Prof. Emer. BAZSA György, PresidentHungarian Accreditation Committee (HAC)

QAA / IvhO Seminar

The Hague, 27-28 January, 2011

Tools of Assessment of Learning Outcomes:

Developing Situation in Hungary

Actors and interests in Q and in LO

State: - HE sector Q policy, legal conditions for LO

HAC: - external Q/LO evaluation & accreditation

HEI: - key performer in Q of the graduates,- including implementation of LO, - responsible for internal Q assurance

Faculty: - determines Q of teaching and research, - supports students in reaching LO

Students: - acquire, demonstrate and apply LO

Labour market: - requires, evaluates and enjoys LO

Legal framework:HE Act 2005 (late related to 1999 BD):

Compulsory rapid introduction of Bachelor/Master/ Doctoral degree programmes (exceptions in law, medicine …) starting 2006. (Some earlier pioneers.)

2011: ~140 Bachelor and ~180 Master programmes.

„Programme completion and exit requirements mean the knowledge, skills, proficiency and abilities (competencies) whose acquisition is a precondition for a diploma evidencing the degree and the pro-fessional qualification to be awarded.”

In Hungarian „KKK”, determines learning outcomes, too.

Procedures of degree programmes:1. Establishing programmes:

• starting with proposal of one HEI or a group of HEIs including programme completion and exit require-ments [LO must be specified in the proposed KKK],

• its compulsory evaluation by HAC (+ or -),

• finalization, decision (+) and publication by the Minister (printed decree and website).

The increasing pool of KKKs is a collective ownership of Hungarian higher education – their use for institutional curriculum planning is compulsory, free for choice and free of charge”.

Procedures:

2. Launching programmes (~1100 B, ~1400 M):

• starting with HEI(s) own proposal, including KKK based programme curriculum, detailing

modules, system and description of subjects, credits, students assessment, specific LO,

responsible instructor of the programme, teachers of subjects with scientific background, infrastructure (incl. learning sources and support)

• evaluation by HAC (ex ante accreditation): + or -

• performing by the HEI (as published on HEI website and in National Enrolment Guidebook), advertising

Curriculum is institutional ownership.

Procedures:

3. Running and evaluating programmes (<1100 Bachelor, <1400 Maser):

• Yearly internal quality assessment of content of the curriculum, methods and conditions of teaching, student assessment, learning outcomes, infrastructure (inc. learning sources).

• Systematic external review (every 5 years) by HAC (ex post accreditation): evaluation & +/- accreditation

• Compulsory organised feed back from HEI’s graduates (alumni); possible from labour market.

Learning outcomes1. Planning

LO are defined and detailed in general in a government decree, diverse for Bachelor and for Master degrees. It reflects an European concept.

LO should be specified for a given degree programme in its KKK. The overall picture seems to be good, in some cases less well structured and not degree specific enough.

HAC concentrates on this aspect, requiring complete elaboration of knowledge, skills, competencies, including implementation methods and assessment forms.

Learning outcomes

2. Realization

HEI has the main responsibility, duties and tools.

Hungarian (higher) education has traditionally a strong teaching and knowledge based mentality, which is difficult and slow to change.

Although KKK and HAC seriously take LO, it is slowly accepted and understood by leaders and teachers as well. Institutional leadership has low sensibility and responsibility for student centred learning.

HAC requirements and research group’s surveys have a positive but moderate impact.

Learning outcomes

3. Evaluation

a) HEIs are at the beginning phase. Methods and tools are searched and tested with some good examples.

b) HAC

During establishing and launching the huge amount of new B/M programmes, HAC concentrated on proper documents and input conditions.

HAC now started ex post accreditation of the new B/M programmes. Based on self-evaluation we evaluate LO through site visits, visiting classes, meeting with students, checking theses. We move from input to output evaluation.

HAC executes

• institutional accreditation and

• parallel programme accreditation in selected fields (2009: arts, 2010: informatics, 2011: agrarian programmes …) – but only the completed ones (i.e. programmes having graduates).

Therefore we are developing evaluation of LO.

In the field of arts evaluation of LO was relatively well pronounced – the art performance of graduates can be assessed although with obvious subjectivity.

In the field of informatics there are rapid feed backs from the labour market about LO.

Thank you for your attention!