Transcript Titolo slide…… - University of Novi Sad

“Academic
recognition of
study periods
spent abroad”
Basileus project
Serbia June 2009
Janerik Lundquist
www.bolognaprocess.it
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LEUVEN/LLN MINISTERIAL
CONFERENCE
• Priorities for the next decade to
come:
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LLL;
Employability;
Student - centred learning;
International openness and mobility;
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RECOGNITION AND MOBILITY
- Achievments: “the Bologna Process has
promoted the Diploma Supplement and the
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation
System to further increase transparency and
recognition”
- Committing for the future: “In 2020, at least
20% of those graduating in the European Higher
Education Area should have had a study or
training period abroad.”
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RECOGNITION AND MOBILITY
Which student mobility do we want?
“…opportunities for mobility shall be created
in the structure of degree programmes. Joint
degrees and programmes as well as mobility
windows shall become more common practice.
Flexible study paths and full recognition of
study achievements (…) are necessary
requirements. Mobility should also lead to a
more balanced flow of incoming and outgoing
students (…)”.
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MORE QUALITATIVE MOBILITY
Key words
Structured
20% by 2020
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“We believe that mobility of students, early stage
researchers and staff enhances the quality of
programmes and excellence in research; it
strengthens the academic and cultural
internationalization of European higher education.
Mobility is important for personal development and
employability.”
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ECTS AND THE BOLOGNA PROCESS
The general use of the European Credit
Accumulation and Transfer System (ECTS) is
one of the objectives of the Bologna Process for
the creation of the European Higher
Education Area.
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ECTS Key features 2009
Main characteristics of the European
Credit Accumulation and Transfer
System
Published by the European Commission in February 2009
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
ECTS credits are based on the workload students need in
order to achieve expected learning outcomes.
Learning outcomes describe what a learner is expected to
know, understand and be able to do after successful
completion of a process of learning
Workload indicates the time students typically need to
complete all learning activities (such as lectures,
seminars, projects, practical work, independent study
and examinations) required to achieve the expected
learning outcomes.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Credits:
- allocated to entire study programmes as well as
to their educational components (such as
modules, course units, dissertation work, work
placements);
- the number of credits ascribed to each
component is based on its weight in terms of
the workload students need in order to achieve
the learning outcomes in a formal context.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Credits:
- awarded to individual students after completion
of the learning activities and the succesful
assessment of the achieved learning outcomes;
- may be accumulated by students with a view to
obtaining qualifications, as decided by the
degree awarding institutions.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Credits may be transferred into another
programme, offered by the same or another
institution. This transfer can only take place if the
degree awarding institution recognises the credits
and the associated learning outcomes.
Partner institution should agree in advance on the
recognition of periods of study abroad.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Credits transfer and accumulation are facilitated
by the use of the ECTS key documents:
• Course catalogue;
• Students application form;
• Learning Agreement and Recognition Sheet;
• Transcript of Records
as well as the Diploma Supplement
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Course catalogue
- is the regular guide for all students attending the
institution;
- the format is to be decided by the institution;
- it should be published sufficiently well in advance for
students to make their choices.
Amongst other, it should include information on: credit
allocation, qualifications awarded, learning outcomes,
description of individual course units, …
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Student application form
The ECTS Student Application Form has been
developed for mobile students who will spend a
limited study period in another institution. The
ECTS Student Application Form contains all
the essential information about a mobile student
that a prospective host institution needs.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Learning Agreement
- was developed for mobile students in order to provide a
binding agreement before the mobility experience;
- it contain the list of course units or modules or other
educational components the student is planning to take at
the other institution, together with the code numbers
and the ECTS credits allocated to the components;
- it is drawn up for a semester or a year of study and
must be signed by the home institution, the host
institution and the student.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Learning Agreement (cont.):
- host institution, the commitment is to register the
incoming student in the planned course units/modules
and to provide the required learning activities;
- home institution, has to grant recognition of the credits
gained at the other institution;
- It is designed, together with the Transcript of Records,
to guarantee full recognition of the programme of study
undertaken in the host institution.
A student should not be asked to negotiate academic
recognition with individual academic staff members.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Transcript of Records and Recognition Sheet
They are important formal document, providing
evidence of progress and recognition.
They ensure that students have an accurate and
up-to-date record of their progress, the
educational components they have taken, the
number of ECTS credits they have achieved
and the grades they have been awarded. The
ECTS Transcript of Records is such a
certification, in an agreed format.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Recognition of credits is the process thorugh
which an institution certifies that certain
learning outcomes achieved and assessed in
another institution satisfy certain requirements
of the programme they offer.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Decisions on credit recognition and transfer are
taken by the qualification - awarding institution on
the basis of reliable information on the learning
outcomes achieved, as well as on the means of
assessment and their validation.
Institution should make their recognition policies
know and easily accessible.
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ECTS KEY FEATURES - 2009
Given the diversity of programmes and higher
education institutions, it is unlikely that the
credits and learning outcomes of a single
educational component in different programmes
will be identical.
Therefore, a flexible approach to recognition of
credits obtained in another context is
recommended. “Fair recognition” rather than
perfect equivalence is to be sought.
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ECTS User’s guide 2009
Suggestions for institutions on
recognition of periods of study abroad in
the framework of bilateral agreements
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
Partner institutions
Agreements should not only be made with
institutions offering similar programmes, but
also with those providing programmes
complementary to yours, thus making available
further opportunities to your students.
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
Integration of mobility into programmes
In order to structure mobility into your curricula:
- Identify the semester or year when a period of
study abroad would best fit into the programme
(mobility window);
- Schedule in that semester/year the educational
components the learning outcomes of which can
be more easiliy achieved abroad;
- Identify, within the partner institutions,
departments or curricula, where suitable learning
outcomes could be achieved.
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
Allocation of academic responsability
Appoint a faculty member in each department
or subject area who has the authority to:
- Approve students’ programmes of study abroad
(sign the Learning Agreement);
- Guarantee full recognition of such
programme on behalf of the responsible
academic body (sign the Recognition Sheet).
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
Before the departure of the student the responsible faculty
member will:
- Discuss with the student and approve a Learning Agreement
containing a programme of study abroad for a semester or for
a year (30 or 60 ECTS credits): this programme will have
similar, complementary or coherent learning outcomes in
relation to the programme at the home institution, but it will
not necessary have the same content;
- Guarantee that all credits gained abroad in the approved
programme of study will be fully recognised and transferred
into the home programme and used to satisfy the qualification
requirements (Recognition Sheet).
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
After the return of the student the responsible faculty member/
administrator will:
- Transfer all credits gained abroad in the approved programme
of study into the student’s official learning programme at
home, indicating the learning activities they refer to with
their original titles;
- Use the credits gained abroad for accumulation purposes to
satisfy specific curriculum requirements, as previously
agreed; recognising credits gained abroad as additional credits
would not fulfil the commitment to full academic recognition,
and should only be done if the student brings back more than
30/60 credits.
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
EGIT - European Grading Interpretation Scheme
The EGIT allows universities to ensure fair transfer
and recognition of grades of mobile students. It
requires universities to keep track of their grading
practice and culture, which is good practice in many
institutions across Europe.
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EGIT – old version
The statistical distribution curve for each reference group is
split into five segments:
- top 10% → A;
- next 25% → B;
- next 30% → C;
- next 25% → D;
- lowest 10% → E;
which could become a device for the direct translation of
grades from a degree programme in a given
country/institution into a similar one in another
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country/institution.
EGIT – new version
The statistical distribution curve is calculated separately
by the two institutions involved and then compared.
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ECTS USERS’ GUIDE 2009
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SPECIAL INGREDIENT FOR SUCCESS
MOBILIT
MAKE
PART OF
Y
INSTITUTIONAL
STRATEGY
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Conclusions
Correct procedures for the devopment of
study abroad programmes and for
academic recognition are basic
requirements for quality and students
mobility.
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