Quality assurance in Europe The Bologna declaration

Main contents Easily readable and comparable degrees Diploma Supplement Two main cycles System of credits - such as in the ECTS system Promotion of mobility

Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance with a view to developing comparable criteria and methodologies. Promotion of the necessary European dimensions in higher education, particularly with regards to curricular development

The Bologna Follow-up Group The Bologna Follow-up Group set up the following working groups for the period: Social dimension Qualifications frameworks International openness Mobility Recognition Reporting on the implementation of the Bologna Process Transparency mechanisms

The Norwegian approach to the Bologna process We adapted quickly Introduced the bachelor and master structure The Norwegian credit system («studiepoeng») is equivalent to the ECTS credit system – we do not have two parallell systems The Diploma Supplement was introduced The NOKUT was etablished

NOKUT NOKUT = The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education NOKUT conducts quality controls and stimulates the quality development of educational provision at Norwegian universities, higher education colleges and colleges of tertiary vocational education. NOKUT recognises foreign higher education qualifications in response to applications by individuals and provides information to holders of foreign qualifications about Norway’s various mechanisms for the recognition and authorisation of foreign qualifications.

NOKUTs quality assurance Quality assurance NOKUT is the controlling authority for educational activity at all Norwegian universities, special field universities, university colleges and institutions with single accredited higher education programmes. Through an evaluation procedure NOKUT decides on the recognition of the institutions’ internal quality assurance systems and carries out checks to see if their educational provision meets national quality standards.

The Norwegian Qualification Framework How to use the Norwegian qualifications framework The Norwegian Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (NQF) can be used as a support to: - improve communication between the educational sector and the labour market - offer a superior description of what a pupil/-apprentice/-candidate is expected to know, understand and be able to do after successful completion of learning - describe the workings of the Norwegian system in a new manner, which will pave the way for improved education and career guidance - facilitate the comparison of qualifications from other countries, via the EQF and the QF-EHEA - open the way for the development of new instruments for validation of competencies achieved outside the formal educational system