Work programme 2015-2018
ECA-NVAO Seminar 2015: National Implementation of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes
The seminar on "National Implementation of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes" is jointly organised by the European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA) and the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO), and takes place on Thursday 3rd December 2015 at the NVAO premises in The Hague.
The Ministers of the EHEA adopted the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes on 14-15 May 2015 in Yerevan. The purpose of the European Approach is to ease external quality assurance of joint programmes. In particular, it will:
- dismantle an important obstacle to the development of joint programmes by setting standards for these programmes that are based on the agreed tools of the EHEA, without applying additional national criteria, and
- facilitate integrated approaches to quality assurance of joint programmes that genuinely reflect and mirror their joint character.
European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes
It is now possible for higher education institutions providing a joint programme to select a suitable quality assurance agency from the list of EQAR-registered agencies. The agency will use the Standards and Procedure in the European Approach to carry out a single evaluation or accreditation of the entire joint programme. The result is to be accepted in all EHEA countries.
This seminar concentrates on the national implementation of the European Approach. Can the implementation start right away or are changes in national legislation necessary? What challenges do HEIs/joint programmes, agencies and governments face in applying the European Approach? Is recognition of joint programmes and the degrees awarded assured? These and other questions will be looked at from the viewpoint of different stakeholders such as the Bologna Secretariat, European Commission, national recognition authorities and governments, EQAR, QA agencies, and of course the perspectives of joint programmes and their students and alumni.
The seminar will start with plenary sessions in the morning, followed after lunch by three workshops with special attention for internal/external QA and recognition challenges. The main results of these workshops will be discussed, with a focus on possible solutions for implementation challenges, in the panel discussion.
The seminar will be useful for HEIs providing joint programmes, joint programme coordinators and students, QA agencies, recognition authorities and government representatives.