Mobility, Recognition, ECTS

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Mobility, Recognition, ECTS

• Bologna Promoters Presentation Material
• (to be adapted as needed)

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Content of the Presentation

• Mobility in Europe
• Promoting Mobility
• Recognising qualifications
• ECTS Objectives
• ECTS Key Features
• ECTS Documents
• ECTS Site Visits Label
• ECTS implementation and future challenges

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Mobility in Europe

• A major objective in Europe since the Treaty of
  Rome (1957)
• An essential aspect of European higher education
  (Bologna Process Lisbon Strategy)
• supported by EU programmes (Socrates Erasmus,
  Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, LLP, Leonardo da Vinci,
  Framework Programmes for Research and
  Technological Developement)
• implemented by European HEIs (bi/multi-lateral
  agreements, joint programmes)
• But lack of consistent statistical information
  and common definition makes it hard to measure
  mobility flows and trends

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Promoting mobility

• 2000 EU Mobility Action Plan
• Financial support
• Portability of student grants loans
• Easier access to health welfare entitlements
• Fairer tax requirements
• Facilitated access for residence work
• Need to publicise the benefits of mobility
• Need to make information more easily accessible
  to all ? PLOTEUS web
  portal
• Need to facilitate recognition of study periods
  abroad foreign qualifications

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Recognising qualifications

• Tools
• The 1997 Lisbon Recognition Convention
• 38 (out of 56) countries ratified the Convention
• The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation
  System (ECTS)
• The Europass portfolio (European CV, Diploma
  Supplement, Certificate Supplement, Europass
  language passport, Europass mobility)
• The European and national qualifications
  frameworks
• The 2005 EU Directive on the regulated
  professions
• Facilitators
• The ENIC NARIC networks
• But lack of authority in taking binding decisions
  on the recognition of qualifications

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ECTS objectives

• Improve transparency and comparability of study
  programmes and qualifications
• Facilitate academic recognition ? ECTS as a
  transfer system (mobile students)
• Support curricular reform ? ECTS as a tool for
  curriculum design
• Promote flexibility in learning and qualification
  processes ? ECTS as an
  accumulation system (all learners)

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ECTS Key Features I

• Student-centred system based on the student
  workload required to achieve the objectives of a
  programme, objectives preferably specified in
  terms of learning outcomes and competences to be
  acquired
• Student workload includes all aspects of study
  programmes time
  spent attending lectures, independent study,
  dissertations, placement, preparing for and
  taking of examinations, etc
• ? Student workload ? contact hours or courses

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ECTS Key Features II

• System based on the convention that 60 credits
  measure the workload of an average full-time
  student during one academic year
• (1 credit 25 to 30 hours workload)
• ECTS credits can only be obtained after
  completion of the work required and appropriate
  assessment
• ECTS grading system useful in particular for
  credit transfer. The ECTS
  grading scale ranks the students on a statistical
  basis
  (it supplements local/national
  systems)

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ECTS Documents

• Information Package/Course Catalogue (information
  on the institution and its study programmes)
• Learning Agreement (list of courses to be taken
  and agreed upon between the student and the
  institutions concerned)
• Transcript of Records (documents the performance
  of the student with list of courses, credits
  grained, local and ECTS grades)

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ECTS Site Visits Label

• Since 2000, the European Commission has been
  funding ECTS/DS site visits to 50 HEIs per year ?
  to help institutions introduce and implement ECTS
• From 2004 to 2006, an ECTS Label was awarded to
  institutions which apply ECTS in the correct way
  in all first and second cycle degree programmes
  ? to raise the profile of institutions as
  transparent and reliable partners in European and
  international co-operation
• ECTS Label currently under consultation/revision

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ECTS implementation future challenges

• According to the Trends V report
• ECTS continues to gain ground as the credit
  system for the European Higher Education Area
• However, incorrect or superficial use of ECTS is
  currently still widespread
• ? the use of ECTS for curriculum design and its
  implementation as an accumulation system needs to
  be improved
• ? the further development of ECTS to ensure the
  recognition of learning outcomes for all types of
  learning is a key challenge in the context of
  lifelong learning

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Web resources

• European Commissions website
• http//ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/socrates
  /ects/index_en.html
• Trends V report
• www.eua.be

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