This document discusses quality assurance and qualifications frameworks in promoting mobility and recognition across national, bilateral, regional and global levels. It provides examples of quality assurance standards and guidelines in Europe as well as the role of qualifications frameworks. The Irish experience with its integrated agency for quality and qualifications is highlighted, with the agency responsible for the National Framework of Qualifications and quality assurance of higher education institutions and programs, both domestic and transnational. Principles for quality assurance agencies in coordinating cross-border reviews to facilitate mutual understanding and trust while lessening regulatory burdens are outlined.

1. Quality assurance and qualifications
frameworks as tools to promote mobility
and recognition: national, bilateral,
regional and global experiences and
opportunities
China International Forum on Cross-border Education
Haikou, Hainan December 2016
Bryan Maguire

2. Quality assurance
• European standards and guidelines
• Quality assurance agencies
• Qualifications frameworks
• Irish experience

3. Bologna
Ministerial
Statements
• “To consolidate the EHEA, meaningful
implementation of learning outcomes is needed.
The development, understanding and practical
use of learning outcomes is crucial to the success
of ECTS, the Diploma Supplement, recognition,
qualifications frameworks and quality assurance
– all of which are interdependent.”
Bucharest
Communiqué, April
2012
• “Enhancing the quality and relevance of
learning and teaching is the main mission of the
EHEA.” Yerevan
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4. Three layers of European
Standards and Guidelines for
QA
• Internal quality assurance
• External quality assurance
• External quality assurance agencies
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5. Internal quality assurance
• Policy for
institutional QA
• Programmes design +
approval (NFQ)
• Student-centred
learning, teaching and
assessment
• Student admission,
progression,
recognition and
certification
• Teaching staff
• Learning
resources +
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6. External quality assurance
• Use of internal
quality
assurance
procedures
• Designing
methodologies
fit for
purpose
• Implementing
processes
• Peer review 6

7. Quality assurance agencies
• Activities policy
and processes
for QA
• Official status
• Independence
• Thematic
analysis
• Resources
• Internal QA and
professional
conduct
• Cyclical
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8. External QA
• Accreditation of programmes or
• Accreditation/audit of institutions
or
• Combination of both
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9. Qualifications Frameworks
• Based on learning outcomes
• National qualifications frameworks
are being developed in all countries
• Tuning project has worked on
learning outcomes for disciplines
within QF-EHEA
• Integrating QA and QFs is
increasingly important agenda

10. Quality and Qualifications
Ireland• “an integrated agency for quality and qualifications in
Ireland”
• Established November 2012 by Qualification and Quality
Assurance (Education and Training) Act of parliament
• Reviewed by European Association for Quality Assurance
(ENQA) in 2014,
• Member of ENQA, INQAAHE & CBQAN
• Memoranda with QAA, MQA, HKCAAVQ, HKQFS (Ed
Bureau), NZQA

11. QQI roles
• Custodian of National Framework of
Qualifications (established in 2003)
• Qualifications Recognition Advice (NARIC)
• Quality assurance guidelines for all
education and training outside schools
• Quality assurance of all HEIs at
institutional level, onshore and TNE
• Quality assurance of private HE and VET
at programme level, onshore and TNE

12. External QA - institution
• Institutional review
– Holistic assessment
– Externality required
– Relies on (and checks) institutional
capacity for programme level QA
– Greater autonomy, closer to learners,
may be more cost effective
– In some instance authority to validate
may be revoked or conditioned

13. External QA - programme
• Programme validation/accreditation
– Independent
– More consistent across HEIs?
– More developmental?
– More trusted, especially for less
established institutions
– Demanding on the agency
• TNE example - Dublin Business
School/KPTM in Malaysia

14. Internal QA review
• Self-validating universities in Ireland
are required to monitor and
formally review their linked
providers and programmes
• TNE example – University College
Dublin
– Monitoring report
– Review of provision

15. QACHE principles
• QAAs should share information about their
respective QA systems and about cross-border
providers, with a view to facilitating mutual
understanding and building mutual trust
• QAAs should seek to coordinate and cooperate
in their review activity of cross-border higher
education, with a view to avoiding regulatory
gaps and duplication of efforts, and to lessening
the regulatory burdens on providers
• Networks of quality assurance agencies should
facilitate interagency cooperation and the
implementation of the QACHE Toolkit

16. • www.qqi.ie
• bmaguire@qqi.ie
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