UNESCO/OECD Guidelines on Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education

IAU Global Meeting and International ConferenceSharing Quality Higher Education Across Borders

14-16 November 2005Alexandria, Egypt

Stamenka Uvalic-TrumbicDivision of Higher Education, UNESCO

Guidelines: Status & Next steps

• 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, 16 October 2005 supported the Guidelines as a secretariat document

• The OECD Council – Prague, 2 December 2005

• Implementation: UNESCO & OECD with stakeholders and partners

Why UNESCO?

Existing frameworks• 1998 WCHE and 2003+5 FU: access, equity, relevance; HE

element of SD in the Knowledge Society

• The 6 regional conventions on the recognition of qualifications as the only legal instrument in HE ratified by over 100 Member States;

• Recommendations on the Recognition of Qualifications 1993 and the Status of HE teaching Personnel 1997;

• The Global Forum on International Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the Recognition of Qualifications: new dimensions in quality assurance and qualifications recognition (2002;2004)

Guidelines/Codes of Good Practice on TNE/ CBHE

• 1978 Guidelines for Developing Countries on Correspondence Education (UNESCO)

• 1999 Recommendation on International Access Qualifications (UNESCO/CoE)

• 2001 Code of Good Practice on TNE (UNESCO/CoE)

• 2004 Statement on Quality HE Across Borders (IAU/AUCC/ACE/CHEA)

• 2005 Guidelines on Quality in Cross-Border HE (UNESCO/OECD)

WHY THE GUIDELINES?

Context

• Growth of cross-border higher education: distance education, franchises, branch campuses;

• GATS and Higher Education

• Need to provide an EDUCATIONAL response to maximize opportunities, minimize risks

External quality assurance and accreditation systems have been adopted in more than 60 countries

• The scope and status of agencies vary, depending on countries.• The map is not exhaustive and changes rapidly, as governments face

pressing needs to establish a quality assurance agency

But their scope is often domestic

• National quality assurance and accreditation systems are very diverse and uneven

• They do not often cover cross-border (or for-profit) higher education

• Higher education systems are often opaque viewed from abroad

• Need for more transparency and for quality assurance to take into account the growth in cross-border education

Objectives of the Guidelines

• support and encourage international cooperation and understanding of the importance of quality provision in cross-border higher education

• protect students and other stakeholders from low-quality provision and disreputable providers

• encourage the development of quality cross-border higher education that meets human, social, economic and cultural needs

Principles of the Guidelines• Voluntary and non-binding

• Responsibility for partnerships, sharing, dialogue, mutual trust and respect between sending and receiving countries

• Recognition of national authority and of the diversity of systems

• Recognition of importance of international collaboration and exchange, internally, externally

• Access to transparent and reliable information

The scope of the Guidelines

• Voluntary and non-binding BUT

• Stamp of two IGOs: UNESCO and the OECD

• Addressing Governments but recognizing the role of NGOs and Student Organizations

• Stakeholders: Governments; Higher Education Institutions/academic staff; Students bodies; Quality Assurance and accreditation bodies; Academic Recognition Bodies; Professional Bodies;

Definition of CBHE

The Guidelines define cross-border provision as

“ cross-border higher education (that) includes higher education that takes place in situations where the teacher, student, programme, institution/provider or course materials cross national jurisdictional borders. Cross border higher education may include higher education by public/private and not-for profit/for profit providers. It encompasses a wide range of modalities, in a continuum from face-to face (taking various forms such as students traveling abroad and campuses abroad) to distance learning (using a range of technologies and including e-learning).”

Guidelines to HEI/Academic Staff

• Ensure that the programmes they deliver across borders and in their home country are of comparable quality and take into account the cultural and linguistic sensitivities of the receiving country.

• Recognise that quality teaching and research is made possible by the quality of faculty and the quality of their working conditions

• Maintain Internal quality management systems: full use of the competencies of stakeholders responsibility to ensure that the information and guidance provided by their agents are accurate, reliable and easily accessible;

Guidelines to HEI/Academic Staff

• Consult competent quality assurance and accreditation bodies and respect the quality assurance and accreditation systems of the receiving country when delivering higher education across borders, including distance education;

• Develop and maintain networks and partnerships to facilitate the process of recognition by acknowledging each other’s qualifications as equivalent or comparable;

• Provide accurate, reliable and easily accessible information on the quality assurance and the academic and professional recognition of qualifications

• Ensure the transparency of the financial status of the institution /programme

Main (underlying) message

• The quality of cross-border higher education is a shared responsibility between importing and exporting countries

– Quality assurance should cover cross-border education in all its forms

– Stakeholders should collaborate internationally to enhance the transparency about the quality of HE and about HE systems

– Cross-border delivery should have the same quality as home delivery

Main action mechanisms

• Quality assurance have a quality assurance system, internal or externalhave fair mechanisms for recognition of qualifications

• Transparency and accessibility of informationbe transparent about what you do and make the

relevant information accessible internationally

• CollaborationStrengthen your collaboration with other stakeholders

in your country, regionally and internationally

Regional Capacity Building:

• The Mediterranean – Tempus-MEDA – MERIC Network

• RIACES (Latin America + Spain)/revival of LAC Convention/Bogota Ministerial Meeting/Nov.05

• The Caribbean: CANQATE

• Asia Pacific Convention + APQN

Regional Capacity Building

• Africa: Launch of AQUAnet (partnership with AAU and the World Bank)

• Pilot project for Francophone countries

• Arab States: New Initiatives for Regional Accreditation

Capacity Building – Some Existing Tools

• Tool-kit for QA in CBHE (Asia and the Pacific)• DE course for QA in CBHE, using the

Guidelines, to be launched in Africa (UNESCO-IIEP)

• Knowledge Base for QA in ODL – Africa, Asia and the Pacific, CIS (to be extended to LAC and Arab States)

• On-Line Course for Credential Evaluation – Mediterranean Convention

NEXT STEPS

• Info-Tool: Create a portal of accredited HEIs and programmes to be hosted by UNESCO: pilot project 2006

• 3rd Global Forum on QA focusing on Learners (October 2006)

• UNESCO/OECD Conference 2007?

A WAY FORWARD?

UNESCO 2005 GC Decision: how have the Guidelines been used

• Do HEIs and Associations find them relevant?

• How can they be applied and used?• Should they be improved and adapted?• Are there regional specificities that should

be reflected?

Thank you!

s.uvalic-trumbic@unesco.org

http://www.unesco.org/education/amq/guidelines