A European framework for quality assurance: good medicine for nursing and midwifery

1
A European framework for quality assurance good
medicine for nursing and midwifery?

• 14th Annual Meeting of the Florence Network
• Building Bridges The Implications of the
  European Dimension for Nurse and Midwifery
  Education
• Edinburgh, 10 May 2006
• Karin Riegler
• Senior Programme Manager, EUA

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European University Association (EUA)

• EUA main representative organisation of
  universities (c750) and their national Rectors
  Conferences (34) in 46 countries across Europe
• Mission to promote coherence in European higher
  education and research through
• Policy development
• Support to members (projects services)
• Particular focus on Bologna implementation

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The context conflicting demands on institutions

• increase participation widen access / cut costs
  charge fees
• be more local / more regional / more European /
  more global
• increase mobility within Europe / attract more
  students scholars from outside Europe
• improve academic quality / be more responsive to
  labour market
• provide compatible curricula across Europe /
  maintain cultural diversity be more
  learner-centred
• be more autonomous / conform to set frameworks
• be more competitive / be more socially inclusive
• and do it all with decreasing/stagnating public
  funding...

4
Quality assurancean essential tool for
addressing these challenges

• The Institutional Evaluation programme 150
  institutions in 36 countries
• The Quality Culture Project 150 institutions in
  about 30 countries
• Trends accompanying the Bologna process
• Joint Masters
• Doctoral studies
• EMNEM (European Masters New Evaluation
  Methodology guidelines for internal QA of joint
  programmes)
• Higher Education Reform information project for
  Bologna promoters (new)
• Creativity in Higher Education (new)
• Doc Careers (new)
• Policy involvement at national, European and
  international level

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Lessons learned from EUAs activities

• Correlation between institutional autonomy and
  quality culture
• Base external QA on internal quality processes
• Fitness for purpose approach
• Engage students, alumni, academic and
  administrative staff
• Improvement orientation
• Concentration on the capacity to change
• Mindful of the need to increase the creativity
  and innovation potential of higher education, the
  researchers and the learners

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European level changes in the quality debate

• Bologna Declaration (1999) quality is not a key
  issue
• Prague Communiqué (2001) the role of QA agencies
  predominates
• E4 ENQA, ESIB, EURASHE and EUA
• Berlin Communiqué (2003)
• Quality moves to the top of the agenda
• Responsibility of HEIs is acknowledged

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Bergen 2005 Key decisions regarding QA

• 1. Standards and guidelines apply to
• Internal quality processes in institutions
• External quality processes of institutions
• External quality processes of QA agencies
• 2. Peer-review of QA agencies
• 3. Register of QA agencies operating in Europe

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Post-Bergen development the EC
Recommendation(adopted on 15 February 2006)

• Encourage HEIs to develop internal quality
  processes
• Encourage QA agencies to apply the Bergen
  standards and guidelines
• Encourage the establishment of a register of QA
  agencies
• Enable HEIs to turn to any agency in the
  register, provided it is compatible with national
  legislation or permitted by national authorities.

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Post-Bergen discussions among the E4

• Register
• EU25 or Bologna Process 45?
• Inclusive or exclusive?
• Modes of classification?
• Legal implication?
• Register committee
• Composition
• Tasks and responsibilities - legal status?
• Peer Review process
• ENQA or national
• Method of the reviews
• Consequences (role of ENQA)

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Related inherent Bologna principles

• Shift from teacher input to output factors and
  student centred learning
• Learning outcomes/competencies
• Credit accumulation (ECTS)
• Recognition of prior informal learning
• European Qualifications Framework
• National Qualifications Frameworks
• Involvement of institutional community and
  external stakeholders

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Potential implications for nursing and midwifery

• European QA frameworks as a potential basis for
  overcoming the problem of widley differing
  educational structures in Europe
• Increased transparency in terms of internal as
  well as external QA
• Enhancing trust between institutions and
  educational systems as well as on the European
  level
• Learning outcomes/competencies
• ECTS accumulation

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Thank you very much for your attention

• www.eua.be
• Institutional Evaluation programme
  http//www.eua.be/eua/en/membership_evaluation.jsp
  x
• Quality Culture http//www.eua.be/eua/en/projects
  _quality.jspx
• Doctoral Programme http//www.eua.be/eua/en/Docto
  ral_Programmes.jspx
• Creativity in Higher Education
  http//www.eua.be/eua/en/Creativity.jspx
• karin.riegler_at_eua.be