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INTRODUCTION OF ECTS AND DIPLOMA SUPPLEMENTS
(DS) IN LATVIA DIFFICULTIES AND PROGRESS
Prof. Mara JURE, National Academic Contact Point
of LATVIA Faculty of Material Science and Applied
Chemistry Riga Technical University International
Seminar DEVELOPING ECTS AS A NATIONAL CREDIT
SYSTEM EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES AT
INSTITUTIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS. Yerevan,
Armenia, 4-6 May 2006
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3 cycles ECTS/DS Grading Quality
Assurance Qualification frameworks Learning
outcomes
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Initial moves to reform the Latvian higher
education system got underway well before the
Bologna Declaration. The first major development
was the Education Law of 1991. In accordance with
this law, a degree structure based on two main
cycles (Bachelors/Masters) was introduced in
most disciplines but only in academic programmes.
The 1995 Law on Higher Educational
Establishments (LHEE) led to further
strengthening of this structure but also
underlined the division between academic and
professional programmes. The amendments to the
LHEE in 2000 established professional Bachelors
and Masters degrees which replaced the former
five-year programmes, introducing the
Bachelors/Masters structure into the whole
system and thus facilitating the transfer from
one type of education to the other. The total
period of study for a Masters degree should be
no less than five years.
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Amendments to the LHEE introduced doctoral
studies as part of academic education
(previously, doctoral degree candidates were
research workers not involved in education). A
degree structure based on three main cycles is
thus fully established. The procedure and
criteria for awarding the doctoral degree in
accordance with the Law on Scientific Activities
(LoSA) are further set out in the regulations of
the Cabinet of Ministers. Doctoral study
programmes are developed by the higher education
institution, and contain the list of compulsory
and optional subjects along with the
corresponding number of credit points, the
content of research, the previous level of
education necessary to embark on studies, and
other provisions for implementing the programme.
A doctorate is obtained only after fulfilling the
requirements for the doctoral study programme and
after the public defence of the doctoral thesis.
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• PROBLEMS
• Professional and academic education obstacles
  for transfer between cycles
• Professional programmes of 5 years still exist
• Employment of bachelors degree holders
• Language of education and joint degrees
  difference between privat and state HEI

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Since 1998, the majority of higher education
institutions have introduced a Latvian credit
point system compatible with ECTS, which has been
used for both accumulation and transfer since it
was first implemented. A Latvian credit point is
defined as the full-time workload of a student in
one week. As the academic year lasts 40 weeks,
this corresponds to 40 Latvian credits per year
and, on this basis, one Latvian credit is worth
1.5 ECTS credits. So far, the ECTS grading scale
is used only in the case of credit transfer.As
of 1 January 2004, all graduates receive the
Diploma Supplement automatically and free of
charge, in accordance with the Regulations of the
Cabinet of Ministers on the order concerned with
the issuing of state-recognised education
documents testifying to the completion of higher
education, and the awarding of degrees. The
Supplement is issued in Latvian and English.
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Austria 3Azerbaidjan 1Belgium 13Bulgaria
1Cyprus 1Estonia 1Germany 1Finland 6 F
rance 5Greece 1Hungary 1Italy 2Latvia
1Macedonia 1The Netherlands 1Norway 3Pola
nd 2Portugal 3Spain 2Sweden 2Turkey 2
United Kingdom 2
ECTS Label 55 ? 48 ? 3 applied 01.11.2004.
(91?11 applied 01.11.2003.).
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Institutions awarded the ECTS Label 2004/05 -
2006/07AT TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT GRAZBE FACULTÉ
UNIVERSITAIRE DES SCIENCES AGRONOMIQUES DE
GEMBLOUXBE UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPENBE
UNIVERSITEIT GENTES UNIVERSIDAD DE DEUSTOFI
ARCADE NYLANDS SVENSKA YRKEHOGSKOLAFI
LAPPEENRANTA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGYPL
AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF WROCLAWPT UNIVERSITY
OF AVEIROPT UNIVERSIDAD DE MINHONO HÖGSKOLEN I
AGDERInstitutions awarded the ECTS Label
2005/06 - 2007/08AT FACHHOCHSCHULE VORARLBERG
GMBHBE KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENNL
WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITEIT
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ECTS Label requirements

• Information Package and Course Catalogue (IP/CC)
  of ALL I and II cycle programms in national
  language and English (published on Web) see
  Checklist of ECTS Users Guide)
• ECTS credits student workload
• Academic recognition of studies periods
• Complete ECTS documentation (Learning agreement,
  Transcript of Records)
• Label is awarded for 3 years

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Grades
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Austria 5Belgium 4Czech Republic 1Cyprus 1D
enmark 8Estonia 1Finland 14France 2Greece
1Ireland 1Iceland 1Latvia 2The
Netherlands 1Norway 11Portugal 3Sweden 11Tu
rkey 3United Kingdom 2
DS Label 72 ? 63?30 applied 01.11.2004. (85
? 28 applied 01.11.2003.) DS in Latvia
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Institutions awarded the DS Label 2004/05 -
2006/07AT PADAGOGISCHE AKADEMIE DES BUNDES IN
NÖDE FACHHOCHSCHULE IN STRALSUNDDE
HANDELSHOCHSCHULE LEIPZIG GMBHDK SYDDANSK
UNIVERSITETDK DANMARKS PAEDAGOGISKE
UNIVERSITETEE ESTONIAN BUSINESS SCHOOLFI OULUN
SEDUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI TAMPEEREN
YLIOPISTOFI LAUREA AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUNO
HÖGSKOLEN I BODÖNO HÖGSKOLEN I LILLEHAMMERNO
HÖGSKOLEN I NARVIKNO UNIVERSITETET I BERGENNO
HÖGSKOLEN I AGDERNO NORGES VETERINAERHOGSKOLENO
HÖGSKOLEN I NORD-TRÖNDELAGNO HÖGSKOLEN I
TROMSÖNO HÖGSKOLEN I SÖR-TRÖNDELAGNO
UNIVERSITETET I OSLONO UNIVERSITETET I TROMSÖNO
HÖGSKOLEN I MOLDENO HÖGSKOLEN I GJÖVIKNO
HÖGSKOLEN I ALESUNDPL WYZSZA SZKOLA
HUMANISTYCZNO-EKONOMICZNA W LODZPT UNIVERSIDAD
DE MINHOSE UPPSALA UNIVERSITETSE MALARDALENS
HÖGSKOLASE VAXJÖ UNIVERSITET
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Institutions awarded the DS Label 2005/06 -
2007/08AT FACHHOCHSCHULE VORARLBERG GMBHAT
FACHHOCHSCHULE TECHNIKUM KÄRNTENAT
FACHHOCHSCHULE DES BFI WIENCZ VYSOKA SKOLA
BANSKA - TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA OSTRAVAFI
HELSINGIN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI PIRKANMAAN
AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI TAMPEREEN
AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI KAJAANIN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU
FI POHJOIS-KARJALAN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI
KYMENLAAKSON AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI SATAKUNNAN
AMMATTIKORKEAKOULUFI HANKEN SVENSKA
HANDELSHÖGSKOLANFR ECOLE INTERNATIONALE DES
SCIENCES DU TRAITEMENT DE L'INFORMATIONIE
LETTERKENNY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYIS HASKOLINN
I REYKJAVIKLV LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATELV
TRANSPORTA UN SAKARU INSTITUTSNO HÖGSKOLEN I
BERGENNO NORGES IDRETTSHÖGSKOLENO HÖGSKOLEN I
HARSTADNO HÖGSKOLEN STORD/HAUGESUNDNO HÖGSKOLEN
I BUSKERUDNO HÖGSKOLEN I HEDMARKNO HÖGSKOLEN I
TELEMARKPT UNIVERSIDADE DE TRÁS-OS-MONTES E ALTO
DOUROPT UNIVERSIDADE DA BEIRA INTERIORSE KUNGL
TEKNISKA HÖGSKOLANSE ÖREBRO UNIVERSITETTR EGE
ÜNIVERSITESITR GAZIANTEP UNIVERSITESI
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DS Label requirements

• DS issued to all students
• Automatically (without special request)
• Free of charge
• 2 languages (national and widely spoken foreign
  language)
• Avarded for 3 years

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The national Higher Education Quality Evaluation
Centre, or HEQEC (Augstakas izglitibas kvalitates
noverteanas centrs http//www.aiknc.lv/en/),
was established in December 1994. The Centre does
not participate in the evaluation of a higher
education institution or study programme itself,
but assists higher education institutions in
preparing their internal assessment reports, and
appoints Evaluation Commissions (expert teams)
which include one Latvian and at least two
foreign experts. The continuous quality
assurance process consists of self-evaluation and
evaluation by external experts, and ends with
accreditation.Both the higher education
institution as a whole and the programme in
question have to be accredited before a
state-recognised higher education credential can
be issued. The first step in the process is the
self-assessment report that representatives of
the administration, academic staff and students
at higher education institutions have to prepare
in English. Experts evaluate it and other
documents, and arrange for an evaluation visit to
the higher education institution, submitting a
common statement as well as written individual
opinions. Institutions are accredited by the
Council of Higher Education (Augstakas izglitibas
padome), and study programmes are accredited by
the Accreditation Commission established by the
Ministry of Education and Science.
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Students are represented in both these national
bodies. The accreditation process began in 1996
and the first round of accreditation was
completed in 2002. Accreditation proceeds in
accordance with the regulations entitled On
accreditation of Higher Education Institutions
and Study Programmes approved in October 2001.
Foreign experts are involved in each evaluation.
Study programmes are accredited once every six
years. In exceptional cases, the Accreditation
Commission grants only temporary accreditation,
implying a repeated assessment after two years.
The self-assessment reports and reports by
expert teams are made publicly available via the
Internet and the educational newspaper Izglitiba
un Kultura (Education and Culture). The quality
assurance system is also used for quality
improvement and as a means to reforms in higher
education. In order to start implementing higher
education programmes, a higher education
institution has to receive a licence from the
Ministry of Education and Science both for the
institution itself and for each particular study
programme. Licensing is a kind of preliminary
quality assurance, in that within three years
after getting a licence, a higher education
institution has to submit the study programme for
accreditation. The HEQEC has been a member of the
European Association for Quality Assurance in
Higher Education (ENQA) since 2003, and of the
International Network for Quality Assurance
Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) since 1997.
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How far has Latvia progressed in
elaboratingqualifications frameworks?
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General issues

• working group was established in October 2004,
• The level of Latvian qualifications in the
  Bologna 3-cycle system has been clarified,
• The issue of academic and professional
  bachelor and master degrees has been discussed
• Known examples of qualifications frameworks
  Irish, UK (E,W,NI), Scottish and Danish have
  been discussed
• Danish model has been chosen as a prototype

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Progress

• Descriptions have been created for
• Short-cycle (college) higher education
• Bachelor (academic and professional profile)
• Master (academic and professional profile)
• Doctor
• They have been discussed at a national seminar on
  Jan 28, 2005
• Next steps
• Giving the descriptions a legal status,
• Starting work at inter-institutional and
  programme level

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http//www.aic.lv/LO/index.htm
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Learning outcomes and Workload their
relationship

• Learning outcomes Statements of what a learner
  is expected to know, understand and/or be able to
  demonstrate after completion of learning. They
  can refer to a single course unit or module or
  else to a period of studies, for example, a first
  or a second cycle programme. Learning outcomes
  specify the minimum requirements for award of
  credit.
• Workload The estimated time required to complete
  the activities foreseen for each course unit /
  module. Workload includes all learning
  activities, i.e. lectures, practical work,
  information retrieval, private study, placements,
  fieldwork, preparation of examinations, etc.
• Learning outcomes defined for a unit / programme
  should match the available workload required by a
  typical student.

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LATVIA in BOLOGNA PROCESS (2005) http//www.bologn
a-bergen2005.no/Docs/Latvia/LATVIA.PDF
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Quo vadis?
http//www.aic.lv/ace/ace_disk/Bologna/Reports/ind
ex.htm
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Riga Technical University http//www.rtu.lv
Faculty of Material Science and Applied
Chemistry http//www.ktf.rtu.lv
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Exchange students within ERASMUS
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ERASMUS STUDENTS BY COUNTRIES
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ERASMUS in Latvia http//www.socrates.lvLatvia
n Academic Information Centre http//www.aic.lv/
Ministry of Education and Science
http//www.izm.lv/Higher Education Quality
Evaluation Centre Ltd. http//www.aiknc.lv/en/inde
x.phpThe Council of Higher Education
http//www.aip.lv/
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Prof. Mara Jure National Academic Contact
Point ECTS/DS counsellor Vice Dean of Faculty of
Materials Science and Applied Chemistry, Riga
Technical University Azenes Str. 14/24, Riga,
Latvia, LV-1048 E-mail mara_at_ktf.rtu.lv Phone 37
1 7089220 Fax [phone] http//www.lza.lv/scie
ntists/JureM.htm
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Bologna process in Latvia should not be seen as
the beginning of higher education reforms. Like
in many central and eastern European countries,
the beginning of reforms in Latvias higher
education started with the political changes in
Europe at the end of 1980s - beginning of
1990s. Transition to bachelor/master structure
in Latvias academic higher education started
already in the beginning of 1990s. In this
respect Latvia is ahead of quite a number of
other countries engaged in the Bologna
process.Since the beginning of introduction of
national credit system in early 1990s, it is used
for credit accumulation. Credit point system has
been endorsed by the Law on Higher Education
Establishments (1995) and by the standards of
academic and professional higher education.
Similarly to other Baltic states and some Nordic
countries, Latvian credit point system is based
upon the definition of credit point as workload
of one week of full-time studies, thus leading to
40 credits per year both the duration of
programmes and of individual courses is being
expressed in credit points. This system is
compatible with ECTS - a simple multiplication by
1.5 allows to recalculate Latvian credits. Now
Latvia considers a transition to ECTS. Latvia
started implementation of the Joint European DS
earlier than several other European countries
since 2004 every HEI should issue DS
automatically, in both languages Latvian and
English and to all graduates.
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ECTS http//europa.eu.int/comm/education/programm
es/socrates/ects/index_en.htmlDS
http//europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/rec_q
ual/recognition/diploma_en.htmlEUA
http//www.eua.be/eua/en/projects_ects.jspx ECTS
Users Guide http//europa.eu.int/comm/education/
programmes/socrates/ects/doc/guide_en.pdf
http//www.eua.be Significant growth in
membership, now 764 members 689 full individual
members, 45 countries, 17 associate individual
members (Polytechnics, Colleges, etc.) 34 full
collective members (Rectors Conferences) 6
associate collective members 18 affiliate
members (networks, specialised associations)
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University of Latvia (Erasmus Intensive Language
Courses)Riga Technical UniversityRezeknes
augstskolaVidzemes augstskolahttps//luis.lanet
.lv/pls/pub/kursi.startup?l2
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ECTS Atzinibas zimes pieteikumu izvertejums
bieakas kludas

• IP/CC
• Trukst informacijas, kas prasita Checklist of
  ECTS Users Guide
• Informacija nav dota abas - apmacibu un anglu -
  valodas
• Nav kursu strukturas diagrammas ar KP (60 ECTS KP
  gada)
• Web lapa nav izveidota ertai lietoanai
• Dokumenti (LA un ToR)
• Studentu lietas nesatur visus prasitos dokumentus
• LA nav noraditi KP
• Nav izskaidrojuma par macibu iestades atzimju
  sistemu
• Trukst zimogu un parakstu datumi neatbilst
  studiju periodam
• Nav ieverota prasiba par 30/60 KP studiju perioda

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ECTS Atzinibas zimes pieteikumu izvertejums
bieakas kludas

• Atziana
• Nav skaidrs, ka KP un atzimes tikui atziti
• Akademiskas atzianas dokumenti bez parakstiem un
  zimogiem
• Nav skaidrs, kads studiju periods (kursi) vieteja
  universitate ticis aizstats ar studijam arzemes
• ECTS ievieana
• KP balstiti uz kontaktstundam vai ari nav
  informacijas ka tie veidoti
• Nav inform acijas par akademiskas atzianas
  proceduru
• Trukst informacijas par LO (?!)

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DS Atzinibas zimes pieteikumu izvertejums -
bieakas kludas

• Atsutits diploma pielikuma originals
• Trukst parakstu
• Nav izpildita pieteikuma prasiba par 2 daadiem
  cikliem un 2 daadam studiju programmam katra
  cikla
• Izmainita DS galvas dala (preamble)
• Nav skaidrs, kadi KP tiek lietoti
• Nav dota atzimju statistika
• Nav pieradijumu, ka diploma pielikums tiek izdots
  automatiski bez maksas visiem studentiem

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Underlying principles

• While striving for unitary HE system in Latvia,
  a more professional and a more academic profile
  of degrees will be kept,
• academic profile degrees should include
  competencies that ensure employability using
  transversal skills and knowledge in the academic
  field
• professional profile degrees should include
  competencies that ensure ability of holders to
  research and innovation
• In any profile or level competencies should
  include skills for further learning and
  self-development to ensure sustainable
  employability over the whole life
• the competencies should address work and science
  ethics

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Working group methodology

• Description of the generic qualifications is
  based on
• profile
• three groups of competencies
• intellectual
• academic and professional,
• practical
• formal issues access requirements and further
  study/ work options

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Working group methodology (II)

• 2. Formulating of competencies was
• as much as possible based on wording of existing
  legal texts
• Academic education standard (Cabinet regulation)
• Professional HE Standard (Cabinet regulation)
• but re-shaped and adapted according to the
  recent developments
• Where there was no appropriate wording in the
  legal texts, the wording was formulated, adapting
  wording of Dublin descriptors and Danish QF to
  Latvian situation