

Quality assurance • European standards and guidelines• Quality assurance agencies• Qualifications frameworks• Irish experience

Bologna Ministerial Statements

• “To consolidate the EHEA, meaningful implementation of learning outcomes is needed. The development, understanding and practical use of learning outcomes is crucial to the success of ECTS, the Diploma Supplement, recognition, qualifications frameworks and quality assurance – all of which are interdependent.” Bucharest Communiqué, April 2012

• “Enhancing the quality and relevance of learning and teaching is the main mission of the EHEA.” Yerevan Communiqué, May 2015

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Three layers of European Standards and Guidelines for

QA• Internal quality assurance• External quality assurance• External quality assurance agencies

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Internal quality assurance• Policy for institutional QA• Programmes design + approval (NFQ)• Student-centred learning, teaching

and assessment• Student admission, progression,

recognition and certification• Teaching staff• Learning resources + student support• Information management• Public information• On-going monitoring and periodic

review of programmes

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External quality assurance• Use of internal quality

assurance procedures• Designing methodologies

fit for purpose• Implementing processes• Peer review experts• Reporting• Criteria for outcomes• Complaints and appeals

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Quality assurance agencies• Activities policy and

processes for QA• Official status• Independence• Thematic analysis• Resources• Internal QA and professional

conduct• Cyclical external review of

agencies7

External QA• Accreditation of programmes or• Accreditation/audit of institutions

or• Combination of both

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Qualifications Frameworks• Based on learning outcomes• National qualifications frameworks

are being developed in all countries• Tuning project has worked on

learning outcomes for disciplines within QF-EHEA

• Integrating QA and QFs is increasingly important agenda

Quality and Qualifications Ireland• “an integrated agency for quality and qualifications in

Ireland”• Established November 2012 by Qualification and Quality

Assurance (Education and Training) Act of parliament• Reviewed by European Association for Quality Assurance

(ENQA) in 2014, • Member of ENQA, INQAAHE & CBQAN• Memoranda with QAA, MQA, HKCAAVQ, HKQFS (Ed

Bureau), NZQA

QQI roles• Custodian of National Framework of

Qualifications (established in 2003)• Qualifications Recognition Advice (NARIC)• Quality assurance guidelines for all

education and training outside schools• Quality assurance of all HEIs at

institutional level, onshore and TNE• Quality assurance of private HE and VET

at programme level, onshore and TNE

External QA - institution• Institutional review– Holistic assessment– Externality required– Relies on (and checks) institutional

capacity for programme level QA– Greater autonomy, closer to learners,

may be more cost effective– In some instance authority to validate

may be revoked or conditioned

External QA - programme• Programme validation/accreditation– Independent– More consistent across HEIs?– More developmental?– More trusted, especially for less

established institutions– Demanding on the agency

• TNE example - Dublin Business School/KPTM in Malaysia

Internal QA review• Self-validating universities in Ireland

are required to monitor and formally review their linked providers and programmes

• TNE example – University College Dublin– Monitoring report – Review of provision

QACHE principles• QAAs should share information about their

respective QA systems and about cross-border providers, with a view to facilitating mutual understanding and building mutual trust

• QAAs should seek to coordinate and cooperate in their review activity of cross-border higher education, with a view to avoiding regulatory gaps and duplication of efforts, and to lessening the regulatory burdens on providers

• Networks of quality assurance agencies should facilitate interagency cooperation and the implementation of the QACHE Toolkit

• www.qqi.ie• bmaguire@qqi.ie

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