European Qualifications Framework (EQF), Learning Outcomes and ECTS

Be-TWIN project meeting15 June 2009

vera.stastna@ruk.cuni.cz

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European qualification frameworks

Two frameworks – created independently on each other Overarching framework for Qualifications in EHEA (QF- EHEA)

Adopted in 2005 in Bergen – ministers responsible for HE Based on Dublin descriptors 3 cycles - only HEIs; within the 1st cycle the possibility of a

short cycle European Qualification Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF-

LLL) – European Union/European Commission Recommendation of the European Council and European

Parliament from 23 April 2008 8 levels – the whole education system (last three levels

correspond with the three cycles) Developed within VET

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Why the European overarching framework of qualifications in higher education?

Restructuralisation of degree programmes within Bologna Process Communication between the national systems of (HE) education –

mutual understanding („translation“) – „entry ticket“ into European Area (EHEA)

Support of diversification of the study offer transparency Permeability – horizontal as well as vertical

Attractiveness – growing competition for students One methodology for the whole Europe – the description of qualifications

is based on learning outcomes (LOs), it means outputs not inputs LOs describe

What the graduate knows, What he understands, What he can perform after the end of studies

Support of LLL concept – methodology which can be used for recognition of parts of studies and validation of prior learning – informal and non formal

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Any advantages of the QF-EHEA/EQF LLL can become reality only if there are national frameworks for qualifications established and the relation between the national levels and European levels have been clearly defined, described and validated in a trustful, internationally recognised way.

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National qualification framework National qualification framework means

an instrument for the classification of qualifications according to a set of criteria for specified levels of learning achieved, which aims to integrate and coordinate national qualifications subsystems and improve the transparency, access, progression and quality of qualifications in relation to the labour market and civil society

Recommendation on the establishment of EQF-LLL, 2008

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National framework QF-EHEA/EQF-LLL

closest to the operational reality; it allows for description of all specificities within the national system

provides the broad structure within which national qualifications frameworks will be developed and allows diversity within these limits

owned by national system

facilitates movement between systems

ultimately determines what qualifications learners will earn

ensures compatibility among different national frameworks for qualifications – serves as a “translation tool”

describe the qualifications within a given education system and how they interlink

presents a common face of “EHEA qualifications” to the rest of the world

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European “QF learning paths” – or “learning curve”?

Need of coordination at EHEA level Coordination group Network of national QF coordinators? Web page

Need coordination QF-EHEA and EQF-LLL

Diploma Supplement/Europass

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National qualification system National qualification system means all aspects

of a Member State's activity related to the recognition of learning and other mechanisms that link education and training to the labour market and civil society. This includes the development and implementation of institutional arrangements and processes relating to quality assurance, assessment and the award of qualifications. A national qualifications system may be composed of several subsystems and may include a national qualifications framework

Recommendation on the establishment of EQF-LLL, 2008

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National qualification framework (NQF) and national qualification system (NQS)

NQF will cover both existing European QFs Describes and creates a framework for all levels of tertiary education

to make clear the differences e.g. between Post-secondary and tertiary Between levels/cycles of tertiary /higher education

More transparency and permeability Between degree programmes (vertical as well as horizontal) Between sectors of education

Within NQS connection between the degree programmes and job qualifications

HEIs more understandable for wider public (students, employers) – attractiveness

Establishing cooperation with employers New possibilities for recognition of prior learning (non-formal and

informal) NQF and NQS self certified against QF-EHEA /referenced towards

EQF LLL– stated in the Diploma Supplement/Europass Draft Leuven Communiqué April 2009: self certified NQFs by 2012

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National descriptors – Czech example - work in progress

Information function 3 levels

„General“ (common for all fields of tertiary education at a certain level) – involve Dublin descriptors EQF-LLL descriptors Both – academic and practical approach

„sectoral“ for a cluster of fields at a certain level of qualification. Working groups – possibility to use the existing sectoral

councils (representatives of employers) At institutional level – based on „sectoral descriptors“- degree

programmes „descriptors“ i.e." learning outcomes“ What qualification at which level of the NQS and QF-

EHEA resp. EQF-LLL will the HEIs state in the Diploma Supplement

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NQF – learning outcomes (1)

Emphases on learning outcomes can help to evaluate how the restructuralisation of studies within the Bologna Process has been done Do we not teach the same in several different degree

programmes? Do we reflect the labour market and/or needs of the

society? The ECTS credits will be subordinated to

learning outcomes New inputs for quality evaluation of degree

programmes.

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NQF – learning outcomes (2)

LOs defined together with application sphere Innovation of degree programmes Diversification of study offer If applicable some modules might become

qualification (partial qualification) which the employers recognise

Decrease of drop out – the „non-successful“ students gain partial qualification which the employers recognise

Better financial efficiency and effectiveness

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NQF – learning outcomes (3)

NQF and most probably NQS will influence the documentation for accreditation, QA (internal as well as external)

Cooperation with employers – possibility of having modules recognised, added to NQS

Possibilities for recognition of prior learning – possibility of new audience (new funding) for e.g. partial qualifications

Less administration – one description for multiple purposes: accreditation, degree programmes offer, LLL offer, databases for admission procedures, Diploma Supplements, degree programmes descriptions, ECTS packages etc.

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Terminology (1)

Assessment: The total range of methods (written, oral and practical tests/examinations, projects and portfolios) used to evaluate learners' achievement of expected learning outcomes (ECTS Users’ Guide 2009)

Assessment of learning outcomes means methods and processes used to established the extent to which a learner has in fact attained particular knowledge, skills and competence (Recommendation of the EP and of the Council on the establishment of ECVET dated 17.4.2009)

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Terminology (2)

Credit (ECTS): Quantified means of expressing the volume of learning based on the workload students need in order to achieve the expected outcomes of a learning process at a specified level. (ECTS Users’ Guide 2009)

The „ currency“ used to measure student workload in terms of the time required to achieve specified learning outcomes. It enables staff and students to assess the volume and level of learning, based on the achievement of learning outcomes and the associated workload measured in time. (Glossary of Tuning terms, 2006)

Credit for learning outcomes: (credit) means a set of learning outcomes of an individual which have been assessed and which can be accumulated towards a qualification or transferred to other learning programmes or qualifications (Recommendation of the EP and of the Council on the establishment of ECVET dated 17.4.2009)

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Terminology (3)

ECVET points means a numerical representation of the overall weight of learning outcomes in a qualification and of the relative weight of units in relation to the qualification (Recommendation of the EP and of the Council on the establishment of ECVET dated 17.4.2009)

Award of Credit: The act of delivering learners the number of credits that corresponds/ are assigned to the component or a qualification. The award of credit recognises that learners’ learning outcomes have been assessed and that the learner satisfies the requirements for the educational component or the qualification. (ECTS Users’ Guide 2009)

Allocation of Credit: The process of assigning a number of credits to qualifications/ programmes or to other educational components. (ECTS Users’ Guide 2009)

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ECTS and learning outcomes (1)

ECTS Users’ Guide - Final Version 6 February 2009 The allocation of credits to single educational components is

performed as part of curriculum design with reference to national qualifications frameworks, level

descriptors and qualifications descriptors– in the Czech suggestion at national sectoral descriptors

Generally it is the responsibility of higher education institutions and academic staff

Prior to allocating credits to individual components, an agreement should be reached on the ‘profile’ of the specific study programme and the associated learning outcomes . -its main features and its specific aims

this profile is defined after consultation with relevant stakeholders (good practice)

On the basis of the qualification profile, the academic staff design the curriculum by defining the learning outcomes and allocating credits to the programme components.

Credit allocation to educational components is based on their weight in terms of the workload needed for students to achieve the learning outcomes in a formal context

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ECTS and learning outcomes (2) ECTS Users’ Guide - Final Version 6 February 2009

Possibility 1 The teaching staff define the learning outcomes of each

programme component, describe the learning activities and estimate the workload typically needed for a student to complete these activities. Proposals are collected, analysed and synthesised and the estimated workload is expressed in ECTS credits

All the teaching staff are involved - They can put forward their proposals in terms of learning outcomes, and estimate the workload necessary to achieve them. Through discussion and defining of priorities they can come to a final decision on the basis of the credits available (60 for each year). This procedure may result in different numbers of credits being attributed to single components (e.g. 3, 5, 8)

By using this option, institutions allow for maximum freedom in designing each component with regard to the learning outcomes and related workload. On the other hand, components of different sizes may be problematic when it comes to multi-disciplinary or joint programmes or mobility

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ECTS and learning outcomes? (3) ECTS Users’ Guide - Final Version 6 February 2009

Possibility 2 the higher education institution or the faculty may decide

from the start to standardise the size of educational components, giving each one the same credit value (e.g. 5) or multiples of it (e.g. 5, 10, 15), and thus predefine the number of credits to be allocated per component. In this case, the course units are often called ‘modules’

Within this predefined structure, the teaching staff define appropriate and feasible learning outcomes and describe the learning activities, on the basis of the standard size of the components. The estimated workload must be consistent with the number of credits allocated to that component .

By standardising the size of components, institutions allow for more flexible, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary pathways among programmes. On the other hand, the definition of learning outcomes within a component is constrained by the pre-defined number of credits that set a priori the workload for each component .

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ECTS and learning outcomes? (4) ECTS Users’ Guide - Final Version 6 February 2009

Components should not be too small, to avoid fragmentation of a programme and not too large, as that may inhibit interdisciplinary studies and restrict the choices available within study programmes.

Very large components are problematic for mobile students at all levels – institutional, national or international

The main element determining the number of credits is the estimated workload needed to achieve the expected learning outcomes. The number of contact hours alone must not be used as a basis to allocate credits, since contact hours are only one element of students’ workload.

Proper credit allocation should be part of the internal and external quality assurance for higher education institutions.

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Further information available at

Tuning website: http://tuning.unideusto.org/tuningeu or www.rug.nl/let/tuningeu

Further www.bologna.msmt.cz –http://www.bologna.msmt.cz/?id=K080108 - http://www.bologna.msmt.cz/files/Adam_IH_LP.pdf - „An introduction to learning outcomes“ http://www.bologna.msmt.cz/files/learning-outcomes.pdf -

„Learning and writing learning outcomes“; Web site of ENIC/NARIC:

http://www.enic-naric.net/index.aspx?s=n&r=ena&d=qf UNICA website for EC projects: http://

www.ulb.ac.be/unica/projects.html

Thank you for your attention