National Qualification Frameworks: The Case of the Hungarian Higher Education József Temesi, Corvinus University of Budapest Qualification Framework Embodiment Project Working Seminar February 21-23, 2007 Budapest, Hungary

Outline  Overview of the Hungarian Higher Education  The Hungarian Bologna Process (BP)  Harmonization of the BP and the EQF-NQF initiative in Hungary  Concepts  A project on designing learning outcomes for B and M programs  NQF working groups and their mandates

Overview of the Hungarian Higher Education  The first Hungarian university, with faculties of law and medicine, was established in Pécs in  After the WWII: state-owned specialized universities and colleges supervised by the Ministry of Education. Fragmented higher education system.  1993: new Higher Education Law.  Dual system; there are colleges and universities, some colleges are associated with universities as college faculties of the universities. A university can offer college level courses, too.  Before Bologna-reforms: the length of training at college level (corresponding to B.Sc. level) is minimum 3 years, maximum 4 years; the length of education at university level (corresponding to M.Sc. level) is minimum 4 years, maximum 5 years (with the exemption of medical universities where the tenure of education is 6 years).

 2000: New network of integrated state-owned higher education institutions. 18 state universities, 12 state colleges (the number of state institutions was reduced from 55 to 30)  Private sector from 1991: 26 church-owned institutions (some colleges existed before) and 9 foundation colleges.  Before 2006: state-financed degree students did not pay tuition fee. After 2006: gradual introduction of tuition fee.  Admission before 2006: high school certificate + entrance examinations. After 2006: with school-leaving certificate.

Number of applicants and admitted students to higher education between Legend: ▲ 18 year-old ◆ applicants ∎ admitted

Number of students in state-owned (86%), church-owned (6%) and private institutions, 2005/2006

Number of students graduated from higher education programs (full-time, part-time, correspondence and distance education)

Source: Statistical Yearbook, 2005/2006

The Hungarian Bologna Process (BP) Main results:  An ECTS-type credit system is in action. The Credit Council plays an advisory role.  The three-cycle system (Bachelor, Master, Doctoral) has been introduced.  Bachelor pilot programs from General introduction: September  Master pilot programs from  New Higher Education Act (September 2006): several changes in managing and financing higher education.  Quality assurance (national, institutional) is in focus. Renewal of the Hungarian Accreditation Board.  Equal opportunity in higher education. Social inclusions.

Harmonization of the BP and the EQF-NQF initiative in Hungary Main actors:  Hungarian Bologna Board  Hungarian Rectors’ Conference  Hungarian Accreditation Board  Hungarian Higher Education and Research Committee  Ministry of Education and Culture

General concepts  Qualifications are national according to national legislation  Qualifications are articulated/located in national qualifications frameworks  Vision: national frameworks are linked together through an alignment to a European meta-framework  Review the education system as a whole (public and vocational, lifelong learning)  Re-examine vocational and academic needs and create an integrated system of qualifications that will gradually bring closer education and training  The implication of an integrated framework of qualifications should be considered at the level of curriculum practice

1 Decision to start Taken by the national body responsible for higher education (minister?) 2 Setting the agenda: The purpose of our NQF WG-Report nr. 1 (section 2.3) 3 Organising the process Identifying stakeholders; setting up a committee/WG 4Design Profile. level structure, level descriptors (learning outcomes), Credit ranges 5Consultation National discussion and acceptance of design by stakeholders 6Approval According to national tradition by Minister/Government/legislation 7 Administrative set-up Division of tasks of implementation between HEI, QAA and other bodies 8 Implementation at institutional/ programme level Reformulation of individual study programmes to learning outcome based approach 9 Inclusion of qualifications in the NQF Accreditation or similar (Berlin Communiqué) 10 Self-certification of compatibility with the EHEA framework with the EHEA framework (Alignment to Bologna cycles etc.) WG Report nr. 1 Pilot projects

 Continental traditions  Several subsystems (not frameworks) co-exist  Facing a lot of new challenges (internationalization, student numbers, social and economic expectations)  Advantages: an opportunity to review qualifications and the whole qualification system  An evolving framework for higher education (effects of the Bologna Process)  Public education: lessons from international assessments (PISA)  Vocational education: new competence requirements – needs of the labour market  Coordination: No single agency as yet Hungarian background

 A clear understanding of the conceptual foundation (levels, descriptors, etc.)  A shift from standardized content, organization and delivery of qualifications  In terms of components the framework will include levels and outcome focused indicators (credits)  Traditional models give way to systems based on explicit reference points using learning outcomes and competencies, levels, level indicators, subject benchmarks, qualification descriptors  The use of a common language and approach - consistency will improve transparency and quality  Even if we think of one particular sector to start with, it is important to promote multiple pathways into and through that sector – LLL  There should be public understanding of the achievements represented by different qualifications to achieve public confidence in standards. (Source: Éva Gönczi, NQF seminar, Budapest, September 2006) Expectations

Project on qualification framwork and on learning outcomes in the Hungarian higher education Approach: TUNING philosophy Participation of HE experts and employers Learning outcomes Contribution to the Hungarian Bologna-process starting in September 2006 Analysis of the existing Bachelor programmes Focus is on the development of new Master programmes

Aims To provide technical assistance in order to produce new qualification descriptions that are justified both form an academic point of view and by potential employers in the given field Start: March, 2006 Project organization Steering Group Working groups (subject areas)

Background materials:  international project descriptions and results,  national and foreign descriptions by subject areas,  recommendations and considerations from the labour market team members Higher Education Act in Hungary: „training and qualification requirements” for every degree programme in collaboration with the Hungarian Accreditation Board and the Ministry of Education. The project approach was to create a balance between the academic and labour market requirements, and between the input and output (curriculum- oriented and learning outcome-oriented) elements. The major goal was to concentrate on a competence-based description of the training and qualification requirements.

 The professional level of qualification descriptions will improve and requirements will move towards practical realization  The recommendations from different study fields for qualification descriptions expressed in learning outcomes and competencies will take into account progression from Bachelor to Master cycle in a consistent way  The involvement of the labour market representatives will ensure sound application of the output based approaches  A core group will develop that will be able to contribute to designing qualification descriptors as future advisors in Hungary  Guidelines, manuals, technical descriptors will be designed, which will help for curriculum design and planning, in the various institutions As a result of the project

Level description (Bachelor, Master): amendment to the Higher Education Law Level description (Bachelor, Master): amendment to the Higher Education Law Subject area description: general professional competencies for a particular subject areas (e.g. engineering, business) Programme description: specific competencies for a particular programme (e.g. mechanical engineering, marketing) Training and qualification description (official version): Competencies + knowledge areas Hierarchy of requirements

Designing process (recommendation for the institutions) Competencies and learning outcomes general subject area programme Assigning to knowledge areas Composition of knowledge areas in a curriculum (in credits) Institutional curriculum Institutional curriculum Qualified personnel Qualified personnel Infrastructure Infrastructure guarantee for a quality output Launching a programme Programmeaccreditation

 for the Ministry of Education: structure and content of the legal regulation  for the Hungarian Accreditation Board: subject area and programme descriptors  for the institutions: competence-based curricula Recommendations: Project outcome:  methodology papers, guidebooks, sample descriptions  studies on labour market requirements  recommendations  trained experts

NQF working groups and their mandates Working Group 1: detailed level descriptions (Higher Education: level 6-8) Conceptual framework Structure of NQF Analysis of the NQF descriptors and the sectorial output requirements Harmonization of the NQF descriptors and the existing requirements Assigning the NQF descriptors to the EQF descriptors Deadline: June 2007

Working Group 2: mechanisms, regulation, financial tools Institutional and procedural questions – legal proposals Preparations to introduce the NQF: designing projects to be incorporated into the National Development plan Deadline: June 2007 Working Group 3: recommendations for the educational sub sectors Detailed output requirements – primary and secondary education, vocational education, higher education, adult education (LLL) Review and development of the output requirements Deadline: December 2007