Royal Ministry of Education and Research UNESCO/OECD WORK ON GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY PROVISION Jan S. Levy, Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research Chair of UNESCO/OECD Guidelines group

UFD Project overview Common project UNESCO-OECD With relevance both for exporting and importing countries Last year’s OECD forum on trade Consumer protection  Learner protection Concrete goals: – Guidelines for quality provision – Information tools to help learners, institutions and authorities

UFD Major drivers More providers – New providers Reduced transparency – increasing need for guidance General globalisation – GATS Increased demand from learners and societies Need for an educational response

UFD Providers and provision Old and new institutions – innovative for- profit organisations Partnerships – both traditional academic and new types including commercial elements. Using all modes of provision – traditional e- learning – and first of all blended Cross-border activity puts the notions “foreign” and “domestic” in a haze

UFD The demand side – students and societies Individual demand – Full degree programmes – Single courses/semesters Exchange programmes National development strategies – As a means to growth – As an effect of growth E-learning as import strategy

UFD Reduced transparency – increased need for guidance Higher complexity – Speed of change, new provision, increased range of choices Challenging for the individual learner But also for societies – especially countries with short domestic academic traditions Need for capacity building – also in QA Diploma mills – accreditation mills

UFD Globalisation – GATS Globalisation: The flow of technology, economy, knowledge, people, values and ideas across international borders. Either we like it or not – we are profiting from it in our everyday life GATS is an approach to meet the trade related challenges Trade in education is there now. We may address it through GATS or chose not to do it. Eventually, trade will not disappear, but we may throw away a tool for controlling it. But GATS will neither secure quality provision, nor help the learners and societies to make informed choices

UFD There is a need for an educational response What should we achieve? – Learners need to be protected from the risks of misinformation, low-quality provision and qualifications of limited validity – Qualifications should be readable and transparent in order to increase their international validity and portability – Qualifications should be recognised internationally with as few difficulties as possible – National quality assurance and accreditation agencies need to intensify their international cooperation in order to increase their mutual understanding

UFD The educational response (2) Who should take responsibility of the response? – Organisations with high degree of legitimacy in the world of education – Global organisations, encompassing governments and stakeholders – UNESCO and OECD joining forces – Soft laws – Legal instruments

UFD The educational response (3) How could it be implemented? – Developing guidelines on quality provision in higher education – Higher education institutions – Quality assurance and accreditation agencies – Student bodies – Information centres of recognition – Professional bodies – Governments – Development of reliable information tools for learners/students/institutions – Global Database on nationally approved providers/provision

UFD Ongoing work Working group open to all OECD/UNESCO members and stakeholders Three drafting sessions – 5 – 6 April 2004 in Paris – 14 – 15 October 2004 in Tokyo – 17 – 18 January in Paris Expert groups

UFD Some considerations How to make the Guidelines credible both in exporting and importing countries The guidelines should contribute to sustainable competence building in developing countries The guidelines must promote the full inclusion of stakeholders How to identify and regulate the market for agents/ brokers How could we assure that quality is maintained were degrees provided nationally also is provided cross- border? How to make the guidelines visible and give relevant advice to those in need for information

UFD For UNESCO – part of the larger Agenda The action is a direct follow up of the conclusions at the 1st Global Forum, confirmed at the 2nd Global Forum, calling for the development of policy framework and guiding principles to meet the challenges from globalisation Furthermore, UNESCO General Conference last October decided on a Resolution on Higher Education and Globalisation: Promoting quality and access to the knowledge society as a means for sustainable development

UFD Over-ambitious…Or? Bold steps – or is it just as we see it? Do we apply different quality control standards to everyday consuming than to education? Learners/students need information Even Institutions/countries may lack information What about a woolmark?

UFD Thank you References: UNESCO Website: ovision.html ovision.html OECD Website: