Insights from ED-AFFICHE: Navigating the European Degree Label Journey
Representing 51 higher education institutions from 22 different countries, a Europe-wide consortium of six Alliances (Una Europa, 4EU+, CHARM-EU, EC2U, EU-CONEXUS, and Unite!) secured the support of the European Commission for ED-AFFICHE, a joint proposal to advance the criteria associated with the European Degree Label (EDL) and develop recommendations on its assessment procedure, design and delivery. With the support of 19 national and regional ministries and 15 national accreditation and quality assurance agencies, ED-AFFICHE mapped obstacles and refined the criteria for the EDL based on multiple consultation with various stakeholder groups.
Gathering information from 193 joint programme coordinators and directors, ED-AFFICHE assessed insights on the criteria associated with the EDL, identifying institutional involvement, transparency of learning outcomes and flexible student mobility as highly important, while flagging challenges and exposing legal, organisational and academic barriers in the development of joint programmes. To map legal obstacles, ED-AFFICHE engaged in periodical consultations with legal experts and national and regional authorities leading to constructive dialogue that resulted in legislative changes in certain countries. In the Policy Report on best practices and recommendations on the future development and implementation of joint programmes in Europe, ED-AFFICHE proposes strategies derived from these consultations to overcome legal obstacles. To further refine the criteria and recommendations on the EDL, ED-AFFICHE conducted a survey involving 2546 students and consulted with employers and quality assurance agencies. In the Policy Recommendations on the Future of the European Degree Label, the consortium provides extensive guidance to the European Commission, member states, universities, and quality assurance agencies on implementing the European Degree Label, and to some extent, the European Degree.
The final deliverables from the project will be presented at an event hosted by the European Commission in Brussels on 29 April, together with other pilot projects supported by the EC.