The challenge of learning outcomes in the study structure of lifelong learning in the University of Bergen

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The challenge of learning outcomes in the study structure of lifelong learning in the University of Bergen"

Magnus Lane
6 years ago
Views:

1 The challenge of learning outcomes in the study structure of lifelong learning in the University of Bergen To understand the challenges of higher education generally and the lifelong learning provisions particularly we have to look at the recent changes concerning higher education both in Europe and in Norway. In June 2001, the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) discussed and approved a White Paper dealing with an extensive reform of higher education based on the work of a national commission. The implementation of the reform was to be gradual, starting in the autumn of The Bologna process, with its ten action lines 1, can quite easily be recognized in the Norwegian Quality Reform. Concerning education the main points in the Quality Reform are: A new degree structure: Bachelor, Master and PhD Improved teaching and assessment Mutual and formalised learning agreement between the student and the institution New grading system on a scale from A - E/+F to be used at all institutions Study credits ("studiepoeng") based on the ECTS-system, with 60 credits ("studiepoeng") equivalent to one academic year of full time study Students who wish shall have the opportunity to pursue parts of their education outside Norway as an integrated part of courses at the home institution. The implementation of most of the elements above was completed by the end of the year However, the work of improved teaching and assessment is an ongoing process and the importance of this has been highlighted very often the last years. The reason for this is new demands concerning curriculum development and the Qualification framework in European Higher Education adopted by the ministers in Bergen The Bologna Process comprehends ten prioritised areas partly overlapping one another. 1. Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees 2. Adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles (bachelor and master) 3. Establishment of a system of credits (European Credit Transfer System/ECTS) 4. Promotion of mobility for students, academic and administrative staff 5. Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance 6. Promotion of the European dimension in higher education, through subject curriculums, common programmes and institutional cooperation. 7. Lifelong learning 8. Inclusion of higher education institutions and students as partners in the Bologna Process 9. Promotion of the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area 10. Synergy between the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area 1

2 Learning outcomes At the Bergen Meeting of May 2005 the European Ministers of Education adopted the "Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area" drafted by European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, (ENQA). The transparency of curricula is highlighted and the importance of development and publication of explicit intended learning outcomes underscored. Already, somewhat earlier (2003), the Norwegian Agency of Quality in Education (NOKUT) had issued regulations concerning standards and criteria for accreditations of course provisions. The institutions have to comply with the following call regarding learning outcomes: The study programme must state the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students shall have acquired on completion of the course, and the type of competence provided by the course in relation to further studies and/or work. This call regarding descriptions of learning outcomes is new and a challenge for higher education, especially within humanities, social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences. Curriculum development is therefore in a period of major transition. Most of the Norwegian academics are used to having a subject matter-centered approach when describing a course. The term learning outcome has not often been in use and there has been questions as to what we mean by learning outcomes. The most frequent definition used today is: A statement of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate at the end of a period of learning. Today the competence-based curriculum development should be used as the method concerning all new programmes of study and new course units at the University of Bergen. By 2009, all programmes and units should be revised and should be in alignment with the new demands. One of the great differences regarding the qualifications which were awarded before implementation of the Quality Reform is that the studies were hardly modularized in the humanities and social sciences. Qualifications within the lower degree which included a major and minors were composed of appreciable large components, normally at least one year study within a minor and one and a half year within the major and with examination at the end of the study period. The responsibility of the academics was limited to his or her field of study and to the contents of courses within this field. The Humboldtian educational philosophy strongly prevailed. The new structure demands much more co-operation between the academics involved in a study programme. Some of our academics are of the opinion, and rightly so, that the modern curriculum development with the call for learning outcomes is a pedagogical reform in itself. Learning outcomes are strongly connected with the choice of teaching methods (i.e. lectures, seminars, home work, use of ICT) and assessment forms (formative and summative). It also 2

3 means that courses with the same content but different teaching methods probably give different learning outcomes. The challenge is that all programmes of study and all course units offered either to ordinary students or lifelong learning students must have their own descriptions regarding learning outcomes. The learning outcomes for a course unit must be written by the academics responsible for the teaching of the course unit. The course units which form a whole study programme must be written together by the teachers responsible of the programme. It is quite clear that the university must offer pedagogical advice on all levels, it is also obvious that it takes time before all the programmes are revised and there is a common understanding of the methods. Lifelong Learning the action line 7 in the Bologna process One of the most challenging issues is to describe the learning outcomes and competences in a way that they can be used when validating prior learning or prior experiential learning. Traditionally the use of the term lifelong learning has in Norway been connected with adult education and extension education. The definition is now changing due to the development of the European Qualification Framework. The Consultation document of 8 July 2005 Towards a European Qualifications Framework by the Commission of the European Communities gives a more extended definition: All learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and/or qualifications for personal, social and/or professional reasons In this article the term lifelong learning is composed of formal, non-formal and informal learning. Stephen Adam defines in his article: The Recognition of Prior Learning in the Context of European Trends in Higher Education and Lifelong Learning, (Recognising Experiential Learning: Practices in European universities European University Lifelong Learning Network, 2006) prior learning and prior experiential learning as follows: "Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) refers to the recognition (or not) of certificated learning (learning formally assessed by another body) for the purpose of access (credit entry) to a programme, or exemption (credit exemption) from part of a programme of study within national and/or international context." and "The Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) refers to the process whereby the individual s competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities) gained in nonformal (work-based) and informal (life experience) learning environments are accredited (assessed and recognised) - or not." 3

4 Norwegian students have, for quite some time, been allowed to study at more than one university in Norway when they study for a degree. Actually they may also have been encouraged to do so. It is called mobility within our own country, or flexible learning paths. It means that APL happens frequently at Norwegian higher education institutions. The student takes his/her credits with him/her from one institution and applies for recognition of these credits at the new institution. Currently and since implementation of the Quality Reform all students are encouraged to take part of their degrees at a foreign partner university. Mobility both within Norway and to foreign universities is highly desirable, but can also be challenging, especially when it comes to decisions of exemption from part of programmes of study (especially if the curriculum is very strict and fixed with few optional courses). There are, however, quite lot of experience with APL at the institutions. Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning or validation of non-formal and informal learning in Norway, called Realkompetansevurdering, will be an interesting challenge for the higher education institutions. Validation of prior experiential learning is an alternative way to qualify for entrance to higher education and exemption for parts of a study programme. From 2001 and 2005 there were years old or more applicants who did not hold higher education entrance qualification, but were approved for entrance based on validation on prior learning and work experience. Each higher education institution decides itself what meets the criteria as prior learning qualifications. The same kind of programme at different institutions can therefore have different criteria for prior learning qualifications. Therefore, an assessment from one institution is not valid for another institution. The applicant can receive information about the specific criteria from each separate institution. Even if the applicant s prior learning is recognized, it does not automatically follow that the student will receive an offer of admission. If there are more qualified applicants than available spaces in a programme, the applicants will be ranked according to a subjective/individual assessment. Even though it is a legal right in Norway to apply for exemption for parts of a study programme based on validation of the applicant s prior experiential learning, there were only 123 applications during the period of It is difficult to predict if the number of applicants will increase during the next few years. It may be likely, due to the new European Qualification Framework. The challenge for the higher education institutions is to find methods for how to validate PEL. We do not have much experience. Questions to be asked include: What can be recognised? What methods and tools shall we use concerning validation of PEL in regard to decided learning outcomes for a course unit. We assume that all students, including lifelong learning students, will need both guidance and assistance when applying for accreditation of prior experiential learning in regard to the learning outcomes ETDA/UiB 4

5 Research Working life Phd 3 y Bologna/ Degree Structure CE/ LLL structure (Second or first Master degree) Years Study points Degree Years Study points Degree Flexible > 3 < 90 ECTS Master (eb) Experience based Fixed 5 60 ECTS Master 300 ECTS Part time modules equivalent to 1,5 Y full time 4 60 ECTS Admission: Min. 2 years of relevant working experience Fixed 3 60 ECTS Bachelor 180 ECTS 3 Y university/college equivalent 2 60 ECTS Course diplomas (no degree) 1 60 ECTS Flexible > 2 < 60 ECTS CE/CPD programs Part time modules equivalent to 1 Y full time Admission: National Qualification Requirement (NQR), Baccalaureat Admission: Under 25 y National Qualification Requirement (NQR), Baccalaureat Over 25 y NQR or APEL Over 25 y APEL

Ten years after the Bologna: Not Bologna has failed, but Berlin and Munich!

EUROPE BULDING POLICY IN GERMANY: THE BOLOGNA PROCESS Ten years after the Bologna: Not Bologna has failed, but Berlin and Munich! Dr. Aneliya Koeva The beginning... The Bologna Declaration of 19 June 1999