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 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 Governments Higher education institutions Quality assurance and accreditation agencies Student bodies Information centres of recognition Professional bodies – 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 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

UFD Types of cross-border education activities TypeMain formsExamplesSize 1. People Students/traineesStudent mobility-Full study abroad for a foreign degree or qualification - Part of academic partnership for home degree or joint degree -Exchange programmes Probably the largest share of cross border education Professors/trainersAcademic /trainer mobility- For professional development - As part of an academic partnership - Employment in foreign university - To teach in a branch institution abroad An old tradition in the education sector, which should grow given the emphasis on mobility of professionals and internationalisation of education more generally 2. Programmes Educational programmes Academic partnerships E-learning - Joint course or a programme with a foreign institution - E-learning programmes - Selling/franchising a course to a foreign institution Academic partnerships represent the largest share of these activities. E-learning and franchising are small but rapidly growing 3. Institutions/ providers Foreign campuses Foreign investments - Opening of a foreign campus - Buying (part of) a foreign educational institution - Creation of an educational provider abroad A trend increasing very quickly form a low starting point