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Introduction
Transnational
education (TNE) is a relatively new development in higher
education, at least on a large scale; however, it reflects the clear trend of
globalization of higher education as demonstrated by its rapid expansion both within Europe and in other regions of the world. Although
various approaches to and analyses of TNE have been
undertaken, and many international organizations have initiated projects focused on its
multiple aspects (ENIC/NARIC Networks being among the first education networks that have been
acting in the field), there is still a lack of systematic information on the developments
of transnational education. Almost no country in Europe gathers and processes information
and data on TNE.
In
order to fill this gap and to better respond to the need for an accurate means to
recognize the qualifications awarded by transnational institutions of higher education, we
propose to design a project focused on gathering and processing information on
transnational education
A
Working Party on the design and implementation of the project may be envisaged by the
ENIC/NARIC Networks as a first step in the process
The
final outcome is that of creating a database on transnational education institutions in
Europe.
Purpose/Target Groups
As
already mentioned, the idea of creating a database on transnational education was
generated both by the large amount of existing unorganized information in the field and by
the rapid, worldwide proliferation of new institutions/organizations and forms of
transnational education.
The
purpose of the database would be, on one hand, to
systematize this information, thus offering a
reference tool to all agencies/bodies involved in activities related to the
recognition of higher education qualifications, particularly to ENIC/NARIC networks. On
the other hand, it would be aimed at making this information readable and retrievable for
any user interested in TNE.
Type of formation
The
database will offer data on:
existing TNE institutions/organizations (as defined in the
UNESCO-CEPES/Council of Europe Code of Good
Practice in the Provision of TNE), their legal basis, official/non-official accreditation
status
type
of collaborative/non collaborative transnational arrangements put in place by the listed TNE
institutions/organizations
fields
of study in which TNE programmes/courses are given and their corresponding delivery mechanisms;
qualifications
awarded by the listed TNE institutions/organizations.
The
database will also offer information (when available) on:
evaluation
and accreditation bodies as well as normative
acts and quality standards/criteria used, at national level, in the process of quality assurance and accreditation, particularly
relevant for TNE;
international
tools (if any) used at national level in
the process of accreditation.
Data collecting/sources
Means
The data will initially be collected through a
basic form (a questionnaire) elaborated by the proposed UNESCO-CEPES/COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Working Party on the gathering and the processing of information on TNE.
Sources
The usual information on educational institutions
(type, location, organization, fields of study etc.) could be provided by the ENIC/NARIC
Networks and also identified in authorized printed sources and/or from the Internet
Data on
non-traditional institutional arrangements and
delivery mechanisms could also be searched for on the Internet. ENIC/NARIC Networks,
given their knowledge, already established contacts, and experience in dealing with all
kind of recognition issues would be expected to become the main sources of information for
this type of data. They would also be expected to provide or at least facilitate data
collecting on: national evaluation and
accreditation bodies; normative acts; quality standards/criteria; international
instruments.
Possible restrictions
For
legal reasons, we may have to limit the database to transnational arrangements/programmes
having received some kind of formal recognition/accreditation from a competent authority,
or alternatively also arrangements/programmes that have applied for such recognition and
been turned down, e.g., for reasons of low
quality. Maintaining a database on all
possible TNE arrangements would be problematic, as some experiences have already
demonstrated.
Data processing
The
database will be designed within the UNESCO-CEPES IT Department and a demo version will be
offered for examination by the beginning of 2002.
The
first data (intended for the demo version of the database) are to be processed within the
UNESCO-CEPES Documentation Unit. However, the large amount of information to be further
processed and introduced in the database will probably exceed the human resources of the
unit. Therefore, an interactive form could be made
available on UNESCO-CEPES and Council of Europe Web Sites. Its structure would follow that
of the basic questionnaire established by the Working Party and it would allow all
possible partners/collaborators to provide information from a distance.
When
this latter alternative is accepted, the following specific questions will be addressed in
the process of constructing the database:
How will information be validated?
Does someone have to accept the information
that will be put interactively in the database? If
yes, who? If not, how will it be possible to
keep control of the base?
We may
also need to consider the issue of permanently updating the list, which is different from
adding new information, as it also implies modifying – or possibly deleting – already
existing information.
Expected outcomes
The
database is expected to provide evaluators and researchers with a reliable tool for: a)
identifying providers of TNE; b) building up new normative instruments better adapted to
the new trends in higher education, particularly to TNE aspects; c) facilitating the
international recognition of qualifications