Transcript NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN ROMANIA: ACTIONS AND PLANS Sorin Eugen ZAHARIA, PhD., Director of the Agency ROMANIA 8-9 July 2008, Cetinje, Montenegro.

NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK
IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN ROMANIA:
ACTIONS AND PLANS
Sorin Eugen ZAHARIA, PhD.,
Director of the Agency
ROMANIA
8-9 July 2008, Cetinje, Montenegro
Contents:


1. Rationale
2. National Qualifications Framework
Strategy for 2007-2010
A. Current situation at national level
B. International level
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
3. Publications
4. Events
5. Conclusions
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1. Rationale
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►The rationale for the QFHE is to provide a
mechanism to relate national frameworks to
each other so as to enable:
1. International transparency and comparability
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

between and across universities;
with the employers and other stakeholders;
Instrument: Diploma Supplement;
2. International recognition of qualifications
3. International mobility of learners and graduates


Learners can ultimately have greater confidence that the
outcomes of study abroad will contribute to a qualification sought
in their country.
A framework will also be of particular help in supporting the
development and recognition of joint degrees from more than one
country;
4. Optimal insertion on the global labour market
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2. National
Qualifications
Framework in
Romania – Strategy
for 2007-2010
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
A. National Level
A.1. Development of National Qualifications
Framework for Higher Education
A.2. Creation of National Register of Qualifications in
Higher Education

B. International Level
B.1. Exchanges of good practices;
B.2. Involvement in European actions for development
the qualifications framework;
B.3. Harmonization of the Romanian NQF with EQF
and with other countries’ NQFs.
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A. NATIONAL LEVEL
Action/step
Step completed with an
indication of timing
1. Decision to start
2005
taken by the national Decision taken by the Ministry
body responsible for
of Education
higher education
2. Setting the agenda:
The purpose of the
NQF
Development, recognition and
certification of qualifications,
defined by means of
learning outcomes
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Step to be
completed
with an
indication
of timing
Action/step
Step completed with an indication of timing
3. Organizing the
2005:
process: Identifying According to Government Decision
no
stakeholders;
1357/November 11, 2005 APART turns into
setting up a
the National Authority for Qualifications in
committee/WG
Higher Education (ACPART)
2006

Rector’s Conference – presentation of EQF
and discussion related to a possible
development of a national qualifications
framework in Romania

National conferences, regional workshops
organised in order to promote the concepts
and principles of NQFHE through the
academics and professionals;

Establishment of a Working Group for
designing the Methodology on NQFHE
development; the Working Group is set up by
ACPART, following consultation with higher
education institutions.
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Step to be
completed with
an indication of
timing
Action/step
Step completed with an indication of
timing
4. Design Profile: Level 2007
structure,
Level Design of the first draft methodology on NQFHE
descriptors
(learning development – completed by ACPART + WG
outcomes),
Credit
ranges
5. Consultation National
discussion and
acceptance of design by
stakeholders
2007
 First version of the Methodology on NQFHE
subject to public debate for one year (during
2007), by workshops and seminars organised by
ACPART with a view to consulting and having the
feedback of the representatives of all universities, of
important employers, sectoral committees, trade
unions, professional associations, high schools and
other beneficiaries (students, teachers, graduates);
 Piloting the NQFHE Methodology by 10 study
programmes described in terms of competences,
based on the grids of specific descriptors
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Step to be
completed
with an
indication
of timing
Action/step
Step completed with an indication
of timing
6.
Approval The final version of the Methodology
according
to for NQFHE development submitted to the
national tradition Ministry for approval
by
Minister/
Government/
legislation
7. Administrative 2008
set-up Division of Accomplished – provided through the
tasks
of methodology
implementation
between
HEI,
QAA and other
bodies
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Step to be
completed with
an indication
of timing
2008
To be approved
by Government
decision
Action/step
Step completed
Step to be completed with an
with an indication indication of timing
of timing
8. Implementation at
institutional/
programme level;
Reformulation of
individual study
programmes to
learning outcome
based approach
2008-2010
The implementation phase of the NQFHE
will be done under the European Social
Fund by means of a three years project:
“Development of an Operational System of
the Higher Education Qualifications in
Romania – DOCIS”. The overall objective of
the project is to restructure and improve the
higher education system by implementing
the NQFHE and re-mapping the entire
system according to the labour market
requirements
9.
Inclusion
of
qualifications in the
NQF;
Accreditation
or similar (cf. Berlin
Communiqué)
Validation of qualifications as provided for
by
the
Methodology
on
NQFHE
development: anticipated for 2010 under the
ESF funded project
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Action/step
Step completed with
Step to be completed with
an indication of timing an indication of timing
10. Self-certification Alignment to the Bologna 2010-2012
of compatibility with cycles
accomplished
– Self-certification of compatibility
the EHEA
according to Law 288/2004. with the EHEA framework
framework
(Alignment to
Bologna cycles
etc.)
11. National
qualifications web
site is available to
users
Web address:
www.acpart.ro
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Romanian
Model of
NQF of HE
(competences)
Competences
can be
classified in
two categories:
(skills)

professional
competences;

transversal
competences.
(knowledge)
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Concept of learning outcomes (LO)
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LO = knowledge + skills + competences
LO = résultats de l’enseignement
(l’apprentissage)
(mieux: acquis de l’apprentissage )
rezultatele învăţării
LO + assessment = learning outputs = résultats
de l’enseignement
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Building a consensus on the NQFHE
development and implementation
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B. INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
B.1. Harmonization of the Romanian NQF with OFQ
in EHEA, with EQF and with other countries the
NQFs
 Leonardo da Vinci Project 2006-4607/001-001 LE2-707 EQF
”Developing
Key
Methodological
Units
for
the
the
Implementation of EQF by Means of NQFs – EQF by NQFs”. Its
development period is January 1st, 2007 – December 31st, 2008.
 The general objective of the project is to exchange experiences
and to develop and test modular grids of competences and key
methodological units comprising principles, mechanisms and
guidance tools for the elaboration of EQF and specific NQFs.
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 Leonardo da Vinci Pilot Project FR/04/B/P/PP-151128
„European mechanism for distance information,
orientation and validation of the jobs and qualifications in
informatics and multimedia, from a lifelong learning point
of view” – EURO PORTIC promoted by the University of
Versailles. Partner countries: France, Spain, Great Britain,
Romania, Estonia.
 Transnational cooperation project Socrates-Minerva 116530CP-1-2004-1-FR-MINERVA-MPP „European programme of
e-trainings and validation through competences in dataprocessing and multimedia” – e-FORMINFO promoted by
the University of Versailles. Partner countries: France, Spain,
Poland, Romania, Great Britain.
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Leonardo da Vinci Mobility Project
RO/2006/97041/EX „Experts training in
the field of quality assurance and
qualifications in HE” – CALEX
promoted by the ACPART Agency. Partner
countries: France, Ireland , Spain.
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3. Publications
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 Papers and support materials for information and
dissemination regarding the system of qualifications at
European and national level
„Conceptual bases for the development of NQFHE
in Romania” (May, 2007)
 Proceedings of UNISO 2006
 Proceedings of UNISO 2007
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4. Events
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►Summer University „UNIversity in SOciety – UNISO”
2007„Lifelong learning and qualifications in higher
education” was organised in Versailles (France) - 9-12 July
2007 by ACPART in collaboration with the University of
Versailles
2008 “Competence-based Higher Education: Challenges and
solutions”, in Iaşi (Romania) – 16-20 of July:
•
Student-centred education: pedagogical innovations;
• Standards and assessment in European higher education;
• Facilitating social insertion of graduates through competence-based
education;
• Qualifications Framework: a tool for mobility, flexibility and
professional insertion. 8-9 July 2008, Cetinje, Montenegro
5. Conclusions
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1. The necessity for improving the
dialogue with universities, stakeholders,
students:

to explain;
 to build up together the NQFs;
 to have feedback.
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2. The NQF should be an opportunity
for a student-centred higher
education;
 3. Qualifications framework should
support:

 the
mobility;
 curricula reform;
 better understanding of study cycles and
learning outcomes after each cycle.
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4. Linking the development of the qualifications
framework to other Bologna action lines:
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quality assurance;
credit transfer and accumulation systems;
lifelong learning;
flexible learning paths and the social dimension;
recognition of qualifications, particularly the diploma
supplement and quality assurance.
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Thank you
for your
attention!
[email protected]
8-9 July 2008, Cetinje, Montenegro