IAMU AGA10 StPetersburg, September 21, 2009

International Round Table

Accreditation of Programmes of Study

at IAMU-member MET Institutions(Creating a new world common MET area of excellence)

byBoris Pritchard & Pavao Komadina

University of Rijeka, CroatiaFaculty of Maritime Studies

Creating a new world common MET area of excellence

1. Introduction2. Main stakeholders and their needs,

requirements and expectations (MET institutions + Shipping Industry + Maritime Administrations)

3. The role of IAMU & IMO policies4. Objectives: recognizable qualifications

(degrees, CoC) + mobility of CoC and degrees5. How to achieve this goal?6. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Globalization of shipping industry – main challenges (quantity, quality)

Requirements and demands on QUALITY: Industry and MET System as a single unified system

Principal goal of MET:

Quality Human Resources as a main contributor to:

Safety Security Environmental protection Efficiency of shipping industry

2. The Main Stakeholders:

Shipping Industry

Maritime Administrations

IAMU MET Institutions

3. The Role of IMO & IAMU policies

The Go To Sea Campaign – to become an integrated part of national policies

Optimum balance between education and training vs international and national requirements by the shipping industry

Role, interest and motivation of IMO, IAMU and member-MET institutions in creating, setting (and enforcing) high standards of undergraduate and graduate maritime education

Role, interest and motivation of National Administrations in promoting and enforcing high standards of undergraduate and graduate maritime education

IAMU Policy (Section 15 of the proposed Saint Petersburg Statement of 2009) – necessity to go beyond IMO minimum standards: creating / establishing and World AREA OF EXCELLENCE (cf. the 4 E’s of the GLOMET Project)

IAMU strategic plans

4. Objectives:

recognizable qualifications: degrees, CoC

mobility of CoC and degrees

Conditions: QA through a unified system of accreditation of Programmes of Study

Implementation of the system of credits – role of IAMU vs IMO

5. How to achieve this goal?

Setting internationally agreed and recognized standards of IAMU excellence (STCW +) (4E’s)

Establishing an IAMU-based unified system of accreditation for MET institutions and their programmes of study

learning outcomes, competences, student workload, curricula, syllabuses,

evaluation and assessment standards; credit system

How to achieve this goal?

• Setting an IAMU-based audit system (principles and standards of audit; body or pool of auditing experts from among the three stakeholders):

• SHIPPING INDUSTRY • MARITIME ADMINISTRATIONS • IAMU MET INSTITUTIONS

How to achieve this goal?

Implementation of a system of credits (IAMU-CTS) – role of IAMU MarADs

Standards to be met by MET institutions: mission statement, comparable and compatible, programmes of study, learning outcomes, technical standards (space, equipment), simulators, labs, training vessels, involvement of MET institutions in on-board training

How to achieve this goal?

Professional qualifications of the teaching staff; a common system of training the MET trainer – ‘marinization’; pedagogical and technical standards on teaching

Mobility: programmes of study (curricula, syllabi); students; teachers

How to achieve this goal?

IAMU-CTS should provide an instrument to create transparency, to build bridges between institutions and to widen the choices available to students.

The system makes it easier for institutions to recognise the learning achievements of students through the use of commonly understood measurements - credits and grades - it also provides a means to interpret national systems of Higher Education.

6. Conclusions

Comparable and compatible degrees. The tools for achieving this are IAMU-CTS (IAMU Credit Transfer System) and the Diploma Supplement.

Uniform degree structures. The degree structure is to be based on a three-cycle model.

The first cycle, lasting three years, ends in a Bachelor-level degree, which should also be relevant to the world shipping labour market as an appropriate level of qualification. This may be extended to include a six-month or one-year sea-service.

The second cycle consists of Master's  degrees The third cycle - postgraduate studies (PhD degree)

Conclusions Increased mobility - free movement of students,

teachers, and researchers. Promotion of IAMU-based co-operation in quality

assurance with a view to developing comparable criteria and methodologies. (e.g. establishing The IAMU Network of Quality Assurance in Higher Maritime Education)

Setting IAMU requirements on auditing the programmes of study (BSc, MSc and PhD degrees)

Setting and adopting IAMU recognized standards on auditing and evaluation of MET institutions (programmes, faculty – teaching staff, train-the-trainer systems, space and equipment, CBT, etc.)

Establishing a body of IAMU auditing experts.

Faculty of Maritime Studies University of Rijeka, Croatia

full support to

Saint Petersburg Statement of 2009

as an international instrument for establishing and promoting standards of excellence

in the area of MET