Enhancing Quality

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Enhancing Quality

• Dublin Conference March 8 2004
• Jürgen Horschinegg

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Speakers background

• Degree in educational science
• Certified organizational developer
• Since 10 years working in the General Directorate
  for VET in the Federal Ministry for Education,
  Science and Culture in Vienna.
• Tasks Research, Quality, School Development,
  PISA, Gender Mainstreaming
• Member of the Forum for Quality in VET (2001-02)
• Member of the TWG Quality in VET (2003-?)

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TWG Work Programme 2004

• The priority issues
• Models and practices for quality assurance
• Quality indicators
• Standards and norms
• Self-evaluation approaches

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TWG Work Programme 2004

• The means
• Networking an overarching concept that covers
• - Peer review
• - bi/multilateral institutional cooperation
• - LdV Projects
• Cross analysis (supporting and stock taking for
  peer reviews)
• Awareness raising/information activities

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TWG Work Programme 2004

• Implementation
• Experimental application of indicators and self
  assessment (European guide)
• Structured exchange of experience models and
  practices for quality assurance
• More in-depth surveys needed outcome standards
• Countries represented in the TWG-Q have given
  concrete examples for pilot-activities they could
  lead, host or participate in.

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Questions

• The aforesaid gives a hint for an answer to
• Are national VET systems sufficiently prepared
  for testing of the outcomes of the TWG-Q
  (Copenhagen) related to quality assurance? How
  can they be best disseminated and tested?
  (report, page 114)
• Open questions
• are TWG-Q-products marketable now and shall they
  be patented?
• Shall we move towards EU - norms and - labels?

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E.g. Austrian approach

• National Copenhagen stakeholdergroup
• Proposal for a LdV-project on peer-review
• Participation in 3 peer reviews in 2004 (F, Fin,
  DK)
• Antizipation study based on the results a
  discussion and reform-process to be started
• Development and implementation of a QM-QS system
  for initial VET in the upper- and post-secondary
• Larger reform discussion following the report of
  the Zukunftskommission for the whole
  educational sector

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Bologna meets Copenhagen

• What makes VET different?
• Large variety of systems and within systems
  (state vs. market hierarchical structure vs.
  autonomous institutions strong/direct vs.
  weak/indirect link to the labour market)
• Complex structure of ownership
• Strong local aspect
• Tradition and culture
• Lack of international orientation

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Learning from Bologna!?

• How to shape a strategy for relatively
  independent organisations (i.e. universities)
• International co-operation and mobility of
  learners
• Involvement of stakeholders
• Interplay of internal and external assessment
• Peer review
• European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies
  (ENQA)

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Additional Questions for Discussion

• Does it make sense to establish an ENQA-like
  structure for VET?
• Is Peer-Review an efficient and reliable tool for
  VET ?
• How to integrate activities/results from other
  supranational organisations like OECD, IEA,
  UNESCO,?

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Co-operation with others OECD

• Goal provide reliable information for system
  steering in a heterogeneous context
• Strategy quantitative - qualitative
• Indicators Project (INES)
• Education at a Glance (EAG)
• PISA
• Deseco?
• Country (thematic) reviews (e.g.retaining
  effective teachers) involving countries on a
  voluntary basis
• Research Projects and Studies e.g. Brain
  research

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Conditions for success page 108

• Establish a clear, coherent and integrated vision
  of the future
• win support from, and involve, all key
  stakeholders
• allocate sufficient resources
• set targets that are specific, measurable, and
  achievable, relevant, and timed
• monitor and report progress against the targets
• evaluate performance and make relevant
  adjustments as required
• begin concrete actions which encompass VET,
  Higher Education and Lifelong Learning, such as
  EUROPASS