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

MAQDescribes

formal, non-formal and informal education

MATESDescribes

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

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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: definitionBasic 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 featuresAs 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 Categories Diploma Project Diplomas

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

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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: StructureThe 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/step Step completed with an indication

of timingStep 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 2011.

9.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:

http://www.ensenyamentsuperior.ad

Thank You