www.swansea.ac.uk

Achieving Full Recognition- the Diploma Supplement and HEAR

British Council and UK NARIC Seminar

17 November 2010, Shrewsbury

Huw Morris

Academic Registrar

Swansea University and

Bologna Promoter, Wales

h.d.l.morris@swansea.ac.uk

www.swansea.ac.uk

www.swansea.ac.uk

Aims of the presentation

• To share with delegates our experience at Swansea University of

applying successfully for the Diploma Supplement Label

• To consider the requirements of the Diploma Supplement Label

• To reflect upon the purpose of the Diploma Supplement & HEAR and

how they can improve the recognition of students’ achievements

• To compare the content of the Diploma Supplement and HEAR

It aims to offer practical advice and encouragement for practitioners

It will not address recognition problems associated with certain

awards

Achieving Full Recognition

www.swansea.ac.uk

The European Higher Education Area

Background to the Bologna Process

• 46 European countries have committed their support to the Bologna

Reforms

• Since 1991 Ministers have planned for the establishment of the

European Higher Education Area (EHEA), by 2010

• Significant changes have been introduced throughout Europe,

through the Bologna Reforms

• Enhancing the students’ employability has been central to these

reforms, aiming to ensure that European students are globally

employable

• Mobility and Recognition of achievement are central to the

reforms

www.swansea.ac.uk

The European Higher Education Area

Mobility

The European Commission has set a target for the EHEA that, by

2010, 20% of its students will benefit from mobility placements –

recognising the benefits of mobility

Through the Bologna Reforms, foundations have been set,

including:

- Funding opportunities through Lifelong Learning

- The prestigious Erasmus Mundus degrees

- The development of joint degree

- Erasmus/Leonardo

- Staff mobility

- The European Credit Transfer System

www.swansea.ac.uk

The European Higher Education Area

Recognition

Mobility reforms were introduced in parallel with reforms to

facilitate the recognition of achievements, internationally – with different

HE systems and qualifications throughout Europe, including:

- the 3 cycle degree structure operating within a common

European Credit and Qualification Framework

- a common approach to quality assurance

- the development of specific recognition tools

~ the Europass

~ the Diploma Supplement

[to support upward mobility and employability]

European Universities were expected to issue a Diploma

Supplement by 2005

A “Label” introduced to recognise excellence (only 3 in the UK)

www.swansea.ac.uk

Burgess Group - Background

Following the publication of the White Paper on “The Future of Higher Education” (2003) the Burgess Scoping Group was established. One section in the White Paper was concerned with measuring and recording student achievement.

“…we must ensure that we have robust ways of describing, measuring and recording student achievement which will be helpful to the student, to institutions, to employers and to other stakeholders.”

Its remit included the need to review the degree classification system in the UK via sector-wide consultation. Two reports published:

- “Measuring and Recording Student Achievement” 2004

- “Beyond the Honours Degree Classification: the Burgess Group Final Report” 2007

www.swansea.ac.uk

Burgess Group – The HEAR

The Higher Education Achievement Report

Through Burgess, the HE Sector has been encouraged to develop an enhanced transcript based on the structure and content of the Diploma Supplement – same numbering of sections even. A pilot programme established involving 18 universities (Aberystwyth, Gloucester, UWIC) Results being shared throughout the sector in sessions such as this today and a similar conference in London 3 November.• I welcome the impetus and the drive

www.swansea.ac.uk

The HEAR c/f Diploma Supplement

Common agreement on the structure

~ information on the holder of the qualification

~ information identifying the qualification

~ information on the level of the qualification

~ information on the content and the results gained

~ information on the function of the qualification

~ additional information

• The main purpose of the HEAR is to record student achievement, for reference by future employers or for upward mobility (postgraduate courses)

• With this in mind universities must take measures to record those aspects which will be important for students : mobility/industrial placements; Welsh-medium and other skills; personal achievements

• You will discuss these aspects particularly the recording and verification of such data

www.swansea.ac.uk

The HEAR – a national endorsement

“The Burgess Group commends the HEAR as providing students with a complete and comprehensive record of their educational achievements. It will give employers more detailed information on the skills, progress and attainment of prospective employees. It will give the opportunity to record workplace learning and higher level skills developed as part of higher education programmes, and thereby support the skills agenda and flexible and lifelong learning. By combining the higher education transcript with the European Diploma Supplement, the HEAR will also encourage compatibility with the Bologna Process and lead to wider understanding and recognition of UK qualifications within Europe and beyond”

HEFCE website - statement October 2007

www.swansea.ac.uk

Achieving Recognition – Swansea University

• Recognising the importance of the recognition of a student’s academic

achievements Swansea has issued an academic transcript for decades

• Swansea considered the inclusion of student personal achievements on the

transcripts in the early 1980s - based on practice in America

• Through engagement with Bologna, a strategic decision was taken in

Swansea in 2003/4 to develop a Diploma Supplement to enhance

graduates’ international employability, incorporating

- the academic transcript, details on the programme and

the qualification

- it did not include details of personal achievements

• To further the recognition of the awards and the recognition of the Swansea

Diploma Supplement the university applied successfully for the Diploma

Supplement Label in 2009

www.swansea.ac.uk

The Swansea Diploma Supplement

Stucture & content

• It naturally conforms with the strict requirements in terms of structure,

headings, comprehensive content – no web-links

• The programme details include a section on the learning outcomes,

knowledge and understanding, skills etc

• The transcript is totally embedded into the document including ECTS and

UK credits awarded

• Other information include details of mobility (country, institution, credits)

and industrial placements

• Joint degrees described and reflected (Erasmus Mundus) nature of the

award and module details

Swansea has been proud to have led and shared with the sector our

experiences and assisted colleagues nationally

www.swansea.ac.uk

Swansea University – future plans

Future Activities

• Quinquennial enhancement review of the Diploma Supplement – layout

and content

• The Review will also be informed by and influenced by:

~ the university’s skills strategy

~ the university’s internationalisation strategy

~ the HEAR pilot studies – personal achievements

~ European reviews

• The university is aiming to develop a new Diploma Supplement for

research students

• To engage fully with students & employers regarding their

expectations

www.swansea.ac.uk

The HEAR

The Recognition of HEAR – internationally

• The HEAR and Diploma Supplements are virtually identical

• The Diploma Supplement is recognised internally and is strictly

regulated through the award of the “Label”

• In the interests of students the HEAR must also carry with it that

international recognition or, if it is a national document, should a

UK body assess institutions’ documents?

• Institutions’ HEARs must comply with the minimum requirements

of the Label eg 6.1 use of web links

• The title Higher Education Achievement Report must be

recognised in Europe otherwise UK universities will not be

eligible to apply for the Label

www.swansea.ac.uk

Personal reflectionsA challenging but worthwhile initiative

• I welcome the impetus which the Burgess Group has generated –

does it need to expand to doctoral candidates – Swansea will pilot?

• The intention to encourage student engagement in the development

of an on-going construction of the HEAR is to be welcomed

• I welcome the emphasis of developing an electronic version of the

document

• I would encourage that security measures be built into any planning

process – both paper documents and the electronic versions

• I would strongly advise universities to apply for the “Label”

• Institutions in Wales need to consider bi-lingual issues and work

closely with the new Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol

• The sector needs to reflect on the views of employers & students