QUALITY ASSURANCE IN
TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION (TNE)
From words to action
Bologna seminar
ENQA/QAA, UK
London, 1-2 December 2008
THE UNESCO/OECD GUIDELINES FOR
QUALITY PROVISION IN CROSS-BORDER
HIGHER EDUCATION
Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic
(UNESCO Division of Higher Education)
Why UNESCO?
GLOBAL OUTREACH THROUGH:
Standard-Setting :
 UNESCO Conventions for the
 Recognition of Degrees in Higher Education;
 2005 Guidelines for Quality Provision in CBHE
Capacity-Building:
 UNESCO Global Forum on QA, Accreditation and the
Recognition of Qualification (2002; 2004; 2007)
 UNESCO-World Bank Global Initiative GIQAC
Clearinghouse
 Study Abroad
 Portal on HEIs
 Effective International Practices for Degree Mills
Guidelines for quality provision
in cross-border higher education
UNESCO and OECD
WHY THE GUIDELINES?

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
The Issues

Is cross-border higher education the answer
to expanding access to HE in the developing
world?

New challenges: equity, quality, relevance
GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY IN
CROSS-BORDER HIGHER
EDUCATION
The Process


Recommendations to
6 Stakeholders:
•Governments
•Higher Ed. Institutions
•Students Bodies
•QAA Bodies
•Academic Rec. Bodies
•Professional Bodies;




Drafting group: 3 meetings 2004-2005
Multiple stakeholder input: 94 governments,
quality assurance agencies, recognition and
student bodies, institutions, NGOs
Written consultations
Political support : OECD – UNESCO
Launch end 2005
Report back 2007
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.
GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY IN
CROSS-BORDER HIGHER
EDUCATION
The Principles
Recommendations to
6 Stakeholders:
•Governments
•Higher Ed. Institutions
•Students Bodies
•QAA Bodies
•Academic Rec. Bodies
•Professional Bodies;

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
GUIDELINES: MAIN UNDERLYING
MESSAGES

Recommendations to
6 Stakeholders:
•Governments
•Higher Ed. Institutions
•Students Bodies
•QAA Bodies
•Academic Rec. Bodies
•Professional Bodies;
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 (student, academic,
programme and institution mobility)

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
GUIDELINES: MAIN IMPLICATIONS
FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE

Quality assurance and Recognition



Recommendations to
6 Stakeholders:
•Governments
•Higher Ed. Institutions
•Students Bodies
•QAA Bodies
•Academic Rec. Bodies
•Professional Bodies;
Transparency and accessibility of information


have a comprehensive quality assurance system,
internal or external
have fair mechanisms for recognition of
qualifications
be transparent about what you do and make the
relevant information accessible internationally
Collaboration

Strengthen your collaboration with other
stakeholders nationally, regionally and
internationally
Governments
UNESCO
regional
conventions as
instruments

Establish a comprehensive, fair
and transparent system of
registration or licensing for crossborder higher education (CBHE)

Coordinate among the various
competent bodies for quality
assurance and accreditation both
nationally and internationally
Higher education Institutions
UNESCO
regional
conventions as
instruments

Comparable quality of programme
delivered taking into account
cultural and linguistic specificities;

Quality teaching and research
possible if quality of teaching staff
and conditions of work;

Transparency of financial status of
institution/programme delivered
QA and Recognition Bodies
Quality Assurance Bodies:
 Ensure arrangements include cross-border
education provision
 Strengthen the collaboration between bodies of
the sending country and the receiving country
UNESCO
regional
conventions as
instruments
Recognition Bodies
 Fair recognition of academic qualifications,
 Clear accurate and accessible information on the
criteria for assessment of qualifications
 Information on professional recognition to those
with a foreign qualification and to employers
Professional and Student
Bodies
Student bodies
 Active partners in developing and
monitoring quality
 Awareness raising – potential risks –
questions
UNESCO
regional
conventions as
instruments
Professional Bodies
 Contacts, accessible information, mutual
recognition agreements for the
professions
Capacity Building –
Some Existing Tools
Capacity building: Guide to
GATS
The Guide:

Provides basic
information on principles
and rules of GATS;

Discusses major issues
related to the HE sector
in the context of the
application of new
multilateral trade rules;

Analyses challenges
government officials and
academic leaders face
related to regulation of
CBHE in a trade
environment
UNESCO Portal on Higher Education Instutitions
http://www.unesco.org/education/portal/hed-institutions
Participating Countries
[Pilot Phase]
•Argentina
•Australia,
•Canada,
•China,
•Egypt,
•Jamaica,
•Japan,
•Kenya,
•Malaysia,
•Nigeria,
•Norway,
•Switzerland,
•United Kingdom,
•United States
- Launched 30 April 2008 -
What is the Portal on Higher Education
Institutions?

This Portal is a follow up to the UNESCO/OECD
Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher
Education.

It targets students, employers, and other interested
parties (e.g. credential evaluators).

It aims to provide students, employers and other
interested parties with access to authoritive and up-todate information on the status of HEIs and QA in
participating countries.
Country Information on the Portal
1.
Institutions recognized by
competent authorities
2.
Higher education programmes
recognized by competent
authorities
3.
Information for students
planning to study in the country
4.
Information on the higher
education system
5.
Foreign credential assessment
and recognition
6.
Information on financial
assistance opportunities
7.
Cross-border higher education
8.
National Information Centre
9.
Other information sources
10. Definition of key terms
BEWARE
DEGREE MILLS & BOGUS COLLEGES
Bogus Institutions misusing
UNESCO’s name

All levels of abuse and use. The claims may range from
100% false to not quite untrue

A multitude of modes:

all modes are about establishing a false connection or
emphasizing a real link with UNESCO to give the
impression of being an internationally recognized
provider of higher education

One institution may use 1-3 different modes

Institutions change rapidly
ACADEMIC FRAUD
For telephone or postal verification
accreditation, you may contact:
UNESCO Division of Higher Education
- Tel: (+33.1) 45681106
Support for UNESCOs
framework
Links to UNESCO
Direct links to
UNESCO
&
World Health Org
EAA and its accredited institutions accept and adopt
"The Recommendations of the World Conference on
Higher Education, sponsored by UNESCO", and
the applicable sections of the "UNESCO Guidelines for
Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education"
Degree Mills/Bogus
Institutions

UNESCO and the Council on Higher
Education Accreditation (CHEA) are
developing suggestions for international
effective practice on degree mills

UNESCO and COL alerting the developing
countries to the threat of degree mills

The UNESCO Portal one of the responses
A new capacity-building
initiative: GIQAC

A UNESCO-WB partnership to support
capacity-building in developing and transition
countries

Launched in January 2008 for a 3-year period

Participants 2008: regional QA networks from
Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Latin
America/Caribbean and the international QA
network INQAAHE
Guidelines: What Next?
Giacometti sculpture – UNESCO Paris
Guidelines: what next?
Report on implementation UNESCO 2007:

Issues even more relevant than in 2005

Little awareness of their existence

MORE ADVOCACY with all stakeholders,
especially HEIs
The London Communiqué:
Bologna Going Global
“We adopt the strategy "The European Higher Education
Area in a Global Setting" and will take forward work in
the core policy areas:



improving information on, and promoting the
attractiveness and competitiveness of the EHEA;
strengthening cooperation based on partnership;
intensifying policy dialogue;
and improving recognition.
This work ought to be seen in relation to the
OECD/UNESCO Guidelines for Quality Provision in
Cross-border Higher Education”
COMING TOGETHER
2009 World Conference (Paris, 6-8 July) :
“The New Dynamics of Higher
Education”

Is higher education today a driver for sustainable development
in the national and international context?

Does it induce change and progress in society and to act as
one of the key factors for building knowledge-based societies?

What are the most significant trends that will shape the new
higher education and research spaces?

How are learners and learning changing?

What are the new challenges for “quality”

Panel: Revitalizing Higher Education in Africa
2009 World Conference :
Regional Events







Cartagena de Los Indias (Colombia) (June
2008)
Budva, Montenegro (sub-regional): jointly
with Science Sector/BRESCE (July 2008)
London, UK: VCs event at eve of PCF5
(July 2008)
Macao, China (September 2008)
New Delhi, India (1st trimester 2009)
Beirut, Lebanon (1st trimester 2009)
Bucharest, Romania (May 2009)
Thank you
s.uvalic-trumbic@unesco.org
www.unesco.org/education/higher_education/quality