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European Qualifications Passport for Refugees

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Pilot project "Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees" organised within the Action Plan "Building inclusive Societies"

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CARNET-ov masovni otvoreni online tečaj - Moodle dizajner - namijenjen je sudionicima pilot projeta "e-Škole: Uspostava sustava razvoja digitalno zrelih škola (pilot projekt)", nastavnom osoblju osnovnih i srednjih škola, visokoškolskih i drugih obrazovnih i znanstvenih ustanova koji nisu sudionici projekta te drugim zainteresiranim korisnicima u Republici Hrvatskoj koji posjeduju AAI@Edu.hr elektronički identitet i žele naučiti kako samostalno osmisliti i izraditi online tečaj u Moodle-u, te podijeliti svoja znanja i iskustva korištenja Moodle-a u nastavi.

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It was the first place of study to use the term universitas for the corporations of students and masters, which came to define the institution (especially its famous law school) located in Bologna, Italy. The University's crest carries the motto Alma mater studiorum ("nourishing mother of studies") and the date A.D.

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It proposed a European Higher Education Area in which students and graduates could move freely between countries, using prior qualifications in one country as acceptable entry requirements for further study in another.

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The Bologna declaration has later been followed up a series of meetings between EU ministers. Each meeting has produced a communiqué based on their deliberations. To date these include the Prague communiqué (2001), the Berlin communiqué (2003), the Bergen communiqué (2005), the London communiqué (2007)[3] the Leuven & Louvain-la-Neuve communiqué (2009).

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First Fully Online Degree programmes (1995 onwards)

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First Fully Online Degree programmes (1995 onwards)

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Annual reports - Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

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Summaries and full annual reports of the UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)

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Practical guidelines for fair recognition of qualifications

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Numerous students from all over the world have joined the Virtual Exchange Program since 2017. Find out about their experience.

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Certificate of HE Business (OERu) (2018-2020)

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Certificate of HE Business (OERu) (2018-2020)

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The qualification comprises 120 credits at the first-year Bachelor’s degree level.
The University of the Highlands and Islands  (UHI) will assess 60 credits for the qualification. OERu partner institutions will assess the remaining 60 credits for the qualification. OERu partner institutions will issue transcript credit for learners who successfully achieve the assessed learning outcomes for the courses listed below. The transcripts for assessed learning will be recognised for transfer credit into the Certificate Higher Education Business (OERu) at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

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Certificate Higher Education Business (OERu) | OERu

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OERu partner institutions will assess the remaining 60 credits for the qualification. OERu partner institutions will issue transcript credit for learners who successfully achieve the assessed learning outcomes for the courses listed below. The transcripts for assessed learning will be recognised for transfer credit into the Certificate Higher Education Business (OERu) at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

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New Zealand recognises micro-credentials (from July 2018 onwards)

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New Zealand recognises micro-credentials (from July 2018 onwards)

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The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is proposing to recognise micro-credentials, alongside qualifications, within New Zealand’s government regulated education and training system¹ from July 2018.

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Closed 13 Apr 2018

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) consulted on proposals to recognise micro-credentials, alongside qualifications, within New Zealand's government regulated education and training system, 5 March-13 April 2018.

The proposals were developed in conjunction with a sector working group and informed by three micro-credential pilots July 2017 - June 2018.

The consultation paper, Recognising micro-credentials in New Zealand's education and training system proposed an approach to recognising micro-credentials appropriate for the New Zealand education and training system.

The paper proposed:

recognition and quality assurance of micro-credentials from New Zealand tertiary education organisations

changes to the current Training Scheme Rules 2012 to include micro-credentials

provisions for micro-credentials from non-New Zealand tertiary education organisations.

The consultation paper is available as HTML or PDF (PDF, 427KB) .

Summary of consultation feedback

NZQA received 76 submissions through an online survey and by email, 50 from organisations and 26 from individuals.

The organisational submissions were from:

9 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnic

8 Industry Training Organisations

10 Private Training Establishments

5 university bodies including Universities New Zealand and Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities

18 from other organisations (including professional associations, peak bodies, overseas-based organisations, and agencies).

NZQA has considered the feedback from submissions, amended its proposals and developed a system to introduce micro-credentials in New Zealand. An overview of the system can be found here.

Amendments to NZQA Rules to enable the proposed system have been approved. These will come into effect from 22 August 2018. NZQA will consider applications for approval of micro-credentials from this time.

Further information (including Guidelines for the submission of micro-credential applications to NZQA) will be published shortly.

NZQA thanks all submitters for their feedback. Submissions provided a range of views that helped NZQA to improve its proposals.

Summary of submissions

Recognition of micro-credentials

There is strong support for the implementation of a micro-credentials system in New Zealand. Submitters said micro-credentials could add substantial value to the New Zealand education and training system in a range of ways. This includes:

recognising small discrete pieces of learning

encouraging portfolio-based approaches to education and training

credentialling existing knowledge and skills

Definition of micro-credentials

Submitters said the proposed definition could be made clearer. However, few alternative definitions were proposed.

Some submitters commented that the proposed 10 credits minimum for micro-credentials should be lower as some micro-credentials, particularly for professional learning and development, are likely to be less than 10 credits.

Similarly, submitters also said that there should be a cap on the size of micro-credentials because large micro-credentials (for example, 60 credits) overlap too much with qualifications.

Some submissions asked if micro-credentials should not be regarded as comparable to unit standards rather than training schemes.

Duplication and proliferation of micro-credentials

Many submitters agreed with NZQA that the risk of duplication and proliferation of micro-credentials should be managed. They noted that duplication and proliferation could lead to confusion for employers and a less valuable education product for learners.

Submitters supported an NZQA maintained register of approved micro-credentials and strong quality assurance settings to manage the risks and maintain the credibility of any future micro-credential system. Some submitters observed that while quality assurance was important, this should be balanced with ensuring that micro-credentials are able to respond with speed and agility to employer, industry and community needs.

Submissions observed the possibility of 'New Zealand micro-credentials', that could fulfill a similar function as New Zealand qualifications but within the concept of micro-credentials.

Training Scheme Rules as a mechanism for micro-credentials

Submissions supported the use of the Training Scheme Rules to quality assure micro-credentials. However, submitters from the Industry Training sector were concerned about whether these Rules would enable micro-credentials in an industry setting.

Some submitters suggested that NZQA should consider new and alternative quality assurance and regulatory settings for micro-credentials.

Equivalence against levels and credits on the NZQF

Submitters agreed there was value for learners and employers in NZQA providing an equivalence service for micro-credentials from non-Tertiary Education Organisations (domestic and international).

However, submitters observed that equivalence could imply approval and that NZQA should make it clear to learners and employers that establishing the equivalence of a micro-credential to levels and credits on the NZQF does not mean approval of the micro-credential.

Listing approved micro-credentials on the NZQF

Submitters did not agree that approved micro-credentials should be listed on the NZQF.

Some submitters said that doing so would devalue the status of qualifications, while other submitters said that NZQA should consider a New Zealand credentials framework that could sit alongside the NZQF and the Directory of Assessment Standards.

Micro-credential system

NZQA has considered the feedback from submissions, amended its proposals as appropriate and developed a system to introduce micro-credentials in New Zealand.

The table provides an overview of the system and its characteristics:

Micro-credentials

Characteristics

Educational elements

Certifies achievement of a set of skills and knowledge

Coherence of the skills and knowledge required

Purpose statement required

Learning outcomes required

Strong demonstrable evidence of need by industry, employer and/or community required

Does not typically duplicate current quality-assured learned approved by NZQA

Credit values
5 to 40 credits

Entities who may deliver or arrange training

Tertiary education providers and Industry Training Organisations can seek approval of micro-credentials through the training scheme rules and consent to assess rules

Non-Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) - Equivalency service only

Administration

Yearly review of quality-assured micro-credentials

Quality-assured micro-credentials published on a public register

Micro-credentials with an equivalence statement (delivered by non-TEOs) published on a separate register

Following feedback received through consultation and afterward, NZQA will approve micro-credentials through amendments to the Training Scheme Rules 2012 (PDF, 752KB) and the Consent to Assess Rules 2011 (PDF, 798KB) .

The amendments to the Training Scheme Rules are intended to approve micro-credentials delivered primarily in blended, online and classroom-based settings, while the amendments to the Consent to Assess Rules are intended to approve micro-credentials delivered primarily in industry and workplace-based settings.

Tertiary education providers and Industry Training Organisations seeking NZQA approval of micro-credentials will be required to meet the minimum criteria for training schemes or assessment standards, as appropriate, together with additional criteria for micro-credentials.

NZQA considers that the proposed system provides two quality-assured and equivalent pathways for the approval of micro-credentials in New Zealand.

An equivalence service will also be provided.

Next steps

Amendments to NZQA Rules to enable the proposed system have been approved. These will come into effect from 22 August 2018. NZQA will consider applications for approval of micro-credentials from this time.

NZQA expects that there will be considerable interest in and demand for micro-credentials and is looking to proceed carefully, setting the highest benchmarks for approval. Therefore, NZQA considers it necessary, especially in the early phase of implementation, to quality assure the learning included in each micro-credential. Our recent experience in monitoring programme delivery and assessment practices indicates it is prudent to incorporate micro-credentials into the overall quality assurance framework.

Further information (including Guidelines for the submission of micro-credential applications to NZQA) will be published shortly.

The equivalency service for micro-credentials from non-TEOs will come into effect from 31 October 2018.

Questions from submission and NZQA's view

Flexible learning

Some submitters said that micro-credentials could enable more flexible approaches to learning through portfolio approaches to learning, and the ability to take components of learning (e.g. modules, papers, assessment standards) that could be stacked over time toward a learner's specific goals such as a qualification.

NZQA's view

NZQA expects that micro-credentials will augment the formal qualification system, but also anticipates that over time employers and learners may well become increasingly comfortable valuing shorter modules of learning.

While it is possible to use micro-credentials to enable stackable learning, NZQA considers it important to avoid a situation where every programme currently delivered is disaggregated into its components and offered as micro-credentials. This will help to avoid duplication of learning, fragmentation of qualifications, and employer confusion.

Micro-credentials can contribute over time toward a qualification where appropriate. This would be achieved through TEOs using recognition of prior learning and credit recognition transfer processes when a learner presents with multiple micro-credentials, or potentially through TEOs incorporating micro-credentials into the design of new programmes.

Micro-credentials should, in the first instance, focus on responses to skill and knowledge gaps not currently catered for in the tertiary education system.

Micro-credentials on the NZQF

Submissions consistently expressed the view that approved micro-credentials should not be listed on the NZQF.

Some submissions said that listing micro-credentials on the NZQF could devalue the status of qualifications in New Zealand.

Other submitters observed that it may be more appropriate for NZQA to consider a credentials framework alongside the NZQF.

NZQA's view

Approved micro-credentials will not be listed on the NZQF at this point. NZQA is currently reviewing the NZQF. This work will be completed in 2019 if no legislative changes are required, or later if legislative changes is required. One aim of the review is to ensure the framework allows for the recognition of regional qualifications, international qualifications and micro-credentials.

The introduction of the micro-credential system outlined above does not require an immediate update of the NZQF. But, incorporating micro-credentials as part of the NZQF review ensures that the new framework will better reflect the evolving New Zealand education and training system.

NZQA will publish and maintain a list of all approved micro-credentials on the NZQA website.

Professional associations and micro-credentials

Submissions from professional associations (e.g. engineering, teaching, nursing) indicated strong interest in the use of micro-credentials to maintain the competency of their members in their profession.

NZQA's view

There will be opportunities for professional associations or regulatory bodies to develop micro-credentials that provide and assess required professional skills and knowledge. Tertiary education providers would be expected to deliver this micro-credential if they wish to deliver micro-credentials against these skills.

Contact us

For more information, please email qaadmin@nzqa.govt.nz.

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Recognising micro-credentials in New Zealand

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The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) consulted on proposals to recognise micro-credentials, alongside qualifications, within New Zealand's government regulated education and training system, 5 March-13 April 2018. The proposals were developed in conjunction with a sector working group and informed by three micro-credential pilots July 2017 - June 2018.

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European SchoolNet Academy MOOC (2016 onwards)

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European SchoolNet Academy MOOC (2016 onwards)

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Note to teachers from Castilla y León: Si eres profesor de Castilla y León, y además del certificado de la European Schoolnet Academy, quieres recibir un certificado oficial de parte de la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León inscríbete en la página web del CFP Idiomas de Castilla y León: http://cfpidiomas.centros.educa.jcyl.es/sitio/

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Bart Verswijvel is a Belgian educator and expert trainer who works as a Senior Adviser for European Schoolnet. He is an international keynote speaker and a leader of workshops, TeachMeets and Twitter chats, as well as the pedagogical lead of the Future Classroom Lab, the concept of a flexible learning space.

Arjana Blazic - course moderator

Arjana Blazic is a language arts teacher, education technology consultant, course designer and international speaker. Currently she is working as a Teacher Trainer with the International Expert Working Group for the Implementation of the Curriculum Reform in Croatia at the Croatian Ministry of Education.

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The Networked Teacher - Teaching in the 21st Century

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Following its successful run in Spring 2019, this short, practical course is running again to give new people the opportunity to attend. The course aims to help you become a 'networked teacher', developing your pedagogical digital competence, learning about collaborative and active approaches to teaching and learning, and connecting with fellow student teachers from across Europe to share ideas and build your future professional learning network.

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European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions (2016)

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European Recognition Manual for Higher Education Institutions (2016)

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Practical guidelines for credential evaluators and admissions officers to provide fair and flexible recognition of foreign degrees and studies abroad
https://www.enic-naric.net/ear-manual-standards-and-guidelines-on-recognition.aspx

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EU Council recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning (2012)

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EU Council recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning (2012)

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This encourages Member States to put in place national arrangements for such validation by 2018. These will enable individuals to increase the visibility and value of their knowledge, skills and competences acquired outside formal education and training: at work, at home or in voluntary activities.

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In the Bruges Communiqué of December 2010, the European Ministers for Vocational Education and Training, the European Social Partners and the European Commission declared that participating countries should start to develop, no later than 2015, national procedures for the recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning, supported, as appropriate, by national qualifications frameworks.

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Cedefop European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning (2015)

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Cedefop European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning (2015)

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European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning.

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The European guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning are written for individuals and institutions responsible for the initiation, development, implementation and operation of validation arrangements. The ambition of the guidelines is to clarify the conditions for implementation, highlighting the critical choices to be made by stakeholders at different stages of the process.

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BLE Teaching Practice GetIn MOOC (UK) (2017 onwards)

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BLE Teaching Practice GetIn MOOC (UK) (2017 onwards)

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GetInMOOC: Get Interactive: Practical Teaching with Technology

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Get Interactive: Practical Teaching with Technology. A new MOOC aimed at teachers, lecturers and instructors of adults and older children who have little experience using online tools and technology for teaching purposes.

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This report presents the outcomes of research, conducted between May 2014 and November 2015, into emerging practices in assessment, credentialisation and recognition in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Following extensive research on MOOCs in European Member States, it provides a snapshot of how European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) recognise (or not) non-formal learning (particularly MOOC-based), and how some employers recognise open badges and MOOC certificates for continuing professional development. We analyse the relationship between forms of assessment used and credentials awarded, from badges for self-assessment to ECTS credits for on-site examinations, and consider the implications for recognition. Case studies provide deeper insights into existing practices. The report introduces a model which guides MOOC conveners in positioning and shaping their offers, and also helps institutions and employers to make recognition decisions. It concludes with a set of recommendations to European HEIs and policy makers to enable wider recognition of open learning in higher education and at the workplace.

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Validation of Non-formal MOOC-based Learning: An Analysis of Assessment and Recognition Practices in Europe (OpenCred)

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10.2791/809371 (online),10.2791/049501 (ePub) - This report presents the outcomes of research, conducted between May 2014 and November 2015, into emerging practices in assessment, credentialisation and recognition in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

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Open recognition focuses particularly on non-formal forms of recognition, i.e. those which are community-based, where the endorser has the justification to endorse based not on formal status, but on their knowledge of the person they are endorsing.  (See diag on p.4)

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2016 Bologna Open Recognition Declaration

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2016 Bologna Open Recognition Declaration

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Open standards facilitating the comparability and transferability of learning credentials

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In 1999, the Bologna Declaration proposed a European Higher Education Area in which students and graduates could move freely between countries, using prior qualifications in one country as acceptable entry requirements for further study in another. This launched the Bologna qualification reform process, which has now been adopted by 50 countries.

In 2008, a broad coalition of educators, foundations, and Internet pioneers launched the Cape Town Open Education Declaration, urging governments and publishers to make educational materials available freely over the internet. Before and since then, an open educational resources movement has been growing significantly, featuring initiatives such as the annual Open Education Conference in the US, the international OERu, the Paris OER Declaration by UNESCO in 2012 and, of course, Creative Commons, with us since 2003.
Now, in 2016, a new coalition of learning stakeholders is issuing the Bologna Open Recognition Declaration: a call for a universal open architecture for the recognition of lifelong and lifewide learning achievements.
We are witnessing a growing awareness in large parts of the political, educational and employment sectors as well as in the public opinion, of the need to establish a more open, transparent, reliable and trustworthy approach to the recognition of learning achievements. Despite progress over the last few years, the recognition of learning remains patchy and uneven across countries and sectors.

Open Badges, the open standard for the recognition of learning achievements has proved the power of a simple, affordable, resilient and trustworthy technology to create an open recognition ecosystem working across countries, educational sectors, work, social environments and technologies. Open Badges have demonstrated that we have the means and the opportunity to put an end to the disparities of the recognition landscape. Connecting and informing competency frameworks, they become the building blocks of an open architecture for the recognition of lifelong and life wide learning achievements. They create the conditions for individuals to be in control of their own recognition, to establish their identity and agency, whether formally (within institutions) or informally (across communities).
Open access to knowledge and education is widely recognised as an irreplaceable factor for social and human growth and an indispensable component to consolidate and enrich citizenship, capable of giving citizens the necessary competencies to face the challenges of the new millennium, together with an awareness of shared values and of belonging to diverse social and cultural spaces. The importance of education and educational cooperation in the development and strengthening of stable, inclusive, peaceful and democratic societies is universally acknowledged as paramount. We now need to add open recognition to this list.

But formal education is not accessible to all citizens and does not meet all needs. Many argue that formal education represents only a small fraction of the learning that takes place across an individual's lifespan, most of which goes unrecognised. The creation of an open space for the delivery and recognition of lifelong and lifewide learning is a key enabler for the promotion of social inclusion, employability and mobility of the world's citizens and the development of our planet. Ultimately, the ability to recognise one's learning achievements, whether social or professional, is a key factor in building personal agency and establishing trust within a community.

Institutions of higher education, have accepted the challenge and have taken a major role in constructing a more open educational space, but this is not enough. The achievement of greater compatibility and comparability of the systems of higher education can only be part of a more global policy to recognise all forms of learning, including the emergence of systems that encourage the informal recognition of informal learning.

We now need to expand this work beyond the borders of higher education, to create a continuum across all learnings, lifelong and lifewide. This can be supported by encouraging the adoption of more open currencies to capture and share learning achievements whether in formal, informal or nonformal settings.

The October 2016 meeting of the ePortfolio and Identity Conference in Bologna saw participation by a consortium of authoritative experts and scholars from many different countries and provides us with very useful suggestions on the initiatives that can be taken. We must in particular look at the objective of increasing international cooperation at all levels of education.

Our consortium is coordinating its actions to reach the following objectives in the short term, which we consider to be of primary relevance in order to establish an Open Architecture for the Recognition of Learning Achievements:
The Declaration was officially launched in Bologna October 28, at ePIC 2016.

1. Open recognition for all: First, we encourage everyone-learners, educators, citizens and organisations-to actively participate in and take ownership of the emerging open recognition movement. Participating includes: taking personal responsibility in one's own learning and in the recognition of others' achievements, contributing to the design, implementation and/or exploitation of local and/or global systems of recognition.

2. Open recognition technologies and infrastructure: Second, we call on the community of learning practitioners and technology developers to establish a trustworthy system of human and machine verifiable learning credentials and to adopt open standards facilitating the comparability and transferability of learning credentials.

3. Open recognition policies: Third, we call on governments, public authorities and educational stakeholders to implement inclusive policies facilitating and encouraging the recognition of learning achievements whether in formal, non-formal and informal settings, with bridges between all three. Those policies should ensure the existence of multiple developmental pathways, increased flexibility and accessibility and the inclusion of socially excluded and disenfranchised groups.

We, the undersigned, invite all individuals and institutions to join us in signing the Bologna Open Recognition Declaration , and, in doing so, to commit to pursuing the three strategies listed above. We also encourage those who sign to pursue additional strategies to open the recognition of learning achievements to all. With each person or institution who makes this commitment - and with each effort to further articulate our vision - we move closer to a more open, inclusive and trustworthy world.

71 Organisational Signatories

272 Individual Signatories

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In 1999, the Bologna Declaration proposed a European Higher Education Area in which students and graduates could move freely between countries, using prior qualifications in one country as acceptable entry requirements for further study in another. This launched the Bologna qualification reform process, which has now been adopted by 50 countries.

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ICDE Working group: The Present and Future of Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) (2019)

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ICDE Working group: The Present and Future of Alternative Digital Credentials (ADCs) (2019)

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ADCs will “unbundle” learning acquisition, verification, and documentation which will disrupt higher education’s traditional advantage and allow non-higher education institutions to be active in the credentialing process...

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UNESCO's Global Convention on Recognition (2012 onwards)

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UNESCO's Global Convention on Recognition (2012 onwards)

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https://www.cicic.ca/1409/unesco_global_convention_on_the_recognition_of_higher_education_qualifications.canada Since 2012, UNESCO, in collaboration with its Member States, has undertaken a project to draft a new Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications.

This Global Convention would encompass all countries and support:
- the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, especially as it concerns the quality enhancement of higher education
- growth in student mobility
- the recognition of academic credentials as a global right
- international consistency in recognition procedures and
- increased international cooperation...

https://www.cicic.ca/1409/unesco_global_convention_on_the_recognition_of_higher_education_qualifications.canada: At the 39th Session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2017, Member States agreed on timelines to have the final text ready for the 40th Session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2019. The Global Convention would then be ready for signature by Member States.

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Student mobility is recognized as a global priority for realizing the Education 2030 Agenda.To this end, UNESCO is working on the preparation of a new Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, which will build on the Regional Recognition Conventions. Two members of the Drafting Committee of the new Convention, Natasha Sawh and Stig Arne Skjerven, explain for Wide Angle the need of such a global legal instrument. February 2017 marks the third meeting of the Committee to prepare the first draft of the convention for discussion and comments by UNESCO member states.
The recognition of foreign qualifications is a moral duty. We must keep in mind that there is an individual behind every qualification. Recognition of foreign qualifications is more than a technical exercise; recognition is more than a preparation for further studies or employment: recognition is a key to building inclusive societies, to facilitating empowerment, and to reducing the risk of alienation from the holders of foreign qualifications.

It is for this reason that we believe a Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications is now both so important and so timely for the world´s higher education systems, students, teachers and researchers.
Background
The first generation of regional recognition conventions were adopted in the 1970s and 1980s to facilitate the mobility of students and researchers. Students, higher education leaders and governments alike understood the same basic principle: respecting the diversity of higher education systems and respecting the skills and knowledge gained within them is the foundation of mobility.

In the current context of unprecedented voluntary and at times forced migration, fair recognition of higher education qualifications is likewise a key foundation of successful settlement in a new home.

Discussions about the need for a Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications began at UNESCO in 2012. At the 2015 UNESCO General Conference, member states recommended that a Drafting Committee be established to present a draft convention in 2017.

Comprising experts from six continents working in higher education institutions, governmental roles, for qualifications authorities, and national information centres created through the regional conventions, the Drafting Committee was created in March 2016.
Toward a fair recognition on a global level
The drafters of the Global Convention, like those of the Regional Recognition Conventions, value the diversity of higher education systems and institutions around the world, and the rich cultural asset this diversity represents.

The autonomy of governments and individual higher education institutions to develop academic programs that meet the needs of increasingly interconnected societies and economies is of paramount importance. We believe that one important way to preserve this cultural diversity is to recognize the learning that occurs in higher education systems around the world. Fair recognition allows students to continue their studies or find meaningful work that benefits from their talents, knowledge, and skills.

Regardless of the different structures in place around the world, the right to access a fair assessment of higher education qualifications obtained in another country is a cornerstone of the Global Convention and of valuing the learning and human capital developed in higher education systems worldwide. From the early days of assessing academic credentials earned abroad, to an interconnected world with unprecedented levels of mobility, states have indicated their commitment - through the Regional Recognition Conventions to reducing barriers for students and graduates to pursue further studies or obtain employment in other countries. Where mobility was once regionally focused, the flows of students and immigrants today cross regions, and a Global Convention is needed for states to signal their commitment to facilitating these flows through clear and fair recognition practices.
Over 5 million foreign students
The need for a Global Convention is evident in the flows of international students and immigrants - those who choose to pursue new opportunities in other countries - as much as the flows of people forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or natural disasters. Based on OECD data, current estimates of the number of students studying outside their country of citizenship puts the figure at over 5 million, representing an increase of 67% since 2005. Around 2.5 million of those students are studying outside their own region; these students have in principal no legal framework governing the principles or procedures used for the recognition of their qualifications for and when they return to their region of citizenship (See UNESCO Preliminary Report). UNHCR has indicated that " we are now witnessing the highest levels of displacements on record," with 65.3 million people forced from their homes by war or persecution. While the majority of displaced people remain in the same region, increasingly, they are finding refuge outside of their regions.

The Global Recognition Convention will build on the Regional Recognition Conventions. It will emphasize the importance of fair recognition, by shifting the burden of proof from the student or graduate to the body responsible for recognition. It will take into account the diversity of higher education providers enabled by new technologies and modes of learning, by focusing on the quality assurance mechanisms states have put in place to ensure quality learning in their higher education systems. It will address the need to develop inclusive and relevant recognition procedures. To the extent possible, the Global Convention will support capacity building to develop the basic mechanisms to build trust in higher education systems: quality assurance mechanisms, qualifications frameworks, and networks of recognition professionals.
Natasha Sawh and Stig Arne Skjerven
Natasha Sawh is Coordinator (Head of Centre), Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

Stig Arne Skjerven is Director of Foreign Education, Department of Foreign Education, Director of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), Norwegian ENIC-NARIC, Norway

***

This article expresses the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of UNESCO

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Making History: The Importance of a New Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications

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Student mobility is recognized as a global priority for realizing the Education 2030 Agenda.To this end, UNESCO is working on the preparation of a new Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, which will build on the Regional Recognition Conventions.

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Refugees receive credit at FH Lübeck  (2017)

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Refugees receive credit at FH Lübeck  (2017)

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The use of “challenge exams” – FH Lübeck invited a group of 14 Kiron learners who had completed MOOCs to take the same exams in their chosen subjects as the institution’s own students. This “proof of concept” pilot confirmed that most of the refugees in the group had achieved the necessary learning outcomes. In the case of one subject where the learners performed less well, it was noted that the MOOC outcomes did not map very closely onto the institutional programme outcomes.

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Make MOOCs count for higher education: Approaches to awarding ECTS Credits for learning in open online courses | TU Delft Repositories

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MOOCs provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have the potential to open up education to a wider audience. By implementing appropriate quality assurance measures, they could also provide a first creditable step into the formal higher education system.

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European Short Learning Programmes (E-SLP) Project (2018 -)

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European Short Learning Programmes (E-SLP) Project (2018 -)

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Aims include: empowering university leadership and staff for curriculum and course design, quality assurance and recognition for SLPs complying with the EQF.

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E-SLP is a project about European Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) for continuous professional development and lifelong learning. Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) or short degree programmes are a group of courses (units, modules or other learning building blocks) with a common subject focussing on specific needs in society and which are part of larger degrees.

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Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)(2015)

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Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)(2015)

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For formal recognition of credentials in higher education the criteria for the value of a credential are based on existing standards and guidelines. In a European context these are the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG, 2015) but also practical guidelines for credential evaluators and admission officers developed from within the ENIC-NARIC network, especially the EAR Manual (2016)

The focus of the ESG is on quality assurance related to learning and teaching in higher education, including the learning environment and relevant links to research and innovation....
The ESG apply to all higher education offered in the EHEA regardless of the mode of study or place of delivery.

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Cape Town Open Education Declaration (2007)

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Cape Town Open Education Declaration (2007)

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The Cape Town Open Education Declaration

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Open education is a living idea. As the movement grows, this idea will continue to evolve. There will be other visions initiatives and declarations beyond Cape Town. This is exactly the point. The Cape Town signatories have committed to developing further strategies, especially around open technology and teaching practices.

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We will survey senior leadership at 70 Higher Education Institutions in Europe, to understand (a) the scope of micro-credential provision within the context of their overall activities, (b) the drivers behind the increase in micro-credential provision, (c) changes in the HEIs to enable provision of micro-credentials, and (d) future plans for further provision.

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Supporting Learning Excellence through Micro-Credentials in Higher Education

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The openVM project aims to support higher education teachers and students in developing, assessing and recognising the skills needed for design, implement and participate virtual mobility activities in line with Open Education principles.

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Developed framework for evaluating MOOCs - traffic light model with 7 elements

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The PARADIGMS project looked at the implementation of automatic recognition and recognition of experiences gained through new forms of learning.

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Produced training materials for teachers/ trainers on developing validated OOL for recognition of prior and non-formal learning.

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The ReOPEN project directly aims to develop validated non-formal open learning practices allowing for transparent recognition of skills, qualifications and competences by education providers and employer organizations, to facilitate learning, recognition and employability.

Validated non-formal open learning solutions

Non-formal online and open learning will offer learners credentials in curriculum by establishing digital badges for recognition of learning paths and achievements, will suggest learner identity verification and learning agreement instruments, as well as learning progress measurement tools to support better learning results.

ReOPEN targets at collaboration of C-VET, lifelong learning, higher education institutions and companies trough international, inter-sectorial collaboration to enhance access and recognition of learning for all through C-VET. Teachers and trainers at C-VET, lifelong learning, adult learning, HE and companies are the key target group of the project.

Non-formal open learning recognition for qualification

ReOPEN outputs contribute to transparent recognition of skills, qualifications and competences by education providers and employer organizations, to match open learning offer with formal curricular and qualification requirements, to enhance recognition and employability.

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ReOPEN - Recognition of Valid and Open Learning

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The ReOPEN project directly aims to develop validated non-formal open learning practices allowing for transparent recognition of skills, qualifications and competences by education providers and employer organizations, to facilitate learning, recognition and employability.

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This blog has been reposted from the Open Education Working Group blog and has been written as a joint effort by Javiera Atenas and Paul Bacsich, co-coordinators of the Open Education Working Group. Hot off the press: OpenEdu Policies reports . These reports are the final outcome of one and a half intense years of research into open education policies involving many stakeholders, particularly ministries of education, research and science across Europe. 'Going Open' is a report bringing policy recommendations on open education at regional, national and EU levels. 'Policy Approaches to open education' is a report covering the 28 EU Member States, presenting case studies about how each country approaches open education policies. Both reports are part of the JRC's OpenEdu Policies project.
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has just published a comprehensive overview report (164 pages) on Policy Approaches to Open Education across all of the 28 EU Member States.

The Foreword to the report, by Yves Punie (Deputy Head of Unit DG JRC Unit Human Capital and Employment) summarises the conclusions as follows: "The diversity of polices and approaches presented herein reflect the diversity that is intrinsic to the European Union. Each Member State has specific goals for education and priority areas to address when formulating its policies. However, this research shows that Member States are aware of open education issues and that in one way or another nearly all of them have implemented some sort of initiative or action plan in relation to open education, even though that goal is not explicit in some cases." He goes on to describe the report as "another step taken by the European Commission (DG EAC and JRC) to meet Members States' requirements for more research and evidence on open education in support of policy-making in Europe."

The work for the overview report was carried out by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with the Research Institute for Innovation & Technology in Education (UNIR iTED) at the Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR) in Logroño, Spain. An international team based in Spain (Daniel Burgos), Italy (Fabio Nascimbeni and Stefania Aceto) and the UK (Javiera Atenas and Paul Bacsich) carried out the work, with assistance from 28 ministry officials and other experts who agreed to be interviewed. The interview work was supported by substantial desk research across all Member States, for which a further large number of experts on open education were consulted, along with outputs from key projects such as OER World Map, OERup!, D-TRANSFORM, ADOERUP (for the European Parliament), POERUP and earlier JRC projects and reports on open education.

In particular all identified policies were analysed using the OpenEdu Framework produced by JRC, which identifies six core dimensions of open education (Access, Content, Pedagogy, Recognition, Collaboration and Research) and four transversal dimensions (Strategy, Technology, Quality, Leadership). The report is available here.

The report, together with additional research and expert consultations, forms the basis for the also just released JRC report " Going Open: Policy Recommendations on Open Education in Europe (OpenEdu Policies) ", which highlights policy options to further open up education in Europe.

Our long report is, we believe, the first one of its kind to bring together at a detailed level policy work in open education for a complete geopolitical region. The team will be happy to explain the methodology to other interested research groups. We can see no reason why the approach, including use of the OpenEdu Framework for analysis, cannot be replicated for other geopolitical groupings such as Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Commonwealth of Nations, La Francophonie and more widely across Europe. Regarding the last, it would perhaps be most immediately useful if funding could be found for those countries in the European Economic Area and the European Neighbourhood to carry out similar work.

Inevitably in such a detailed report, there will be items at the Member State level that get rapidly out of date. Indeed, we hope that such reports as this and the overview reports from JRC will foster an increased climate of policy formation and creation of initiatives at Member State level, not only at EU level. As part of its ongoing work, the Open Education Working Group will continue to make its email list and blog available to interested researchers and specifically to encourage them to produce similar and updated material for their countries. For more details see this recent update blog.

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OpenEdu Policies reports: JRC Research Centre

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This blog has been reposted from the Open Education Working Group blog and has been written as a joint effort by Javiera Atenas and Paul Bacsich, co-coordinators of the Open Education Working Group. Hot off the press: OpenEdu Policies reports .

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The term OER, coined at UNESCO’s 2002 Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries

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Read the article at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001285/128515e.pdf
Background
The term "open educational resources" was first adopted for the first time at UNESCO's 2002 Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries. The forum was convened following MIT's high-profile and revolutionary push to create "Open Courseware." (Hopefully you, as a wonderful studious learner, have already read the previous section of this book where we touched on that.) In order to garner popular support for this new area of education and increased collaboration, several representatives came together in Paris to hold the forum. Hundreds of delegates from many countries and higher educational institutions attended the forum.
Key Points
Because the forum focused on collaboration across institutions, countries, and cultures, many of the key points center around synergistic action verbs.

Foster awareness and use of OER - contributing to social inclusion and lifelong learning

Facilitate enabling environments for ICT - bridge the digital divide

Reinforce the development of strategies of policies on OER

Promote the understanding and use of open licensing frameworks

Support capacity building for the sustainable development of materials - support institutions and teachers in building OER

Foster strategic alliances for OER

Encourage the development and adaptation of OER in a variety of languages and cultural contexts. This is important because many educators were worried that open courseware would be used to make developing countries dependent on first world countries for content and that content would westernize educational practices.

Encourage research on OER

Facilitate finding, retrieving and sharing OER

Encourage the open licensing of educational materials produced with public funds

Discussion Questions

1. Take a look at the breakdown of countries who attended the forum. How may the country demographics have an effect on the development of open courseware?

2. How do differences in culture affect the purpose and implementation of open courseware?

Additional Resources
Grad student discussion YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6huxQ_s84c8&list=UU6VZ0eRBdOMrJwU4EtjxjQg

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Read the article at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001285/128515e.pdf Background The term "open educational resources" was first adopted for the first time at UNESCO's 2002 Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries. The forum was convened following MIT's high-profile and revolutionary push to create "Open Courseware."

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MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials

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MIT OpenCourseWare is a web based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity

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The first pan-European MOOC initiative

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OpenupEd is an open, non-profit partnership offering MOOCs that contribute to open up education - much to the benefit of individual learners and the wider society. The vision is to reach out to all those learners who are interested to take part in online higher education in a way that meets their needs and accommodates their particular situation.

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Open Education Passport (OEPass) (2018-2020)

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Open Education Passport (OEPass) (2018-2020)

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Improving the portability and recognition of open learning: OEPass started with the simple idea of using the already widely accepted ECTS as a base standard, and use different combinations of ECTS building blocks to describe new forms of credentials that have emerged with open learning experiences. Open education and virtual mobility can often be non-formal, self-guided and vary in length from a few hours to multiple weeks, and OEPass envisages to create a standard (meta-data) format to account for these learning experiences with ‘universal currency’.

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Accreditation for online learning or Massive Open Online Coursework provides challenges for universities to accept and acknowledge learning as credited coursework.

Awarding credit for different types of educational coursework disrupts higher education's traditional, formal educational processes for financial and educational accountability.

The recognition of individual credits through ECTS is optimised to support physical mobility, but while theoretically the same tools can be used for virtual mobility and open education, a number of caveats exist in their use.
OEPass is addressing these caveats

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Accreditation for online learning or Massive Open Online Coursework provides challenges for universities to accept and acknowledge learning as credited coursework. Awarding credit for different types of educational coursework disrupts higher education's traditional, formal educational processes for financial and educational accountability.

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VM-Pass aimed to increase inter-institutional recognition of virtual mobility and OCW-based courses, by means of:

building on results from OER test project and piloting the use of a student-held learning passport to facilitate recognition & mobility;

planning, testing and creating a recognition-clearinghouse to support the verification and investigation of learning passports;

creating a typology of quality systems used in VM and OER systems, to support the learning passports and recognition-clearinghouse, and

engaging in dialogue with multiple institutions around Europe so as to mainstream use of the recognition tools created by the project.

http://www.eden-online.org/eden_project/vm-pass-implementing-recognition-of-virtual-mobility-and-oer-learning-through-a-learning-passport/

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Project runtime: 1 Oct 2013 - 31 Dec 2015

Homepage: http://vmpass.eu

LLP Erasmus; Multilateral projects

VM-Pass aims to increase inter-institutional recognition of virtual mobility and OCW-based courses, by means of:

building on results from OER test project and piloting the use of a student-held learning passport to facilitate recognition & mobility;

planning, testing and creating a recognition-clearinghouse to support the verification and investigation of learning passports;

creating a typology of quality systems used in VM and OER systems, to support the learning passports and recognition-clearinghouse, and

engaging in dialogue with multiple institutions around Europe so as to mainstream use of the recognition tools created by the project.

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Project runtime: 1 Oct 2013 - 31 Dec 2015 Homepage: http://vmpass.eu LLP Erasmus; Multilateral projects VM-Pass aims to increase inter-institutional recognition of virtual mobility and OCW-based courses, by means of: building on results from OER test project and piloting the use of a student-held learning passport to facilitate recognition &

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https://passport.cancred.ca/

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CanCred is the cloud platform your organisation needs to implement a meaningful and sustainable Open Badges strategy.

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Recognition of open, online learning - the story so far...

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Recognition of open, online learning - the story so far...

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Gabi Witthaus for nuffic eValuate project Work Conference, Den Haag, 28 March 2019

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OERtest aimed to develop standards for the supply of open educational resources, with guidelines for evaluating the work done by the students through these resources, quality standards, management models, etc.
https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/files/799-1694-1-PB.pdf

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The UOC takes part in an inter-university cooperation project for teachers to share educational resources online

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Albert Sangrà, researcher from the Edul@b group, participates in Testing an Open Education Resource Framework for Europe ( OERtest) project that is part of the Lifelong Learning Programme funded by the European Union (Erasmus).