Old Questions and New Answers about Institutional Recognition:

International Admissions Case Studies

V I C TO R INA BA X A N, E N RO L M E N T S E RV I C E S

O U R A 2 0 1 8 , C o l l a b o r a t i n g i n C h a n g i n g T i m e s F e b r u a r y 1 4 - 1 6 , 2 0 1 8 , To r o n t o

Focus of the presentation

Determining the official status of educational institutions in select countries of origin of UofT International Students

University of Toronto quick facts (2016 data)

U of T has international students from 168 countries and regions.

Presentation overview • Recognition and its importance for assessing educational documents

• Terminology used to describe program or institutional status

• Quality assurance authorities in select countries

• Case studies for select countries/regions of origin of UofT international students (post-secondary focus)

• Tips and resources

Why is institutional recognition important?• Accreditation ensures that education provided by institutions of higher

education meets acceptable levels of quality

• Accreditation is one basis for private sector decisions to support higher education through tuition assistance, charitable giving, and research funding

• Accreditation allows students to transfer studies between institutions without losing credits; allows for student mobility internationally; allows students to enroll in further studies/graduate programs

Recognition, quality assurance, accountability TYPES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

Country-based

Regional

International quality assurance

ACCOUNTABILITY TOOLS

Rankings: national, regional networks for quality (Bologna), international

Qualification frameworks

Comparability

What are the terms used for describing the status of a program or institution?

Term Description

Recognition refers to the official status granted by national legislation. Institutions that fulfill the requirements set in national legislation and have official degree-granting authority are considered to be recognized, though a different term may be used.

Accreditation a formal decision by a recognized authority which has verified whether the institution and/or the program meets the predefined minimum quality standards. Accreditation is usually a voluntary process and is granted for a specified number of years, after which the institution or program has to request re-accreditation.

Licensing and accreditation in some countries institutions are first granted a permit or license to operate as an educational entity.Licensing is not equivalent to accreditation and does not necessarily require demonstration of quality. To be granted accreditation, a licensed institution has to go through the accreditation procedure. It is the accreditation that grants the institution the right to award officially recognized qualifications as well as access to public funding.

Quality assurance Quality Assurance in higher education includes the policies, procedures and practices that are designed to achieve, maintain or enhance the quality of the institution and/or the program.

NOTE: Recognition/accreditation of an institution and recognition/accreditation of a program

Generally, qualifications awarded by recognized institutions are considered to be recognized. However, in some countries recognition/accreditation of a program is separate from the recognition/accreditation of an institution. In other words, it is possible for recognized institutions to offer programs that are not officially recognized and for non-recognized institutions to offer recognized programs.

Example: Recognition process of postsecondary institutions in Russia Recognition process Authorities involved in

the recognition processResources

1. Licensing: gives right to carry out educational activity; no right to issue diplomas in state format

State Committee for Higher Education of the Russian

Federation, Ministry of Education (MoE)

1. We need to determine the accreditation of a postsecondary institution

2. Start with WHED online (http://whed.net/home.php) 3. If not listed go to

http://www.russianenic.ru/english/cred/spisok.html - in English

4. If still not listed go to http://isga.obrnadzor.gov.ru/accredreestr/: a Registry (in Russian) of all the accredited institutions in Russia by the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science.

5. If still have trouble finding the institution, write to MoEin Russia at RussianENIC@sci.pfu.edu.ru (they respond in English)

6. TIP: the format of the final postsec transcript and/or final award is an indicator of the status of an institution. Samples by year of printing & type of documents at http://www.russianenic.ru/rus/diplom.html

2. Attestation: aims to establish that the content, level and quality of the education corresponds to State educational standards

State Committee for Higher Education of the Russian

Federation, MoE

3. Accreditation: establishes the official status of the institution; gives the right to award diplomas in State format

State Committee for Higher Education of the Russian Federation, MoE

Accreditation & quality assurance flowchart

Adapted from: http://ear.enic-naric.net/emanual/Chapter3/default.aspx

Verify status of institution/program

Rely on accreditation/QA status

Continue assessment

Check:• Which authorities are involved and if

they are fully recognized• Procedures involved in

recognition/accreditation + levels/types of education covered

• Status of institution/program at study and/or awarding date

• Terminology used in HE system with regard to recognition/accreditation

• If program recognition/accreditation is separate from institutional recognition/accreditation

! Need for further

investigation in specific cases !

INFORMATION TOOLS on PROGRAM STATUSSources of information on institution/ program status

Description/Examples

EDUCATIONAL DOCUMENTATION • Qualification• Statement/certificate issued as temporary proof of completion• Transcript• Diploma supplement• Website of the awarding institution

NATIONAL OFFICIAL SOURCES • Websites for• accreditation /quality assurance bodies• ministries of education• associations of accreditation/quality assurance agencies • official national publications regarding the education system

INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL SOURCES • Websites for • international organizations, such as UNESCO (http://en.unesco.org/ );• credential evaluator networks, such as the ENIC and NARIC Networks (www.enic-naric.net)

PUBLICATIONS • the International Association of Universities (www.iau-aiu.net/onlinedatabases/index.html)• EURYDYCE http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php();

WEBSITES and INFORMATION TOOLS • the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) (http://www.enqa.eu) ;• the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) (http://www.eqar.eu/register.html).

NOTE: Use official, reliable, up-to-date sources Ensure• that the source of information is official and up-to date • that the author of the publication has adequate expertise in the field

Institutional recognition: Overview of select countries

Institutional recognition: Two main types CENTRALIZED: government-directed; more focus on compliance

DECENTRALIZED: government scrutinizes accrediting organizations, but government authorities are neither empowered to grant institutions accreditation, nor interfere in the autonomy of those accrediting organizations (for example, the U.S.)

Institutional recognition: Overview of select countries Country Education Governance/Quality Assurance Authorities

that existTerminology Resources

China • Ministry of Education (establishes standards)• Provincial bodies • Local authorities

• Recognized• “key” institutions• “project” universities

• MoE link: http://en.moe.gov.cn• Chinese Universities and Colleges Handbooks (CUC) • Workshop materials• WHED online• Internal resources • (Additional/for ranking/prestige): Government Improvement

Initiatives links: Project 211 & Project 985)

India • *accreditation process is voluntary• National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) –

secondary • Secondary Education Boards: 3 All-India/national and 31 boards at

state or part of a state level • University Grants Commission (UGC) - sets curriculum standards for

degree programs• National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)• National Board of Accreditation (NBA) – programmatic accreditation

post-sec voluntary• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) –approves technical

institutions and universities offering degrees in technical subjects; accredits postgrad diploma in Management and MBA degrees

• Distance Education Bureau of the UGC (http://www.ugc.ac.in/deb/)

• Accreditation • Approval

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)• Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations

(CISCE)• National Institute for Open schooling (NIOS)• University Grants Commission link: https://www.ugc.ac.in/• Workshop materials • WHED online• Internal resources

Institutional recognition: Overview of select countries (continued)Country Education Governance/Quality

Assurance Authorities that existTerminology Resources/What we need to check

United States • decentralized education system• state and local governments: State Boards of Education; local school districts •national Department of Education•Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)•voluntary accreditation by non-governmental bodies (six recognized regional accreditationbodies)

•NOTE: The US Department of Education does not accredit institutions or program, but publishes a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies

• Accreditation • Regional accreditingassociations • Recognized regional accreditation bodies• Specialized national and professional accrediting bodies

• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) (formerly known as the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education)

• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) (formerly known as the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC), Commission on Colleges and Universities)

• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), Higher Learning Commission

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACS-CC)

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC-Sr)

Institutional recognition: Overview of select countries (continued)Country Education Governance/Quality

Assurance Authorities that exist Terminology Resources

Saudi Arabia • Ministry of Education – secondary and postsecondary • National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) – postsecondary

Licensing, Accreditation • Ministry of Education link: https://www.moe.gov.sa/en/HigherEducation/PrivateHigherEducation/Pages/LicensesandAccreditation.aspx

• NCAAA link: http://ncaaa.org.sa/en/AboutUs/Pages/Vision.aspx

Taiwan • Ministry of Education• Higher Education Evaluation and

Accreditation Council of Taiwan [HEEACT] (funded by MoE) –postsecondary

Accreditation • Ministry of Education (English) (http://english.moe.gov.tw) • Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan

(HEEACT) www.heeact.edu.tw/mp.asp?mp=4

Nigeria • Federal Ministry of Education• West African Examinations Council

(WAEC) or the National Examinations Council (NECO) –secondary

• National Universities Commission (NUC) – postsecondary

• National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) accredits all colleges of education

ApprovalAccreditation

• West African Examinations Council (WAEC) • Workshop Binders • WHED online• WAEC/WASSCE http://www.waecdirect.org

Institutional recognition: Overview of select countries (continued)

Country Education Governance/Quality Assurance Authorities that exist

Terminology Resources

Pakistan • Relevant secondary-level education Boards:i.e. Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education

• Higher Education Commission (HEC)

• Recognized • Ranking lists

• Workshop materials • WHED online• International Handbook of Universities• Internal resources • Inter Board Committee of Chairmen website – list of recognized secondary and

higher secondary boards of education (http://www.ibcc.edu.pk/#openModal)

United Kingdom • School education in the UK is regionalized: • England (AQA - composed of AEB, SEG, NEAB

and City and Guilds Edexcel - Composed of London Examinations and BTEC OCR -composed of Oxford and Cambridge Examinations, RSA, UCLES, MEG)

• Northern Ireland -Department of Education• Scotland - Scottish Qualifications Authority

(SQA),• Wales - Quality Assurance Agency (QAA);

WJEC/Welsh Joint Education Committee • Quality Assurance Agency for Higher

Education (QAA) – higher education• UK Department of Education

• Accreditation• Assessment • Certification

• UK Department of Education: https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised/overview

• AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance)• CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment)• Edexcel (Pearson)• OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations)• WJEC (welsh Joint Education Committee)• Ofqual: http://register.ofqual.gov.uk• DfES: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/qualificationsinwales• CCEA: http://www.ccea.org.uk• SQA: http://www.sqa.org.uk

NOTE: Institutions that offer degree-level courses in the UK are called either ‘recognized’ or ‘listed’ bodies.•Recognized bodies are higher learning institutions that can award degrees.•Listed bodies can’t award degrees themselves. If you study a degree course at a listed body, your degree will be awarded by a recognized body.

Institutional recognition: Overview of select countries (continued)Country Education Governance/Quality

Assurance Authorities that exist Terminology Resources

Canada • Provincial and Territorial governments;ministries/department of education

• In higher education, the power to award degrees and other qualifications is granted through legislation

• Requirements• Accreditation• Peer review

(internal/external)• Membership in an

organization, such as Universities Canada

• CICIC (Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials): https://www.cicic.ca/2/home.canada

• Universities Canada/AUCC: https://www.univcan.ca/• Alberta: Alberta Advanced Education • British Columbia: Ministry of Advanced Education • Manitoba: Ministry of Education and Advanced Training• New Brunswick: Department of Postsecondary Education, etc.

CASE STUDIES The case of international partnership programs

The case of campus recognition

The case of off-shore medical schools

The case of transnational education (TNE)

The case of online education providers

The case of international partnership programsThe China Foreign Affairs University International Partnership Program (IPP)

•established in 2006 between the China Foreign Affairs University and selected renowned universities in Canada to enable successful graduates of the IPP to gain direct entry to their Bachelor Degree programs

•once students are admitted to the IPP program, they are considered as registered students of U of A, Canada.

•after the completion of this one year program, students can gain direct entry to the Bachelor Degree programs of University of Alberta (U of A) without the necessity to re-apply

China Foreign Affairs University and University of Alberta – sample

The case of international partnership programs

The case of international partnership programs (IPP)• The IPP is an institution-specific case, usually listed under “global connections and collaborations” and governed by student mobility/international agreements, which do not extend beyond the program itself

•Courses completed in the IPP program do not transfer to universities that are not part of the agreement

The case of campus recognitionDeVry University

DeVry University, Chicago, IL, USA

NCA-HLC accreditation

Division: College of Engineering, Network and Communication Management major

Study period: 2014-2016

DeVry University Transcript Sample

Campus recognition

• The American Council on Education publication –“Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education” is a good resource to start researching campus recognition

• DeVry USA campuses are usually recognized, but the DeVry campus in Canada is not

The case of off-shore medical schoolsRECOGNITION

Caribbean Medical Schools must have accreditation from CAAMP-HP

CAAM-HP = Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine & other Health Professions

Refer to http://www.caam-hp.org/assessedprogrammes.html for a list of assessed programs

CARIBBEAN MEDICAL SCHOOLS

CAAM-HP lists recognition information for CARICOM countries

• The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a grouping of twenty countries: fifteen Member States and five Associate Members

• CAAM-HP was established based on the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions

•The CAAM-HP is recognized by the participating countries as the agency for accreditation of educational programs for qualifying degrees in Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Dental Medicine and Nursing.

CAAMP-HP’s definitions of accreditation What is Accreditation?

◦ “Accreditation is an objective peer review process designed to attest to the educational quality of new, developing and established educational programmes.”

Why Accreditation?◦ “The accreditation process assures that medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions schools meet

standards of structure, function, and performance and assures society and the health professions that graduates of accredited schools meet the education requirements for further training and the health care needs of the people in the Caribbean.”

◦ “The accreditation process adopted by the CAAM-HP has two general aims:To certify that a medical education programme meets prescribed standards, and

To promote institutional self-evaluation and improvement.”

Source: http://www.caam-hp.org/index.html

International University of the Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Saint Kitts, West Indies • Degree issued in 2016

• NO CAAM-HP accreditation: http://www.caam-hp.org/assessedprogrammes.html

Saba University School of Medicine (SUSOM), Saba, Dutch Caribbean

• NO CAAM-HP accreditation: http://www.caam-hp.org/assessedprogrammes.html

• BUT

• recognized by NVAO, Netherlands, and is considered an off-shore Dutch university

• The Accreditation of the Netherlands and Flanders =NVAO

• Degree issued in 2016

Saba UniversitySchool of Medicine, Saint Eustatius & Saba Study period: 2011-2017

Program: Doctor of Medicine program with a final award of Master of Science 2017

The Accreditation of the Netherlands and Flanders =NVAO “has positively assessed the study Program Master Doctor of Medicine” in 2013 (NUFFIC, 2015)

NUFFIC=The Dutch organization for internationalization in education

Avalon University School of Medicine, Curacao

• NO CAAM-HP accreditation: http://www.caam-hp.org/assessedprogrammes.html

Ross University School of Medicine, DominicaAccording to CAAM-HP:

• obtained initial accreditation in 2009

• accredited with conditions for 2014-2018

• Study period: 2006-2013

St. Christopher's College of Medicine, Dakar, Senegal No evidence found that this institution had accreditation

Some information exists that it had a campus in the UK, which was not recognized

The case of off-shore medical schools: trends • The majority of applicants reviewed had an undergraduate degree from Canada

• The majority of applicants had a fairly high CGPA on completed Canadian programs

• A few of the applicants went to more than one medical schools outside of Canada

• A case-by-case review approach

The case of transnational education (TNE)Defining “transnational education”:

• All types of higher education where the learner is in one country and the awarding institution is in another (UNESCO)

• Also referred to as Cross-Border Education

TNE: Challenges

• Lack of / Limited Information on Institutional Websites

• Lack of / Limited Information on Academic Records

• Lack of / Limited Information from the HEIs

• Potential of Multiple Diplomas for the Same Program

Source: International Education Research Foundation [IERF]

TNE: Sample Validation Coventry University, England & Middle East College in Oman

The case of transnational education (TNE): Middle East College Oman & Coventry university, UK

•The Middles East College is listed on the Ministry of Higher Education of Oman website

•Coventry University if listed under “academic affiliation/cooperation” on the College's profile as well as on the list of “approved” or “recommended” external universities

•Recognized

Source: https://mohe.gov.om/InnerPage.aspx?id=30C2284B-7B6D-49C7-BE63-2DCF29E48905 & https://eservices.mohe.gov.om/Student/FindExtUniversity.aspx

The case of transnational education (TNE)• Institutional recognitions versus program recognition

• Consider your policies on validated degrees

• For the OMAN-UK case discussed, ask:

- does the Middle East College in Oman have degree-granting powers?

- was the Middle East College the sole teaching institution or was part of the program taught in the UK

- would you accept these studies for transfer credit purposes?

The case of online education

Accreditation and quality assurance: Questions that are currently being debated Q: “Is it possible to have an international standard that leads to quality and accreditation?”

Q: “Is it possible to establish some criteria for international standards of excellency?”

R: “A way is through ranking systems, for example. But I’m not sure exactly of what they measure. Rankings are focused on a set of variables, and if you change the variable you can create infinite types of rankings.” Judith Eaton, President, Council For Higher Education Accreditation

More at: https://www.gaes.gov.mo/images/hemag/images/books/book15/pdf/24-29.pdf

References UK NARIC (www.naric.org.uk)

Wayback Machine: https://archive.org/web/

ENIC-NARIC [ENIC: European Network of Information Centers in the European Region & NARIC: National Academic Recognition Information Centers in the European Union]: a joint initiative of the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO created primarily as a tool to assist the ENIC-NARIC Networks in carrying out the tasks they have been mandated to accomplish within their own jurisdiction, by directing them to up-to-date information supplied and maintained by the competent bodies in each member country and by each member organization: http://www.enic-naric.net/

ENIC-NARIC eManual: http://ear.enic-naric.net/emanual/Chapter3/default.aspx

Organizations and Networks• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) (http://www.enqa.eu)

• European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), Register of quality assurance agencies that comply with the standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area on the basis of external evaluation (http://www.eqar.eu/register.html)

• International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) http://www.inqaahe.org

• European Consortium for Accreditation in higher education (ECA) (http://ecahe.eu/)

• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (http://www.chea.org)

• Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies (U.S. department of education) (http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html#NationallyRecognized)

• Association of Specialized & Professional Accreditors (ASPA) (http://www.aspa-usa.org)

Further Reading • European Area of Recognition Project (EAR) Manual. Link: http://ear.enic-naric.net/emanual/Chapter15/default.aspx

• Improving recognition in the European Higher Education Area: an analysis of national plans, Rauhvargers, A. and A. Rusakova, in “Council of Europe higher education series” No.12, Council of Europe, 2010 - p. 93-94Link: http://book.coe.int/EN/ficheouvrage.php?PAGEID=36&lang=EN&produit_aliasid=2469

• Developing attitudes to recognition: substantial differences in an age of globalization, in “Council of Europe higher education series” No.13, Council of Europe in 2009 - pp. 153, 154 and 155Link: http://book.coe.int/EN/ficheouvrage.php?PAGEID=36&lang=EN&produit_aliasid=2478

• Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning higher education in the European Region of the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES: article 1, Section 8Link: http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=165&CL=ENG

• Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications, Unesco & Council of Europe, 2001 together with Explanatory memorandum to Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications, in particular articles 29, 30 and 31Link: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/highereducation/recognition/Criteria%20and%20procedures_EN.asp

• Diploma Supplement, European Commission, Council of Europe and Unesco, 1997Link: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/higher-education/doc/ds_en.pdf

• Revised code of good practice in the provision of transnational education, Unesco & Council of Europe, 2007Link: http://www.enic-naric.net/fileusers/REVISED_CODE_OF_GOOD_PRACTICE_TNE.pdf

• Recommendation on the Recognition of Joint Degrees and Explanatory Memorandum [PDF], June 2004, revised February 2016Link: http://www.enic-naric.net/fileusers/Recommendation%20recognition%20joint%20degrees%20and%20explanatory%20memorandum.pdf

• Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area, European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), Helsinki, Finland, 2009Link: http://www.enqa.eu/index.php/home/esg/

Questions?