the development of mapqftool a software tool for national qualifications frameworks

PROF PHILIPPOS POUYIOUTAS1,2,3, DR HARALD GJERMUNDROD1,4,

DR IOANNA DIONYSIOU1,4, AND MR MICHALIS MICHAEL1

1UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, CYPRUSpouyioutas.p@unic.ac.cy,gjermundrod.h@unic.ac.cy,

dionysiou.i@unic.ac.cy, philisp@cytanet.com.cy2 PARTICIPATING IN: THE UNILO PROJECT

www.unilo.eu 3 CO-ORDINATING/4 PARTICIPATING: IN THE REPROTOOL PROJECT

www.reprotool.com

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MAPQFTOOLA Software Tool for National Qualifications

Frameworks

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Presentation Structure

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The Bologna ProcessEuropean Qualifications FrameworkMapQFTool

Motivation for the Tool Sample queries Examples of use of the Tool The Architecture and Database

Conclusion

The Bologna Process

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The Bologna process aims at developing a European Educational Framework of standards/definitions/concepts so as to provide the basis for European countries to transform their educational system according to this framework.

This will result in comparability/compatibility of the various European educational systems which will then result in: collaborations amongst educational institutions exchanges of students and teachers within Europe transparency and transferability of qualifications.

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European Qualifications Framework

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EQF and NQFs describe in terms of Learning Outcomes (knowledge, skills, competences) the various levels of education starting from the pre-primary level and reaching the doctorate level.

EQF caters for eight such levels, whereas NQFs may cater a different number of levels.

European Qualifications Framework Provides for mapping the National Qualifications

Framework (NQF) of each European country to this framework, thus transitively, mapping each country’s educational system to another country’s system

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European Qualifications Framework

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EQF and NQFs

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(adopted from EQF Newsletter April 2010 eac-eqf-newsletter@ec.europa.eu)

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MapQFTool

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Current practice of trying to map the various NQFs against the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), and through the EQF against each other is tedious and error prone Advantages of automating this process using a software tool. Provide the tool as an online application which provide universal

access.MapQFTool is a software tool that provides support to

the understanding and comparability of the National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) of the European countries.

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MapQFTool (Cont.)

MapQFTool will be a very useful asset to all stakeholders, namely the European Commission, National Quality Assurance Agencies of all European countries Educational institutions Ministries of Education and Labor Prospective students, students, and Erasmus co-ordinators Employers, careers officers, and the general public.

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Sample Queries

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Given an award type, what is its NQF level in a given country

Given an award type, what is its EQF levelGiven an award type in country A, what is its NQF level

in country BGiven an award type in country A, what are the

equivalent NQF levels in all other countries

Given a qualification, what is its NQF level in a given country

Given a qualification, what is its EQF levelGiven a qualification in country A, what are its

equivalent qualifications in country BGiven a qualification in country A, what are its NQF

levels in all other countriesReProTool and UNILO Information Day/Workshop March 2, 2012, Nicosia, Cyprus

Sample Queries

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Given an NQF level in country A what is its equivalent EQF level

Given an NQF level in country A, what is its equivalent NQF level in country B

Given an NQF level in country A, what are the equivalent NQF levels in all other countries

Given an EQF level what are/is the equivalent level(s) in the NQF of country A

Given an EQF level what are/is the awards of that level in country A

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User Login

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Setting/Viewing EQF

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Summary of the NQF Levels of a Country

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Setting/Viewing an University

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Sample Query

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Sample Query

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MapQFTool ArchitectureMapQFTool is built on Microsoft .Net platform

using the DXperience tool by DevExpress. It uses a three-tier web application architecture

Presentation Layer Provides the interface to the user for accessing the

application, i.e. done through a web browser like: FireFox, Safari, Chrome, IE.

Application Logic layer: Handles the requests on behalf of the user on the web

service, i.e. performs the action that the user have requested.

Data Access Layer: The data for the application is stored in a database which is

accessed by the web service (tier 2).

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Users and System Architecture

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The Design of the Underlying Database

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Conclusions

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MapQFTool is a very useful Tool which allows the various National Qualification Frameworks (NQFs) to be mapped against the European Qualification Framework and thus against each other.

We expect that MapQFTool will be a very useful asset to all stakeholders.

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Thank you. Questions?

For more information email us:pouyioutas.p@unic.ac.cy

gjermundrod.h@unic.ac.cydionysiou.i@unic.ac.cy

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