Research and analyses

2020

  • Transforming Norwegian Teacher Education

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    Executive Summary

    On 1 April 2016, the Norwegian Ministry of  Education and Research commissioned NOKUT to establish a panel of international experts on teacher education (APT) to advise Norwegian higher education institutions on the implementation of the new 5-year integrated master’s degree  programmes in primary and lower secondary (PLS) teacher education. We met as a panel for the first time in February 2017 and completed our work in May 2020 with the publication of this report.

    As panel members, we were united in our conclusion that the new master’s programmes for PLS teacher education represent an internationally distinctive and remarkably ambitious reform based on high expectations for student teachers, for university/college-based and school-based  teacher educators, and ultimately, for the country’s school children. The goal of the new PLS teacher education programmes is integrating enhanced knowledge and research competency with  inquiry-  rich, school-based experiences to create a permanent professionally-oriented teaching force. The success of these new programmes  depends on new ways to think about  accountability, collaboration, and what it means to learn to teach. This requires profound cultural change for Norway’s teachers and teacher educators as well as profound changes in the approaches of the Ministry of Education and Research and NOKUT. Profound cultural change requires both resources, including the development of permanent institutional capacity and infrastructure in the TEIs and the schools, and time, including the time to take risks, to learn from local innovations, and to respond to the short- and long-term implications of the reform.

    This report presents two sets of recommendations about core issues in PLS teacher education. One set, which deals with systemic or policy issues, is addressed to the Ministry of Education and Research and to NOKUT.  The second set, which deals with collaboration and joint responsibility for teacher education, is addressed to the TEIs and their school and municipality partners.

    Some readers of this report may worry that our recommendations are bold and transformative. They are. But Norway’s goals for PLS teacher education are also bold and transformative. Threaded throughout our recommendations, the panel focuses on five aspects of PLS teacher education that we believe are central to the desired transformation: collaboration across multiple stakeholders, the active agency of all participants in knowledge building and learning, building research competence and capacity for all student teachers and teacher educators, enhancing the practiceorientation of student teachers’ school experiences and master’s theses, and ensuring the sustainability of reforms by providing the necessary infrastructure, resources, mechanisms, and tools over the long haul.

    Authors: Advisory Panel for Teacher Education, APT

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2019

  • Time-Pressure in teaching and academic supervision: does this affect the quality in higher education?

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    Abstract

    One of the most noteworthy results from NOKUT’s National Teacher Survey, is that the time resource allocated to teaching and student counselling is viewed as insufficient by a significant portion of the respondents. These results are consistent across academic positions, subject field and faculty affiliation. In this paper we identify possible causal factors underlying this negative assessment, and examine their potential negative impact on teaching quality. Our findings indicate that, in several academic environments, time allocated to teaching and student counselling may not be sufficient to meet practical needs. This seems to be a key factor in the negative assessment of the time resource. Several developmental trends in higher education seem to underlie (and strengthen) this phenomenon. Though the quality in teaching does not seem to be directly affected by the experienced time constraints, there are indications that they may limit further development and innovation of teaching methods and practices.

    Authors: Gerhard Yngve Amundsen og Kristoffer Fretland Øygarden

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  • What works with work placements?

    Abstract

    There is political and societal pressure for a clearer connection between academic studies and the working life that students are to take part in. Work placements are often seen as part of the suggested solution to the perceived or actual lack of relevance in higher education. This is also the case in the Norwegian context. In this paper, we firstly want to identify which issues challenge the quality of placements. Secondly, we will present some promising ways of overcoming these challenges. This paper is based on a more wide-ranging project on work placements in Norwegian higher education.

    Authors: Ingvild Andersen Helseth og Eva Fetscher

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  • Encouraging Collaboration in the field of Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement

    Abstract

    Higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing increased complexity and increasing pressure of proving their worth, documenting the relevance of research and teaching, and being transparent and accountable. In order to reflect upon the balance between assurance and enhancement and between responsibility and accountability, we ask how quality assurance agencies can foster collaboration within and across HEIs. We analyse and discuss how the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education has tried and tries to foster collaboration through two different measures. Our underlying assumption is that increased collaboration, sharing of practices, experiences and reflections within and across HEIs drive quality enhancement.

    Authors: Aslaug Louise Slette og Helen Bråten

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  • First year experiences and academic success in higher education

    Abstract

    Using data from the 2018 Norwegian student survey, we analyse the relationship between students’ early experiences in higher education and their academic achievement, level of involvement in their studies and their overall satisfaction with their study programme. We use multivariate regression models controlling for relevant background variables including grades from upper secondary education, age and gender. We find that students who feel that the contents of the study programme corresponded well with their expectations receive higher grades and report a higher level of involvement in, and satisfaction with, their study programme. We also find that students who experienced high levels of academic and social integration, report higher levels of involvement and satisfaction with their study programme.

    Authors: Lars Fredrik Pedersen og Pål Bakken

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  • ORION – Proposed adjustments to criteria for the general recognition of foreign higher education

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    Summary

    NOKUT’s criteria for the general recognition of foreign higher education have remained largely unchanged since 2003. NOKUT has drawn up proposed adjustments to the recognition criteria in its Erasmus+ ORION project. The criteria reflect the developments in international practices in the field, which Norway has committed to following in accordance with the Lisbon Recognition Convention and its supplementary texts.

    The proposed adjustments to the criteria entail:

    a) A broader approach to assessing “substantial differences”, which is a key concept in the Lisbon Recognition Convention. We want to achieve this by introducing qualification-based recognition. Therefore, we have toned down the focus on workload (principle of time parity) and placed greater emphasis on what an education/degree qualifies in terms of continued studies in the country of origin (access to the next level).

    b) As an extension of a broader approach to what constitutes substantial differences, we will hereafter assess degree equivalence against a broader selection of the master’s degrees currently offered in Norway. This means that more applicants will be able to gain master’s degree equivalence because our assessments will be based on all of the degrees described in the Regulations concerning Requirements for Master’s Degrees.

    c) We are moving away from granting credit recognition in NOKUT’s decisions in that completed qualifications will be recognised in relation to a degree. If full degree equivalence cannot be granted, the education will be partially recognised in terms of whole and half years of study. The same rule applies for incomplete studies, where NOKUT will introduce a requirement that the minimum assessable education, measured in terms of study workload, be set at one half year/one semester.

    In addition to adjusted assessment criteria, the project has reviewed the layout of NOKUT’s recognition decisions. The new decisions document, which will be implemented in connection with the adjusted criteria coming into effect, is simpler in form and content. The goal is to make it easier to use for applicants, employers and any other users of the document.

    The proposed adjusted criteria will not result in significant changes to the result for most applicants. Some applicants, e.g. those holding certain types of foreign master’s degrees, will experience a better result due to the proposed adjusted criteria. Other groups of applicants will not be given recognition to the same extent as earlier under the proposed adjusted criteria, e.g. applicants with assessable education of under one half year and applicants holding certain four-year first-cycle qualifications.

    The purpose of NOKUT’s general recognition is to help ensure public confidence in the quality of foreign higher education. NOKUT’s decisions give applicants an assessment of their foreign degree compared with the Norwegian degree system, facilitating mobility across national borders. The proposed adjusted criteria comply with current interpretations of what constitutes a “substantial difference” between foreign and Norwegian education. This means that NOKUT’s recognition scheme will be changed in line with current international guidelines.

    Authors: Andrea Lundgren og Valborg Holten Jørgensen 

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2018

  • Teaching in Higher Education – Consistency and Change in Context and Role

    Abstract

    How is the role and status of higher education teaching generally perceived in Norway today? This theme is reflected on in the Ministry’s newly published White Paper on quality in higher education in Norway. A certain concern is expressed that teaching lingers ‘in the shadows of research’, that it is methodologically conservative, and that its status needs to be lifted.

    The voice of teaching academics themselves tends to be less heard than those of political and institutional leaderships and students. This paper presents results from an in-depth interview study that explores how the opinions of the academic teachers compares with the governmental perspective and other ‘myths’ of conservatism and resilience to change.

    Authors: Gerhard Yngve Amundsen og Jon Haakstad

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2016

  • Studiebarometeret 2015: Adding a year – explaining satisfaction in teacher education in a time of reforms

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    Abstract

    Norwegian teacher education programs have gone through several reforms since the early 1990’s. The latest reform entails a further expansion from 4-year programs to integrated five-year master’s programs.

    Our paper explores three related questions:

    1. What are the levels of satisfaction among students at different types of teacher education provisions, and what explains potential differences?
    2. From the students’ perspective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of expanding the teacher educational degree from a 4-year to a 5-year master’s programme?
    3. Could cooperation between teacher education institutions provide new opportunities and increase student satisfaction in a 5-year master degree program?

    To answer these questions we use the Norwegian National Student Survey, in-depth interviews, a follow-up questionnaire and literary reviews.

    Responses from the National Student Survey showed that fifth year students on five-year programs were less satisfied than second year students. This could question the benefits of expanding the primary school teacher education from four years to a five-year master’s program. In this paper, we show that this might be a hasty conclusion. Some of the difference in satisfaction could be explained by the way the questions were asked. We also found evidence that indicates that at least some students at most five- or six-year programs eventually get tired of being enrolled at the same study program for so long. In the teacher education we argue that this could be solved through cooperation between the institutions. The institutions should make it possible for students to swap institutions between the third and fourth year. However, there is still one concern. The entrance competence among the primary teacher education students is lower compared to students in other subject fields with mainly five or six year integrated educational provisions. We also found that the satisfaction from the second to the fifth year of study decreased at a higher rate among students with a low entrance competence level. For the reform to be a success, we believe that the entrance competence has to improve among the teacher education students.

    Authors: Magnus Strand Hauge and Kim Kantardjiev

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  • The influence of faculty expectations on students’ workload

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    Abstract

    Students’ retention, progression and completion have been the focus among higher education institutional practitioners, researchers and policy makers for many years now. Research shows that students’ sense of belonging and engagement are essential for achieving these aims (a.o. Kuh, Cruce, Shoup & Kinzie 2008). Earlier research framed student engagement as the time and energy students invest in educationally purposeful activities, in combination with the effort institutions devote to using effective educational practices (Kuh 2001). Student surveys often show considerable variation among study programs in the time students invest in educational activities. Students’ study time is thought to be influenced by the academic aspirations, expectations and demands of faculty members. The higher and the more clearly faculty members’ academic aspirations and demands, the higher and the more effective is students’ study time investment. In this paper we test this hypothesis by studying the relationship between faculty members’ aspirations and demands on the one hand, and students’ study time on the other. We use quantitative data on study time and faculty expectations from the Norwegian national student survey ‘Studiebarometeret’. We conducted focus group interviews with students and faculty members of selected study programs to learn more about how faculty members’ expectations influence the students. Results show that there is indeed a relationship between students’ study time and faculty members’ demands and aspirations. The influence of faculty members’ academic aspirations is stronger for students’ self-study, while the influence of demands is stronger on students’ time devoted to organized learning activities. The interviews made clear that heterogenic student groups with respect to start competences, motivation and learning styles makes it difficult for institutions to set clear demands for all students. The interviews also showed that both clear and unclear demands lead to a high devotion of study time, while the latter is assumed as a non-effective way of learning. This curve linear effect is partly confirmed in the quantitative survey data.

    Authors: Marie-Louise Damen, Pål Bakken and Magnus Strand Hauge

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  • NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees

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    Synopsis

    The need for a new recognition scheme
    In 2015, Norway, as well as many other countries in Europe, experienced a significant increase in the number of refugees. As a result, the number of refugees with qualifications who will apply for NOKUT’s General Recognition is expected to increase significantly in 2016, as well as in 2017. From Syria alone, close to 1,000 applicants can be expected in the coming year. Simultaneously, NOKUT is seeing an increase in the number of applicants from other refugee countries, such as Eritrea. Many of the refugees who apply for NOKUT’s recognition are unable to document their qualifications, and must therefore be referred to the UVD-procedure, NOKUT’s recognition procedure for persons without verifiable documentation, which is specifically adapted for refugees. The UVD-procedure, which includes the use of expert evaluations and extensive testing, is very time- and resource demanding.

    The UVD-procedure also presupposes the following three requirements:

    • The applicant must possess sufficient language proficiency in English, Norwegian or another Scandinavian language.
    • The applicant must have permanent residency in Norway.
    • The applicant must possess a completed qualification within higher education.

    NOKUT is now seeing that an expanding group of refugees are facing challenges in fulfilling the three requirements. In order to be prepared for a situation in which large groups of refugees are left without a possibility for recognition, NOKUT has completed a pilot project in order to test a new methodology for evaluation of refugees’ qualifications.

    The content of NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees
    The pilot project was carried out in the period February–May 2016. During this period, a total of 20 qualifications passports were issued. Participants were chosen from active applications pending with NOKUT, for whom the application for General Recognition through the UVD-procedure could not be completed with a legally binding decision.

    NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees is a standardized statement from NOKUT containing information about the applicant’s highest completed qualification, work experience and language proficiency, in addition to advice and guidance about the road ahead. The document contains information on the documentation that formed the basis for the individual assessment.

    NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees is valid for a limited time, and has a validity of three years from the date of issue. The goal is that within this timeframe, applicants will have the opportunity to find employment or continue with further studies, improve their language proficiency or, if they still need to, apply for formal recognition or authorization.

    Method
    The methodology used for the evaluation of this group of applicants is based on elements developed through NOKUT’s UVD-procedure, as well as the proposal on European Qualifications Passport for Refugees developed by NOKUT and our British sister office, UK NARIC. The method is a combination of the evaluation of available documentation, and a structured interview with the applicant carried out by experienced case officers.

    The aim of the Pilot project was to assess whether the qualifications passport could be established as a possible supplement in the increasing number of cases in which the existing recognition procedures resulting in a legally binding decision from NOKUT cannot be utilized.

    Experiences and feedback from users
    The end users of NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees will primarily be the following three groups: employers, the integration sector and higher education institutions. With this in mind, NOKUT conducted interviews in focus groups with representatives from each of these three groups. The feedback from the focus groups was positive and constructive. The members of the focus groups stated that the qualifications passport has the potential to be an effective tool. The feedback and input from each of the focus groups have been actively utilized in further development of the final document, which we have called NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees.

    Simultaneously, a short survey on how the candidates themselves perceived the process of obtaining the qualifications passport was conducted. The feedback from the candidates indicates that the qualifications passport is seen as a valuable offer, and that the evaluation process had made them more aware of their qualifications, and of which competences they should use as a basis for further activities.

    NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees is suggested as a new permanent scheme to supplement existing recognition procedures
    Based on the experiences gained from the pilot project, it has been concluded that the model of recognition tested can be made into a permanent scheme to supplement NOKUT’s existing recognition procedures. The establishment of NOKUT’s Qualifications Passport for Refugees as a permanent scheme will benefit both the refugees affected, and society as a whole. Refugees with higher education who fall short of the requirements for NOKUT’s other recognition procedures will be given a real option from NOKUT to have their qualifications evaluated, in addition to advice about the road ahead. This may prove positive for further integration. Furthermore, the document has the potential to give the integration sector, employers and higher education institutions standardized and quality assured assistance in their assessments of adapted measures.

    Compared to the UVD-procedure, the costs of issuing a qualifications passport will be significantly lower. While a UVD-evaluation has an average requirement for resources of about 50,000 NOK, the experiences from the pilot project indicate that the average cost of issuing a qualifications passport will be around 5.000 NOK.

    Authors: Marina Malgina and Stig Arne Skjerven 

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2015

  • From counting credits to learning outcomes?

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    Summary

    NOKUT has seen for some time that there is an increasing need to review the set of criteria for recognition of foreign doctoral degrees. The goal is to update the set of criteria in accordance with the changes that have taken place in the education sector and developments in the recognition of qualifications. For this purpose, NOKUT established a working group mandated to consider different aspects related to the recognition of foreign doctoral degrees and, if applicable, propose criteria for general recognition of foreign doctoral degrees.

    Up until now, NOKUT has had a homogeneous, system-based recognition regime with a strong focus on measurable input factors. The current criteria were adopted by NOKUT's board, based on the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions' (UHR) guidelines for PhD degrees. NOKUT also awards credits for the doctoral degree and for the thesis using the same practice as for other degrees. NOKUT's criteria include the following:

    • The study programme must have been completed and the degree must be an officially recognised doctoral degree awarded by an accredited higher educational institution.
    • The study programme must have a nominal length of at least three years (equivalent to 180 credits).
    • Admission to the study programme must be based on a master's degree or equivalent.
    • The educational pathway must be eight years of recognisable higher education/ 480 credits in Norway.
    • The education shall include courses at a high level.
    • The nominal length of study for work on the doctoral thesis must be two years (120 credits).
    • The doctoral thesis must have been assessed and approved by a committee of experts.

    In NOKUT's experience, many doctoral degrees are neither fully nor partially recognised as a result of not being structured so as to meet the whole set of Norwegian criteria, even if they are comparable with a Norwegian doctoral degree. Hence the criteria are neither in step with international developments in the field nor with the policies that drive the international processes. The set of criteria does not allow for variations. Nor does it permit the use of new tools such as learning outcomes and qualifications frameworks, the use of which is recommended in the European Area of Recognition Manual (the EAR Manual), by the Pathfinder Group and in the Yerevan Communiqué. These considerations underline the need for a review of our recognition practice.

    In this report, we review the challenges posed by current practice, and we compare NOKUT's practice with corresponding practices in other Nordic countries. We discuss different aspects of recognition, explore the term 'substantial differences' and the relationship between recognition and the GSU list requirements. We go on to consider whether credits should be awarded in connection with the recognition of doctoral degrees and how learning outcomes can be used as a tool in this work.

    We have prepared a proposal for a new set of criteria and a new practice for general recognition of foreign doctoral theses. The new set of criteria differentiates on the basis of when and where the doctoral degree was awarded. At the same time, the set of criteria is less detailed with respect to input factors such as admission requirements, structure, the nominal length of study and the GSU list requirements.

    We propose that all doctoral degrees must meet the following criteria:

    • The study programme must have been completed and an officially recognised doctoral degree awarded by an accredited higher educational institution.
    • The main component of the study programme must be supervised independent research that results in an approved scientific thesis. The nominal length of study for work on the doctoral thesis shall be about two years.
    • The doctoral thesis must have been assessed and approved by a committee of experts.
    • The study programme must have a nominal length of at least three years.

    It is proposed that doctoral degrees at EQF level 8 or equivalent in a comparable qualifications framework be fully recognised as doctoral degrees. Older doctoral degrees or doctoral degrees from countries without qualifications frameworks must be based on research and a total of eight, occasionally seven, years of study together with previous education, in order to be recognised by NOKUT. We have also proposed a certain change of practice to allow for a more individual evaluation to take account of the diversity of foreign doctoral degrees.

    Our proposal for new criteria use qualifications frameworks and learning outcomes as tools for recognition. The criteria are less detailed than previously and allow for evaluation and recognition of doctoral degrees based on education structures that differ from those that lead up to a Norwegian PhD. The new criteria are more in line with the Lisbon Recognition Convention with respect to what may be considered a substantial difference. The criteria also reflect trends and ongoing developments in the field in Europe.

    Authors: Andrea Lundgren og Valborg Holten Jørgensen

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  • Personal feedback and advising in Norwegian higher education: Explaining student dissatisfaction

    Summary

    The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education has completed an annual student survey about the perceived quality of education in Norwegian bachelor and master programs. Based on the national student survey and interviews with students, faculty, and program leaders at seven different study programs in medicine and engineering in Norway, we show that while students are dissatisfied with the feedback and advising they receive, this dissatisfaction do not affect the students’ overall perception of the quality of their study programs. We argue that the main reason for this is that students do not expect formative feedback and individual advising to play a major role in their university education.

    Authors: Stephan Hamberg, Marie-Louise Damen and Pål Bakken

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2014

  • Student views on quality in their study programs – what matters?

    Abstract

    The Norwegian Agency for Quality in Education (NOKUT) recently carried out the first national student survey (“Studiebarometeret”) focusing on the students’ views on quality in their own study programs. In this paper we first describe the design of the survey, then explore which factors matters the most for overall satisfaction with their study programs by regression analysis. The validity and reliability of the survey itself, as well as the more general question of what student surveys may contribute to understanding and enhancing quality in higher education is discussed.

    Authors: Stein Erik Lid, Pål Bakken and Kim Kantardjiev

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  • Requirements of the discipline community in accredited Master Degree programs: adapted, adequate, active

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    Summary

    Material and methods
    The applications for accreditation of Master Degree programs must fulfill the requirements given in the regulations decided upon by NOKUT. The regulations describe the minimum requirements that the state and private university colleges must fulfill in order to obtain accreditation. The requirements regarding the discipline community are both quantitative and qualitative.

    The quantitative requirements specify that a certain percentage of the discipline community must be fully employed by the institution. Furthermore the discipline community must have a certain percentage of professors and other academic staff with the same level of competencies. The qualitative requirements are summarized into the concepts: adapted, adequate, and active. The discipline community must be adapted to the study plan, the teaching and guidance of the students and the R&D to be performed. They must have the adequate competencies to maintain the necessary R&D and they must take an active part in R&D activities and in national and international cooperation.

    The analyzed material in this report covers 154 applications of accreditation of master degree studies, which are accredited by NOKUT over the period 2004-2012. The material is structured in accordance with a predefined definition of the expert committee’s evaluation on the discipline community as 1) positive; very well qualified for the task, 2) neutral;  sufficient qualifications and 3) negative; barely sufficient. The material is also structured to show how the state and private university colleges plan and estimate the number of students and the size of the discipline community for the Master Degree program. These historical data will give information on the development and the changes in the degree level as a whole over the period.

    Essential political background factors
    Two regulations of educational politics are essential background factors in the analysis. These are the Quality Reform that was implemented in 2003 (White paper no.27 2000-2001) and the implementation of the National Qualification Framework in 2009.  One of the main aims of the Quality Reform was stronger emphasis on the student/teacher –relation, input factors.  This might seem to contradict the National Qualification Framework which emphasizes the results and the outcomes of the education; output factors. The analysis might give indications on how the state and private university colleges deal with this dilemma, expressed by how they plan and estimate the number of students and the size of the discipline community over the period.

    The analysis
    In 24 % of the applications the expert committees gives a positive evaluation of the discipline community, stating that they are very well adapted and competent. The neutral and negative evaluations are each 38 %. Put together the evaluations receiving the least criticism, the positive and the neutral ones, add up to about half of the applications. The two groups receiving neutral and negative evaluations are equal in size, showing how these institutions in many cases have difficulties in meeting the minimum requirements concerning the discipline community. The distribution of the evaluations of the expert committees shows great variations over the years with a slight tendency to an increase in positive evaluations. Given the same development however, the results of the evaluations in 2020 will give a negative outcome for about 1/5 of the accreditations. There is no evidence of improvement from negative via neutral to positive evaluations within the institutions. There are very few institutions without any negative evaluations of the discipline community. There seem to have been equal difficulties within the different subject areas in meeting the requirements, although slightly more difficult within the health and social sciences. These problems are enhanced by the fact that the state and private university colleges over the period are planning and estimating their Master Degree programs for a smaller number of academic staff, while the estimated number of students is increasing. The average estimated man-labor years decreases from 10,5 in 2005 to 4,8 in 2012 while the average estimation of student numbers increases from 28 to 42 over the same period. This development might have different reasons or a combination of different reasons:

    • The institutions have improved their planning and the utilizing of their academic resources.
    • The academic competencies are scarce and the competition is high.
    • It might seem as if the size of the discipline community is considered irrelevant as long as the minimum requirements are met, no matter how poorly.
    • It might seem as if the policy of emphasis on the output factors is more estimated than the policy of emphasis on the input factors.

    Even if the requirements are met the analysis shows a Master Degree program level with great differences in the quantitative and qualitative level of the discipline community. Neither the central regulations nor this analysis can give a clear advice on what is the best or the optimal.

    Conclusion
    The analysis does not give reasons for any firm conclusions, but some questions are relevant to put forward:

    • Are the planning and estimation of the discipline community allocated to a master degree study made at random?
    • What are the consequences of the differences in the competencies of the discipline community, regarding the quality of education and the students learning outcome?
    • What are the consequences for the quality of education and the student’s learning outcome when the same type of master degree study is offered at different institutions with huge differences in academic resources?
    • How can a decreasing amount of academic resources serve an increasing amount of students, while maintaining student satisfaction?
    • How can the need for qualified and competent academic resources keep up with the growth of master degree studies?

    Author: Turid Hegerstrøm

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2013

  • Institutional Dynamics in Norwegian Tertiary Education

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    Summary

    The Norwegian sector of tertiary education (tertiary vocational and higher education) has undergone a dynamic development in later years. In simplified terms, one could say that the sector is characterised by vocational colleges aspiring to become higher education (university) colleges and university colleges aspiring to become universities. (“University colleges” can be compared with Fachhochschulen and polytechnics).

    The background of these trends are to be found in changes that were made in the frame conditions in 2002, when the reformed Universities and Colleges Act (2002) introduced institutional accreditation through the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) and thus opened up an opportunity for any institution to qualify for any institutional category, as long as it successfully passes the accreditation process and demonstrates compliance with the relevant standards. The reformed law – also called the Quality Reform – increased the institutions’ autonomy and room for strategic manoeuvres, including the right to seek ‘higher’ formal status. The Quality Reform also brought another mechanism that now enables new providers to acquire the right to offer higher education by having single programmes accredited by NOKUT.  At about the same time the Tertiary Vocational Education Act regulated the tertiary vocational education sector.

    A changing institutional landscape
    Since 2003 the number of universities in Norway has doubled (from 4 to 8) and also the number of specialised university institutions has increased. Several university colleges have explicit ambitions to acquire university status, which is demonstrated by the many mergers and merging processes in the sector. Furthermore, there has been a relatively strong growth in the number of new providers, as institutions that formerly could not offer higher education now have acquired the right to do so. The new providers are considerably smaller institutions that the long-established ones. There has also been a solid growth in the number of new master and doctoral degree programmes in the university colleges. NOKUT has accredited more than 100 master programmes and nearly 30 doctoral programmes in these institutions. In 1995 ten institutions had the right to award doctoral degrees; in 2012 the number had risen to 28, including ten state university colleges and four former state university colleges. All movements in the landscape are upwards; both in the sense that more and more programmes are developed at a higher degree level and in the sense that institutions are elevated in the institutional hierarchy.

    Higher education in figures
    There are at present about 240 000 students in Norwegian higher education, distributed on some 75 institutions. About one half of these institutions have less than 1 000 students, while one quarter have less that 200. There are 8 universities, 9 specialised university institutions, 36 accredited university colleges and 22 non-accredited colleges of higher education.

    Tertiary vocational education in figures
    16 000 students of tertiary vocational education are distributed on 115 schools. Nearly one half of these schools have less than 50 students. Some of them have – in addition to their provision within tertiary vocational education – developed courses at the level of higher education, following accreditation by NOKUT. This represents one aspect of ‘institutional drift’ and contributes to a less clear division between the sectors of higher and tertiary vocational education.

    Drivers behind these movements
    The central authorities have always wanted larger institutional units and have provided budget stimuli for collaborative projects. However, mergers have so far been voluntary for the institutions. Mergers normally make it easier to climb the ladder of the institutional hierarchy than it is for a small institution to build the necessary competences alone; mergers are therefore often regarded as a means of achieving higher status. The rationale behind the institutions’ ambitions is often a belief that heightened status will facilitate the development and strengthening of their research and teaching activities. More specific reasons are also given, like increasing the ability to attract external resources and to improve student recruitment. An underlying cause is the institutions’ extended powers to provide new study programmes without having to apply for accreditation by NOKUT. The higher the institution is placed in the hierarchy, the more extensive these powers are. When some schools of tertiary vocational education develop higher education provision, their main motive may be to increase student recruitment, the idea being that a school becomes more attractive if credits achieved there will count towards a degree in higher education. Tertiary vocational programmes cannot exceed two years’ duration, which some of the providers obviously look upon as a restriction.

    Dynamics and diversity
    These changes have affected diversity in the sense that some existing university colleges, and of course the university colleges that have achieved university status, have become more similar to the older universities. This, however, is a slow process. The portfolios of the “new” universities are still dominated by large professional programmes (teaching, nursing, engineering, etc.) and relatively few of their students follow master degree programmes. Programme diversity has increased in each individual institution, while the institutions in many ways have become more similar. So the development is towards increased diversity within institutions and diminished diversity among institutions.

    Other possible effects
    Institutions, programme portfolios and students alike follow an “upwards” drift, as higher degree levels and higher institutional status are perceived to entail competitive advantages, both in the interrelations between institutions and in the students’ opportunities in the job market. These dynamic forces have both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, it provides academic development, with more robust discipline communities, broader portfolios and potentially better quality in education and R&D. But at the same time this institutional drift may harm the institutions’ broad base of bachelor programmes and lead to the establishing of too many small and vulnerable discipline communities with responsibility for master and doctoral programmes. It is also possible to imagine a future trend where tertiary vocational education, which is supposed to be short and practically oriented, becomes more academically demanding to reduce the educational opportunities for persons with weaker theoretical abilities.

    The institutional landscape of the future
    In 2008 the Stjernø Committee recommended that the future Norwegian landscape of higher education institutions should consist of 8–10 multi-campus universities, covering the nation’s entire geographical area. These recommendations are well in line with the developments we are observing today. And although there most probably will not be a wave of mergers as dramatic as this, it is quite likely that more university colleges will become parts of a bigger university in the future.

    Depending on political priorities, different adjustments in today’s system are imaginable. A “closing” of the system, in the sense that changes in institutional category are not possible any more, will probably increase the pressure among university colleges for mergers with existing universities. Another radical option would be to remove restrictions on institutional titles and categories, allowing them all to call themselves universities. Such a change could (but must not necessarily) lead to changes in the system that regulates the institutions’ self-accreditation powers. Still another option would be to adjust today’s model to make it more demanding for institutions to qualify for university status.

    Author: Pål Bakken

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  • Recognition of higher education in Eritrea and Ethiopia

    A study trip to Eritrea and Ethiopia in October 2012

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    Summary

    Eritrea

    Eritrea has seen a change in its higher education system in the period 2004–2010. However, this reform is not a change in the system itself, but a change in the number of institutions offering higher education in the country. The system of diploma-, bachelor- (and master-) programmes has remained more or less the same, except for the fact that the number of programs has increased.

    The University of Asmara has been the only institution of higher education in the whole country. All issues related to higher education have been concentrated around the university. To be able to offer higher education to a larger number of students, the government decided to close the University of Asmara, with no new intake of students after 2003. Then they upgraded seven of the underlying colleges of the university to independent institutions of higher education. Some of the new colleges have also been moved to other parts of the country, and one could say that there has been a decentralisation of higher education in Eritrea. The result is that Eritrea today has seven institutions offering higher education, and the number of students attending programs of higher education has risen from around 5000 students at the University of Asmara in 2004 to around 17 000 students attending programs at the new colleges of higher education today.

    The University of Asmara’s main programme were the diploma programme and the bachelor degree; and was only able to introduce the master degree programme in 2004 just before closing. Today we see that most of the new colleges of higher education have already introduced many new master degree programmes or are planning to introduce master degree programmes in the near future.

    Ethiopia

    The reforms in neighbouring Ethiopia have been far more wide-reaching with changes in both secondary and higher education.

    Since the late 1990s, the number of higher education institutions has risen dramatically; as has the number of students. The government has opened up for private higher education institutions, and established more than 15 new public universities, bringing the total number of public institutions to just over 30. The private higher education sector has grown exponentially in number of institutions, but the majority of students still attend the public universities.

    Secondary education has changed with the introduction of the “Preparatory Year”, which in practice is an amalgamation between the 12th grade and the freshman year of higher education.

    The diploma programmes ceased to be higher education with the last batch of students graduating in 2006/2007. Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has today both taken on, and expanded, the role the older diplomas had in the Ethiopian educational system.

    The reforms in Ethiopia have moved back and forth on the question of normative length of degree studies, going from 4 to 3 and then back to 4 years again for a regular bachelors. Nor are the reform processes over. The government has recently started a drive for all higher education institutions to streamline subjects into a national plan favouring technical subjects.

    Authors: Anne-Kari Gulliksen and Erik Audensen

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2012

  • “A Master Degree is not a Master Degree”

    Master Degree programs in the Norwegian state and private university colleges

    The purpose of this report is to inform about the growth and development of Master Degree programs in the Norwegian state and private university colleges.

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    Summary

    The amount of programs in the study
    Since the implementation of the Quality Reform in 2003, the Norwegian state and private university colleges have been allowed to apply to NOKUT for accreditation of Master Degree programs. A registration shows that NOKUT has accredited 145 Master Degree programs at 38 state and private university colleges over the period 20032011. About half of the institutions provide one or two study programs, while one institution provides 20.

    Central regulations
    Regulations concerning the Master Degree studies issued by the Ministry of Education and Research in 2002 allow the state and private university colleges to apply for Master Degree programs in accordance with three paragraphs: § 3, § 4 and § 5. The § 3 Master consists of 120 ECTS credits (two years of study) and will normally qualify the candidates for further Ph.D. studies. The § 4 Master consists of 300 ECTS credits (five years of study). The § 5 Master consists of either 90 or 120 ECTS credits and will normally not qualify the candidates for further Ph.D. studies. Over the period 2003-2011 NOKUT has not accredited any § 4 Master Degree program.

    A double field of tension
    The above mentioned and other central regulations allow for Master Degree programs of a great variety, but puts at the same time clear restrictions on the structure and organization of the programs. This creates an organizational field of tension between variety and limitations. The same regulations also stress that the Master Degree programs must qualify both for occupational life and further academic studies. This creates a second field of tension related to content and learning outcomes. Based on information from the institutions applications for accreditation, this report documents and analyses how the state and private university colleges have interpreted, adjusted to, and implemented the possibilities available within this double field of tension and the somewhat vague and contradictory central regulations.

    The analysis
    Depending on the institutions choice of paragraph (§ 3 or § 5) the Master degree program can be established in accordance with several different possibilities. This concerns the length of the program, the amount of occupational experience before admission, the amount of ECTS credits allotted to the independent and scientific work of the students, the expectations concerning learning outcomes and opportunities for a further academic career. This study shows that the institutions decisions in these matters are just as often based on strategic, subject related or pragmatic deliberations. Certain findings indicate that the difference between the two optional paragraph alternatives is not that obvious or clear, and that the institutions to a great extent interpret and give priority to their own understanding of the issue.

    The study shows that the state and private university colleges to a limited extent have utilized the different possibilities that the two paragraph alternatives open for. On the one hand there is an overwhelming impression of a degree level marked by an established and traditional way of thinking about higher education, a limited amount of ECTS credits to dispose of and a certain ambivalence concerning the candidates’ qualifications and competencies. On the other hand we find a small amount of study programs that also manage to find ways of organizing and combining the different alternatives in a way that considers a wide range of students and their different preparedness for studying and need of qualifications. Some programs that are organized in ways that can be described as challenging the borders of what the central regulations allow for, are also found.

    This unevenness mirrors how the Master Degree program level is balancing within the double field of tension. The choice of paragraph alternative shows a massive option for academic norms and values and a unified and homogenous program level. At the same time other findings draw the attention towards a strong emphasis on the programs relevance for occupational life and a hetrogenous and varied Master Degree study level.

    Conclusion
    The study concludes that a Master Degree study program in state and private state and private university colleges must meet and fulfill a number of different needs and alternatives. One program is not necessarily similar to the other. The question of what constitutes a Master Degree program is not easily answered.

    Author: Turid Hegerstrøm

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  • Practice in tertiary vocational education

    The purpose of this report is to inform the vocational school sector about the main trends for integrated practice placements in tertiary vocational education. The study, which is based on a questionnaire survey as well as more in-depth interviews, finds great diversity in the organization of practice placements, which is adapted to the course content, the students’ prior work experience and the opportunity for leave from their paid job.

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    Summary

    NOKUT has so far known little about the organisation and quality of practice in vocational schools. In the context of tertiary vocational education, practice is defined as a method of learning where the student has the opportunity to practice in a workplace outside of the school, in a work-like situation. The goal could be to exercise new practical skills, or to implement new theory in tasks that the student already has practical experience with. NOKUT’s Department of Analysis and Development has developed a two-part report about the use of practice in tertiary vocational education in order to find out which forms of practice placements are used and how effective they are, and to uncover any challenges to quality in vocational courses with practice placements. The main focus has been on education in healthcare, partly because practice placements constitute a large proportion of these courses compared to education in other subject areas, and partly because there is a public focus on vocational schools as competence builders in the healthcare sector.

    The first part of the report is a quantitative survey of all providers of tertiary vocational education. The second part is a qualitative interview study of a sample of educational programmes in health care, where the purpose was to understand why practice is organized in different ways and how the practice placements are intended to achieve the learning objectives. Chapter 1 in the report presents the background for the study and relevant questions for investigations, chapter 2 reports the main findings from the questionnaire survey and chapter 3 discusses the findings from the qualitative interviews.

    Main findings presented in the report:

    • At least 15 percent of all tertiary vocational education programmes have practice placements with supervision and guidance  at a workplace outside the school. The most common among these is that the practice constitutes between 20 and 30 percent of the programme. Healthcare is the subject area which has the most practice in tertiary vocational education.
    • The student group that take up tertiary vocational education in health is very diverse. Some schools aim for further education of students with long work experience in healthcare, whereas others primarily recruit students without such experience.
    • The organization of practice is often a compromise between the social and individual needs for competence. Some of the health care educational providers take responsibility for boosting competence in the sector, but have to adapt to the students’ frequent inability to take a leave of absence from their job.
    • There is great diversity in how practice is organized time-wise in relation to theory, and to what extent the vocational school has formal agreements with the workplaces.
    • Almost 80 percent of the tertiary vocational education programmes with practice placements, allow their students to conduct some of all of the required practice at their own workplace, but only 40 percent have more than ten percent of their students in placement at their own workplace.
    • Good assignments and means of evaluation in the practice period could be just as important as supervision to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge.

    The report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of organization and adaptation to the needs of the student and society in general. The findings give no cause for concern over the general quality of education in the practice placements of tertiary vocational education. Rather, we find that in general, the different practice arrangements are well suited to both the students’ and society’s need for competence in different niches of the education market.

    The main recommendation for the vocational schools is that they to a greater extent should specify the objectives and target groups of the education, inform the students early about the arrangements for practice placements and aim for adaptive and thorough means of evaluation.

    Author: Ingrid Storm

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  • Quality challenges in flexible professional education

    The purpose of this study is to provide a foundation for assessing whether there are any additional requirements for quality assurance associated with one or more flexible forms of education.

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    Summary

    An increasing proportion of the students in higher education are registered on flexible education programmes, 6.5 % of all Norwegian students in 2011. NOKUT have in recent years evaluated three large professional educational degrees: teacher training, preschool teacher training and engineering degree programmes. Increasingly the institutions offer flexible alternatives to the campus based programmes of these professional degrees. This was the background for NOKUT’s decision to have a closer examination of the organization and implementation of two flexible provisions within each of the three professional fields. The data was collected by document studies and interviews with students and staff.

    Organisation and IT
    The assumption that flexible education was generally web based was not supported by this study. This is consistent with the findings from the Norway Opening Universities’ IT monitor survey 2011 (Norgesuniversitetet 2012). Even if research, reports and government incentives have focused on e-learning, this study indicates that flexible professional education is normally seminar based.

    Half of the educational programmes in the sample were based on seminars. One former seminar based teacher training programme had developed into a purely web based course. One engineering programme was delivered in both a campus based and web based version. Another engineering degree turned out to be a campus based part-time programme with reduced hours of teaching.  Half of the programmes were organized as full time studies and half as part time. A number of the programmes offered the students the opportunity for further flexibility, by allowing them to switch from flexible to campus based and vice versa, shortening or lengthening their time to completion and admitting students who had already completed part of the degree.

    The importance of institutional strategy for flexible learning
    This study confirms that it is mainly institutions and programmes with declining student recruitment that offer flexible education. The majority of the institutions had plans to increase the number of flexible programmes, and several had established units for technological and pedagogical IT support. Nonetheless, the overall institutional strategies, with respect to IT among other areas, appeared to have little impact on the choice of organizational model for the educational programmes in the sample. Rather, the decisions were to a large extent based on tradition and the experience of the academic departments, and this tendency was particularly apparent in the seminar based programmes. This organization was often explained as a response to academic and pedagogical requirements, such as the need for socialization into the profession, and sufficient contact between the teachers and students to be able to determine the students’ suitability for the profession.

    Students in flexible education
    The students enrolled in the flexible programmes were, as expected, older than the average student and had families and financial obligations which restricted their opportunity to move away from home. Those responsible for the education were generally aware that this group of students had a particular need for a thorough  introduction, for example  to the use of technology, referencing sources, and academic writing, and that they required a structured organization and detailed plan which would allow them to schedule the studying around their busy lives.  In return, the institutions providing this attracted what in one interview was described as “existentially motivated students” who only had one alternative on their application and who had chosen the education both because it was flexible and because they knew that there were employment opportunities in their hometown. Many also brought with them practical experiences from a relevant profession, which enriched the teaching for themselves and others.

    Challenges

    Lack of time
    The hours allocated to traditional teaching is reduced in flexible education. Reduced teaching time gives less time for discussion and critical reflection in the face-to-face meetings between teacher and student. This led to concerns about the opportunity for development of attitudes and capacity for critical judgment which is important for good professional practice.

    Lack of time for teaching also reduced the opportunity for in-depth reading of the course material. There was thus more cramming and copying, and little time and resources for providing support to students who were falling behind. The geographical distance made it easier for students to drop out when the challenges of academic or personal life became too demanding.

    Practice
    Distance was also a problem for the implementation of practical training in the four educations that included practice as part of the degree. Earlier evaluations have shown that the integration of theory and practice could be a problem. It was found that there it was difficult to find enough qualified supervisors for practice in decentralized and web based education. The collaboration with particular schools and nurseries was less close and committed and the communication with these practice sites was less satisfactory than in campus based education. Online dialogue meetings in the practice period and plans to give supervisors access to the learning platforms were introduced in attempts to improve the situation.

    Information
    The students appreciated correct and detailed information in advance about the purpose and content of the education and what was expected of them, so that they had the opportunity to plan their lives around the studies for the next years. Educational programmes that failed to meet the expectations created by the advance information experienced high drop-out rates.

    Criteria for success
    The students emphasized the importance of being given the educational content and organization they were promised, and that the programme was adapted to its target group.

    Detailed and correct information to potential applicants and new students emerged as a crucial criterion for success. The same could be said for a carefully planned, detailed and tightly structured education with good arrangements for student support and regular control of the rate of progression. Relatively strict academic control, teacher collaborations and a common view of the form of education and the pedagogical methods to be used, made the students better prepared and thus characterized the programmes with high retention rates.

    Following up the study
    On different levels, it could be relevant to consider the admission requirements and the actual admission of students, curriculum design and implementation as well as quality routines and controls. Much indicates that the institutional level should take greater responsibility for the resource allocation to and quality assurance of flexible education.

    Author: Astrid Børsheim

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  • International emergence of an accreditation regime in higher education

    This presentation examines the main elements that constitute the concept of quality control in education, the necessity of these mechanisms and some of the implications that follows.

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    Summary

    Accreditation of higher education – is one of the mechanisms that shall contribute to quality in education, and has been a rapidly growing task in the European education landscape the last couple of decades. The concept is inspired by American systems, developed throughout the 20th century as a response to the strong expansion of private providers and lack of national systems for quality control and regulations. An increasing number of countries are now adopting the concept of accreditation, to control the quality of their education, with considerable implications for international mobility and cooperation. Institutional accreditation, program accreditation and recognized/accredited providers as a prerequisite to assessment of individual qualifications, implies a growing bureaucracy, both with respect to processes of quality assurance, international harmonization of these and the exchange of information on accreditation status across borders.

    This presentation examines the main elements that constitute the concept of quality control in education, the necessity of these mechanisms and some of the positive and negative implications that follows. The effort of controlling quality in higher education follows a traditional trisection where responsibility and rights are divided between the provider, the program provided and the person that legitimate has passed a program and thereby qualify for an academic degree.

    • educational institution (provider)
    • study program (provision)
    • individual academic qualification

    By the establishment of NOKUT in 2003, a system of external accreditation of institutions and programs in higher education was introduced also in Norway, contemporaneous with the introduction of a system for academic recognition of foreign qualifications for the unregulated labor market – general recognition (generell godkjenning) – where recognized/accredited education form the basis. NOKUT has thereby been given the national responsibility for accreditation, recognition of individual qualifications from abroad as well as information on education and educational systems.

    The number of countries outside Europe and USA pursue but systems and processes vary. The need and demand for noticeable processes of quality control have stimulated new and alternative providers, and we now experience the growth of a new market with corrupt providers and fraudulent and fictive processes, harming students, academia and the labor marked, and entailing a considerable stress to the administrative systems. Accreditation consortia are one of the initiatives for handling the challenges, but the need for international regulations or an international system for quality control in higher education, to protect the society against fraudulent providers and cooperation partners, still remains an open question.

    Globalization of the education marked has entailed stronger regulations and growing bureaucracy, but might be the prize for the advantages and opportunities provided by global cooperation.

    Author: Ida Lønne

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  • R&D-based professional education

    Experiences from evaluations of teacher, engineering and pre-school teacher education

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    By law, all Norwegian higher education should be based upon research, development work and professional experience (termed R&D-based education). Assessment of this educational aspect constitutes an important part of NOKUT’s accreditations and evaluations.

    Summary

    NOKUT has previously undertaken evaluations of three major professional higher education programs – teacher (2006), engineering (2008) and per-school teacher education (2010) – representing altogether 59 separate (local) study programs. This report presents aggregated information on different aspects related to R&D-based education as evident from the evaluations. These aspects include different interpretations, ways of realisation and experiences with respect to R&D-based education. The report also presents analyses of correlations between input factors and the R&D profiles provided by the higher education institutions, and the assessments of quality of the R&D based education.

    Main results presented in the report:

    • The proportion of academic staff with professor qualifications correlates with the assessments of quality. Similar correlations were not found for other input factors by many assumed to be crucial – the total number of staff associated with study programs and the staff’s available time to carry out their own R&D. Taken together, this indicates that the staff’s general R&D-competence is more important for quality in R&D-based professional education than the specific R&D carried out by individual teachers.
    • The R&D profiles provided by the institutions correlate with the quality assessments. Local study programs obtaining the most positive assessments are characterized by a R&D profile which is closely connected to the field of professional practice. In the evaluations, this kind of R&D profile has been characterized as providing a better foundation for R&D-based professional education than basic and/or disciplinary research.
    • The majority of local study programs use definitions of R&D-based education that closely resemble a traditional interpretation of research-based teaching, where the individual teachers own research competence and research activity are the main factors. Here, the responsibility for R&D-based education is primarily placed upon the teachers as individuals. These programs are also characterized by a lack of systematic efforts to connect R&D with education in a manner aimed at enhancing the quality of education.
    • A minority of local study programs use interpretations of R&D-based education which instead focus on student learning and student’s own work. These programs have been more successful with respect to describing how R&D-based education may contribute to achieving goals for quality in education that are closely connected to relevance for professional practice.

    Connections between R&D, R&D-based education and quality of education are discussed in the report. It is argued that a broad understanding of the R&D-base and the term R&D-based education may provide a better foundation for preparing the students for future professional practice, increase professional relevance and thus the quality of education.

    Author: Stein Erik Lid

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