The four dimensions of Learning Outcomes Seminar on the implementation of Learning Outcomes in the higher education system in Spain from an international perspective. Event included within the Erasmus + Programme - EPPKA3: “Support to the Implementation of EHEA reforms: Higher Education Reforms in Spain” ANECA, Madrid, 15th April 2015 Purpose of the Seminar The Seminar takes part of the effort accomplished by ANECA to bring the European debate about the learning outcomes’ approach on its programme accreditation procedure, but including also the perspective of the Spanish stakeholders involved. The first step in this path was the publication of the Guide to support institutions in writing, putting into practice and assessing learning outcomes in 2012 with the academic support of Prof. Dr. Carmen Vizcarro-Guarch who unfortunately passed away before the first round of accreditation reports in the pilot project run by ANECA in 2014 would be submitted. This Seminar wishes also to pay a tribute of thankfulness and recognition for her contributions in that early stage. The Seminar is an attempt to gather different approaches to the evaluation of learning outcomes bringing together various experiences from the European setting “to think aloud” both challenges and good practices arisen in the always delicate journey from “theory” to “practice” and the other way around and asking the manifold actors involved from a strict academic perspective to a more professional approach and from an institutional- framework to a programme-oriented scheme. Thus, the Seminar explores the “four-dimension nature of learning outcomes” in a useful analogy taken from Physics where depth (theory and practice), width (academic and professional) and height (local and international) meets time (reality and priorities) especially in terms of future challenges in the European Higher Education Area, since the scope is definitely European but from different national perspectives. -1- Agenda Seminar LO. 15th April 2015. V1.1. 14.04.15 The Seminar is structured around five sessions of two speakers allowing a dialogue of the major aspects that features the title of each session. Each speaker has 20 minutes, 30 as maximum to make his presentation. The audience will be a reduced one, around 60 people, consisting in experts representing the different “dimensions” of the learning outcomes: representatives from the boards of higher education institutions in charge of defining and designing programmes, educational authorities, representatives of the board of quality assurance agencies and experts of the accreditation panels, as well as academic staff from both public and private institutions, students and representatives of the labour market environment. The Seminar has been included as part of the events of the “Erasmus + Project EPPKA3: “HERE-ES. “Support to the Implementation of EHEA reforms: Higher Education Reforms in Spain”. Although it was primarily thought as part of the process to reflect on the implementation of the approach on assessing learning outcomes, the scope of the project allows aligning the Seminar as part of the broader discussion on the EHEA reforms in Spain. For further information please contact the Unit for International and Institutional Relations at: [email protected] -2- Agenda Seminar LO. 15th April 2015. V1.1. 14.04.15 Agenda The 4 dimensions of learning outcomes: Depth: Theory and practice Width: Academic and professional Height: Local and international Time: Realities and priorities 11:00 h: Welcome words Rafael van Grieken, Director, ANECA Rationale of the Seminar Nick Harris, International Advisor, ANECA 11:15 h: Contributing to the implementation of the EHEA reforms: the HERE-ES Project Luis Delgado, Coordinator of HERE-ES Project, Ministry of Education 11:45 h: Session 1. Depth: Theory and practice Forcing theory into practice or the other way around? Theory: Javier Manuel Valle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Practice: Rafael van Grieken, ANECA, ECA 12:45 h: Session 2. Width: Academic and professional Two sides of a same coin or two currencies? Academic: José Manuel Bayod, Universidad de Cantabria/ANECA Professional: - Bernard Remaud, President of ENAAE, Former President of the Commission de titres d’ingenieur (CTI) 13:45 h: Light Lunch offered at the venue 14:45 h: Session 3. Height: Local and international Same problems in different languages? Local: Eduardo Vendrell, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia -3- Agenda Seminar LO. 15th April 2015. V1.1. 14.04.15 International: Steffen Westergård Andersen, the Danish Accreditation Institution 15:45 h: Session 4. Time: Reality and priorities (looking back) Priorities address Realities about learning outcomes implementation in relation to QA Priorities: Rafael Llavori, ENQA, ANECA Realities: Nick Harris, ANECA 16.30 h: Session 5. Time: Realities and priorities (looking forward) Is this trip necessary? Learning outcomes and the agenda of the EHEA reforms: a view from the quality assurance agencies Maria Kelo, Director, ENQA Priorities and the future of LOs in the work of ANECA Rafael van Grieken, Director, ANECA 17:30 h: End of the workshop -4- Agenda Seminar LO. 15th April 2015. V1.1. 14.04.15 Speakers: - Rafael van Grieken, Director, ANECA - Maria Kelo, Director, ENQA - Luis Delgado, Coordinator of the HERE-ES Project, Ministry of Education - Javier Manuel Valle, Faculty of Training and Education, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid - Steffen Westergård Andersen, Director of Operations, Universities and Educational Institutions of Arts, The Danish Accreditation Institution - Nick Harris, International Advisor, ANECA - José Manuel Bayod, Universidad de Cantabria and Chairperson of the Science Committee in the Working Group on Correspondence, Homologation and Recognition with the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education - Bernard REMAUD, President of the Administrative Council of the European Network for Engineering Accreditation, ENAAE, former President of CTI - Eduardo Vendrell, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia - Rafael Llavori, Head of International Relations, ANECA -5- Agenda Seminar LO. 15th April 2015. V1.1. 14.04.15