Assessing the Quality of

Internationalisation:

Experiences with the ECA Certificate

•Madalena Fonseca (A3ES)

•Mark Frederiks (ECA & NVAO)

•IREG-8 Conference – 4-6 May 2016, Lisbon

ECA Certificate for Quality in

Internationalisation

www.ecahe.eu/internationalisation

ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation

• Certificate is awarded by the European Consortiumfor Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA)

• ECA is an association of 16 accreditation and QA agencies from 11 countries

• ECA aims: mutual recognition of accreditation; facilitatinginternationalisation and transparency on quality; mutual learning and exchange of good practices

• HEI can request a ECA member agency to carry out a Certificate assessment procedure for the institution ora programme

Methodology tested in CeQuInt project

5

The CeQuInt project consortium

• 15 higher education institutions

• Belgium,

• Denmark,

• Finland,

• Germany,

• Italy,

• Lithuania,

• Norway,

• Poland,

• Spain,

• The Netherlands,

• UK

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WHY?Making the assessment of

internationalisation tangible

To reward quality and identify good practices.

To contribute to on-going enhancement of (the

quality of) internationalisation;

To provide a methodology to (self)-assess the

quality of internationalisation in higher education;

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HOW?The assessment of the

quality of internationalisation

ECA members:

- Coordinate assessment procedures;

- Possibility to integrate in regular procedures;

- Results/decisions

ECA responsibilities:

- Methodological consistency (Certification

Group);

- Training of experts and coordinators;

- Online publication of reports, good practices

& awarded Certificates.

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WHAT?Certificate for Quality

in Internationalisation

Public demonstration of successful

implementation of effective internationalisation

activities which demonstrably contribute to the

quality of teaching and learning.

Indication of successful incorporation of a

significant international and intercultural

dimension into the purpose, function and

delivery of education.

Intended

internationalisation

Intended international & intercultural

learning outcomes

Teaching & Learning

Students

Staff

Achievedinternational & intercultural

learning outcomes

Intended

internationalisation

Action plans

Implementation

Governance

Enhancement

Good practice in internationalisationGood practices in internationalisation

− Verified by third-party

− Contributes to overall quality

− Adds commendable value for stakeholders

− Potentially transferable

ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation

• Now 29 ECA Certificates awarded:

• 25 study programmes

- Mostly Dutch, but also from HEIs in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Poland, Slovenia

• 1 faculty of HEI in Spain

• 3 HE institutions in Colombia, Finland, France

• Next steps:

• Building community, analysis and exchange of good practices

• Tool for benchmarking internationalisation (MINT, EP-Nuffic)

If you are interested in Certificate: secretariat@ecahe.eu

ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation in Portugal

A3ES- Agency for Assessment and Accreditation ofHigher Education

• 2009-...: The Portuguese accreditation system

• 2009-2016: 1st round of programme accreditations

• 2012-....: Internal Quality Assurance System Certification (voluntary basis)

• 2017 Refreshment of the QAA Database/Platform

• 2017-….: The new system

ECA Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation in Portugal (cont.)

2016-….: CeQuInt Pilot:

• Complementary to programme accreditation

• Complementary self-evaluation report plus

internationalisation standards of CeQuInt

• A3ES carries out the procedure with the support of ECA

• A3ES uses the CeQuInt templates

CeQuInt = Distinctiveness

Open for HEIs globally (e.g. Brazilian HEI applying for CeQuIntassessment by A3ES)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

ecahe.eu

+31 70 312 2352

secretariat@ecahe.eu

@ECA_Association

ECA