Open Source Quality Assurance System for European Vocational Education
One of the burning issues today is how to improve the quality of learning/teaching in schools. Thousands of studies and scientific research have attempted to identify requirements and best practice in order to effect the transfer of theoretical conclusions into the daily practices of our schools. Particular focus has been given to European Vocational Educational (VET) schools and training centres as the current economical crisis is forcing them to respond to specifically identified demands: “increasing attractiveness, embedding stronger work based learning, enhancing labour market relevance, developing stronger career and education guidance, implementing teachers and trainers professional development, and improving recognition and transparency of VET learning outcomes between countries and across different education pathway".#1
EQAVET (European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training) brings together the EU Member States, the Social Partners and the European Commission to develop and improve quality assurance in European VET systems within the context of the implementation of the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework. EQAVET is designed to spread a quality culture in VET institutes, claimed as an essential condition for such improvement - “Participating countries should - by the end of 2015 - establish at national level a common quality assurance framework for VET providers, which also applies to associated workplace learning and which is compatible with the EQAVET framework.” (Bruges Communiqué, EU Commission, 2010).
Project name:Open Source Quality Assurance System for European Vocational Education
Program: Erasmus+
Key Action: Strategic Partnerships in the field of education, training and youth
Duration: 1 sept. 2014 – 31 aug 2017
Project coordinator: iTStudy Hungary Ltd.Project aims:
- improve the culture of quality assurance by involvement of VET teachers and trainers into online consultation in the partner countries;
- develop Open Source Software toolkit (OpenQAsS) to promote and facilitate QA management in VET schools and adult educational VET providers;
- develop a certificate – Institutional Quality Assurance Manager (IQAM) – for VET teachers and trainers who take responsibility for quality management tasks in institutions.
Planned results:
QA System in the practice of the European VET institutions;
- Teachers' Requirements against Open QAsS – Study/analysis;
- OpenQAsS System Plan and Prototype – Study/analysis;
- OpenQAsS Toolkit;
- Institutional Quality Manager (IQAM) Certificate – Course/curriculum;
- Interactive Quality Assurance Manual for VET Institutes;
- OpenQAsS Organisation and Community – Service/structure;
Participating countries: Hungary, Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Ireland.
