Message from the Director of the International Tuning Academy

It is a great opportunity and honour to participate in the 5th National Meeting of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building project Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Asia (CALOHEA). The project team is very grateful to the University of San Agustin for hosting this national event. The event will not only allow us to share the initial results of the project but also to discuss the importance of modernising degree programmes and the promotion of international cooperation in the ASEAN region and beyond. CALOHEA is based on the TUNING model for the reform of higher education to prepare graduates better for their role in society and the world of work. To this purpose so-called subject-specific reference frameworks have been prepared for three academic fields, that is Civil Engineering, Medicine and Teacher Education. Reference frameworks define internationally agreed quality standards, but also serve as a foundation for curriculum design, implementation and enhancement. They are meant to be forward looking, that is to prepare for real live situations. This makes them unique and allows graduates to contribute significantly to the welfare of society due to the knowledge and skills developed as part of the learning and teaching process and the ability to act with responsibility to make a difference. The work done by the three academic fields is also intended to inspire other  academic fields. A second feature of the CALOHEA project is to assure that degree programmes are feasible. This implies that the student workload of the programme and its individual unit should be fair and transparent to meet the intended learning outcomes. A transparent and well designed curriculum, timewise feasible for students to implement, is the foundation for (inter)national recognition and therefore for international cooperation. When promoted well, it contributes to the reputation of the higher education institution involved and as a result to attract potential local, national and international students for its degree programmes. It also makes it an attractive partner for international cooperation.

We encourage you to attend the 5th National Meeting in order to learn about the three Recognition Mechanisms the CALOHEA project is working on, to join the ASEAN Network of Recognition Champions and to share your own experience of promoting recognition of periods of studies and university degrees.

Best wishes,
Robert.