UNESCO/OECD Guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education

1. UNESCO/OECD Guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education IAU Global Meeting and International Conference Sharing Quality Higher Education Across Borders 14-16 November 2005 Alexandria, Egypt Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic Division of Higher Education, UNESCO

2. Guidelines: Status & Next steps • 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, 16 October 2005 supported the Guidelines as a secretariat document • The OECD Council – Prague, 2 December 2005 • Implementation: UNESCO & OECD with stakeholders and partners

3. Why UNESCO? Existing frameworks • 1998 WCHE and 2003+5 FU: access, equity, relevance; HE element of SD in the Knowledge Society • The 6 regional conventions on the recognition of qualifications as the only legal instrument in HE ratified by over 100 Member States; • Recommendations on the Recognition of Qualifications 1993 and the Status of HE teaching Personnel 1997; • The Global Forum on International Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the Recognition of Qualifications: new dimensions in quality assurance and qualifications recognition (2002;2004)

4. Guidelines/Codes of Good Practice on TNE/ CBHE • 1978 Guidelines for Developing Countries on Correspondence Education (UNESCO) • 1999 Recommendation on International Access Qualifications (UNESCO/CoE) • 2001 Code of Good Practice on TNE (UNESCO/CoE) • 2004 Statement on Quality HE Across Borders (IAU/AUCC/ACE/CHEA) • 2005 Guidelines on Quality in Cross-Border HE (UNESCO/OECD)

5. WHY THE GUIDELINES? Context • Growth of cross-border higher education: distance education, franchises, branch campuses; • GATS and Higher Education • Need to provide an EDUCATIONAL response to maximize opportunities, minimize risks

6. External quality assurance and accreditation systems have been adopted in more than 60 countries • The scope and status of agencies vary, depending on countries. • The map is not exhaustive and changes rapidly, as governments face pressing needs to establish a quality assurance agency

7. But their scope is often domestic • National quality assurance and accreditation systems are very diverse and uneven • They do not often cover cross-border (or for-profit) higher education • Higher education systems are often opaque viewed from abroad • Need for more transparency and for quality assurance to take into account the growth in cross-border education

8. Objectives of the Guidelines • support and encourage international cooperation and understanding of the importance of quality provision in cross-border higher education • protect students and other stakeholders from low-quality provision and disreputable providers • encourage the development of quality cross-border higher education that meets human, social, economic and cultural needs

9. Principles of the Guidelines • Voluntary and non-binding • Responsibility for partnerships, sharing, dialogue, mutual trust and respect between sending and receiving countries • Recognition of national authority and of the diversity of systems • Recognition of importance of international collaboration and exchange, internally, externally • Access to transparent and reliable information

10. The scope of the Guidelines • Voluntary and non-binding BUT • Stamp of two IGOs: UNESCO and the OECD • Addressing Governments but recognizing the role of NGOs and Student Organizations • Stakeholders: Governments; Higher Education Institutions/academic staff; Students bodies; Quality Assurance and accreditation bodies; Academic Recognition Bodies; Professional Bodies;

11. Definition of CBHE The Guidelines define cross-border provision as “ cross-border higher education (that) includes higher education that takes place in situations where the teacher, student, programme, institution/provider or course materials cross national jurisdictional borders. Cross border higher education may include higher education by public/private and not-for profit/for profit providers. It encompasses a wide range of modalities, in a continuum from face-to face (taking various forms such as students traveling abroad and campuses abroad) to distance learning (using a range of technologies and including e-learning).”

12. Guidelines to HEI/Academic Staff • Ensure that the programmes they deliver across borders and in their home country are ofcomparable quality and take into account the cultural and linguistic sensitivities of the receiving country. • Recognise that quality teaching and research is made possible by the quality of faculty and the quality of their working conditions • Maintain Internal quality management systems: full use of the competencies of stakeholders responsibility to ensure that the information and guidance provided by their agents are accurate, reliable and easily accessible;

13. Guidelines to HEI/Academic Staff • Consult competent quality assurance and accreditation bodies and respect the quality assurance and accreditation systems of the receiving country when delivering higher education across borders, including distance education; • Develop and maintain networks and partnerships to facilitate the process of recognition by acknowledging each other’s qualifications as equivalent or comparable; • Provide accurate, reliable and easily accessible information on the quality assurance and the academic and professional recognition of qualifications • Ensure the transparency of the financial status of the institution /programme

14. Main (underlying) message • The quality of cross-border higher education is a shared responsibility between importing and exporting countries • Quality assurance should cover cross-border education in all its forms • Stakeholders should collaborate internationally to enhance the transparency about the quality of HE and about HE systems • Cross-border delivery shouldhave the same quality as home delivery

15. Main action mechanisms • Quality assurance • have a quality assurance system, internal or external • have fair mechanisms for recognition of qualifications • Transparency and accessibility of information • be transparent about what you do and make the relevant information accessible internationally • Collaboration • Strengthen your collaboration with other stakeholders in your country, regionally and internationally

16. Regional Capacity Building: • The Mediterranean – Tempus-MEDA – MERIC Network • RIACES (Latin America + Spain)/revival of LAC Convention/Bogota Ministerial Meeting/Nov.05 • The Caribbean: CANQATE • Asia Pacific Convention + APQN

17. Regional Capacity Building • Africa: Launch of AQUAnet (partnership with AAU and the World Bank) • Pilot project for Francophone countries • Arab States: New Initiatives for Regional Accreditation

18. Capacity Building – Some Existing Tools • Tool-kit for QA in CBHE (Asia and the Pacific) • DE course for QA in CBHE, using the Guidelines, to be launched in Africa (UNESCO-IIEP) • Knowledge Base for QA in ODL – Africa, Asia and the Pacific, CIS (to be extended to LAC and Arab States) • On-Line Course for Credential Evaluation – Mediterranean Convention

19. NEXT STEPS • Info-Tool: Create a portal of accredited HEIs and programmes to be hosted by UNESCO: pilot project 2006 • 3rd Global Forum on QA focusing on Learners (October 2006) • UNESCO/OECD Conference 2007?

20. A WAY FORWARD? UNESCO 2005 GC Decision: how have the Guidelines been used • Do HEIs and Associations find them relevant? • How can they be applied and used? • Should they be improved and adapted? • Are there regional specificities that should be reflected?

21. Thank you! s.uvalic-trumbic@unesco.org http://www.unesco.org/education/amq/guidelines