Recognition General Overview and Latest Developments Gunnar Vaht

Recognition: General Overview and Latest Developments Gunnar Vaht Estonian ENIC/NARIC (Archimedes Foundation) gunnar. vaht@archimedes. ee

> Recognition in EHEA ● Is an important component of the whole development towards the European Higher Education Area - Movement of students and employees - Internationalisation of higher education institutions - New skills and international expereince in labor market

> International legal instruments ● ● ● Conventions Recommendations (subsidiary texts) Declarations EU Directives Bilateral and multilateral agreements

> Convention ● Convention on the Recognition of qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (the Lisbon Convention), 1997 – Council of Europe and UNESCO ● 50 ratifications/accessions

> Subsidiary documents ● Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications (2001) ● Code of Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education (2001, revised 2007) ● Recommendation on the Recognition of Joint Degrees (2004) ● Joint ENIC/NARIC Charter of Activities and Services (2004)

> Recognition Networks ● ENIC (European Network of Information Centres on Academic Recognition and Mobility) • Council of Europe / UNESCO ● NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) • European Commission ● Contact: www. enic-naric. net

> Recognition and Qualifications Frameworks ● Qualifications frameworks describe qualifications in a given system • QF-EHEA (higher education qualifications) • EQF-LLL (all qualifications in an education system) ● Qualifications frameworks are important instruments in achieving comparability and transparency of qualifications ● Risks that certain level qualification is automatically recognised at the same level in host country • (there are second cycle degees with no access to third cycle study)

> Assessment criteria and procedures ● Adequate assessment of foreign qualifications is the fundamental issue towards the fair recognition ● International and national regulations • Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications (adopted on 6 June 2001; a subsidiary text to the Lisbon Recognition Convention) • A recommendation based on good practice • National legal acts and internal regulations • The national legal framework should applied in a flexible way with a view to making recognition possible. In cases where existing national laws conflict with the Recommendation, it is encouraged carefully to consider whether national laws may be amended.

> Recommendation on Procedures and Criteria ● Article IV. Assessment procedures • Information to applicant • Standardised information on the procedures and criteria, automatically should be given to all applicants • Information on the qualification for which recognition is sought • The responsibility for providing information on the qualification is shared by applicants, HEIs and competent authorities • • • Fees Translation Verification of the authenticity of documents Time Appeal

> Recommendation on Procedures and Criteria ● Article V. Assessment criteria • Status of the institution (awarding body) • Assessment of individual qualification

> Assessment criteria (good practice) – status of the institution ● Assessment of institution • Whether the HEI belongs to the higher education system • Transnational provider (according to the Code of good Practice) • Type of institution – HEI or vocational school; university of professional HEI • Quality assessment and assurance/accreditation • Status and recognition of institution in home country

> Assessment criteria (good practice) – assessment of individual qualification ● Assessment of qualification • • • Access requirements (previous education) Field of study – specialisation Content (courses), practice, research, graduation requirements Profile Quality /accreditation Nominal duration, workload (credits) (grades) Level in National Qualifications Framework Function of qualification (access to further studies; rights in labor market) • Learning outcomes and competences

> Five main elements of qualification (higher education qualifications framework) • • • Quality Level Workload Profile Learning outcomes ● As main elements in assessment and comparison of qualifications in EHEA

> Assessment of learning outcomes • Learning outcomes will be of key importance, as it will be in the further development of a fair recognition based on what a person knows and is able to do rather than the formal procedures that have led to the qualification. • NB! in most cases the descriptions for and of learning outcomes are not yet available

> A very important element • In addition to five key elements (level, quality, workload, profile and learning outcomes) there is one more key element in assessment and recognition of qualification – function of the qualification • Function – it is assessed what a person can do with the certain qualification in his/her home country, formal rights in access to further study and/or for the labor market

> Criteria and procedure – good and not so good or unacceptable practice (analysis of national action plans) • GOOD PRACTICE • National legislation has been adopted or amended on the basis of principles laid down in the LRC and its subsidiary texts • NOT SO GOOD OR UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE • National legislation is not amended after ratification of the LRC. National legislation uses outdated terminology linked to such concepts and approaches in recognition which the LRC aims to abolish (nostrification; equivalency)

> Criteria and procedure – good and not so good or unacceptable practice (analysis of national action plans) • GOOD PRACTICE • If necessary, authenticity of credentials is veryfied through the correspondence with the country of origin • NOT SO GOOD OR UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE • Requesting that all documents have apostille • (requesting that an applicant have to receive and bring a confirmation issued by the authorities of country of origin)

> Criteria and procedure – good and not so good or unacceptable practice (analysis of national action plans) • GOOD PRACTICE • Acknowledge differences between educational systems and programmes • Moving away from seeking full comparability of the foreign qualification – towards comparing only these aspects relevant to the rights and functions • NOT SO GOOD OR UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE • Seek for full comparability (equivalency) of programme contents • Using programme duration and content details as main criteria for recognition

> Criteria and procedure – good and not so good or unacceptable practice (analysis of national action plans) • GOOD PRACTICE • Whenever possible, basis recognition on comparison of learning outcomes and competences • NOT SO GOOD OR UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE • Assessment involves detailed comparison of curricula and material studied

> Criteria and procedure – good and not so good or unacceptable practice (analysis of national action plans) • GOOD PRACTICE • Countries (national bodies) monitor observation of the principles of the LRC and its subsidiary texts are followed by HEIs • NOT SO GOOD OR UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE • Countries consider that state cannot influence or monitor recognition procedures at HEIs due to institutional autonomy

THANK YOU!