Poland - the development of the NQF, taking into account all aspects of

education

Ewa Chmielecka

Meeting of the NQF National Correspondents Dublin, 16 April, 2010

The short history of the Polish NQF

• 2006 – after Bergen– Working group for the HE QF– The first (expert) model QF for HE ready in 2007– Nothing happened

• But activities of the Polish Bologna Experts team

• 2008 – after the EP Recommendation– Background:

• HE QF developments • national curricula for general education (LO based)

implemented in 2009 • national curricula for vocational education (also LO based)

under construction• Standards for professions going on

The short history of the Polish NQF

• 2008 – after the EP Recommendation– Working group for the Polish NQF consisting

of representatives of general, higher and vocational education

– Other stakeholder involved (e.g. designers of the professional standards)

– The (expert) model of the PQF ready in December 2009

The short history of the Polish NQF

• 2009 – 2010– Working group for the QF HE continues its work using

the PQF model – The PQF development for 8 domains of studying– Changes in the law on HE in progress – In 2009-2010-2011 academic years:

• about 100 trainings on the LO oriented curricula design planned

• Bechmarks • Movement of „good practices” codes

The short history of the Polish NQF - 2010

Nomination (the Prime Minister) of 2 bodies– LLL Strategy Team (all institutional stakeholders; run

by MEN)– NQF Steering Committee (all institutional

stakeholders; run by MNiSW)• The NCP as a body supporting the Steering Committee• All projects for designing QF under umbrella of the SC

At last: balance of bottom-up and top-down activities

Process and results

• We learn/teach each other (GE, VET, HE) • Hard core of the PQF [„basic PQF”] designed

and accepted by all main institutional stakeholders – Based on descriptors for the EQF– for full qualifications (7 levels) based mainly on

descriptors for general education – GE, HE and VET:

• additional key categories and specific interpretations• But always reduced to the „basic PQF”

Key categories – the „basic” PQF

• knowledge – Scope – Depth of understanding – [HE + holizm]

• skills– communication – problem solving – Using knowledge in practice – [HE + skills sophistication, creativity]

• Attitudes [other competencies]– identity / autonomy– cooperation – responsibility – [HE + social and professional leadership]

Vocational education and training

• VET descriptors extended from the original 5 levels to 7• no possibility to build separate qualification levels in the

PQF (problem of the „fifth level”)• but floor to create partial qualifications within the levels • Additional key categories:

– Complication of professional tasks – Autonomy in professional work – Readiness for taking responsibility for individual and group work

• Intelectual• Emotional• Ethical

The Polish NQF orientation

„Quality oriented dynamic tool with vision”

Problems to be solved

• Stock-taking (inventory) of qualifications – How many?– Empirical research in process – Register?

• Main time-consumer– Changes in law (the Polish education is deeply law-

driven)

• Levels of real qualifications – No problem with „state-owned” qualifications – But the others? – beginning of the stakeholders

involvement

Thank you for your attention!