The Andorran higher education diplomas framework (MATES) and the National qualifications framework (MAQ) Àrea d’ordenació acadèmica i titulacions (Academic organization and qualifications service) Agència de Qualitat de l’Ensenyament Superior i la Recerca (National Quality assurance agency)

Two Frameworks Andorran Framework MAQ Describes formal, non-formal and informal education MATES Describes Levels of official HE diplomas

The Andorran framework: definition  Our framework is a double framework 1. The Andorran higher education diplomas framework (MATES) 2. Andorran qualifications framework (MAQ). MAQ and MATES have to be compatible.

What is the MAQ? It intends to be a tool that helps "to classify people". We refer: to "appraising" the formal, non formal and informal education of a person, to set a benchmark of prior learning competences for each person, to prove and/or to orientate him to future studies, to describe educational policies, to orientate through training, to design educational programs, to promote the creation of employment, to assess the studies level and to certify it in legal cases, etc.

The new MATES Framework and the EHEA framework 1st Cycle Short cycle 2nd Cycle 3rd Cycle QF for EHEA

MATES an objective of the Bologna Process The MATES is a(n):  Description of all diplomas in a given (higher) educational system  Description of how these diplomas are articulated  Description of how learners can move between diplomas within the system  Easy to understand description to inform foreigners  Description of what diploma learners will earn in terms of learing outcomes

MATES: definition Basic objectives at Higher Education:  To guarantee that all diplomas are established at the basis of a degree of concretion of the generic competences, which includes knowledge, skills and attitudes  To guarantee that competences are related with the premises of the Dublin descriptors, in coherence with the EHEA

MATES features As the final designers of a diploma are higher education institutions, the framework needs to be:  Open and flexible. Based on general objectives (describing skills, learning outcomes and competences)  It has an orientational approach - the descriptors represent the minimums required  Prescriptive. They are not only oriented to higher education institutions but to the entire society

Andorran framework: the model  Step 1: It has a normative approach. Elaboration is a competence of the educational administration and it has the objective to determine the minimum competences by level that must be acquired by all the students  Step 2: It is a set of articulated decisions that translate the step 1 in curricular projects suitable for a specific context. They have to be part of the decree of creation of a diploma. This step constitutes the core of the future programs and it is related with the labour market, employability, HE policy, etc  Step 3: It is a set of specific competences to be acquired and developed by the students in each particular diploma. Competences are described in terms of learning outcomes and measured in ECTS with strategies and activities of education-learning path for each specific area. This step is done by the university or HEI. It needs to be accredited by the QA in order to be accepted as an official program.

Descriptor CategoriesDiploma ProjectDiplomas Cognitive skills: Depth and width of knowledge: possess and knowledge understand Communication skills: Aptitudes and capacity to transmit information Practical Skills: Application of knowledge and skills Learning Autonomy and learning capacities Research methods Attitudes and professional ethics Use of Information Technology Diploma Decree STEP 2STEP 3STEP 1 BATXEL·LOR MASTER DOCTORATE MASTER BATXEL·LOR Model Short cycle EQF SPECIALIZED BATXEL·LOR MATES

MATES: Structure  The section «Diploma descriptions» of the Framework describes: the objectives, the duration, the criteria of admission, the orientation, and the names of the different certificates.  The section «Learning outcomes» describes each diploma according to the category of «descriptor» in a manner according to the common used by the international community (Dublin descriptors).

MATES: Structure The learning outcomes are structured in 7 types of descriptors :  Cognitive skills  Communication skills Practical skills Learning skills Research methods  Attitudes and professional ethics  Use of Information Technology

MATES: The process

Where are we now? Action/stepStep completed with an indication of timing Step to be completed with an indication of timing 8.Implementation at Institutional/programme level; Reformulation of individual study programmes to learning outcome based approach The small dimension of the country facilitates the implementation. The university has already started to work in this process and it will be finished probably in June Inclusion of qualifications in the NQF; Accreditation or similar (cf. Berlin Communiqué) The qualifications will be included in NQF after accreditation. These inclusions will be done maximum two months later after the presentation of each program by the university. 10.Self-certification of compatibility with the EHEA framework (Alignment to Bologna cycles etc.) Upon acceptance of item 8, the project will be certified. 11.National qualifications web site is available to users Now you can find the NQF at the web site of the department:

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