HERE Seminar “Qualifications Frameworks: What are they, how do they work, what is their impact?” (19-20.09.16, Warsaw, Poland)
What? Warsaw University of Technology – Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer Management
Where? Warsaw, Poland,
When? 19 – 20 September 2016
The program and materials: http://supporthere.org/warsaw-2016
Representatives from Ukrainian HERE Team:
– Zakharchenko Vadym
– Yuriy Rashkevych
– NEO: Zhanna Talanova
Learning outcomes
• Understand the different reasons why qualifications frameworks (QF) are developed for the education sector, and specifically for higher education
• Understand current European trends regarding regional frameworks and national frameworks, as well as obstacles
• Be able to assess the implications of qualifications frameworks for recognition and mobility, transparency of systems, quality assurance and lifelong learning/flexible study paths
• Understand effective ways in which qualifications frameworks can be developed the processes needed to build buy-in from key stakeholders
• Understand some of the concrete impacts of qualifications frameworks on institutions
The seminar lasted for two days and consisted of plenary sessions and break-out groups.
The results of pre-survey on national qualifications frameworks development and implementation were presented by Michael Gaebel (EUA/SPHERE Team) at the opening session.
The plenary session 1 “Why Qualifications Frameworks?” included two parts.
The part 1 ”Emergence of QF – and what they are for?” was presented by Barbara Kelly and was devoted to background of qualifications frameworks, their aims and trends.
The following key questions were discussed during this part of session:
– Differences in qualifications system and tools to create understanding;
– Systematic approach to learning and qualifications, and its ability and limits in pushing education reforms;
– Briefly touch upon the real and perceive relation to quality assurance
– Address whether QF are about “outcomes” and/or standards?
– Reference the situation in Europe: Why are there two regional QFs? What is the impact of this?
The part 2 “Lifelong learning, skills and qualifications” was presented by Arjen Deij,
This part was devoted to the following aspects:
– The EQF: its focus on skills and learning outcomes;
– VET, and how QFs for lifelong learning address this;
– Transitions within and between levels and sectors;
– Current European discussions and advances regarding the EQF in practice;
– European/EU policy dialogue with partner countries regarding QFs.
The panel session 2 was devoted to examples of NQF development, state of play, purposes and , challenges.
Two presentations from HERE countries were provided during this session by representatives of Uzbekistan and Egypt. The structures of higher education and qualifications systems of these countries were presented by Dr.,Prof. Nazokat Kasymova (Uzbekistan) and Dr. Youhansen Eid (Egypt).
Also two presentations from European countries were provided during this session by Volker Gehmlich (Germany) and Andrzej Krasniewski (Poland). Speakers have presented the experience of development and implementation of national qualifications frameworks in their countries.
The session 3 was organized as discussions in four break-out groups with general topic “Why QFs? What do we want to achieve?”.
Participants discussed the purposes of qualifications frameworks in their countries and exchanged experience on different aspects of qualifications frameworks implementation.
Two specific topics in context of QFs development and implementation were discussed in the groups:
Topic 1: Lifelong learning, employability, recognition of prior learning, binary systems: and
Topic 2: Recognition, mobility, internationalization.
The outcomes of discussions in break-out groups were presented at the feedback session. Also a number of actual aspects of implementation of the National Qualifications Framework in Ukraine were discussed by Ukrainian participants with experts from other countries as well as with representative of ETF.
The second day of the Seminar was devoted to the discussion concerning NQF development and implementation issues.
Barbara Kelly (Quality and Qualifications Ireland, (QQI)) has represented the description if NQF of Ireland and has formulated some reasons on why to develop NQF. Economic and social reasons, recognition issues and the role of supporting stakeholders were analyzed. On the same section the NQF developed in Jordan, Albania and Armenia were represented and discussed.
During the Session 6 relations between Qualification Frameworks and quality assurance goals and tasks were discussed.
One of the most interesting was the presentation made by Volker Gehmlich (HS Osnabruek, Germany) devoted to practical aspects of Learning Outcomes development. Both theoretical (link with QF, programme level, module/course unit level) and practical (structure, taxonomy, active verbs) recommendations were presented and a set of examples were discussed.
In the presentation, made by Zbigniew Marciniak (University of Warsaw, Vice-President of the Council for Science and Higher Education), Polish experience in the development of Learning Outcomes based on EQF classification was presented and discussed.
During the final session conclusions from group discussion were presented and some general recommendations concerning development and implementation of National Qualifications Frameworks have been developed.
The overall opinion: the Seminar “Qualifications Frameworks: What are they, how do they work, what is their impact?” was extremely interesting, useful for representatives of Partner countries, well organised.