Andrejs Rauhvargers Prof., Secretary General, Latvian Rectors’ Council e-mail: rp@lanet.lv

1. Recognition and qualification frameworksBologna process seminar in Copenhagen,March 27-28, 2003 Andrejs Rauhvargers Prof., Secretary General, Latvian Rectors’ Council e-mail: rp@lanet.lv

2. quoting Prague communique: ... facilitating academic and professional recognition, so that citizens can effectively use their qualifications throughout the EHEA

3. Role of recognition has changed from just a procedure of acknowledgement of diplomas to an essential component necessary to ensure reaching the goals of the Bologna process Some features of the desired EHEA: • degrees/diplomas earned in one part of the area are accordingly recognised in other parts • graduates are employable in the European labour market • obstacles for free mobility of students and teachers are removed • European higher education is attractive in the World market

4. Recognition of individual qualifications of institutions and programmes “...citizens can effectively use their qualifications throughout the EHEA” national international international national

5. Recognition of individual qualifications of institutions and programmes International cooperation in QA international does not automatically follow from national or international QA National QA international national international national National QA

6. Taken the huge diversity of European systems, it is not enough to consider recognition as just a formal acknowledgement of a foreign degree Working definition: Recognition = evaluation a foreign qualification with a view to find it’s right path in the host country’s a) education or b) employment system

7. Types of educational systems in the “Bologna” countries

8. In addition, even in the same education system qualifications vary in their • orientation, • profile and • workload

9. The questions to be answered: • Academic recognition: is the holder qualified to take up studies in the next stage as he/she requests? • Professional recognition: is the holder qualified to pursue the professional activies as he/she wishes? Both the procedures and the outcomes may vary depending on the purpose for which the recognition is sought

10. Recognition under Lisbon Convention Preconditions • the qualification must belong to a national system and • it has to be recognised in that system Recognition • equal level qualifications are recognised • if there are no substantial differences

11. Lisbon Convention Article VI.1. Each Party shall recognize the higher education qualifications conferred in another Party, unless a substantial difference can be shown between the qualification for which recognition is sought and the corresponding qualification in the Party in which recognition is sought. Art.IV.1 – access qualifications, Art V.1 – study periods

12. Directive 89/48/EEC Article 4 b) A foreign professional has to complete aptitude test or adaptation period is applied: “where the... education and training received ...differ substantially from those covered by the diploma required in the host Member State”

13. What to do if differences ARE substantial? alternative or partial recognition should be considered, e.g. • recognition of the foreign qualification as comparable to another qualification, but not to that indicated by the applicant; • recognition partial of the foreign qualification as part of the national qualification in question

14. Substantial differences may be found in: • learning outcomes and competencies, • access to further activities, may even be legally stipulated – but they should follow from learning outcomes • key elements of the programme, are important only with a view of learning outcomes to be achieved • quality of the programme to verify whether the desired outcomes are reached

15. Thus, understanding learning outcomes and comparing them to the ones of national qualification is the central focus of recognition But so far credentials’ eveluators could only try to estimate learning outcomes knowing the duration and contents of programme

16. This means that all the new initiatives to describe level and learning outcomes of qualifications also stimulate recognition

17. How the whole thing could work National Qualifications’ Frameworks • describe qualification level and • learning outcomes Quality assurance mechanisms • confirm that the desired learning outcomes are really achieved EHEA Qualifications’ framework • accommodates the national frameworks, • is used to translate information between national QF

18. When national and EHEA qualifications’ frameworks are in place, credentials’ evaluators: • easily find information on level and quality of the foreign qualification • use EHEA qualifications’ framework to interpret the orientation, profile and main learning outcomes of the foreign qualification • devote most of their effort to find the right path for the foreign qualification in host country’s eduaction and/or employment system.