DevelopingDeveloping trust: Towards Mutual trust: Towards Mutual Recognition agreementsRecognition agreements

MERCOSUR – RIACES MERCOSUR – RIACES

María José Lemaitre

Chile

June, 2006 MJL 2

Requirements for mobility Requirements for mobility and recognitionand recognition

Trust on basic, shared quality requirements Quality: wide and flexible definitions, able

to account for different options in HE Standards: for programmes, institutions and

QA agencies

June, 2006 MJL 3

Requirements for mobility Requirements for mobility and recognitionand recognition

HE

TRUST

STANDARDSQUALITY

Mobility Recognition

Accreditation

June, 2006 MJL 4

TrustTrust

Shared cultural elements Quality assurance mechanisms Need to develop substantive standards Need to establish standards for QA processes

June, 2006 MJL 5

QualityQuality

Diversity of HEFlexible definition of quality (internal

and external consistency)Legibility of degrees and diplomasQualifications frameworks

June, 2006 MJL 6

StandardsStandards

Substantive standards: contents of teaching and learning, clear expected learning outcomes

Standards for quality assurance processes: procedures, GGP

June, 2006 MJL 7

The MERCOSUR The MERCOSUR experienceexperience

Goal: To make degrees comparable in the six MERCOSUR countries Conditions: to respect national sovereignty and institutional autonomy Need to operate within national QA frameworks

MERCOSURMERCOSUR

June, 2006 MJL 9

Standards for accreditationStandards for accreditation

Three expert groups, from the six countries Expected learning outcomes for three programmes:

Engineering Medicine Agronomy

Conditions for operation (management, human resources, curriculum development, teaching and learning strategies, scholarship, learning resources)

June, 2006 MJL 10

Definition of qualityDefinition of quality

Quality defined as the combination of two main aspects:

• External consistency (adjustment to requirements from disciplinary and professional reference group)

• Internal consistency (ability to respond to institutional principles and priorities

June, 2006 MJL 11

Quality assurance Quality assurance proceduresprocedures

Supranational arrangement, promptly rejected Need to reach an agreement that would allow for mutual recognition of QA decisions Agreement on a basic set of procedures

June, 2006 MJL 12

Quality assurance Quality assurance procedures (2)procedures (2)

All countries agreed to base their decisions on self assessment and external review reports All agencies would use the standards developed by the expert groups External review teams must include members from other two Mercosur countries All external reviewers had to undergo Mercosur training

June, 2006 MJL 13

OutcomesOutcomes

All countries recognize the decisions made by the national agencies

Students from accredited programmes enjoy enhanced opportunities for mobility

Bilateral agreements have been reached leading towards automatic recognition of qualifications of students from accredited programmes

Countries without QA agencies have established their own

Red Iberoamericana para la Red Iberoamericana para la Acreditación de la Calidad de la Acreditación de la Calidad de la

Educación SuperiorEducación Superior

RIACESRIACES

June, 2006 MJL 15

RIACESRIACES

New network of QA agencies, government organizations, associations of HE institutions, and international organizations

Established in 2003, with participation of Latin American countries and Spain

It received a grant from the World Bank to help its development and the promotion of QA activities in the region

RIACESRIACES+ SPAIN

June, 2006 MJL 17

RIACES: two strategic areas RIACES: two strategic areas areas of involvementareas of involvement

1. Capacity building of quality assurance agencies, in order to promote their external recognition

2. Improvement of contents and procedures of agencies in order to promote integration

June, 2006 MJL 18

Action plan: Capacity building Action plan: Capacity building of quality assurance agenciesof quality assurance agencies

Component 1: Development of QA mechanisms within the region Seminar on good practices for QA Design and development of a handbook for the self assessment of

agenciesComponent 2: Establishment of a regional information center Exchange of experiences and development of common criteria for the

assessment of graduate programs, and of distance education Updating of the RIACES glossaryComponent 3: Development of the technical staff of QA agencies Internships for technical staff in the more experienced agencies

within the region Specific projects for consultancy or advice to benefit the less

developed agencies

June, 2006 MJL 19

Action plan: Action plan: Improvement of contents and Improvement of contents and procedures of agenciesprocedures of agencies

Component 4: Development programs Workshops for harmonization of criteria on three subject

areas: agronomy, engineering, medicine, based on the MERCOSUR experience

Component 5: Training of external reviewers Participation of reviewers as observers in external reviews

for program and institutional accreditation

June, 2006 MJL 20

ProceduresProcedures

International dialogue among QA agencies and other stakeholders: Shared learning Adjustment of standards and procedures Development of mutual trust

QA of accrediting agencies GGP Improvement of information systems Support to QA agencies

June, 2006 MJL 21

Final commentsFinal comments

Globalization brings new challenges, that must be anticipated and addressed with a long term and global approach

Networking is essential, for developing trust, for learning together, for building strong constituencies, for standing up together to the globalized world

National systems are essential, but international support makes things more effective