Accreditation of Joint Programmesnew recipes for traditional ingredients

traditional recipes with new ingredients ? or ..

all new ... ‘a paradigm shift’ ?

.. Nick Harris ..

what is a joint programme?!

there are lots of combinations! .... typically .... • they involve 2 – 20(!) ‘full members’ – – typically all typically HEIs .. (public and private)– but also .. companies, NGOs and training organisations

• usually have a ‘lead partner’ (which may ‘rotate’)• spread over several countries (and even continents)– usually with different ‘national’ QA requirements

• have ‘associates’ .. other HEIs, placement providers etc

from consortia to programmes

from consortia to programmes but where is the QA ?! @ the programme? the HEIs?

and/or the consortium .. .. or ALL?

finding the ‘right touch’

not too ‘heavy’ .....

?!University of Geneva

but not ‘too light’ !!

is a single accreditation possible ?

• YES! • but what are the options for a single procedure?– one agency does it its way .. and others ‘recognise’– use one agency’s procedure but another’s experts– use a shared procedure with traditional criteria– a shared procedure with new criteria (for ‘jointness’) – ??

but whatever the arrangement the key questions (should) be the same ..

• do they* have the authority to award a degree/degrees ?• have they* agreed on their respective responsibilities ?• is the programme coherent?

– and set at the right level for the award**?• are they* likely to be able to delver it?• do they* deliver it OK ?• do the students get a ‘fair deal’ ?

* the consortia collaborating to put the programme on** joint /dual /? award

So .. for the QA agencies ..

• what is to be evaluated? ...

– not .. what can be evaluated ? ... but – what MUST be evaluated ?

• when and how often evaluated?

core questions for evaluating ... collaborative provision

• whose degree is it ? do they have power to award that degree?– selecting the partners; and getting written agreements– who / what is on the certificate / diploma

• who is responsible for what?– in programme design and delivery .. and ‘internal

monitoring’– assessment and equivalence of academic standards– policies and information

and of course .. is the title appropriate?

Budapest

core questions for evaluating collaborative provision

• what is the academic/professional ‘level’ ? – including achieved LOs• what is the quality of ‘delivery’ ? • is ‘the student learning experience’ satisfactory ? [graded?]• and how is it managed • [ the teaching staff ? perhaps not !!! ]

• when and how often?– before a programme is offered .. ex ante ?– while a programme is being offered .. ex post

right now ..

• there are LOTS of QA agencies .. – with similar procedures (that differ in detail)• but not applied to ALL equally ..

– with LOTS of criteria .. that overlap .. but not exactly

(some) options for the future .. ( status quo / ‘evolution’ / ‘paradigm shift’ )

• we just go on doing as we do now .. in ‘the crisis’?• we have multilateral mutual trust - ideal but with current laws?• we seek mutual compromises .. on a case by case basis • we ‘go back to basics’ .. and seek what we all really need– and the extras individuals / groups

do we sit around - chatting .. or ‘test the water by diving in’?

Santander

so .. how is it for you ? what would you like ? what must you have ?

regarding ... • national contexts and conditions• procedural requirements ... – and essential criteria

• what ‘outcomes’ are essential ?