Quality assurance and joint programmes

•Axel Aerden

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What are we talking about?

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Quality assurance?

Accreditation?

Joint programme?

Process establishing stakeholder confidence that provision is fit for purpose or measures up to requirements

Formal & independent decision that a programme (or institution) meets certain predefined quality standards

A programme offered jointly by different higher education institutions irrespective of the degree (joint/multiple) awarded

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AIMS: mutual recognition of accreditation & quality assurance decisions

RESULTS OF THIS COOPERATION:• Code of good practice (2004)

• Principles for the selection of experts (2005)

• Principles for accreditation procedures regarding joint programmes (2007)

• Bilateral mutual recognition of accreditation agreements (2007)

• Qrossroads.eu (2008)

• Principles regarding learning outcomes in accreditation procedures (20010)

• Multilateral agreement regarding joint programmes (2011)

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Joint programmes?

• 2011 (Institute of International Education & Freie Universität Berlin)• 84% of universities offer joint programmes;• 33% of institutions award joint degrees • all others are developing or planning joint degrees;

• 2012 (Bologna Process Implementation Report)• all but one EHEA country has implemented legislation

allowing establishment of joint programmes & joint degrees• none of HE institutions participate in joint programmes:• Albania, Andorra, Liechtenstein and Montenegro;

• in addition to countries above, none of HE institutions participate in awarding joint degrees: • Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Moldova;

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Most common external quality assurance procedures regarding joint programmes

National procedure• Procedure by:

• Individual agency• Focus of procedure

• National offer• Whole joint programme

• Result: • National (accreditation)

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Joint procedure• Procedure by:

• At least 2 agencies• Focus of procedure

• Whole joint programme• Result:

• National (accreditation(s)) in countries involved

Most common external quality assurance procedures regarding joint programmes

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Challenges overcome

Multilateral Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Accreditation

Results regarding Joint Programmes

AT – DK – FL - FR – NL – PL – ES -CAT

Agreement to set up a Coordination Point for Joint

Programmes

Assessment Framework for Joint Programmes in Single Accreditation

Procedures

ECApedia

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Single procedure• Procedure by:

• One agency• Focus of procedure

• Whole joint programme• Result:

• National (accreditations) in MRA/MULTRA countries

Single accreditation proceduresregarding joint programmes

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So many challenges left, and all national (#1)

Too many national standards in external quality assurance and

accreditation

Good practice: assessments of joint programmes can be discharged from using certain national standards if they contradict others.

Very long list of examples:• Master thesis:

“max. 30 ECTS credits” vs. “at least 35% of the total number of credits”;• The assessment report (expert report) is required to be in the national

language;• Every programme should be taught by at least 6 doktor habilitowany & 6

PhDs who are all full-time staff of a national institution and have to teach at least 540 hours in the programme per academic year;

• Not about quality• Not suited for international

joint programmes• Contradict each other

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So many challenges left, and all national (#2)

Many national requirements make cooperation in external quality assurance difficult/impossible

Examples:• National QA agencies which are not allowed to coordinate an international

procedure / undertake a site visit abroad;• National QA agencies which cannot accept accreditation requests from a

foreign institution (the coordinator of the joint programme);• Different periods of accreditation; and some QA agencies cannot accept a

joint programme’s request for accreditation (years) before the current accreditation status is almost expired;

• Very procedural• No international perspective• Unaware of implications

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

axel.aerden@ecaconsortium.net - @AAerden

www.ecaconsortium.net - www.qrossroads.eu - www.ecapedia.net