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SELF CERTIFICATION IN THE EHEA: THE WAY FORWARD

SELF CERTIFICATION IN THE EHEA: THE WAY FORWARD. Gerard Madill, Council of Europe Bologna conference on self certification Tbilisi, November 27 – 28, 2008. MINISTERS IN BERGEN 2005 AND LONDON 2007. We have an overarching framework (adopted in Bergen 2005)

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SELF CERTIFICATION IN THE EHEA: THE WAY FORWARD

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  1. SELF CERTIFICATION IN THE EHEA: THE WAY FORWARD Gerard Madill, Council of Europe Bologna conference on self certification Tbilisi, November 27 – 28, 2008

  2. MINISTERS IN BERGEN 2005 AND LONDON 2007 • We have an overarching framework (adopted in Bergen 2005) • We will develop national frameworks compatible with the EHEA framework by 2010 • This is a steep challenge and we need some coordination even if QFs are ultimately a national responsibility

  3. QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK • Description of all qualifications in a given (higher) education system • Description of how these qualifications articulate • Description of how learners can move between qualifications within a system • Description understandable to informed foreigners • Description of learning outcomes

  4. National framework closest to the operational reality owned by national system ultimately determines what qualifications learners will earn describe the qualifications within a given education system and how they interlink EHEA framework facilitates movement between systems face of “Bologna qualifications” to the rest of the world provides the broad structure within which national qualifications frameworks will be developed FRAMEWORKS AND FRAMEWORK

  5. BASIC ELEMENTS • Two levels: EHEA-QF and national frameworks • EHEA-QF provides “outer limits” but allows for diversity within those • NQFs the responsibility of competent national authorities • International participation • Need for coherence EHEA-QF – EQF-LLL

  6. WHY SELF CERTIFICATION? • Verify the compatibility of one’s own NQF • Demonstrate to others that one’s NQF is compatible • Self certification report as “visiting card” • Increase transparency and trust • Improve quality • Help recognition and mobility • Help employability • Help fulfil the main purposes (NB plural!) of higher education

  7. RECONCILING NATIONAL COMPETENCE AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPARENCY • Competent national authority has the final word • Needs to be credible with international partners • Draw on the experience of others • Avoid making the same mistakes • International experts in self certification • Ask the difficult questions others would ask anyway

  8. CHALLENGES: TRANSPARENCY AND NATIONAL COMPETENCE • How can the most difficult issues be brought out in sharing experience? • Transparency vs. protecting one’s own system • How will we deal with disagreement between national representatives and international experts? • How do we deal with self certification reports that may not be credible?

  9. CHALLENGES: DIFFERENT NATIONAL SETTINGS • Different legal traditions • Different emphasis on formal procedures and content • Different understanding of learning outcomes • Interaction higher education and other areas of education (e.g. VET) • Structures for implementation • Different possibilities to cover the costs of self certification

  10. CHALLENGES: ENSURING COMMON UNDERSTANDING • We will have at least 48 NQFs • “One framework, 48 systems”? • Diversity of traditions and approaches • Responsibility is ultimately national: no “European harmonization” • Common understanding across linguistic diversity

  11. CHALLENGES: INTERNATIONAL • Limited pool of experts • Language(s) of self certification: national or English? • How to organize the exchange of experience? • How to follow up countries that seem to lack progress without impinging on sovereignty? • How to make implementation of EHEA-QF and EQF-LLL coherent?

  12. EUROPEAN “QF LEARNING PATHS” – OR “LEARNING CURVE”? • Need coordination at EHEA level • Coordination group • Network of national QF coordinators? • Web page • Need coordination EHEA-QF – EQF-LLL • Diploma Supplement • Need more cooperation among neighbors, but with due regard to overall European understanding of issues

  13. TOWARD A CONCLUSION • Important to complete NQFs soon, but even more important to do it well • Self certification a sine qua non • Qualifications frameworks one of the main issues in the European Higher Education Area • Will remain on the agenda • Need for transparency on difficult issues – nobody has all the answers

  14. THANK YOU VERY MUCH • დიდი მადლობა • /didi madloba/

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